Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

All told, MGS2 is easily the best game of the year for PlayStation 2, besting out Devil May Cry. I thought maybe DMC would be as good, but MGS2 lives up to all expectations, and then some. It's hardly perfect, but not many games come this close to perfection. Some things can be baffling, but like a great movie, you need to watch (and in this case, play) the game more than once to fully understand what is going on. So you'll come for the always fun and tense stealth action, and stay for the layers-thick story.

For those curious, there are a few minor edits to the game in the wake of September 11th, since the game is based right in New York City; the NYC skyline was edited to remove the World Trade Center, and supposedly a scene where metal gear is running through the streets of Manhattan was cut as well. Besides that, the game still seems completely intact, despite the theme of terrorism and nuclear weapons.

Without spoiling the story at all, the game follows the adventure of Solid Snake, out to find a new metal gear prototype on a boat in the Hudson River. Obviously if you've played or seen the demo, you know what I'm talking about. From there all kinds of familiar faces make appearances and there are many twists and turns that might shift your emotions into a rollercoaster. Let's just say there is so much going on in the story it may be too much for some to fully grasp it all; but it's worth every second of the plot analyzing and multiple plays to pick up on things from a different perspective after you have beaten it.

If you haven't played a Metal Gear game (why haven't you, fool?), the game is focused around stealth, not bum rush ass kicking. Sure if you want you can get a nice gun with a silencer and cap everyone, but you'll get in trouble eventually. So the goal is to remain in the shadows and get by without detection. Thankfully, Snake has many different tricks to keep hidden, many of which most of you saw in the MGS2 demo earlier this year. The way the stealth is implemented, there's so much depth to it that there are many, many ways to play this game differently, which is a sign of a well-designed game.

Thankfully for Snake, he has an M9 tranquilizer gun by default for use in the silent stalking of guards; a couple shots at one will knock one out cold and at your mercy. From there you can just leave him, drag him outside the boat and thrown him overboard, or for the real fun, open up a locker and stuff him inside. That way, another guard won't be able to find the missing body and get confused.

If you use another gun however things change. If you kill a guard, blood splatters all over the body. If you don't get rid of the body the other guards get alarmed and start a search to see what's going on. However if you just get rid of the body somewhere they will notice the blood, but not really do anything. It's very cool how the other guards interact with you and the other guards to keep you at the edge of your seat with tension.

For a real good time, you can hold up the guards with your gun and just torture them if you want. You can aim at any part of the body and damage it Ц but the fun is when you point the gun at their head or crotch. Aiming in these directions will net you items tossed out by the scared guard. Then you can drop him or knock him unconscious with the M9, or even just choke them out and snap their necks.

On the other end of things, Snake has a few options in case he gets caught. If you are close to a door that leads to another area, you can just run through it to get things normal again. However if that's not an option, you're fine if you know the tricks. You can fight fire with fire against the guards (some with riot shields that you can eventually break), or find places to hide, like the aforementioned lockers or inside your cardboard box.

However, Snake has plenty of high-tech weapons of destruction; most of which you saw and loved in the last Metal Gear game. Sniper rifles, Nikita missile launchers, and SOCOM pistols return, along with new assault rifles and a grenade launcher. When the time for fighting presents itself, Snake is definitely ready for the situation.

But you know what? It's not about the kinds of weapons Snake has, or ways to hide from guards; it's the tension and interactivity with the game environment that makes MGS2 so incredibly wonderful to play. This game carries a tension level even higher than any УhorrorФ game can offer, with the deliberate Уdon't get caughtФ pacing. When you have that M9 pointed at a guard's back, you feel that tension of making sure you get the perfect shot; instead of blowing it and alerting your presense. There is a portion of the game that is so incredibly tense that I was truly sweating because of the close proximity of a load of folks who needn't be finding Snake sneaking around. Or when you come across trip wires tied to Semtex explosives, and you have to shoot the controls for them without hitting the actual bombs; you'll tense up trying to get that perfect shot, or basically die in a big explosion.

Metal Gear Solid 2 lives and breathes tension by way of the unique and challenging stealth elements, and it works in so many ways. This is not sloppy stuff with substandard AI Ц if you kill a guard you better hide the body fast. If you knock one out and isn't relaying the status of where he's patrolling, backup is called in. There are just so many classic tense moments that very few games can claim to have. The whole game will keep you on edge, and you'll welcome the many lengthy cutscenes just for a chance to relax!

MGS2's interactivity is another strong point. If you've played the demo, you know there is much more to do in this game besides playing the game, be it shooting plasma TV's out, shooting ice cubes, magazines, dishes, pots, pans, ketchup bottles, and whatnot. This isn't a necessity as much as it is attention to detail, but it adds a lot of realism and a bit of a show for those who are wowed by such things. These kind of things help against the enemy; you can shoot pipes and gas the guards, or shoot out nearby fire extinguishers to light up trip wires so you don't blow the whole place up. Of course, the aforementioned locker tricks come in handy also, and as long as the guards don't see you climbing in, you'll get away without any damage taken. And finally you can shoot out the surveillance cameras so you don't have to slide past without getting caught, or use a chaff grenade, which may jam radar, but it also jams your own ability to use it. These variables add so much to the game's stealth; before long you'll be looking for tricks within the game engine to save your ass from trouble.

All of this is tied up with excellent controls. The scheme is the same as MGS2, just with a couple new moves like the roll, and the grip meter for shimmying across railings and such. Snake is very responsive to your movements and nothing ever seems like a chore to accomplish; the mark of solid, frustration-free controls. As long as you know where everything is and what buttons do what, the controller becomes an extension of the player and is second nature

However, a couple things prevent MGS2 from getting a perfect 10 here. First, it seems at times the story is a little too much. Yes, this is the best story ever done in a video game, with movie-like quality and such, but it's a very thickly layered story that really gets off the beaten path and does nothing but confuse at times. It's great and I enjoy it, but sometimes I was scratching my head at a few turns of events. Also, I find that a lot of the tricks in MGS are repeated in MGS2. I won't say which ones, but as soon as you come across the situation, you'll be reminded of something similar from the last Metal Gear game. Thankfully there is plenty more new tricks, but that feeling of Уbeen thereФ looms at times. However, you won't mind re-doing those old tricks because it was so entertaining the last time around.

Finally, it occasionally seems like there is more story than gameplay. No, this isn't The Bouncer with 25 minutes of fighting. Actually there are many long moments of gameplay without too many non-interactive parts, but it's always broken up into long segments. One part of the game seems like it goes an hour of story without any gameplay, leaving me antsy for more. Now if the story was garbage (like The Bouncer) I would complain more, but the story does a great job of making you want to play more and more to see the plot unravel. And believe me, there ARE some major shockers to be had that will amaze you.

No complaints about the game length; plain fact is what you get in a 10-15 hour game the first time around is more than most games can give you in 50 hours; and the assorted cheats and surprises make it worth many playthroughs. It's longer than MGS, that is for sure, but without the cinemas, you'll still beat it in about 5 hours. But then you'd be missing the point.

Visually MGS2 is top-notch stuff, easily the best graphics on PS2 so far. As mentioned, all the little nuances and interactivity with the environments are smart and spectacular visual effects. Shoot a magazine and the paper flies everywhere. Shoot a jar of ice and watch the ice slowly melt and dissipate. Shoot at the pots and pans and listen to them ping and pang. Aim for the bottle of ketchup and it slowly leaks all over the table. The fun locker bits with posters of half-naked women are nice touches as well. There are just so many small things that all add up to the most realistic game as well as the most interactive game out there on PlayStation 2.

As for the characters, the animations and look of each one is very well defined and detailed. Snake, mullet and all, slowly sneaks and peeks around corners. His shadow can be spotted however, an example of great lighting effects. The rain on the outside of the ship is extremely well done and realistic to boot. Everything about this game screams realism and beauty, even with the handful of jaggies that pop up at times. But they aren't much trouble to tolerate. If you want eye candy, MGS2 is your showpiece for PS2.

To be expected, the sound is quite incredible. I just said last week when I played NHL 2002 that it was the best sound I'd ever heard; well MGS2 takes that away just as fast. The voice acting is again top notch; if a character was in the last MGS game, the voice from it returns. The now famous David Hayter returns as Solid Snake, and his gruffy, scruffy voice shines and gives Snake a personality that only Dante from Devil May Cry can top. However every other actor gives a great performance, even the guards who you don't hear from too often unless you're causing some trouble.

The music is handled by Harry Gregson-Williams, responsible for the score from Armageddon, The Rock, and Enemy of the State films. Thus, as to be expected, the music is very good and fits the stealth theme. Sometimes the music repeats, but it's great sneaking music. However the themes that play during the cinemas take the cake for the on screen situation and fits perfectly.

Effects-wise, the noises and other oddities are great as well. Shattering glass when you shoot at those kind of things, the clang of the pots and pans, even the silent shot of your M9 or suppressed guns travels quietly. And when the guard gets hit, the Уugh!Ф expression is perfect. The way they squirm and freak out when you hold them up is also great to hear, just as much as seeing it.