In 1998 a producer named Hideo Kojima and developer Konami released the PlayStation game 'Metal Gear Solid'. Ever since that release the world of videogames has never been the same. What used to be just a NES-game, was now transformed into the most advanced stealth-action game ever. For many 'Metal Gear Solid' is even the best game ever made. I myself was also amazed and dazzled by the graphics, the sounds, the story and the intelligence of the game. What I found most appealing was the way your main character, Solid Snake, had to 'sneak up' to his enemies. We all know about those games where your enemy just walks around like a zombie, doing nothing, and never really posing any threat to you whatsoever. But it seems that we have left those sort of enemies behind us. Especially when you look at MGS. Your enemies will hear and see you. They will alarm others. That's why you must be alert, careful and cautious all the time. It is only way to succeed.
Of course now we are all wondering if Hideo Kojima can surpass his masterpiece. But since more information is revealed about MGS 2, it is becoming more clear that 'Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty' will be the ultimate videogame!
The Story
Just like its predecessor, MGS 2 is provided with a sublime story. Although Metal Gear Solid has been destroyed, the army decides to proceed with developing Metal Gears. One day the next robot in the series, Metal Gear Ray, has to be transported by boat to a new home front. Along with this new robot travels a small army of soldiers, among them Solid Snake. At sea happened what they all had feared: commando's of an unknown terror group attacks the boat. It is up to Solid Snake to stop these assailants and to prevent that Metal Gear Ray falls into their hands. Among the assailants is a dark feminine beauty, who is very good with knifes and also a mysterious old man.
How the story unfolds remains a mystery of course, but we can already predict that sooner or later Metal Gear Ray will fall into the wrong hands and that Solid Snake will have to face this mega robot. Material enough to build a sensational game I presume. Lets hope that this story has just as many original ideas and plots as the first MGS!
Emotions
Along with the release of PlayStation 2 came the story about its central 'Emotion Engine'. This engine should introduce emotions in videogames. It appears that MGS 2 has the premiere at this area. Every character has a detailed face, which can reflect all moods and expressions. A nice example is the mild grin of the knife-throwing vamp when she almost slices you with one of her weapons. Also Solid Snake has a lot of expressions. That could mean that his tough Duke Nukem talks are history.
Luckily the heart of MGS, the stealth-action aspect, remains unchanged. Once again your most important weapon is staying undetected and again the best way to eliminate your enemies is to attack them in the rear breaking their neck. Only this time the bodie won't disappear after a few seconds; you must drag the bodies out of sight to remain undetected!
Sound and Graphics
MGS and Resident Evil are pioneers when it comes to efficient use of sound. Konami has used the possibilities of PlayStation 2 to give MGS 2 sound-effects. Footsteps, voices, radio messages and a variaty of sounds are so perfect that you'll actually imagine yourself in the game. You can't only rely on what you see, but you must also depend on what you hear! Even your enemies react on sound, so only clever players can benefit from the sound-effects.
When it comes to graphics Konami is very close to perfection with MGS 2. The way the rain is falling on the deck, the perfect rendering of shadows by every source of light and the lifelike animation of the characters, it all looks very real. Shadows can reveal an enemy, but you can also be detected with your own shadow!
Once more there are ingame cut-scenes, only the difference between ingame and pre-rendered is hardly noticeable. That means very high quality! Another fact: at moments of heavy gun shooting you will switch to a first-person viewpoint to take out targets from a distance. Good news for all you Quake, Unreal and HalfLife-fans out there!!
Release: October 2001
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