Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance & various Metal Gear games

Anyone a big fan of the Metal Gear series? I usually only play either sports games or simulation games (Civilization, Simcity, etc.), but I really enjoy the Metal Gear series. I've only played Metal Gear Solid for PSX & both Metal Gear Solid 2 and it's soon to be released (on PS2) update, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance.

I guess the thing I like about MGS is that it plays like a movie and the way the cut scenes are used is really well done. It was done better in MGS as opposed to MGS2, as some of the cut scenes in MGS2 just take forever, which gets annoying if you're playing it beyond your first time. However, the thing that really does it for me is all the small details in the game. The fact that you can shoot open watermelons, slip on bird droppings and have sea lice eat away at your rations just makes the game play so much more fun.

As for the differences in MGS2: Substance v. MGS2, it's mainly a whole bunch of VR missions (which are quite fun) and five seperate missions called Snake Tales, which are pretty tough. The main game stays pretty much the same, with a slight tweak in graphics (the thermal goggles seem more realistic). I don't remember if there was blood in MGS2, since I only rented it for a week, but there certainly is in MGS2: Substance.

kevin
+ http://tullamarine.org

 

I think why I liked MGS2 (or any of the MG stuff I've played) is that even though you have to kill people, the message of the game is still anti-violence and anti-war. Sometimes some of the messages of the game can be horribly cheesy (ie Otacon's whole "Can love bloom on a battlefield?" bit in MGS), but that could just be a cultural difference between us Americans and the Japanese development team.

The game never promotes senseless killing, in fact, it's better for you to sneak around and not kill (killing guards that make regular calls is a bad idea because once they know no one is answering, they'll send a lot more guards). It's like the difference between a movie that has a nudity because it is crucial to the plot and a movie that has a bunch of nudity for the hell of it.

There are just so many hidden things in the game that keep me coming back for more. I don't know if anyone here has tried it, but if you hide in a locker with one of those girly posters in it, you can kiss the poster & it makes an amusing kissing noise.

If you can snag a copy of MGS for the PSX on the cheap, I'd suggest it if the cut scenes are boring you. There are still cut scenes, but they are much shorter in length.

I also wanted to mention that I much prefer playing the earlier parts of MGS2. Once I get away from the plant, it's not as fun for me anymore.

 

Thanks for the stuff about Splinter Cell. I had read about it a couple times and how it was a Metal Gear-esque kind of game and was sort of wondering how the two games compared.

I had a quick chance to play it at a Toys 'R Us a couple of weeks ago and while it was only for a brief period, I was not that impressed. I know that the controls were a major problem for me and that the lack of a fixed camera angle drove me nuts. However, I know that I would get used to the controls if I owned the game. The other thing I didn't like was that I prefered MGS's graphics to Splinter Cell. Again, something initial that would probably be overcome if I had a chance to play it more.

The goofiness/cheesiness of MGS gets to me sometimes, especial in terms of some of the plot development, but I always keep in mind that stuff like this is probably normal for a game developed in Japan. I end up enjoying a lot of the dumb humour, but I could see how people could view it as a negative.

 

Hey, it's a public forum, so post away.

I'm quite interested in Splinter Cell and would like to know more about it, anyway. Most of the reviews I've read cite the stealth factor, along with the realistic usage of light.