Metal Gear Solid 2:Substance

by Sony

Product Features

• Sony Playstation 2

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00007KUU8
• Item Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: March 4, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,018 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance is the PS2 espionage action game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty with new playable characters, new VR missions, and a few twists. More than 350 new and moderately interesting VR missions fill in some of the gaps in the original game's story. There are also five separate "Snake Stories" that act as new missions. These take place apart from the main story, making them feel less like an expansion to the sprawling events in Sons of Liberty and more like an unconnected romp designed to pad the original game. Unfortunately, the "Snake Stories" lack the thrill, tension, and exposition that made Sons of Liberty so special.

The "substance" is nothing more or less than a collection of disconnected additions to the core game Sons of Liberty, which remains unchanged from its original release: you play as Solid Snake in stealthy espionage/assault missions, infiltrating the lairs of bad guys to take down nuclear-powered bipedal creations called Metal Gears. Snake has all kinds of tricks up his sleeves: high tech weapons, the ability to sneak around undetected--he can even flip over the side of a railing to hide (a "Grip Meter" counts down, increasing the tension and making you pray the enemy walks away). Both a boon and a detriment to the game is its reliance on cinematic scenes to further the convoluted plot. They're well-rendered and professionally done, but you'll seemingly find yourself spending more time watching the game than playing it.

Substance is worthwhile for anyone who doesn't already own Sons of Liberty. That goes double for Xbox and GameCube fans, because the game looks much better on those consoles than it did on PS2. For those who've already played the original, this reissue just doesn't add enough, pardon me, substance, to merit purchasing it again. --Bob Andrews

Pros:

• New modes and missions
• Graphics improvements on Xbox and GameCube
• Skateboard mode on PS2

Cons:

• New content too sparse for players who already have the original game.

Product Description

This is the game Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance for the Playstation 2. This game comes with the original case and instructions. We stand by our products and offer a 60 day guarantee. If a game does not work within 60 days from the time you receive it we will gladly exchange it for you.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some Substance for PS2..., March 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Metal Gear Solid 2:Substance (Video Game)

Despite many critics panning this as "too little too late" or simply "not worth owning", it's quite the opposite. MGS2: Substance is, at the most basic level, the original Sons of Liberty with an addon pack thrown in. And maybe people will see it as that. But, I think many important aspects of this release are being overlooked.

First off, the X-Box version was not the marvel either Konami or X-Box fans put it out to be. It was an unoptimized port that didn't make use of the X-Box's graphic strengths, leaving it often looking equal to or worse than the PS2 source; judging the new PS2 release with only having played the X-Box version is a mistake. This PS2 version has improved graphics and smoother graphics, with only a one or two second difference in loading times when compared to the original PS2 version. For example, many background textures are less pixelated, reflections are more detailed, and the thermal goggles are upgraded (similar to the ones in Splinter Cell). Player models are also smoother. The game just looks better.

With that said, here's what gameplay you get. The full, original Sons of Liberty is included, as well as the extra features included its corresponding European and Japanese releases (casting theatre and boss survival). VR Missions and Alternative Missions are included. There are over 400 VR levels and many alternative modes, such as holding enemies up and disposing of bombs within a certain time.

The two standout features of the game are the Snake Tales and the (sigh) skateboarding. This isn't to say that the skateboarding is terrible; it just isn't any Tony Hawk: Pro Skater, gameplay-wise or control-wise. It's entertaining to skate around as Snake or Raiden, but as that's really the only reason to play it, it's novelty fades away after an hour or so. Let me put it this way: if it were put out as a game on its own, not many people would buy it. Thankfully, the Snake Tales make up for the skateboarding. Snake Tales are five stories involving, obviously, Solid Snake. Some take place in the Big Shell during the Sons of Liberty storyline, and others take place outside of it. The gameplay ranges from the Normal level or higher, and Snake has no radar. Each story has breaks in it so the player can save and read the backstory of what's been going on from Snake's point of view. For example, Snake explains what happened between him and Meryl after Metal Gear Solid and his connections to Dead Cell's incarcerated leader. For Metal Gear fans, this is all sure to astound, entertain, and baffle you-- all at the same time-- as you try to put these things into the continuity laid out by the original MSX games and the recent Solid games.

When it's all said and done, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance usually leaves one conclusion in players' minds: "Was the original release a finished product?" The answer is: most definately not. But many critics argue that the extras and improvements actually lower the quality of the game. I believe quite the opposite. Substance is the game that we should've gotten in the first place. But we didn't. For people who never played the original Sons of Liberty, this is definately something to buy. For those who already have, rent it first. It's replay value still stands up, it's graphics are even better than before, and now there's hours upon hours of extras. Decide for yourself.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tactical Stealth Espionage Action at it's finest!, August 10, 2003

By 

Robb Boutros (Northford, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Metal Gear Solid 2:Substance (Video Game)

Metal Gear Solid is probably the one series, other than Grand Theft Auto, that has brought more people into the modern gaming era since 1998. The idea that stealth and not shooting takes precedence was and still is a revolutionary concept in the video game industry. Now over a year and a half since Metal Gear Solid 2's release on the Playstation 2, Knonami has served up a healthy dosage of supplemental material for this disc.

One of the things that makes this title stand out is the enormous variety in gameplay. There are various modes of play you can engage in. Hold up modes, VR missions, bomb difusals, elimination, alternate missions, over 500 in all. There's enough here to help you stave off bordom for quite a while. One of the standout features of this game are the Snake Tales. A side story feature that details Snake's mission during the main body of the game ( the full version of Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty is also included in this game). As you complete each set of challenges you unlock more playable characters, each with a varying degree of difficulty of use. Hideo Kojima has put alot on the table for you do that it doesn't feel like an "addon".

The graphics are essentially the same as the original game for PS2. But for those who feared some of the graphical problems that were associated with the XBox version, do not fear. There is no noticiable slowdown or drop offs in the framerate ( this has given PS2 owners the nuclear sized bomb to drop on XBox owners of "Gee, it runs fine on MY console). One thing that is different is the thermal goggle mode. The red background and bright red images has been replaced by a more "thermographic" scope showing degrees of heat emitted by objects.

The controls are very intuitive. It takes mere minutes to become familiar with them. And if you've played any of the previous Metal Gear games for the PS2 or PS1, you'll be able to jump right in and play with no problems.

The fact that this game didn't sell well on the XBox is an absolute travesty. Fortunately for PS2 owners, Metal Gear is back where it belongs, on the Sony Playstation 2.

24 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do Video Games Get Any Better?, April 15, 2003

By 

LostBoy76 (Vancouver, BC Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Metal Gear Solid 2:Substance (Video Game)

If you are an older video game player lucky enough never to have played Metal Gear Solid 2, this game is your dream come true. MGS2: Substance contains not only the awesome, but not perfect, MGS2: Sons of Liberty in its full glory, but also a massive number of VR Missions, the cool and challenging Snake Tales, the not-so-good Skateboarding demo, and a bunch of other little bonuses. Whether this game is worth owning if you already own MGS2: Sons of Liberty depends on how hardcore a fan you are. *SPOILERS*

Metal Gear Solid 2 is truly state of the art, and I'll tell you why. The graphics are so incredible that even after playing it for dozens of hours you will still be floored when you stop to look around in the game. The animation is so fluid, and the character models so detailed, that MGS2 is one of the few games for any platform that could be considered as the most graphically impressive game of all time. The music is extremely well done, except for the insanely [bad] piano music during intimate conversations between Raiden and Rose. The sound effects are simply awesome; the voice acting, like the first game, is so much better than any other video game that it isn't even worth making comparisons. I hope David Hayter remains the voice of Solid Snake for every Metal Gear game from now on; his voice is just perfect for this character! The gameplay is excellent, with responsive controls and a great variety of moves, weapons, and dramatic situations. The boss battles are insanely cool and will really challenge the player. Those are the great aspects of this game, and far outweigh the not so good. But...

...This game does have some unfortunate flaws, which hold it back from being perfect. The story, to put it mildly, doesn't even come close to the first Metal Gear Solid. The story starts off interesting, gets weirder and weirder, until it becomes a confused, preachy mess. The new characters, with the exceptions of Vamp, Emma, and Solidus aren't really very interesting. Fortune, in particular, is a horrible character with idiotic speeches every time she comes on screen. The now-infamous decision to make Raiden the main character, instead of the infinitely cooler Snake, still boggles my mind today! What was (director) Hideo Kojima thinking!? Almost as bad, Meryl from MGS1 is nowhere to be found in Sons of Liberty! Her memorable and flirtatious conversations, and excellent voice acting, with Snake were one of the best things about MGS1, and to leave Meryl out of MGS2 was a huge mistake in my opinion. Meryl is in one of the Snake Tales, which is a nice treat, but it really doesn't make up for her absence in the main game. The one little romance in MGS2 in truly awful. Raiden and his girlfriend Rose argue and bicker about such meaningless garbage that you will actually cringe, I promise you. That is the bad stuff.

Overall, though, this games negative aspects can't even come close to matching all the brilliant and revolutionary features this game possesses. Personally, I've lost interest in the vast majority of games in the last few years. Games like Metal Gear Solid 2 (and MGS1, of course) are the type of game that brings me back. Staggering production values, ingenuity, and a mature, adult-aimed storyline are exactly what I want and MGS2 has it in spades. You would be foolish not to pick up this game. It's a souped-up version of an already outstanding game! And Konami would be foolish not to release both Metal Gear Solid 3 and a remake of Metal Gear Solid for PS2 using this brilliant game engine. I would most certainly buy them, and begin the addiction again.

P.S. If you have the choice of which console to buy it for, get the PlayStation 2 version. The graphics are slightly better than the XBox version, with no slowdown! I'm not joking here either; the XBox version has slowdown! Of course, this game is NOT available for the GameCube. Somebody at Amazon didn't do his homework...