Metal Gear Solid 2

Well, once again, I wait until the last minute to start my weekly blog! And since I'm completely at a loss for topic ideas, I guess it's time to resurrect my weekly series of video game reviews. This week: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. This is the first game in the Metal Gear series released for the Playstation 2. It's even been re-released with bonus content and given a cool new subtitle, Substance. But on to the actual game part..

The game throws you right into the action as the legendary Solid Snake. There's no real tutorial and the control scheme is unconventional at best, so it pays off to have played the first game. You start off infiltrating a ship containing a new type of Metal Gear, a near-indestructible super-weapon. Soon after you arrive, a group of Russian terrorists attacks the the ship. Unlike most popular games of today, your objective is not to kill the enemy but to get by them using any means necessary. After photographing the Metal Gear to prove its existence, the ship sinks.

I don't want to reveal too much, but after the first few hours, the game switches protagonists. You begin playing as Raiden, a young rookie with a mysterious past which is slowly revealed throughout the game. Your job as Raiden is to find and save the President, who has been kidnapped by the terrorist organization Sons of Liberty.

This game is extremely story heavy, so if you're the type of gamer who just wants to run, gun, and repeat, this probably isn't the game for you. Even so, many have criticized the game for Raiden, who is a much more fast-paced character than Solid Snake. Ironically, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, a game featuring Raiden as the main character has been announced for the Xbox 360. Out of the 12-15 hour campaign mode, I'd estimate that 1 1/2 to 2 hours were used for cut scenes.

Pros: Amazing story, fun over-the-top gameplay, lots of bonus content, great music

Cons: Unpauseable cut scenes, story sometimes confusing, odd control scheme

Rating: 9.7/10