metal gear solid 2 hands on test Preview

Metal Gear Solid 2 Hands On Test

Hands on with MGS2.

I walked into the room to find somebody already playing MGS2. It was instantly recognisable, those blue and grey hues, the distinctive architecture all fired up the right synapses in my brain, it was all so familiar. If the original Metal Gear Solid lingers like a dream in the memory, MGS2 is the same dream but much more vivid. The overall style is identical, but the difference is in the detail, the falling rain, rolling ocean by the tanker, the definition of Snakeâs face and hair.



There are some new controls and manoeuvres, such as the ability to jump over tables and ledges, and the ability to dive and roll. Not a huge amount of opportunity to use these in the demo, but the new tranquilliser gun, combined with the ability to peek around corners and squeeze off a fast shot thrusts you back into the mindset of MGS so fast that your head spins.



Another new feature is the ability to shoot in first person view, which comes in very handy since the first game had you overly dependant on the lock on. Perhaps Iâm getting ahead of myself here, the game starts with Snake infiltrating a tanker which is carrying a new Metal Gear prototype. All appears to be normal, until suddenly genome terrorists, led by a sinister Russian general seize the ship, they too are after the prototype.



The intro has elements of Goldeneye, Predator, Terminator and numerous James Dean movies, Kojimaâs homage to Western cinema is undisguised. MGS 1 trod a fine line between game and film, with dynamic camera angles and numerous cut-scenes breaking up the gameplay. MGS2 has all this as well as fantastic blurring effects when outdoors in the rain, as well as simulated âsplashesâ of rainwater on the âcamera lenseâ.



As you stalk round the hallways, you come to appreciate the new level of depth that game has. For example thereâs a point where the corridor has an infra-red laser field over it, tripping the field will set off a stack of explosives. To expose the field, you can either employ the old cigarette smoke trick, or you can shoot out a nearby fire extinguisher, which will also light up the red beams.



Konami have filled the game with a lot of detail, in turn youâre encouraged to treat the situations with more realistic thoughts and improvisation, which is what makes this a truly next generation title. The fact that fire extinguishers and piping can be punctured to light up infra red beams, or to distract guards is not to be treated as an addition to a feature list, rather itâs indicative of the level of involvement the game demands. Thereâs no âbackgroundâ any more, if you can see it, then you can use it, and believe me, thereâs a lot there.



The atmosphere that the graphics create is identical of MGS on the PlayStation, and in there are points were you wonder how much of a leap this game is, though a shocking reminder came to me in the form of a poster inside one of the cupboards. It was a very clear pinup of a girl in a bikini, the clarity and resolution of the texture far in excess of anything the PlayStation could casually display, showing the gameâs power to



The level is very large, and the PS2 can handle the wide outdoor scenes very well. At your starting point you can survey the tanker from out on the deck, using your binoculars, the freedom to pan around and zoom in on small details is incredibly satisfying, and makes the game ever more engaging. Once youâre inside the tanker, stalking the corridors, you learn to watch for the enemyâs shadow on the floors, to drag their bodies off to quiet areas, stash them in cupboards, catch them sleeping and more.



MGS2 allows you the option of finishing the entire game without killing anyone, armed with your trusty tranquilliser gun you can spend all your time putting guards to sleep. However should another patrolling guard find his comrade sleeping on the job, heâll give them a swift kick to wake them up.



The MGS2 demo culminates in a boss battle with the mysterious female soldier seen in many of the screens. In true MGS style, theyâre not content with letting you blast away thoughtlessly, just before your battle with her begins you overhear a conversation where you find out that sheâs pregnant, and suddenly itâs not so easy to just blast away at her. The game not only challenges your dexterity, stealth and nerve, but your ethics and morality as well.



There are other nice touches, as well, such as your health incrementally decreasing if youâre smoking a cigarette. We all know those things will kill you, but comparatively theyâre much more lethal in MGS2 ;-) Thereâs also the humour and banter between the characters. Your main contact during the beginning of the game is Otacon, the geeky scientist whoâs adept at informing you that you may in trouble as youâre dodging bullets. When you speak on the commlinks, instead of drawn faces you have the character model heads, which you can move around with the analogue sticks as they talk in perfect synch with the voices.



The humour, thoughtfulness and pure exhilaration of the Metal Gear experience are what elevate it head and shoulders above other games. Everything is considered, well thought out and finely tempered, and itâs a shame that precious few Western developers adopt such an approach, in fact the only ones that spring to mind are Peter Molyneaux, who wonât rush Black&White for love nor money, and Rare, who make games for Nintendo.

Comments
The final version of MGS 2 isnât due out in the UK till 2002, and when it is released, itâll probably take as long to finish as its predecessor, i.e. not more than 20 hours play, tops. However like any well crafted novel or movie, itâll will probably engender deeper insight and curiosity with each successive game, you may finish MGS2 in hours, but it may not finish with you for years.  

TVG Team

       
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