Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is quite possibly the most controversial title in the series. After the massive success of Metal Gear Solid, Hideo Kojima decided to tease fans with the prospect of playing as Solid Snake in a dystopian future where Metal Gears are being developed in secret. However, players are only granted control of Snake for the first relatively short chapter of the game, and once the tanker incident is complete they assume control of newcomer Raiden. Raiden was (and still is) one of the most disliked characters in the Metal Gear Solid series (though Guns of the Patriots certainly helped redeem his image). I personally thought he was a total imbecile when I first played the game. But this change of characters makes perfect sense in regards to the story.
In Sons of Liberty, Raiden is sent in to rescue hostages being held aboard Big Shell, a facility constructed off the shore of Manhattan to clean up the pollution caused by the tanker incident in the introductory chapter. Solid Snake has been blamed for the crime and marked as an international terrorist, along with his colleague Otacon. Thus, Raiden is responsible for taking down the terrorist organization known as Dead Cell, supposedly led by the now rogue Solid Snake. Throughout the game, Raiden will have multiple encounters with Snake, Otacon, Mr. X (a throwback to Gray Fox), Revolver Ocelot, and main antagonist Solidus Snake. Due to all the different people involved in the Big Shell hostage situation, it’s understandable how Raiden could become so utterly confused as to who to trust.
As the story progresses, Raiden receives intel from Colonel Campbell and his girlfriend Rosemary. Both sources prove to have holes in their information. Despite this, Campbell reassures Raiden that he is doing a good job while Rosemary constantly talks about herself and how much more attention Raiden (also known as Jack) should give her. While Rosemary saves the game each time you ask, she never shuts up and interrupts you at the most random times. Everything she says is dumber than the next and by the end of the game I found myself having a strong urge to throw objects at the television screen each time Rosemary started yapping away. Rosemary aside, every single character in this game is multi-layered and distinct, from sado-masochistic Vamp to techie-gone-rebel Otacon to political extremist Solidus Snake. Speaking of Solidus, he is easily the most important character in the game, as he is linked to every single character in some way or another. His role as former President allowed him to scour computer databases in search of information on the organization known as the Patriots, who are revealed to be the driving force behind the world of Sons of Liberty and Guns of the Patriots. Though Liquid and Solid Snake are the more important sons of Big Boss, Solidus is easily my favorite of the three, as well as one of my favorite villains in any video game. His objective is essentially the same as that of Snake and Raiden, but the way he intends to go about it is far more brutal and relentless. Solidus may be hot-tempered, but he bears the mind of a genius.
The control scheme is very similar to the first Metal Gear Solid and works just as well. Guns are cycled trough at the player’s leisure, though espionage is still preferred. There are a few items, such as the bomb coolant, that will only be used once or twice and seem like extra baggage later on. Despite this, the sub-missions are a welcome break from constantly sneaking around patrols.Graphically, the game has its flaws. It was one of the earlier titles released for the Playstation 2, so the shortcomings are understandable. That said, for an early release, Sons of Liberty has better lighting and textures than almost any early PS2 release. But the graphical upgrades are significant and noticable in even the smallest of things in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
Sons of Liberty, like any of the Metal Gear Solid titles, is first and foremost about the story mode. Sons of Liberty plays out like one big mystery, as each layer is exposed only to pose more questions. At first glance, the game is about Raiden stopping Dead Cell. Then the focus shifts to clearing Solid Snake's name. Finally, the spotlight returns to Raiden as his relationship with Solidus is explained and the climactic finale tilts the world off balance. The game includes a nice variety of bonus features with its expanded material of Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance. A virtual mission mode allows players to shoot a set number of targets, or reach a checkpoint while avoiding and/or eliminating guard patrols. Each mode of play will grade the player in points and upon completing each separate mission it will subsequently unlock another. The virtual mission are the biggest bonus feature included, spanning over 500 individual missions. Also included was a casting theatre that allowed players to recast characters from the first two games into major cutscenes from Sons of Liberty.
Whether playing Sons of Liberty or the expanded version known as Substance, Metal Gear Solid 2 is an incredibly thought-provoking and engaging game. The story is definitely not for the casual gamer, and can be incredibly confusing at times. That said, Kojima really upped the ante with this sequel and set up brilliantly for the third and fourth titles in the series. It’s surprising when a game takes the premise of sneaking and makes it the core mechanic of the gameplay. It’s even more surprising when such a game is good – really good. By the end of his battles with Dead Cell, the Metal Gear RAYS, and Solidus Snake, Raiden has actually become stomachable and (dare I say) even cool. Metal Gear Solid 2 is one of those rare instances where the sequel is actually better than the original – a truly impressive feat, as the original Metal Gear Solid was so revolutionary.
No comments:
Post a Comment