Review By:  Jared Black
Developer:	Konami
Publisher:	Konami
# of Players:	1
Genre:	Adventure/Stealth
ESRB:	Mature
Online:	No
Accessories:	Memory Card
Date Posted:	12-06-01

And that ties into the one real complaint I have about the game: the storyline. Make no mistake about it, the scope of the storyline is an epic one. As I mentioned above, the storyline is a very good one full of surprises, betrayals, and stunning moments. My complaint is not about the storyline itself, but rather about the delivery of said storyline. First, many key moments of the storyline are carried out through the Codec interface. While it may be realistic to show two characters talking whenever one is relaying critical information to the other, a screen with two bouncing heads, scrolling text, voice acting, and the frequency number doesn’t convey a lot of emotion. A more effective way would’ve been to show a short cutscene or flashback highlighting the event, as they did in other key areas of the game. I’m guessing that, since that technique is used in some areas and not others at key points in the game, that Konami simply ran out of time and wasn’t able to implement them all.

Secondly, some of the dialogue seems forced. Like I stated above, the only time the voice acting really falters is when the script doesn’t really get the job done, and that happens during several key events in the game. Ultimately it’s passable, but it certainly doesn’t excel. Third, key events sometimes take place at odd points in the game. When talking to the person(s) who handle game saving for you, that person will often go off on a five-minute rant about something not related to the mission at all. When you’re in the middle of a tanker (or other locations) with hostile enemies all around you, this isn’t realistic at all. Not only is that person distracting you from the mission at hand, but it also results in you staying crouched in the same place for several minutes. Not good when you’re in an area that requires continual movement to avoid detection. The information they relay is often important, but there are much better ways of handling it.

Fourth, there are several plot holes in the storyline. I can’t talk about these too much here, but most of them are fairly minor and probably won’t even be noticed by the average gamer. For the MGS vet however, they definitely exist. Finally, depending on your tastes the ending will be either really great or extremely lame. Personally I enjoyed the ending, but others may hate it because it really leaves you with more questions than answers. At the end you know what’s happened to most of the main characters, but there are still numerous questions left unanswered that feel like a setup for a sequel more than anything else.

HIGHS:

• The gameplay is incredible. The player always has realistic control over a particular situation, and each environment can be interacted with in so many ways it’s scary.
• You’ve never come closer to playing a movie.
• The voice acting is the best found in any game I’ve ever played.
• Environments are huge and extremely detailed, and most everything is made up of high-quality textures.
• Sound effects play a key and realistic role in gameplay, as it would in real life if you were sneaking into something.
• Many "easter eggs" and in-jokes that are great to discover for MGS and Konami fans.

LOWS:

• A few areas display a lot of jaggies.
• The storyline is strong, but there are several minor weaknesses in the dialogue and key events.

Despite some minor complaints with the AI and storyline, MGS2 remains one of the best video game experiences ever. The storyline is gripping, the graphics are beautiful, and no game has ever done a better job of replicating the feeling of sneaking into a particular location. Even if you aren’t a big fan of this type of game, MGS2 is so detailed and polished that you’ll have fun with it anyway.

Overall Score: 9.8

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