This is one complex game..is that a good thing?
(STORY)
SOL is set in a post-modern era, where robots are common, terrorists are moving freely, and where even the President of the United States is just a housekeeper for something bigger. Enter Solid Snake, an operative for a secret organizaion called the Philanthropy. His mission is to take pictures of a Metal Gear, a sophisticated robot that is capable of bull****ing the world with its roar. Yes, the robots in this game actually roar, as if they have a life of their own. Scary. The entire story is complicated, with touches at being environmental-friendly, brotherhood, a peek at the secret lives of lovers, even a fight between siblings is key element to the game. Even I couldn't wrap my head with all the confusion that SOL gave. But that doesn't mean that Hideo Kojima, the game's writer and director, is losing it. He just has his own style of storytelling that is more complex than any other game-writer. Maybe he's just losing it. There are a lot of characters, too; some of them not really who they are in the game, but someone that'll blow your brains out. Scream at this 'long and winding storyline'.
(GRAPHICS)
The graphics. Oh! Beautiful! One of the best that were featured for the PS2. There are intricate details here, with complicated moves from characters, wide backgrounds, heavily rendered environments; just cool. The individual characters are created well. They depict emotions, and have different reactions to different situations. There are new things to the game, too, like smoke, waves crashing on the hull of this massive ship, the Metal Gears themselves. Even the bosses are animated well. This is one graphically intense game, as it is in the gameplay aspect.
(SOUND)
There's more to this game that meets the ears. All conversations are spoken by voice actors. David Hayter comes to intoduce Snake to the PS2 for the first time. Voice acting is top notch. Remember what I said about the game being dramatic? Well, part of that is because of the voice acting. They're emphatic, bold and somtimes overly done. But that is not a minus to the game. It even places that players in a chuckling state for a few seconds before realizing that they're laughing at somthing that is not entirely funny. Next is that the musical score is weaved by Harry Gregson-Williams, a Hollywood composer. His pieces for the game brings an even more intense experience, because each situation in the game has its unique soundtrack. The soundtrack is a bit techno in the orchestraic sense, but it just wants to say that this is a game pitted in a futuristic setting, so the soundtrack must have a robotic feel to it, which is good.
(GAMEPLAY)
This game has one of the most complex gameplay elements integrated in it. There's gun-blasting, sword-slashing, karate chops, and even actions that are specifically created for naked characters. Overall, the actions for the main characters, Snake and Raiden are sometimes confusing, but once you discover what they're for, it'll be a walk in the park. In order to master the many actions that the game features, the player must go to this Codec screen and ask advice from the game's cast of protagonists. One frequency in the Codec saves player's progress. The boss fights are amazing, most of them very memorable. There are puzzle elements in the game, but it shouldn't pose a threat because the Codec guys are always there to help once you're in a tight spot. There are mini-features hidden here. What's great is that every level of this game introduces new styles of gameplay. This is one good game for purists, new-comers to the MGS experience and to environmentalists.
(OVERALL)
This is one complex game that you must'nt miss. The game itself is worth the price, with Mr. Kojima filling you with his power to immerse players to his crazy world of robots and the supernatural. Though the story is more of a headache than an experience, it's the fact that playing this game and watching it's credits roll once it's over that's important. This is good for nature-friendly people(find out yourselves), for brothers and sisters who frequently fight each other, for lovers who don't understand their relationship(there are tips for couples here), and for the players who want to finish a masterpiece.