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"Metal Gear"
(1987)

MSX Computer

 "’Outer Heaven’ is the name of a heavily armed land in the depths of southern Africa where the dreadful weapon Metal Gear is developed. It is the mission of Solid Snake, one of the members of the secret army ‘Fox Hound’ to sneak into Outer Heaven and destroy Metal Gear. Go Ahead Solid Snake!"



"Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake"
(1990 -Japan)

MSX2 Computer

 "With the frigid relationships between large nations like USA- RUSSIA and CHINA- RUSSIA thawing, they lead to the settling down of local conflicts, and the world is finally beginning to neutralize.
     "It is 1999… In the Middle East, a breeze of un-stableness is blowing. Zanzibar Land… founds a military govern-ment."

"Metal Gear Solid" (1998) PSOne

 

Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance

 

In a world ravaged by terrorism, high tech weapons of war, weapons of mass destruction, and espionage, you bravely assume the role of an ultra top secret hero who battles evils to defend the free world in “Metal Gear Solid 2:Substance” for the Xbox. So, get ready for the triple thrill challenge of the newest Metal Gear story installment, a redux weighing full of new levels and beyond belief extras.

"Metal Gear Ray" strapped down to hull of secret transport ship.

Since 1987, the "Metal Gear" series has drawn fans from all over the world. It’s tech savvy espionage themed storyline of military hero versus an army–much like the James Bond films–created a mix that has kept the series going through 4 main games and several spin offs. Geared toward the older males in the household (Since the videogame rating system began Metal Gear games have received "M" ratings, the equivalent to the MPAA’s "R" rating), the series however has never shied away from adding complicated scripts and dialogue to move the action on the screen. And somewhat similar to the Bond series, Metal Gear’s villains are just as complicated and slightly bizarre. The usual storyline formula takes a slight turn this time though when our hero “Solid Snake” steps aside later in the game and “Raiden” takes the charge of stopping terrorists from getting their hands on the newest robotic nuclear weapon known as “Metal Gear Ray”.

"Solid Snake"
"Raiden"
If you are new to the series you won’t miss a beat, as the game retells the story of the last Metal Gear adventure through newspaper clippings. Those with a basic foothold on gameplay can start right off into the main game, or you can get to know the two main heroes Snake and Raiden better through the highly addictive virtual boot camp on stealthiness called “VR Missions.” Each VR Mission eases you into the challenge of the overall game by teaching you how to sneak past guards and handle weapons. Working somewhat similar to “Star Trek’s” “Holodeck”, enemies and targets appear before you in over 500 different missions as you battle it out to reach the goal. The idea is along the lines of “running the gauntlet", with each mission being long enough to grab your interest but also short enough to hold on to it. Each mission can be seen as a mini puzzle that is surprisingly addictive. 

Unlocking some of these enigmatic challenges adds to the VR Missions’ appeal. You may be able to plan and execute missions against your virtual foes using one method, but in order to get 1st place, you’ll probably have to change your strategy several times to get the job done.

Completing the later missions is a real achievement, but getting a high first place score will allow you to visit a special Konami web address to see how you stack up against the rest. Finish enough missions and you’ll unlock some of the game’s many secrets.

For those who just want to get right into the main game “Sons of Liberty”, you can choose between which chapter of the game you want to play: “Tanker” or “Plant”, or the original style of Tanker + Plant. Gamers who have already played SOL for the PS2 will notice a new difficulty level and a new challenge of collecting dog tags. Why would you want dog tags? Well, if you successfully sneak up on an enemy and hold him up, he’ll shake in fear and drop a tag. Get enough tags and you can unlock secret items like infinite ammo or “stealth” (invisibility device). Get all the dog tags and the game will give you a top secret Konami web address where you can download cool stuff to customize your PC or Mac!
Metal Gear Solid—a game so remarkable that an independent company manufactured and commercially marketed a special disc that allowed gamers to play the title on the Sega Dreamcast console in order to further draw out the game’s visuals.
If you’ve already played Sons of Liberty and want to jump into the extras, you can play alternate missions for the two main characters, or you can play as the more seasoned hero of the Metal Gear series, Solid Snake, in “Snake Tales.” Many gamers felt let down when the new character Raiden stole the show in the second half of the original “Sons of Liberty” game. Not only was Raiden an issue, but SOL was a heavy story-driven epic. Even though gamers enjoyed the cinematic aspects, including the big Hollywood soundtrack, still a lot of gamers felt the game lost touch with its extremely popular 1998 predecessor “Metal Gear Solid” for the PlayStation. Now with Snake Tales added to the package, there should be no complaints. Our hero Snake is back and better, and this time he’s playable in the second half of the game–with more espionage adventure–as you can explore different selectable storylines. In fact, there are 5 storylines you can play in the “Plant” chapter.

MGS2: Substance is an amazingly complete package that packs a lot of punch, as well as heat, but by adding the alternate storylines–and other well thought out extras–the game does an interesting job of setting itself apart from last year’s Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty for the PS2. Creator Hideo Kojima was well aware that there was a lot to live up to artistically and in the way of gameplay, so he continued to work on Metal Gear 2, like he did with Metal Gear Sold, to produce an even more stunning and complete piece. For those who were able to get their hands on “Metal Gear Solid: Integral”–sold in 1999 only in Japan –gamers were treated to a slightly enhanced version of the game plus a separate disc (later sold in the U.S.) that included extra features, such as VR training missions. This time U.S. gamers get a lot of “Substance” and fans get everything they wanted.

For More Information Visit the Official Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance Pages:
United States