I figured it had enough shit on it to warrant a second purchase, so…
Well, it still remains one of the most beautiful PS2 games out there, topped only by God of War. Says a lot about the PS2’s power when it pretty much reached it’s graphical limits 2 years ago. Anyway…
Well, the biggest things about it are The Online Play, the new 3rd person camera, and the additions of the orignal Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2. About those…
I dont have a broadband adapter, so the online component is moot. However, it’s making me seriously consider getting one.
While just about every game magazine writer out there, and I’m sure many MGS fans are praising the new camera and screaming in unision “IT’S ABOUT TIME!” I… dont like it. I dont like the camera being so close to my back and having to whip it around. I thought for the most part, the camera was fine. I liked the overhead camera, as it let me see everything around me. This new one is pretty much right behind my back and my range of vision isnt as wide. Luckily, with a press of the right analog stick, it switches it back.
MG and MG2… well, they were both released for the MSX in '87 and '90 respectively, with the former seeing a US release on the NES in the US, and the sequel never having been released here until now. (Kojima wishes we would forget about Snakes revenge. That wasnt the true sequel and it was ass). I remember playing Metal Gear. It was one of the first NES games I ever rented. I was like 6. How the fuck was I supposed to know what to do? I never thought much of the NES game and I didnt think it mattered much in the overall story. Boy was I wrong. Many things referred to in the later games, such as Zanzibar and Outer Heaven are plot points in these games, so they provide the much snakes on story going into the new sets of games. Certainly makes me want to slog through them.
I played a bit of each, and they’re wildly different for obvious reasons, but still similar. In a way thanks to the enemies’ limited movements, getting around them is much easier than it is now, but thanks to your own limited movement, it’s a bit harder. Same can be said for the sequel, tho things like crawling and the radar appear, giving it a real true MGS feel and making it bit more comfortable to play.
So! Overall, is it worth it? Well, that depends on whether you have online capabilities. If you do, by all means. If you dont, all you have left are a couple (old) new games, a new difficulty setting (European- you get seen, the game ends!), and some new gear and facepaint right off the bat, and a new camera that I’m personally not too fond of. So, if you dont have online play, maybe pass, and hunt down the rom versions of the games.