So I have decided to again dip into my pile of shame and see for myself what Metal Gear has to offer.  It was time for me to make up my own mind.  To begin my journey into the Metal Gear universe I opted to start with Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (aka The Sons of Liberty).  From what I’ve heard and read, it seems to be the most beloved game in the series and thus a good representation of what creator Hideo Kojima is able to create.  I went into the game with no expectations and an open mind.  It was time to meet Solid Snake.

Before I began, I must admit that I did do some “light” reading to catch up on the story thus far so as not to be completely and utterly confused.  The now infamous storyline has long baffled gamers and I wanted to be sure I had a chance to try and make sense of it on my own.  Once I felt confident that I had some inclination of the story preceding the events of Substance I fired up the PS3 loaded my first ever Metal Gear disc.  I have now emerged, 14 hours later,  finally able to write about one of gaming’s most polarized and beloved games.

From the moment I turned on the game I was instantly impressed with the visuals and cinematic style.  The much touted “cinematic feel” is definitely beyond what most games do with cutscenes and Kojima’s unique camera angles are truly amazing.  Kojima’s ambitions of becoming a movie director clearly shine through in every cinematic and are fun to watch.  However, cutscenes aside, I think I was most surprised by how incredible the character animation was.  Snake moves with fluidity and there seem to be more animations in Substance than in most games you’ll see even today.

All of the visuals and sound design work well together to help Kojima tell his story of Solid Snake…and I’ve got to admit, it’s a mind-job!  There are more twists and turns in this story than you’d find in a pretzel factory.  More than once I found myself scratching my head as I tried to make sense of what was going on while trying to understand the complex inter-relationships between the characters.  By the end I was quite thoroughly confused…but somehow satisfied.  The game kept me interested throughout because I never knew what would happen next.  Overall, the dialogue in the game was good and the voice acting was really strong.  I can see now why David Hayter (voice of Snake) is so idolized by fans of the series.  He does a fantastic job and really brings the character to life.

Finally, I had my own chance to experience the fabled controls of Metal Gear.  While initially cumbersome and not the most intuitive, I certainly got the hang of them and managed to get Snake (and Raiden) to do whatever it was I wanted them to do.  I can see how some gamers would be frustrated by the controls but with a little patience I felt they didn’t detract too much from the game.  Do I think this game could control better?  Definitely.  Is is a deal breaker and barrier to entry?  Definitely not.  To be honest, you only need to use them about half the time…to get from one cutscene to the next!

It was with great satisfaction that I finally completed a Metal Gear game and got to see what all the hype was about.  I was really impressed with the graphics, the cutscenes and the overall presentation.  While the story could be easily described as ridiculous, I still found myself enjoying the plot twists and seeing what would happen next.  I can certainly understand the resentment some gamers feel when they claim the game actually involves very little “playing” and much more “watching.”  The cutscenes were long and frequent, but I definitely enjoyed them and thought they gave Metal Gear an identity all it’s own.  It felt more like an interactive movie at times, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

On balance, I really enjoyed the game and would recommend to anyone that hasn’t played it yet to try it.  While it won’t appeal to everyone (as we already know from the divided opinions out there) for those that buy into the story and the characters, Substance can be a rewarding experience.  Now that you can get it as part of the Metal Gear Solid Essential Collection for only $30, there has never been a better time to meet Solid Snake.