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Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance

EMAIL PRINT pc

5.6 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 9 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 53 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan

Genre(s): Action, Adventure

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: March 18, 2003

Summary

Solid Snake returns in Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, the expanded edition of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty with all-new game modes, hidden characters and storylines. Top-secret weapons technology is being mysteriously transported under cover of an oil tanker to an unknown destination. It's up to Snake to infiltrate the transport and keep this deadly weapon of mass destruction from falling into the wrong hands! Featuers 350+ VR Missions and 150+ Alternate Missions, as well as 5 all-new "Snake Tales" side stories. [Konami]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

IGN

This is definitely a console style game with the fixed camera and funky controls, but it certainly packs a punch. The gameplay is still superb, although outmatched by "Splinter Cell" in some cases.

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GameZone

Were it not for the rocky translation and major bugs, I would’ve rated MGS: Substance a whole point higher. Unfortunately, these problems couldn’t be overlooked and cost the game some footing.

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GameSpy

For console owners, it's simply not worth the bucks to upgrade your PC to play this game -- Enjoy it on your console. On the other hand, if you've got the hardware for it (including a gamepad) and don't own a console, I'd recommend getting your hands on this game in an instant.

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PC Gamer

The true Achilles heel of Substance is hardware support. [July 2003, p.92]

Game Chronicles

A great "console" game, but I'm not convinced the PC is the proper system to be playing it on.

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GameSpot

Could have been ported over a lot more gracefully. Yet this is such an unusual, intriguing, and shocking game that despite the rough translation, it still makes for a one-of-a-kind experience on the PC.

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ActionTrip

Technically, this porting job sucks, and it's the biggest problem I've had with this game, but that would hardly stop me from buying it anyway.

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Computer Games Magazine

The main game is still a victim of its own atrocious pacing and doesn't hold up well alongside offerings like "Splinter Cell" and "No One Lives Forever 2." [July 2003, p.72]

Computer Gaming World

The problem here isn't so much with the game's content, which remains as ambitious and poignant as ever, but rather with Konami's sloppy porting efforts to the PC. [Aug 2003, p.78]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 5.6 (out of 10) based on 53 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Chris S. gave it a0:
I have the same stutter problem that all the other pissed owners have, and my system is above the min. specs; P4 1.8 Ghz, 512 Meg RAM, NVidia GeForce4 Ti 4400. I get about 2 frames/ sec in movie and in game. Controls suck the worst I ever saw in a game, plus the manual is NO help. The only patch released in THREE years is for another video card, and we are left out in the cold with our problems!

Paul G. gave it a 1:
Looked good, but controls suck ass. I installed it yesterday and tried to play for a few hours - terrible. A PC game with just keyboard control? wtf - wake up Konami - safe to say I'll be avoiding Konami from now on.

MG Fan gave it a 2:
Ok, the only thing relating back to the history of Metal Gear is the whole "Patriots" thing,and perhaps the appearance of Solidus.They replaced an awesome rugged hero like Solid Snake with a dork with an annoying voice.Making the MG story suddenly revolve around some other random guy is like taking Vash out of Trigun,it just shouldn't be done.The only thing enjoyable about this game is either the Snake Tales extra or the Tanker.There were so many things left to cover from where MGS1 left off that starting a different plot was idiotic.I don't want to hear about Jack and Rose,I want to hear more about Les Enfants Terribles,I want to find out exactly what Snake is.MGS2 didn't answer anything except showing us what Snake was up to after the Shadow Moses Island incident.I can only pray MGS3 won't be as disappointing.

Stefan P. gave it a 10:
I just finished it 10 minutes ago . And I'm still shaked by the experience ! Extremely deep and strong story . And it leaves you with something to think of . Greate existential ideas to put in a new modern way of thinking. The story is close to Deus Ex . The controls however were a little bit tricky but once you rearrange them to your taste everything is OK !

Facu L. gave it a 10:
This game rocks.. Its my favourite game, the best game ever!!

Bor S. gave it a 0:
Cant use the mouse and keyboard to play like with Splinter Cell. They did the worst port job in gaming history, the least they could have done was make a new manual for pc rather than use the console one.

Solid snake gave it a 0:
F**k this game.i can't make it play.next time i will first rent a game and then buy it.

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Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance

Game Info

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What The Critics Said

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