The Shrine

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>Let's get the unimportant stuff out of the way. I know I mentioned that the graphics weren't very good when I played the demo. Well, aside from the tanker level, they are pretty good. Very good, in fact. That and FFX are the best I've seen. My first impression was definetely wrong on that one.

Now, to me, the most important part of MGS was the story. I still consider the original to be one of the top 3 PSX games, and I didn't even like the gameplay that much. Gameplay hasn't changed much in MGS2, aside from the obvious additions, like the grip, swimming, and dragging Emma around. Enemy AI is WAY better too, I really like how smart they are. I only played it on easy and they were still smart as hell. Other than that, fairly standard fare.

The storyline is definetely a mixed bag. I thought it was excellent, a very good and a worthy storyline for a sequel aside from a few things. Even though I very much enjoyed it, most of my problem step from the standard step up by the original game, so I'm gonna compare this story to the first. First, Jack. Instead of playing as super-cool Snake, we get to play as the whiney, wimpy Jack. I just couldn't get into that character, regardless of how hard I tried. In the beginning, it didn't matter, but then they started having the relationship discussions. He and Rose bugged me after a while. In the beginning, it wasn't bad, but man, after that, I just wanted someone to kill her so they'd stop talking. I was getting afraid of saving just in case it sprung up a lame-ass conversation between the two. It just seemed like a forced storyline, not a natural one like Snake and Meryl. I've heard a lot about people just wanting to be Snake and go through that storyline, and after finishing the game, I'd have to agree. Second, was the way it ended. What happened to Ocelot and the whole Patriots storyline? I mean, they spent a few hours making Dead Cell nothing but lackeys and the game's main boss is the leader of Dead Cell. They give us all this cool-ass understory and make that the main thing, then leave us hanging. Just felt like there was a little more to go when it ended. Can't wait for Substance. Third, the bosses. In the original, all the enemies were great. Sniper Wolf, Raven, Psycho Mantis, Liquid, Ocelot, they all ruled. In this one, it's hit and miss. Vamp was great, i really like that guy and how they used him. I loved how Ocelot developed into a main cog in the storyline, since he was maybe my fav from the original. Fatman was very cool too. Olga, her dad, Fortune, Solidus I just had a hard time caring about. I mean, none of them were bad, per se (Fortune was kinda neat, but not well used IMO). I know they really tried at the end to build a story between Solidus and Jack, but man, compared to Liquid and Snake, it was pathetic. Considering he WAS the main boss at the end of the game, it cause a bit of a let down in the final battle. Fourth, the protaganists. Snake and Otacon were the same as before, even better I'd say. I love how they went with Snake and I like how Otacon (aside from the forced crying after Emma's death) grew from being a wimp in the first to a pretty strong character. Emma irritated me being SOOO whiny and wimpy, so thank God she wasn't with us long. General was just there, didin't care much one way or the other. Overall, only slightly below the original's protaganist cast, mostly thanks to Emma. Finally, the boss battles. Again, they were hit and miss. None were bad, but when compared to the original, they just don't hold up, aside from a few. I think the both times you fight Vamp, it was great. The Fatman pissed me off only in the sense he's a chicken-shit enemy (constantly running away from you), and that's a pet peeve of mine. The harrier battle, Solidus, Fortune all weren't bad, but nothing compared to Liquid in the helicopter, Liquid at the end, and Sniper. One battle I thought that shattered the original was the Metal Gear battle. MUUCH better and very cool. I really liked that one.

Again, I DID very much enjoy the storyline and it was a very fun game to play, but when compared to the original, I just don't think it's as good, although I do think that the gameplay was better and more refined in this one, particularly the camera angles. That just makes it into a very good game instead of one of the best games. I would pick it up right away (just borrowing it now), but I'm not even gonna bother with Substance coming out in 4 months.

BTW, I only got 2 tags: Stillman and Meryl. Don't really care about stuff like that, but I thought it was kinda neat how I got the Meryl one. I got a little pissed off when Snake gave me the sword and I couldn't do anything (yeah, it makes sense that I have to talk to him on the codec 4 FUCKING TIMES to get him to tell me about the blade switch so fhe fucking story could continue. The ONLY time i got stuck). I tried all the moves they told me and nothing. So I started beating him up, first with the sword (which caused him to waste me with an Uzi) then with my bare hands. I knocked him out and dragged him, and he dropped the Meryl tag. Completely by accident.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "arial narrow"; text-align: left; padding: 0% 5% 0% 5%; '>Going back and playing MGS is hell now. You'll beg for the freedom that MGS2's gameplay allows.</div>

<div style='font: italic bold 14pt ; text-align: center; '>I still like playing the first a whole lot more</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>I can see that in a way. But there is a 3 year difference and a system about 10 times as powerful, still, gameplay is tweaked and better. Still no excuse for some of the story deficiencies though</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>Even though I wasn't much of a fan of either of the games, I agree here, part 2 is definetly the better one.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>It is....aside from story and characters, which to me is the most important part of MGS</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>I don't know, I wasn't really much into the Story development of the first game, to me it was just an intermission between gameplay.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt ; text-align: left; '>That's because you're somebody who focuses on Gameplay. I've noticed that about you.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>98% of the time, I do as well. But for MGS and survival horror games, really, it's secondary</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>I would say I focus more on the atmosphere of the game, the adventure aspects, and immersitivity (if that's a word)... I really like Skies of Arcadia, Earthbound, FF3, FFT, and CT, but I don't really like FF2, FF7, CC, or Grandia 2.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "arial narrow"; text-align: left; padding: 0% 5% 0% 5%; '>You're turning into Don King.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light"; text-align: left; '>Grandia 2 and SoA were pretty tedious after a while because of clunky/repetitive gameplay. I really like atmosphere, like a good storyline and music, but I just need something that motivates me to play the damn game besides just the storyline.</div>