Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance

 PC
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 145 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 98 out of 145
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 145
  3. Negative: 25 out of 145

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  1. StefanP.
    Sep 25, 2003
    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 !
  2. Justhadtorate
    Jul 27, 2003
    8
    The game is great!! :) But since u almowst hav to hav a gamepad thats 100% like the PS2 gamepad its kinduva cheap. :'( i am bying a new one coz of that, the one i have now dosent have all the knobs and lacks the r2 l2 buttons thats almowst a must!!! and u cant change the gamepad controls either and thats one more reason i need a new gamepad!!! i had some problems with the sound first The game is great!! :) But since u almowst hav to hav a gamepad thats 100% like the PS2 gamepad its kinduva cheap. :'( i am bying a new one coz of that, the one i have now dosent have all the knobs and lacks the r2 l2 buttons thats almowst a must!!! and u cant change the gamepad controls either and thats one more reason i need a new gamepad!!! i had some problems with the sound first time i completed the game, but i know how to fix it now so the game works just great :)))) I love it!! the graphics and the story is great!!! i am gona buy *Metal gear:solid* for PC to :D just gotta have it!!! its a great game but it is a slappy port afterall :'( BTW soon i have the new gameapd :D cant wait!! … Expand
  3. ErnieC.
    Apr 1, 2003
    10
    This game is great.
  4. SzakalS.
    Apr 20, 2003
    10
    To jest najlepsza gra w jak¹ gra³em. Jest najlepsza nie tylko pod wzglêdem grafiki i szegó³ów, ale tak¿e trzymajacej do samego koñca fabu³y. :)))
  5. FulvioC.
    May 9, 2003
    10
    I first started playing the Metal Gear series back when Metal Gear Solid came out for the PSX. I fell in love with the game straight away, just because it felt as if I was watching and playing a movie at the same time. The cinematics, music and sound is absolutely breathtaking, not to mention the flawless techniques you can use to infiltrate enemy fire and the ammount of awesome weapons I first started playing the Metal Gear series back when Metal Gear Solid came out for the PSX. I fell in love with the game straight away, just because it felt as if I was watching and playing a movie at the same time. The cinematics, music and sound is absolutely breathtaking, not to mention the flawless techniques you can use to infiltrate enemy fire and the ammount of awesome weapons you can use! I have an AMD Athlon XP 2400 (2.4Ghz) with 512mb RAM and a GeForce 4 MX440 (64mb RAM) and it works fine! I don't why so many of you guys are having problems. I haven't found any bugs yet, and I won't lie but the port could've been done a whole lot better. I mean afterall there is an option to turn Vibration ON or OFF (hehe). Anyway, overall the game is one of the best games i've ever played in my life. Once I start playing Splinter Cell i'll compare it, but until then. I love the Metal Gear series and Hideo Kojima rules! Also, did you guys know that Harry Gregson-Williams did the music for the game? If you don't know who Harry Gregson-Williams is.. well.. he's the musician who did the music for movies like Spy Game with Robert Redford and Brad Pitt and Armageddon with Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck. Anyway guys! cya!… Expand
  6. IriquoisP.
    Mar 8, 2003
    10
    Definitely looking forward to it.
  7. Mr.Zed
    Apr 14, 2003
    10
    This game is wonderful. I play it all my free time. But i don't like factor part it's another part of game i like Solid Snake. Raiden is too good but Snake is Snake and got it Famous STORY. It's Ever played game on the world and the BEST but DOOM III and QUAKE 4. Wel we can be wonder but Metal Gear is best played game of the Year 2003.
  8. MatthewM.
    Apr 20, 2003
    8
    I bought this for the PC, and it works very well. However they've screwed up on a few cinematics. I cant do the Plant Episode because of it, it freezes in a codec sequence (Also crashed in 2 other cutscenes). Dunno if it happens to everyone, but it happens to me. Other than that its a very good game with plenty of VR missions and specials to keep you amused.
  9. Kabuto
    Apr 26, 2003
    8
    Nice game...with nice story the graphics is good, well not good enough as splinter cell though. I run the game with amd 1700+, ram 256+128, win xp. geforce 4mx, well i think there's no problem. Well for the owner of radeon, you should update driver, radeon still have problem with these stupid driver. I think they make driver with pure assembly(whew... how long the source code could Nice game...with nice story the graphics is good, well not good enough as splinter cell though. I run the game with amd 1700+, ram 256+128, win xp. geforce 4mx, well i think there's no problem. Well for the owner of radeon, you should update driver, radeon still have problem with these stupid driver. I think they make driver with pure assembly(whew... how long the source code could be??) so still many bugs and problems. Or you can make your own driver, can't you?? ;(. well, anyway this game is great. But it takes so many spaces 7.7GB!!!… Expand
  10. Rich//o-o\\
    Jun 20, 2003
    10
    It Kicks Ass!!!!!!!!
  11. BradleyE.
    Jun 7, 2003
    10
    This game has been the best game i have ever played because it is action packed and full with adventures.
  12. TravisD.
    Aug 8, 2003
    10
    A great game, there needs to be a movie.
  13. ORZAS!!!ONE
    Mar 22, 2003
    10
    THIS IS A BEST GAME EVER THAT I HAVE PLAY IF SOMVONE GETSS IT TEL ME TO ME @MAIL I BECK JOU THEN I THIL GIWE JOU ALL EDVISE JU NID RITE NOW I AM IN LITHUANIA SO PLIS SEND ME AN @ PLEAZ !!!!!!!!!
  14. IzZo
    Mar 23, 2003
    10
    Man, Played da 1st part, Game story is kool, only game i can play a 1000 times and not get bored! when is it coming to PC?! it says 18 march but i have'nt heard squat about it!(Had to give it a 10 even tho i didnt play it! shows u how good this game is) :)
  15. The
    May 10, 2003
    9
    This game would be perfect if it were actually optimized for PC. You'll have to deal with frame rate and control problems, but everything else is superb.
  16. DavidH.
    Apr 14, 2003
    10
    I could only play MGS2 in my friends house, as I do not have a PS2. But now at last I can play it on my PC. I cant wait to get it : ).
  17. LAWHOCK
    Apr 18, 2003
    10
    GOOD !!!
  18. ScottM.
    Apr 23, 2003
    10
    On the PS2, this was an amazing game, with a very touching story line and excellent graphics. However, today, the game does look a tad dated (in comparison to UT2003 or DOOM III), but holds its own against the slightly dodgy Splinter Cell. I think that if you have a PC with 1.3 GHZ onwards, and a Geforce 4 Ti card (4200 onwards) then you sould never really have a problem. Defrag your On the PS2, this was an amazing game, with a very touching story line and excellent graphics. However, today, the game does look a tad dated (in comparison to UT2003 or DOOM III), but holds its own against the slightly dodgy Splinter Cell. I think that if you have a PC with 1.3 GHZ onwards, and a Geforce 4 Ti card (4200 onwards) then you sould never really have a problem. Defrag your harddrive as well, and nothing should go wrong. The poor porting isn't really the problem , its just thew fact that they did make it especially for NVidia Cards! (Also, make sure you processor is either an AMD Athlon XP or a Pentium 4, otherwise the graphics could easily suffer no matter what graphics card you have)… Expand
  19. ChrisJ.
    May 24, 2003
    9
    The VR Missions are just outstanding and the Snake Tales rule!
  20. Brown
    Jun 24, 2003
    10
    It is good.
  21. everin
    Oct 1, 2015
    8
    Tier 2
    + Carries over all of the mechanics of the previous installment and uses them in well
    + Expands on the narrative in surprising but engaging ways + Plays off of the tropes of the previous game from top to bottom in compelling ways + An epic ending with some intellectual weight and aesthetic commentary ? Many fans dislike the new protagonist, but it seems the game doesn't really    Tier 2
    + Carries over all of the mechanics of the previous installment and uses them in well
    + Expands on the narrative in surprising but engaging ways
    + Plays off of the tropes of the previous game from top to bottom in compelling ways
    + An epic ending with some intellectual weight and aesthetic commentary
    ? Many fans dislike the new protagonist, but it seems the game doesn't really want the player to like him anyways
    - Again, features some questionable design, with particular problems arising in the first-person shooting system
    - Ridiculously frustrating final boss battles    … Expand
  22. AstiX
    Oct 26, 2020
    8
    I'm speechless. What an unexpected rollercoaster ride this is. It starts off so innocently until it starts changing and throwing unexpected sh1t at you at every turn. It pushes the limit of how many plot-twists inside plot-twists you can have to the point it becomes hilarious, but also somehow good at the same time.

    It's one of the most unique games I've ever played. It's charming with    I'm speechless. What an unexpected rollercoaster ride this is. It starts off so innocently until it starts changing and throwing unexpected sh1t at you at every turn. It pushes the limit of how many plot-twists inside plot-twists you can have to the point it becomes hilarious, but also somehow good at the same time.

    It's one of the most unique games I've ever played. It's charming with the way it focuses on tiny seemingly unimportant details you'd never see in another game. Sometimes it goes way too far with the overly long cutscenes, but they can be endurable if you find other stuff to do while watching them, treating them like a movie and enjoying the game for the clusterfvck that it is.

    For all the ridiculousness its plot brings it somehow manages to slap you in the face with a deep thought-provoking philosophical conclusion which leaves you in disbelief of what you just witnessed. Seriously, this game had me yelling out "WHAT??" so many times.

    "Rose?"    … Expand
  23. leSange
    Jan 8, 2023
    10
    Found how to run MGS2 with 3rd person shoulder camera at 8k resolution with SMAA in 2 clicks

    1. install GOG version
    2. install fix https://github.com/VFansss/mgs2-v-s-fix/wiki
    3. install 3rd person camera https://github.com/oct0xor/mgs2sos

    P.S. I suggest you to use 1st person camera on triggers
  24. jordanlearmonth
    Jul 25, 2020
    10
    Personal Opinion: This is my favorite MGS game out of the series. It's mainly due to the fact that it's the only MGS game created by Kojima and his team that pursued enormous changes that caused many fans to dislike the game. To my surprise, I actually like the transition from the tank mission to the shell mission along with you-know-exactly what happens next. I like Raiden a lot for thePersonal Opinion: This is my favorite MGS game out of the series. It's mainly due to the fact that it's the only MGS game created by Kojima and his team that pursued enormous changes that caused many fans to dislike the game. To my surprise, I actually like the transition from the tank mission to the shell mission along with you-know-exactly what happens next. I like Raiden a lot for the reason that he represents the vast majority of the fans who all at one point complained about the transitioning from Snake to Raiden. This may be just me, but I believe Raiden is a more realistic character over Snake but the badass and all-time legendary soldier title belongs to Snake and Big Boss. This game is awesome on many levels as well as how it predicted the future about the media and how the people are eating away with whatever it is the Patriots feed to them. The revealing of that codec scene regarding the AI near the end of the game is one of the best moments in gaming history. It's so good that it's still being talked about today.

    Gameplay: The gameplay was ahead of its time especially when I try to imagine how a game as phenomenal as this could be created in the early 2000s with that particular time's technology. It still blows away my mind just thinking about it. Personally, the gameplay's quality level is beneath the storyline's quality level. However, the gameplay on its own is outstanding.

    Story: It's not the best story within the series but it's my favorite as it doesn't need to be the best to be considered the favorite. As I've previously mentioned, I love the revealing of the AI scene near the end. Not just that, the game offered so many codec conversations which to me painted the game's picture. I especially love the ending of the game from passing on your gene to the next generation. That scene meant a lot to me just thinking about it.

    Rating: I've given MGS2 a 4/5 star rating for the reason that it offered a lot of dialogues rather than gameplay. The gameplay at times were simply too short. There were times where I'll be enjoying certain sections of the game and it gets ruined by a cutscene. However, the greatness of the game spoke in louder volume over the littlest things I didn't like.

    Final Comment: Truly an amazing game that was ahead of its time.    … Expand
  25. Solder
    May 21, 2021
    10
    This was the game back in the days that introduced me to the stealth genre, and i loved it alot! With kojimas style of movie making, i was so in the story that i never left it like 30 years later! i loved this so much.

    You play mostly as Raiden and not Snake in this game, but the gameplay is just super, and i loved it. 10/10 and i would recommend this game to anyone who loved the    This was the game back in the days that introduced me to the stealth genre, and i loved it alot! With kojimas style of movie making, i was so in the story that i never left it like 30 years later! i loved this so much.

    You play mostly as Raiden and not Snake in this game, but the gameplay is just super, and i loved it.

    10/10 and i would recommend this game to anyone who loved the stealth/action style of play    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

76
#76 Best PC Game of 2003
28
#28 Most Discussed PC Game of 2003

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. GameSpot
    78
    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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  2. Game Chronicles
    79
    A great "console" game, but I'm not convinced the PC is the proper system to be playing it on.
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  3. GameSpy
    84
    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.
    Read full review
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