Feature

Every month there will be a new feature, this could be a more detailed look at a forthcoming game, or news on the online situation of the PS2. This month is a look at the new and improved MGS2 in "Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance".

MGS2 is one of the most successful playstation 2 games to date, and now its back and it's had a face lift. "Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance" is not MGS3, nor is it an add on disk that requires MGS2 to work, it is a game in it's own right. MGS2: Substance is a collection of new missions, alternate scenarios and a wealth of extras. Kojima-san has included elements he would have liked to include in MGS2:SOL but couldn't because of time constraints and lack of space. These elements lift the characters out of the story-driven SOL and places them in a much more action-orientated domain. Due for release in October (most likely next spring in Europe) MGS2:Substance consist of a double-sided DVD. On one side will be Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, the same game from it's original release. On the flip side will be a collection of mini games that expands the MGS universe and provides an action overload. The bad news is that there are no plans to release the substance side on a separate disc, or give the owners of MGS2 a discount. The good news is that there is enough gameplay on the substance side to constitute it being an entirely new game in its own right. So the fact it comes with MGS2 which no doubt a lot of you reading this will have shouldn't put you of buying MGS2: Substance.

NEW MISSIONS

	VR MISSIONS: These are essentially similar to the extra VR training scenarios in MGS: Special Missions. There are approximately 200 missions that involve practising with various weapons and sneaking around wire frames that become more textured as you progress. What make them different from the ones in MGS:SM is that you can play through them with different characters, and the levels are different for each character. So that means you get 200 missions multiplied by the number of characters available, the exact number of which Kojima-san hasn't specified yet.
ALTERNATE MISSIONS: These are additional missions (100 in total) that take place environments from Sons Of Liberty. These give you the chance to play through later levels with snake, or earlier levels with other characters without having to sit through FMV videos and codec conversations. These new missions have no relation to the plot of Sons of Liberty.

SNAKE TALES:

I think everyone who has played MGS2 would have been a bit disappointed that you didn't get to control snake for very long, this is way Snake Tales comes in. This new mode focuses mainly on Snake in a collection of missions based on new stories and activities. These missions vary in length and will include cameos from well know MGS characters, just look carefully at the screenshots on next page and you will see snakes love interest from the first game "Meryl".