Konami releases Substantial video
It looks like Kojima really has given Metal Gear some Substance
Konami has released a short video demonstrating Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance. Distributed as a 10Mb ASF file, the footage is taken directly from E3 and begins humorously, with a montage of audio lines from the game set to one of the game's haunting low-key themes. "Why are you repeating the same mistake?" and "I knew he had the real thing up his sleeve" were my favourites, but overall the humour is self-deprecating, and it put me in the mood to learn more about the game - the video's ending is also pretty funny. Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance was announced in a Konami financial report before the trade Expo, and looks set to let players do just about anything they want to do within the confines of the Metal Gear Solid universe. If you fancy playing through the tanker section of the game as Raiden (god help you) then you can, and if you fancy playing through as Snake wearing a tuxedo, that's also an option. In fact, MGS2: Substance is like a toy chest full of action figures and the game's locations are bits of carpet, painted cereal boxes and stacked CD cases - you're making your own game now. Hundreds more VR Missions are promised besides the complement of regular alternate missions (including the option to go back through the game using a ninja sword like a lightsaber, or to play through Snake's bomb-disposal section), and the VR simulator and effects it employs look great. It even appears as though you will be able to play VR-simulated versions of the original MGS single player game. In fact, it looks like someone has hotwired the VR simulator and is using it to teach our poor heroes a lesson, with mountainous soldiers marching about at several hundred metres in height. And of course the highly anticipated skateboarding sections look… interesting. Very Tony Hawk, but then that was to be expected. The skateboarding sections are meant to act as an advert for Konami's new skating title, in which you can also find a playable Solid Snake. Substance is definitely looking less like a cash-in and more like a fairly well thought out expansion and reinvention of this year's most impressive seller to date. If Konami can deliver a game with enough surprises and fanboy-tastic extras then it might even be worth picking up. Either way, you should download the video, particularly if you're a fan. Be warned though, it does contain a few minor spoilers. For those of you already dying to play it, we hear it will be out before the end of the year in Japan and the USA, on PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC. Related Feature - Metal Gear Solid 2 review
