- This is the Xbox 360 port of 'Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance', the expanded version of the original PS2 game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.
- I'm playing this on my Xbox One. It runs great.
- I think this game is very cool, but it's difficult to get used to the controls. Everything you do seems to require holding down half the buttons on the controller. For instance, if I'm to take out my gun and aim it somewhere in first person, I have to press RT, hold X, press LB+RB, and then use left stick to aim. I *will* get used to it again, but it's a lot.
- It's hard to nail the range for grabbing enemies from behind. I wish there was an indicator for when you are close enough.
- Got the Kissing Booth achievement. - I climbed into a cabinet, zoomed in on a poster with a sexy lady on it, and got an achievement. That Kojima.
- With all the talk about raytracing in this new decade, I find it fascinating that this game has real reflections in the floor. I need to verify if this is the case with the original PS2 version.
- Yep, PS2 version has real reflections.
- I defeated Olga Gurlukovich.
- I finished the Tanker chapter which was short and fun, watched a very long cutscene with Liquid Snake possessing Revolver Ocelot's body through his arm and stealing Metal Gear Ray, the U.S. Marine Corps' anti-Metal Gear weapon.
- And now the 'real' game with Raiden starts. I was thinking about why I got demotivated from finishing this back around its release, and again in 2014. After the fun Tanker chapter, the Plant chapter grinds the momentum to a halt. You start over with entering the Plant in a sequence much like the PS1 game, and then all the tutorials start over, even covering everything you already learned in the Tanker chapter in excruciating detail. I guess it's designed for people who skips the Tanker chapter. I don't know why you would. The first couple of hours, you switch between playing for a few seconds and then waiting for endless codec conversations and cutscenes.
- I did the whole bomb disposal mission. Searching for and freezing the bombs was fun, but the boss fight with Fatman was frustrating, first because I didn't know to bring him down and shoot him in the head, and second because I ran out of ammunition and had to run around, waiting for ammo respawns.
- I calling it right now: Mr. X is a woman.
- I knew I had to steal an AK-74u to enter the central strut, but I didn't know where to get it and went directly there to see if I could somehow get one from a guard. It was incredibly tough to infiltrate that area without the disguise, there are cameras and soldiers everywhere. I did get some progress by shooting the cameras and hiding in boxes, but in the end I gave up and went back to Strut F and got the AK using the Level 2 card.
- Oh man, I have been holding L1+R1 to go into first person mode, similarly to what L2+R2 does in the first MGS game. Just now, I realized that R1 is free-aim and L1 is lock-on, and it's going to change my life.
- The Metal Gear sickness has struck me again. I guess completing Death Stranding has re-awakened my appetite for this series. I've been watching the Metal Gear Scanlon playthrough of this game (again), and today I've been reading about Metal Gear characters and story, compiling hundreds of lines of notes.
- I fought a Stinger Missile battle against Solidus and Vamp in a Harrier. The falling jet was caught by a Metal Gear RAY jumping from the ocean. Then I did a horrible swimming section, the most annoying part of the game so far. Finally, I reached The President and finally got an explanation of The Patriots, arguably the biggest story plot of this series. I can't help but be reminded of the whole QAnon conspiracy theory that is so remarkbly widespread right now; shadowy government institutions secretly controlling the world, and all politicians being puppets. This idea is probably as old as democracy itself.
- The President is dead, killed by Revolver Ocelot. I fought a frustrating boss fight against Vamp. Frustrating because I would get killed again and again by accidentally dodging into the water. The water effects and lighting in this room is amazing though. The caustics on the walls and the bubbles flowing up in the pool look absolutely astounding.
- Yep, I was right, Mr. X was Olga Gurlukovich.
- Raiden's blocked out his traumatizing past where Solidus Snake trained him as a child soldier.
- And now I'm running around Arsenal Gear naked.
- The AI Campbell is glitching out big time right now!
- The radar has been replaced by a recording of a sleeping lady.
- I reached the Metal Gear RAY boss fight with 2 Rations, which was unreasonably difficult. After failing a bunch of times, I went back and replayed the corridor fight alongside Solid Snake, sniping enemies from afar, using the B.ARMOR and in the end, using the HF.BLADE. I managed to get through without using any rations.
- Got the No Ray, José achievement. - I beat the 6(?) Metal Gear RAYs. What a terrible Achievement name.
- Completed the game on Normal difficulty. The final fight against Solidus was trivial, and apart from that, the ending was an hour-long cutscene. The Patriots are dead, there is only AI.
- I had a lot of trouble with Vamp, Metal Gear RAY. Bosses I defeated on my first try: Olga, Fatman, the Harrier jet, and Solidus.
- I completed 'VR MISSIONS: SNEAKING MODE', both 'SNEAKING' and 'ELIMINATE ALL'.
- I completed 'WEAPON MODE: HANDGUN, ASSAULT RIFLE, C4/CLAYMORE'. GRENADES is giving me a bit of trouble.
- I finally completed WEAPON MODE. The final GRENADES level is very annoying, but I did it, a bit randomly. Now for FIRST PERSON MODE.
- FIRST PERSON MODE mission 4 and 5 were really fun and interesting.
- Now I'm only missing the final mode, VARIETY MODE.
- I've reached a sniper escort mission, which is no fun. I think I'm giving up on VARIETY MODE for now.