Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is one of the most highly anticipated video games, not only of this year, but of any year. In development since before the release of the PlayStation2, MGS2 has generated an unprecedented amount of attention and anticipation, both with fans and with the press. A short demo of the game was released along with Konami's filler game Zone of the Enders earlier in the year, whetting the appetites of fans eager to experience Hideo Kojima's latest masterpiece. The quality of the title is unquestionable, so the only issue remaining is whether the game delivers on years worth of hype. And the answer, after much reflection is mostly yes, and somewhat no. Confused? Read on, loyal reader.

To start, Metal Gear Solid 2 is unspeakably beautiful, sporting super-advanced real-time visuals equaled by only a handful of games (GT3 comes to mind). Anyone who has seen the preview movies can attest to this, but the game makes a much more visceral impact upon seeing it live and in person. The now-familiar opening sequence, in which returning hero Solid Snake bungee jumps from the George Washington Bridge onto a tanker, looks absolutely exquisite on a Wega television with component cables. (If you haven't upgraded your TV to match your hi-tech entertainment gear, than MGS2 will certainly hasten your decision to do so.) I honestly haven't seen anything more impressive than the opening to MGS2, in terms of visual quality, animation, editing, pacing and sound design.

The character models sport an insane amount of detail, rivaled only by those in Final Fantasy X and Konami's other graphical marvel, Silent Hill 2. The faces are impressively rendered with tiny details like individual hairs, crease lines and beard stubble. The facial animation is quite good as well, although the generic lip movements don't often match the speech. The body animation is extremely fluid and life-like, thanks to extensive motion capture. The atmospheric effects are also outstanding, especially the rainstorm that blankets the tanker at the beginning of the game. Stepping inside the tanker reveals puddles and wet footprints, which enemy soldiers may notice during their rounds. The attention to detail is staggering at points, and there is usually something fun or interesting to do in terms of environmental interaction. Examples include destructible food items in the pantry, ice cubes that melt on the bar, and water droplets that randomly trickle down over your goggles. No matter where you go in the game, there is always some little detail to see or to find that deepens enjoyment of the experience.

The game sounds wonderful, featuring authentic gun shots, explosions and mechanical effects. The opening of each chapter is presented in Dolby Digital, which fills the room with incredible sound. From the rustling rain to the whirling chopper blades to the clanging boot steps of enemy soldiers, MGS2 exudes an outstanding sonic quality that tangibly pulls you into the experience. Kojima is a stickler for details, and he didn't skimp on the sound design. The musical score is also top-notch, featuring the same types of subtle, stealthy sneaking tracks found in the original Metal Gear Solid. When Snake is discovered, the music suitably changes pace to the pulse-pounding hurry-up-and-hide fare, and gradually fades as the danger recedes.

Konami recruited Hollywood composer Harry Gregson-Williams to provide the main orchestral score, which is used in the preview movie and at key points throughout the game. While his previous work is of the take-it-or-leave-it variety, I really like his MGS2 theme, and I think it suits the game quite well, especially during the slick opening credits montage movie. The acting is once again incredible, thanks to the excellent returning cast from Metal Gear Solid. I've heard some great English voice tracks this year, but MGS2 is far and away the best. The cast is led by the gruff, grizzled sound of David Hayter, who once again breathes incredible life into the character of Solid Snake. Other returning characters include Otacon and Revolver Ocelot, and their actors bring them to life in fine fashion. The acting is always spot-on, even if there are some downright silly lines throughout the game. Of course, that's a script issue more than what the actors are doing.

If you're one of the millions who played Metal Gear Solid on the Sony PlayStation, you'll no doubt feel right at home here. MGS2 plays much like the original, in that you control a lone operative attempting to diffuse a potentially-lethal terrorist situation. Sons of Liberty employs the same type of control scheme, with a few key additions that make the experience much more enjoyable. First, Konami has thankfully added a first-person shooting mode, in which you can aim and fire your weapon. This increases your accuracy a hundred fold, and makes a heated gunfight a survivable affair. This pseudo-FPS arrangement allows you to hit specific body parts, a feature that works great with the new M9 tranquilizer pistol. Hitting an enemy solider in the head (or the heart) with a dart will usually knock them out immediately, but if you hit them on a limb it could take several seconds for them to fall unconscious. The first-person view also enables you to hit soldiers who cleverly hide behind riot shields, crates or other obstacles.

This raises an interesting moral dilemma, as MGS2 is the one of the first (and maybe only) action games that will allow you to complete your mission without killing a single person. You can simply tranquilize every guard you see, without having to kill any of them. This applies to boss encounters as well, as each major enemy has a Stun Meter in addition to their health meter. If you deplete the stun meter, they fall unconscious, and the battle is over. Of course, some characters will die during the events of the story, but the player has complete control over who he or she kills or spares. While there are no rewards for sparing your enemies (except maybe a higher Internet ranking), it's definitely an extra challenge that seasoned players may want to attempt.

The artificial intelligence of enemies is quite good and a definite improvement over the soldiers in MGS, especially on the higher difficulty levels (where being spotted ends the game instantly). One of the biggest complaints concerning MGS was the lackluster intelligence of enemy guards, and while those in MGS2 will never be confused for intelligent beings, they are still light-years ahead of their predecessors. Most guards still patrol set routes, but if you take out a guard and he doesn't report in over the radio, his comrades will send a search team to look for him. Being discovered by guards is a much more hazardous affair this time around, as lone sentries will radio for help, and highly coordinated attack teams (complete with riot gear and automatic weapons) systematically sweep an area looking for you. And if they find you, things will get very bloody very quickly.

In these situations, you've got to stand and fight, or run and hide. Fighting an attack squad is usually a losing affair, especially early on when you don't have access to automatic weapons. Snake has his standard punch-punch-kick combo (try that in first-person view) that can knock guards unconscious, which is useful for fighting single enemies. If you're outnumbered, hiding is probably the best course of action. There are new ways to conceal yourself in MGS2, including hiding inside a locker, underneath tables or hanging from a railing. You also have to carefully hide or dispose of the bodies of guards you kill or tranquilize; a sentry who finds the body of his comrade will often radio for backup. Konami worked closely with tactical and military experts in order to create soldiers who behave like their real-life counterparts, and the results are extremely impressive. Outwitting the enemy is more fun than ever, thanks to improved enemy AI, responsive control and a host of new moves at your disposal. MGS2 is simply a blast to play.

There are several new moves available in your sneaking adventures. Snake now has a diving roll, which can be used to avoid gunfire and detection, and can also be employed as an offensive move to knock down enemies in tight situations. He can also jump over a railing and hang, though how long he can hang is governed by the new Grip Meter. When it runs out, Snake will let go and fall, incurring injury or even death if the height is too great. If you're feeling creative, you could use an unsuspecting guard to cushion your fall. The great interface features from MGS have been held over in the sequel, including the shoulder-button item and firearm selection menus. There are many more items and techno-gadgets to find, although curiously they have fewer uses than the limited set of equipment in MGS. The camera makes its return here, and this time you can even save your photographs to a memory card. There's a handy photo-viewer, accessible from the main menu, that you can use to view your photos. (And as always, Snake has his trusty smokes; you never know when they might come in handy!) There are a few incentives to replay multiple times, including stealth camoflauge and infinite ammo items to collect.

Metal Gear Solid is split into two chapters, the Tanker Chapter and the Plant Chapter. You guide Solid Snake in the familiar Tanker Chapter, which is revealed to be a flashback to two years ago. Most of the game takes place in the Plant Chapter, in which you play as rookie agent Raiden attempting to infiltrate the Big Shell. This is the "big secret" of MGS2, which Konami did an outstanding job of protecting until the game's release. (Of course, this is discussed in the instruction manual, which caught many unsuspecting players off-guard.) While it is intriguing to observe Snake through the eyes of a green soldier, the pretty-boy Raiden isn't the best vehicle to do so. He's simply not as cool as Snake, and the fact that you don't play as Snake for most of the game is quite a shock to the system for most players. If you can keep an open mind, though, the game should still provide the compelling experience you expect. I just wish I had known about this before-hand so that I could have prepared myself.

Sons of Liberty bears much spiritual resemblance to the original MGS, complete with bombastic, overly-complicated terrorist plans, cartoonish super-villains with silly names and more plot twists than should be necessary in such a short game. The overall story itself deals with the digitization of information, and the transmission and regulation of that data by various factions. While this is a fascinating concept and is well-presented, it probably would be better explored in a novel rather than a game. The relatively straightforward genetically-enhanced soldier ideas presented in the first game make for a much more compelling game story, as alliances and ideals are more easily recognizable as good or evil. MGS2 tends to drown the player in exposition and philosophical ramblings a bit too often, hampering a lot of the momentum the game tries to build. Especially cumbersome are the numerous Codec conversations that seem to pop up at inopportune times. MGS2 is a cinematic game in the truest sense, but it would have greatly benefitted from some more time in the editing room. While these issues don't cripple the game, they certainly dampen the experience a bit.

While I do have some qualms with the story structure, the "big secret" and the overkill of cut scenes, it's still hard for me not to like what Konami has produced in Metal Gear Solid 2. The long development time has yielded a game of almost peerless quality, and even though it is perhaps a bit too ambitious at times, MGS2 is definitely in the upper echelon of video game experiences. Bold, beautiful and brimming with details great and small, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is an incredibly well-polished and engaging game that should find a place in the library of most PS2 owners.