Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions Review


For PlayStation

By Contributing Writer Jimmy Payne

Rating: Average
   It's hard for me to bash a game with the Metal Gear name, because Metal 
Gear was all I could think about in the month after Metal Gear Solid's 
release.  However, not even a big Metal Gear fan like myself can overlook 
the many flaws of Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions.
   This game is a lot like the original Metal Gear Solid, only now the bulk 
of the game consists of VR missions.  You know, those bland mini-missions 
in MGS that most people lost interest in after about five minutes.  You can 
now play as the stealth Ninja from MGS, which is pretty much the only thing 
preventing this game from getting a Crappy rating.  Unfortunately, the 
Ninja's game is about 1/8th the size of MGS, and as anyone who has played 
MGS can tell you, that's pathetically short.  Besides the ability to play 
as the Ninja, one of the only positive aspects of VR Missions is the 
addition of weapons to the mix.  The addition of weapons creates a lot of 
possibilities for new strategies and scenarios, but these possibilities 
weren't taken advantage of as much as they should have been.
   This game's difficulty level is about as screwed up as it gets. 
Sometimes you'll fly through a mission and wonder how you were able to beat 
it so easily, and other times you will be stuck on the same mission for 
hours.  I would much rather have a difficulty level that gradually gets 
harder as the game progresses instead of one that randomly jumps up and 
down throughout the game.  On the levels where you get stuck, it's usually 
because of one badly-placed guard or camera that you can only get past if 
you make your move in a split second.
   The farther you get into the game, the more you'll recognize re-hashed 
level designs.  There are only 20 or so unique missions, and all the rest 
are just like another mission, but with slight variations.  The repetitive 
level designs won't motivate you to keep playing, and neither will the 
story line because it doesn't exist.  The story line was the heart and soul 
of Metal Gear Solid, and fans of the series are going to be left with an 
empty feeling after playing VR Missions.  It would be one thing if Konami 
threw together a half-assed story line, but there is no story line 
whatsoever in VR Missions.  I guess when you're lazy and you're only 
interested in making some easy money, details like story lines are deemed 
un-necessary.  
   Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions is nothing more than a sub-par expansion 
pack that will disappoint even the most loyal of Metal Gear Solid fans. 

Send your thoughts on this review to jimmy@mastergamer.com

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