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                          Metal  Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, the sequel to the Metal Gear Solid game released in 1998, brought some new things to the table. The first and most notorious one is the improvement in graphics. In graphical fanfare the game gets a ten right off the bat. Great explosions, textures and modeling. In short, the games graphics are still very impressive considering that the game was released in 2002.

This time around, Snake tries to infiltrate a U.S. military tanker to get photos of the new Metal Gear. The idea is that when the pictures are circulated around the Internet, the public will force the U.S. government to stop work on it. However, as expected, things turn sour and Otacon and Snake are forced to hide. The government blames them for the incident. The rest of the game is played as Raiden, a new operative without any field experience. It is two years after the incident at the beginning of the game and now he has to try and stop the terrorists that have taken over the Big Shell. The group is called Dead Cell, made up of three members. Fortune can't be hit with regular bullets, Vamp a ridiculously agile vampire and Fatman, a lunatic for bombs. 

This time around, Snake gets some new moves. While running, if the character presses X he or she can do a somersault. Additionally, now it is possible to aim in first-person view, allowing the player to aim at certain body parts. When using the tranquilizer gun (M9) hitting the enemy in the head or the heart will not them out instantly while shooting them in the arm will take a while. Furthermore, head shots are instant kills. Other abilities include the possibility of picking up bodies and hiding them in lockers. Players can also hide in them.

Compared to the first game's bosses, Metal Gear Solid 2 falls short. The bosses aren't bad per say, but they aren't as surprising as the first game's. This is not to say that the game isn't worth playing. On the contrary, it definitely is worth playing, but it is recommended that if you haven't played the first one you do. The game's storyline ties in with the other game, so you won't understand some parts if you haven't played the first one.

The sound effects are awesome. If you have a surround system, you could also connect your PS2 through Optical Out. This way you can listen to the game in surround sound. The game's AI behaves intelligently, even though just like the other game, the enemy will assume that you left after a period of time. All in all, Metal Gear Solid 2 is an awesome game. Worth playing in every aspect of the word.

Metal Gear Solid is a game released for the Playstation in September 30, 1998. The game is actually the third installment, the first and second were released for the MSX. Metal Gear Solid is considered by many gaming aficionados as the best game on the Playstation. The game puts the player in charge of Snake, a trained (now retired) agent sent to Alaska after terrorists threat to launch a nuclear missile. His mission objectives are to make contact with the two hostages and find out if they have the ability to launch the missile. If they do he is supposed to stop it.

Snake has a slew of abilities. In order to survive, the player must keep out of sight. If seen, the enemy soldiers will call for backup, and it's pretty much game over. Snake has no weapons at the beginning of the game, but later on he'll find everything from a handgun to an assault rifle. These weapons, however, will alert the enemy of your presence when fired. In addition, enemy soldiers will follow footprints on the snow and noise. Snake can flatten against a wall and knock against it to divert the enemy. He can also crouch and crawl to hide under things.

The codec has been an integral part of Metal Gear since its debut release. The codec is used for saving progress and getting tips if needed. In addition, it is Snake's main way of communication. A big part of the games storyline and character drama is given through it. That's precisely what makes the game so great. All of the characters feel human to the player by giving them something to relate too. It also adds a lot to their personality.

Metal Gear has always being acclaimed for its great boss fights. In this game you'll fight everything from a Cyborg Ninja to Metal Gear itself. I don't want to spoil it, but make sure you think outside the boss for some of the fights. The main antagonist is Liquid, but there is also Sniper Wolf, a deadly female sniper, Ocelot, great with a Single Action Army, Raven and others.

The games graphics and 3D where used for the better. Of course, in today's gaming industry the graphics don't compare to any current-gen game. However, for its time, the games graphics where great. The characters are nicely animated and modeled. Snake's movements are great and fluid.

The cut scenes, another big part of the game, are nicely presented. This game has been heavily criticized for its long sequences of dialogue. The truth is, there is a lot of dialogue in the game. Hideo Kojima is great at storytelling, something well represented in the game. Just don't expect the game to be extremely realistic, as some of the main characters are completely  "supernatural." For example, Mantys has telepathy and telekinesis.

The sound is superb. The voice acting, which for most games on the console was terrible, is great on this one. David Hayter does a perfect voice for Snake, really capturing the character's feelings and loneliness.

The game's message is something to take note on; an end to nuclear weapons. However, the game's end makes it stick to the player. This is probably one of the most thought provoking games on the Playstation.

The first Wild Arms game was released eleven years ago on April 30. The game put the player in charge of Rudy, a wanderer that's feared because of his ARM, Cecilia, the princess of the kingdom of Adelhyde, and Jack, a treasure hunter. The three would go through the death of loved ones, surprises about their own origins and memories of their obscure past. However, this wasn't what made the game shine. It's massive amount of items, solid and complicated storyline and obscure yet meaningful characters was what made it stand out from the flood of RPGs.

Wild Arms 4, released in January 10, 2006, brought many new things to the table. The items are still the same such as Heal Berries, Potion Berries and Mega Berries. However, this game strays from the already accustomed path of the mid West and trades it for a futuristic war torn place.

Jude Maverick, the main character, of course, is a normal teenage boy. He cuts class with his sword instructor to enjoy his time in the forest. The only difference is that the forest is part of a much bigger structure floating in the sky. Obviously, he doesn't know about it and soon finds out when he observes the sky crack. When he goes to investigate, he finds Arnaud, a drifter, and later meets Yulie. Jude had never seen a girl before and promises to free her from the place where she's locked. Soon afterward he discovers that the soldiers who had been guarding the ship have left and realizes that they must be in Ciel, his village. There he awakens the power of an ARM (a weapon that binds itself to the holder genetically) and defeats the invading soldiers. This does not come without a price when he loses control of the weapon and destroys the generator that keeps Ciel floating in the sky. Later they meet Raquel, a skilled sword woman who tells them that she wants to go to the temple to look for a statue. From there on, they just keep on getting deeper and deeper into trouble.

The fighting system received major changes. Instead of the standard turn-based fighting system seen in the previous games, Wild Arms 4 uses a hex-system. The hex-system consists of seven hexes in which players move (one in the middle and six around it). By moving out of the hexes a player can escape from battle. Furthermore, any action taken affects everything in the hex, so it is possible to attack multiple enemies at the same time or heal multiple allies at the same time. In addition, deceases such as poison are casted on the hex not the character, so moving out of the hex gets rid of the nasty effects. Another nice addition is the ability to combine the attacks of members in the party. The abilities keep the fighting fresh and the CG Graph allows for a bit of control over which way your characters evolve.

 In addition, the developers from Media Vision added something that had never being included in the games; platforming elements. Jude, in this game, has the accelerator ability which allows him to slow down time. This ability, apparently, has replaced the tools that each character possessed in the previous installments. The only tools given in the game are available only when needed in dungeons. This tools include swords and staffs that can be set on fire.  Also, the main character can jump. This leads to some frustrating moments when a miscalculated jump can make you start over again the same area.

Another element that is well executed is the expected puzzles. This series deserves an honorable mention for outrageously insane puzzles that would, in many occasions, cause adults to  get stuck even though the first game was rated E for Everyone. In contrast, this game's puzzles range from easy to moderately hard. Fans of the series, such as myself, will definitely recognize some of the puzzles such as which way to move the boxes or how to open the gate. However, as mentioned above, the jumping ability allows for a change in puzzles which now require jumps. The game still manages to feel like a Wild Arms game while mixing it up a bit for a change.

The sound is as expected, good for the game. Personally, I also loved the intro song and think that it sums up some of the events in the game pretty well. In addition, a great majority of the melodies in the game are catchy. The environments are varied and colorful, ranging from the village of Ciel to a huge carrier. Graphically, the game shows off the PS2's potential. Not only that, but its anime based graphics bring the game to life. The main characters are nicely modeled. The only downside that I've found so far is that the game reuses most of the monsters that have already appeared in previous entries. In other words, for fans like myself that have played most of the games in the series (Wild Arms, Wild Arms 3 and Wild Arms Alter Code F) we already know much about the enemies from the get-go.

Overall, Wild Arms 4 is a nice addition to any RPG lover. While the game has some noticeable flaws, it's strengths easily counteract it. The games graphics, griping storyline, superb sound, interesting characters and innovative battle system make it a worthwhile game for both casual and veteran players. 

Note: I have not beaten the game yet. Some of the information might be subject to change.