Silent Scope 2: Dark Silhouette
Score: 79% ESRB: Mature Publisher: Konami Developer: Konami Media: CD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Shooter
Graphics & Sound: The Silent Scope series has proved itself to be one of the most popular arcade games in the country, but can an in home translation do as well? Konami hopes so, but without the rifle/scope peripheral it could end up being a shot in the dark. Graphically, Silent Scope 2 is almost a carbon copy of the arcade version. While the arcade version seemed amazing compared to other cabinet games of it's time, I expect more from the PS2. Of course Silent Scope 2 is by no means an old game, but you can see the difference when compared to newer games from Konami like Metal Gear Solid 2 or Zone of the Enders. The textures look like they are stretched out a little at times and can become pixelated on distant objects, and with a high power scope it's important that everything looks clean - even at a distance. While the environments may be somewhat lacking, the characters are exquisite, both snipers and enemies alike. Careful attention was obviously put into the details of how the clothes look, and the different character models. Faces are nice looking, and the mouths even move during the story sequences. Silent Scope 2 reminded me of Final Fantasy VIII in a number of ways. First off, I remembered Irvine, the lone sniper who had the fate of a nation on his shoulders. Second, Silent Scope 2 and Final Fantasy VIII featured similar music. From the sweeping strings to the pounding deep pianos, the music did the perfect job of setting an intense, high pressure mood as I tried to keep a steady thumb. The voice overs, however are a complete letdown. Ever played House of The Dead? That game had mediocre voice acting and you can expect no better from Silent Scope 2. It tries to be dramatic, but comes off as being cheesy with lines like 'I can't believe you foiled my plan!' Look at the terrific work done from Konami in Metal Gear Solid . I would expect the same, even if it were done by a different team.
Gameplay: In the arcades, Silent Scope 2 featured a rifle with a working scope. (There was a little screen in scope that showed the player a simulated zoomed in picture of the screen.) At home however, there is no four foot rifle to shoulder in your quest to rid the world of bad guy terrorists. The home version of Silent Scope 2 relies on a non-zoomed-in cursor used to frame up your shot, and a zoomed-in crosshair used for shooting. You switch between the two with a shoulder button. The normal cursor moves quite fast on the default setting while the crosshairs move a little slow for my taste. Fortunately the aiming system is totally customizable. Other than the speed, you can change the crosshair size and transparency. This allows the player to have a lot of control, but it can't come close to the speed and accuracy of having an actual rifle like in the arcade. Silent Scope 2 would have been worth the extra 20 bucks it would have taken to make a cheap but effective LCD screen with a laser and a trigger. The home version of the rifle wouldn't even have to be full size like the arcade - a hand size unit would suffice. Well... no such luck, but switching between the cursors does the job well enough. Silent Scope 2 received the popular Mature rating and there is a good reason why it deserves it. You play as a sniper and your job is to shoot people. And while there isn't much blood at all, you are rewarded for head shots. It isn't so much the visual violence as the ideas that are put into the players heads. Silent Scope 2 could be included in the senator's list of ultra violent games with the likes of Doom and Goldeneye. Instead of relying on health and lives to progress to the next level, in Silent Scope 2 you have to keep the time meter above zero. You start out with about a minute and it keeps going down unless you make a kill. Head shots get more time. In addition to the Arcade mode, the home version includes a Standard mode which includes selectable missions, and a Boss Battle mode where you challenge the bosses you've beaten in the arcade mode. I commend Konami for including some interesting shots in Silent Scope 2. There are times where your character is just standing and has to pivot to make a shot, but there are plenty of exciting moments. For example I once had to look backwards on a snowmobile and shoot snowboarders while avoiding my partner. Moments like those help to keep the game fresh.
Difficulty: Silent Scope 2 is a very difficult game, but the difficulty doesn't come from being shot too much, it comes from running out of time. I wish Konami would understand that they didn't have to make home version like the arcade in this case. I could understand that they would want to get all of the quarters they could, but they missed one fact - there is no coin slot in a PS2! The way to gain the most time is by making head shots but that requires a little extra time to line up so it becomes somewhat of a tradeoff. The enemies are usually wearing camouflage, but the only place you'll have trouble spotting them is in the jungle. Most of the shots are very far and the only way to see anyone is if they are shooting at you first. Kudos to Konami though for having a pop up cursor to help single out those hard to find bad guys. Another problem that takes some getting used to is the bullet drift. Of course the bullet won't drift when you are standing still, but when you're 100 yards away from a target in a helicopter going 40 mph, it seems like the bullets have some sort of wierd lateral gravity.
Game Mechanics: Yes! They finally did it - no load times. That's right, in Silent Scope 2 you won't need the patience of a sniper when confronted by those pesky Loading... screens. There aren't any loading screens. The menus are laid out nicely, but instead of a simple beep when progressing to another screen you get hit with an ear shattering rifle blast. Controls work nicely (for not being a lightgun) with a single button for toggling between the two sights, and another button for the trigger. Analog is supported and is a must if you want to be anywhere near accurate. Saving and loading off of a memory card work fast, but if the auto-save option is on, the game saves after every page of a menu which can get annoying very fast. I suggest that you save manually and save your sanity. What Guys thinks:If there had only been a light gun, this could have been the killer app to keep Sony on top of Nintendo and Microsoft. All things considered though, it's a very well done game and Konami did an excellent job translating the arcade version without watering it down for the home. If you've never played the arcade version I suggest that you try it for the PS2. If you are one of the arcade junkies who has already played it, I suggest that you take the fifty dollars and cash it in for quarters.
-Joe Guys, GameVortex Communications AKA Joe Labani
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