| Metal Gear Solid 2 |
| Composed by Harry Gregson-Williams |
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Release Date: 2001 |
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While the original 8-bit Nintendo system had seen the release of two Metal Gear games, it wasn’t until Metal Gear Solid for the Playstation hit store shelves that Konami finally struck gold. While Metal Gear Solid shot for all the Hollywood type production values it could muster, the sequel upped the bar even more. Part of this involved hiring composer Harry Gregson-Williams (The Rock, AntZ) to score portions of the major cinematics. The result is solid game music, but with Gregson-Williams having composed much better scores in the past, it is still somewhat of a disappointment. With this project falling directly behind Gregson-Williams next film score, Spy Game, one can’t help but wonder if Metal Gear Solid 2 wasn’t simply used as an experiment for the electronic style that he would use for that film. Both scores sound quite similar in places, though Spy Game comes across as a little more refined and focused. While Metal Gear Solid 2 has been referred to as having an orchestra score, I found that the orchestra is heavily relegated to the background, even more so than for a typical Media Ventures score. In fact, the music relies heavily on the atmospheric quality provided by the electronics. The score opens with a bang as the new rendition of the Metal Gear Solid theme is nothing short of stunning. Instead of trying to take the theme is some new and “inspired” direction, Gregson-Williams holds on to the basic nature of the piece and simply expounds on it. The use of the chorus at the end is the best addition and it really helps to bring about an epic quality to the cue. Unfortunately, none of the following tracks ever manage to achieve the same level. While there are some good sequences and moments scattered about, the general atmospheric style of the score hinders it from doing anything really interesting. The few moments where Gregson-Williams quotes from the main theme are always welcome, but more thematic development would have been really nice. Fortune’s jazzy theme is performed in the style of jazz I hate most, but it is integrated into the score rather well. The two renditions of the song “Can’t Say Goodbye to Yesterday” come across more as an interruption than anything else, and the song itself sounds like something found at the bottom of the reject pile for James Bond title songs. I can’t really come down to hard on this one seeing as how it is a score for a Playstation 2 game, and it is a good score for what it is. Still, Gregson-Williams has been responsible for some good music in the past, and I can’t help feeling that it could have been better. Given that the CD is quite pricey, I can only recommend this to those who are fans of the game and who know just what kind of music they’re getting. *** |
| Track Listing - Total Running Time: 45:57 | |
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