I think we should refer to SS as Snake and NS as Big Boss and TB as The Boss, otherwise
that would be confusing
This is what I thought of the boss/special fights: SPOILERS:
The GRU Unit: This was a good, fun battle. I especially like the way the unit covered the building when you escape through the trapdoor. It wasn't too tough but I did set off the alert. The first time I went through the game I had the EZ gun but on the second playthrough I didn't use it. Overall, this 'fight' gets a
7/10.
Ocelot Duel: A bit reminice of the fight with Olga in MGS2, this one was quite easy too except when the GRU unit butts in and shoots you in the back. The thing that annoyed me was the fact that two of Ocelots reloads were FMV's so it took away the small advantage you got on those occasions. A
6/10.
The Pain: The first of the Cobra's, I didn't think that this was a good fight because you could shoot down his grenades because they went so slowly, and then jump in the water if he attacked with anything else. It was a repetitive case of shoot, jump in the water, get out, shoot, etc.
5/10.
The Fear: One of my favorite fights in the game because you had to use more senses than sight. I didn't find the sensors very useful despite Sigint's advice because by the time you see him on the radar he's bounded to the other side of the map. This fight would've got a 5/10 if I hadn't stuck on the surround sound, which this fight utilises well, so it gets a shiny 7/10. Also, throwing rotten food as a tactic and the traps made this fight more interesting and deep, so it gets a
8/10.
The End: I think this fight depends on how you go about it. The first time through I was running around looking for him like an idiot, got sniped, eventually found him and unloaded. It took a good hour that way and I hated it, it would have got a 2/10. On the second playthrough I went about it properly using the directional mic, looking for footprints, using the thermal goggles and crawling. I even managed to sneak up on him to get the 'moss camo'. This fight seemed much more 'real' than any other and gave an even better sense of a sniper duel than the Sniper Wolf battles of MGS. A resounding
8/10. Or you could just shoot him at the warehouse when he's in his wheelchair if you're a bastard :devsmile:
The Fury: Pretty basic stuff, this reminded me of Vulcan Raven's battle because of the layout and the way he attacked you. It was really about reflexes and speed, trying to find out his location so you could get behind him. The fact that you could rip his flame-suit to make him more vunerable was a nice touch, but the fight was ultimatley simple.
7/10.
The Sorrow: If you've played this fight, you'll understand why it sucks. You move the speed of an arthritic slug and all you have to do it walk forward. His attack is so easy to dodge and even when it hits you it does minimal damage even on Normal. Plus he rarely uses it so you usually recover in that time. Seeing your dead enemies wasn't as fun as they thought.
3/10 because of the interesting way you 'win', and because of the reward at the end (my favorite camo).
Volgin: This battle was cool. There were a lot of different ways to beat him and you could use the pipes to spray him with water which was fun and tactically cool. He's also vunerable to CQC and CQC is badass. Hmm, not sure what else to say here, but I had fun taking him down in different ways, so it gets a
7/10.
Bike Chase: Meh, pretty boring, the Shagohod rarely hits you and the bikers are easy to dispatch.
4/10.
Shagohod: Infinite ammo you say? Multiple weak spots you say? This battle was cake, Eva saves you from most of the attacks, the rockets fly at you in such a way that is easy to shoot them down. Infinite rockets fired at the treads + infinite rockets fired at the back = easy easy victory as long as the machine guns don't mince you up, but they're shootable too.
6/10 for being too easy.
Volgin/Shagohod: Same as before only without Eva dodging attacks for you and limited ammo. This made the fight a bit harder but because Volgin is stupid and chases Eva (who has a pistol) and turns his back on Snake (who has an RPG launcher) the result is the same. Still, this is the closest thing to a true 'Metal Gear' battle from the two previous games, and it was fun to use mounted guns to break Volgin's shield and make him cry.
8/10, could have been better.
The Boss/The Joy: A fitting finalé, you can pretty much go about this anyway you want. CQC, stealth, head-on gunfire, using cover, whatever. This fight was cool because of the CQC battles and counters, and because the theme kicks in toward the end. Quite symbolic and dramatic. I didn't think the PS2 could handle a field of flowers blowing in changing winds with petals flying everywhere but it looks fantastic.
9/10.
Ocelot Standoff: Heh, it's pretty simple but it gets a laugh, plus you get the Colt Single-Action Army. A nice end, winds down the game nicely and shows you that Ocelots not such a bad guy. Hand Gestures for all.
7/10.
The game overall gets a sexy sexy 8/10 on a stereo/mono TV,
9/10with surround sound