Play It:
For the arcade, PS2 (as part of Silent Scope 3), and XBox (as part of Silent Scope Complete.)



Story:
Um, there really is no story. It's mostly just a bunch of non-related terrorist activities. So yeah.



Graphics:
A definite step up from previous Silent Scopes, and still good enough to not detract from the experience at all.



Sound:
Sound effects are the standard fare. The music is completely forgettable. I can't remember a single tune. The voice acting is alright. It's not bad, although the characters are the kind of people that you would want to just shut up in real life.



Challenge:
Probably the easiest Silent Scope (SS3 is hard to judge with it's saving ability), and easier than most others too. Of course, there's a consecutive mission mode for the challenge seekers.



Enjoyment:
Still very much in place. Now these levels are (for the most part) true tests of sniper ability. Finally, some realistic situations for a sniper to do! Most have objectives (parameters really) to follow to add a little spice. Sadly, most missions last about 30 seconds if you know what you're doing, and there aren't that many (in a single playthrough.) One of the shortest shooters to get through.



Replay:
There are several choices of missions at several points, and 2 endings, plus a little bonus for beating consecutive mission mode.





Rant Session (spoilers):
I'm going to subtract half a point for Konami going for the EXTREME angle. I'd subtract a full point, but they didn't go 'Silent Scope X', so that would get them back the point. However, I still have to take half a point off for being lazy fucks who couldn't be bothered to spell Extreme out.

Unlike Silent Scope 1, 2, and 3, you do NOT control the stock character Falcon. Instead, there's a new stock character, the sexually ambiguous Fang, working for VIPER unit. Ugh, we're back on animal names again?

PLAYER: A member of the anti-terrorism special forces VIPER sniper unit 1. His mission codename is FANG 1. Naturally his real name is classified information and cannot be revealed. As a sniper, he carries out the duties of surveillance, assessing the situation, and eliminating the bad guy. Together with his partner, who serves as the Spotter, he has brought an end to many difficult situations. It's said that once he is given permission to fire, the target in his sight is always silenced. This fact, combined with his cool reticent personality, has led to him being called "Mr. Silent Scope".

Reticent's a pretty cool word, eh? Isn't it? Well, it must be, because Konami used the EXACT SAME WORD to describe Falcon's personality. I mean, everybody draws from the same distanced professional generic hero pool, but you don't have to make it so obvious.

PARTNER: The spotter for the sniper unit of special forces unit VIPER. Her ability to detect movement and spatial recognition is the best in the unit. She is armed with an assault rifle and a hand gun, among other weapons. She carries out communications, locates enemies, provides backup, and give support to the sniper so that he can completely concentrate on targeting enemies. Both she and the player character are unmarried, and only have each other to rely on. The partner is actually a first-class long distance marksman, and matches the player character shot for shot on the firing range.

Hey, check out that weapons aptitude score! You could be a sniper... Oh wait, too bad; you're going to be the spotting partner for this guy. Better luck next time!

CAP: Commander of the anti-terrorism special unit VIPER. A living legend, it's widely accepted that without him the unit would never have come into existence. Numerous military and police units are under his command. He spends most of his time barking orders at troops, but it is his wife who wears the pants at home.

Actually, he spends most of his time in this game saying the exact same bullshit during briefings that only vaguely has to do with the situation at hand. Once again, I have Sploosh to thank for getting me this info. May Hecatonchires bathe you in his eternal light.*

The game tends to go by so fast (and the unrelated incidents don't help) that one can hardly find any real complaints. At least up until the 'save the President' levels. In one level, he is protected by 4 motorcycle cops, or a whopping 2 secret service agents, or well, nothing really at all. I guess the Secret Service all got fired after losing the entire First Family in #1. Strangely, former Silent Scope heroes decide to turn traitor and become the assassins. Now THAT is some strange fan service.

So, while raiding the enemies HQ, you come to the big boss of this game, who thankfully isn't named "Big Boss", or "Bib Boss", or "Bit Boss", or whatever the hell we're up to now. However, he is the most flamboyantly homosexual character I have ever seen in a game. I'm sorry, but he is most certainly 100% gay: lisp, some kind of clear plastic (I'm guessing, I'm not an expert in gay fashion) shirt, and a title like 'Prince of Rose'. Something tells me he's not royal family of a country named Rose.

It would seem that the terrorist plots you stopped were orchestrated by him to distract you from his endgame. I guess just simply having a sudden launch wasn't safe enough. Joke's on him! He's got a missile, thanks to his "friend." Uh, who is this friend? The guy leaking the information? Or... do I even want to know? Although I guess he'd need a friend to obtain the missile, because I don't think anybody, no matter how terroristic, would sell this guy a nuclear missile. After a 'difficult' shot, the Prince tumbles into an abyss and the base proceeds to explode for no good structural reason.

But if you thought things weren't going to get gayer, hold tight. I was a bit shocked the first time I saw the ending, with the sniper team embracing in an act of lesbian love. Not the most explicit hint in the game, (your partner says "I LOVE YOU!" when you die and take a while to continue.) Sadly, then I read the original manual bio and it said Fang is actually a guy. However, since the arcade and SS Complete games don't have the bios, Konami was able to let this one slip by the censors at the arcade. They then secretly omitted the BIOS from Silent Scope Complete. Konami's stance is clear: Gays bad, lesbians good.





Bottom Line:
Not the best of the series, but hey it's packaged with SS3. Just as much fun, but shorter.