Slight Return Of Solid Snake

Konami today announced a playable demo of the hugely anticipated Metal Gear Solid 2 will be packaged with all copies of Zone of the Enders sold in the UK, which is due for release on Playstation 2 this March.

The demo comes on a separate disc and is fully playable with five difficulty settings, three different radar modes and full use of all actions, including the new climb and jump maneuvers. Additionally there is a report on Snake s last mission (Metal Gear Solid PSX) to set the scene for this latest installment. Another special section explains all new Metal Gear Solid features.

The gameplay on the disc is taken from the first level of the finished game and represents approximately half of Level One , as it will appear in the finished product. Once you have played through and defeated boss Olga from the Russian Specialist Forces, you will see an ending sequence and receive a password. Following this you will be given the address of a dedicated website where you can type in your password to be given a rating and world ranking.

In Z.O.E, enormous mech war machines battle it out in scenes that take special effects to new dimensions. Key players from the Metal Gear Solid 2 project are involved with Z.O.E., including Hideo Kojima who as the director and creator of the Metal Gear Solid series is also the producer of Z.O.E.

Z.O.E will be supported by an extensive marketing campaign including point of sale, print ads in specialist and consumer press, a high profile PR campaign and Konami is currently examining the possibility of a TV campaign.