Genuinely my favorite game ever and what inspired me to start writing my own stories. It's what we choose to pass on. Thank you Kojima, from the bottom of my heart for helping me figure out how important life is while completely blowing me away.
Excelente
Laugh and grow fat!
É o tipo de jogo que quanto mais você joga melhor ele vai ficando, uma sequência perfeita em basicamente todos os aspectos se comparar com o primeiro jogo, é impressionante como os gráficos evoluíram em apenas 3 anos, os controles e mecânicas do jogo estão bem melhores, principalmente pra mirar, até agora em termos de história é o meu metal gear favorito e puta merda como o personagem do raiden é mil vezes melhor nesse jogo, gosto do raiden do rising mas só porque ele funciona no estilo daquele jogo até porque se for pra comparar os dois o raiden basicamente sofreu uma involução com o passar dos jogos.
This review contains spoilers
Raiden learns his entire existential purpose is being a mere political weapon and Snake at the end is like "nah it ok"
This review contains spoilers
[Edited 21/5/2024]
“What is our legacy if we cannot pass the torch? Proof of our existence - a mark of some sort. When the torch is passed on from parent to child... it extends beyond DNA; information is imparted as well. All I want is to be remembered. By other people, by history.”
---
There is a strong case to be made that Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001) is the most prolific story ever told in the medium of video games, and no other work of art stands a chance at coming close. Releasing the same year as the PlayStation 2, this game could pass as a launch title for the PlayStation 3 in a lot of senses. It feels like every single unique quirk the PlayStation 2 featured, Metal Gear Solid 2 was there to test out. Beyond these little quirks such as analog buttons being used to lower weapons and peep corners, the game takes advantage of being on the new age of sixth-generation consoles by featuring detailed 3D models with facial expressions and lip-syncing, a desire of the developers during the development of the first game, as well as even higher detail environments to sneak around in—still restricted to the same fixed camera as the first game, but this time, giving the player a first-person perspective to shoot in as well as a tranquilizer to knock out enemies with. The most significant addition to Sons of Liberty, however, is that after you spend 2-3 hours on a Tanker in the middle of the ocean following what happened to Snake and Otacon after they escaped Shadow Moses, something strange happens. Something distinctly kept out of marketing up until the very last day until the game’s North American release. Solid Snake disappeared, presumably dead, and just three hours into Metal Gear Solid 2, you meet the real main character: Raiden. Oh, to have been there. Solid Snake, based on Kurt Russell’s rough and tough Snake Plissken character, was directly contrasted by Raiden, who was designed to be a sexually appealing young man in the eyes of women. Raiden was thin, he had long, blonde hair, his clothes were skin-tight—the anti-thesis of Snake. Raiden wasn’t cool with the ladies; he had a girlfriend named Rose who guided him on the radio. He wasn’t a seasoned soldier, but rather he was a rookie who had only done training. Kojima wanted Raiden because he wanted to see Snake through the eyes of another character, similar to how Sherlock is seen by Watson in the Sherlock Holmes novels. But as the title goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that Raiden is more than a sexy look or a pair of eyes.
While it has improved and polished gameplay (albeit some frustrating elements in the form of annoying Cyphers, somewhat repetitive level design, and a really, really tough enemy AI), the main draw of Metal Gear Solid 2 is its narrative genius. It’s hard to discuss Metal Gear Solid 2 without rewriting the whole plot, so for the sake of this review I will act as if the reader is familiar with the content of the game and not waste time going over the plot. Metal Gear Solid 2 is one of the most creative and unique games I have ever seen, directly responding to the player’s desire to get a follow-up to a game with a ride-into-the-sunset ending by blue-balling the player with a few hours of Snake and then making them play not just as an entirely new character but also play through a reorganization of the entire story of Metal Gear Solid set up by “The Patriots” (Or, if you will, the La-li-lu-le-lo), the ones who control the ones who control the government and all of its decisions in-universe, using the president as a puppet for what their real goals are. In the real world, it’s very abundantly clear that Metal Gear Solid 2’s level design is drawing from Metal Gear Solid’s formula of success, however the scene where Ocelot rips the curtain back and reveals that this similarity was in fact a purposeful recreation, a metacommentary about the ways that control over an environment can forcibly breed character, floored me when I first saw it; to pull something like that off should be the goal of any writer. If the first game wasn’t clear enough, the second game in the Metal Gear Solid series doubles down on theming its story around the danger of Government control while tackling additional themes such as AI, information sharing, self-identity, etc. that feel so modern that this could pass as a work of art written today. Raiden’s story, very much queer-coded (side-tangent: It’s awesome that Vamp is the first character to be bisexual in gaming), is that you—yes, you the player as well—choose who you are based on who you want to be. What we pass on isn’t just our genes but our legacy: a collection of what we do, how we do it, why we do it. Let the next generation know what we fought for, believed in.
For most, this would be a perfect place to stop. An insane metacommentary with a new protagonist who has a strong arc about self-identity. For Hideo Kojima, this was about a quarter of the way through. The meat of the story comes with the Patriot AI, the reveal that Colonel Campbell and Rose have been AI the entire time, grooming Raiden into being a perfect soldier just as Snake was. The AI begins to malfunction and spew its manifesto: that the leaders of the world can’t trust the digital age where everything is so readily accessible, a constant flow of information prevents a controlled populace, so the Patriots plan to use their AI to control what people see, an algorithm that works for them, not just uncontrolled information—because in the eyes of the Patriots, uncontrolled information is dangerous to society and leads to what’s “true” being buried. Wow. 2001. It’s been said 1000 times before and will be said 1000 times after, but Metal Gear Solid 2 was right on the money in so many ways. In a Pre-Twitter, Pre-Snowden, Pre-Generative AI world—written before 9/11—Metal Gear Solid 2 gave warnings about the environments festered by social media, about the dangers of AI and the digital age as a whole. As much as it is an optimistic story about finding yourself despite your past, Metal Gear Solid 2 is also a cautionary tale about where the digital age would lead society if we weren’t careful, and corny as it may be, I think that we failed to heed the warnings. Information is now being filtered through social media search engines with the demonstrated ability to suppress certain keywords, and now Google is rolling out AI responses to google searches. Generative AI has plagued the internet and within a few years, it’ll be near impossible to tell what’s real footage and what is being made up—a tool that Metal Gear Solid 2 is quick to point out can and will be weaponized by those in power to feed the people the “truths” that they want them to believe. On the topic of weaponization, I find it incredibly interesting how Raiden brings up image training done on child soldiers using action movies, being that this series is based on action films—it feels like something that just is not touched on often in M-Rated games (that the content of these experiences could be used to form an image), yet a point so important to the themes of the game: when context is removed, a new “truth” is formed, this case being a truth that weaponized the appearance of so-called heroes to develop new ones, not dissimilar to SS3 in the game. Additionally, I think it should be brought to attention that this game’s story was written before 9/11, yet it so accurately depicts what the US Government’s immediate move in the face of what they consider a “threat” would be in the digital age—suppressing information, showing the people what they need to see, telling them what they need to hear to “function”. A game that makes sure you know that the people in power will work to maintain it, making sure nothing changes to hurt them: even if it means using people, lying to them. With this control of information, it becomes easy to make the people believe a certain person or group of people is an enemy or justify a “mission” for the sake of what they think is the greater good. Raiden’s cluelessness and the manipulation he experiences by GW while on the battlefield are so indicative of what the War on Terror would immediately become. Perhaps it’s a tune older than the nation, but to come out in November of 2001 with these ideas was bold and important (Kojima would go on to say that he had almost entirely given up on releasing the game upon hearing of the September 11th attacks, thinking the game would be impossible to release). To a game that ends with the message that passing on ideas and beliefs that you fought for, giving the world a piece of media that doesn’t represent the political climate of the world in order to to fight for individuality and freedom in the face of control is not just appreciated, it’s essential.
On the front of characters, Metal Gear Solid 2 excels. Seeing Snake through the perspective of another is masterfully done, and Raiden as he appears in MGS2 is one of the best protagonists of all time; his arc is immediately impactful and feels real. He feels so unique in his personality and movements from Snake, so there’s a breath of fresh air throughout the whole game (and the subtle differences make it all the more satisfying when you fight alongside Snake at the end). Though I’ll always prefer Snake Eater, Kojima’s writing abilities truly do peak here; the entire ending montage is one of the most moving sequences in video game history. Otacon and Emma stand out as well; the game highlights a very uncomfortable scenario in the depiction of their relationship but not for the sake of shock, rather for the importance of the story (with sinister undertones towards Otacon’s mother once you factor in their ages) and that’s what makes it work—sincerity. In a game that has to repeat the narrative decisions of its predecessor, nothing feels forced; Olga Gurlukovich stands out to me as a highlight of this, someone who should feel like a stale retread of Frank Jaegar but perseveres as her own character. Solidus is another highlight of the game, as is Ocelot. Both very engaging villains who make the most of their screentime. Dead Cell is also fantastic, even if they are just in the story to retread FOXHOUND.
There’s so much to say about Metal Gear Solid 2 that entire papers could be and have been written about its rich characters, story, themes, implications, predictions, so on and so forth. It’s beautiful and relevant and scary that it’s relevant. This game has lines so indicative of the world we live in today despite so much additional context from the last 23 years that there were times that I was genuinely scared. On the contrary, this game also has parts so beautiful and relevant to the world we live in today that I could not help but watch as tears welled up in my eyes. I’ve heard that Kojima never really planned to make a third game, so thinking of Metal Gear Solid 2 as the “last one” is poetic and beautiful. After four games of fighting, Solid Snake is able to save Raiden from the literal exact same trap he fell into. After accepting that it’s too late to just be David, and that his way to make a change is through fighting corruption headfirst, Solid Snake is able to give Raiden the journey of self-discovery he never got to have. To think of a world where people just understood its message and didn’t rally for the assassination of Raiden’s arc… twice… Even after my second or third full replay of the story, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty remains one of the greatest and most moving creations I have ever been blessed to experience.
---
“Life isn't just about passing on your genes. We can leave behind much more than just DNA. Through speech, music, literature and movies... what we've seen, heard, felt... anger, joy and sorrow... these are the things I will pass on. That's what I live for. We need to pass the torch, and let our children read our messy and sad history by its light. We have all the magic of the digital age to do that with. The human race will probably come to an end some time, and new species may rule over this planet. Earth may not be forever, but we still have the responsibility to leave what traces of life we can. Building the future and keeping the past alive are one and the same thing.”
“What is our legacy if we cannot pass the torch? Proof of our existence - a mark of some sort. When the torch is passed on from parent to child... it extends beyond DNA; information is imparted as well. All I want is to be remembered. By other people, by history.”
---
There is a strong case to be made that Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001) is the most prolific story ever told in the medium of video games, and no other work of art stands a chance at coming close. Releasing the same year as the PlayStation 2, this game could pass as a launch title for the PlayStation 3 in a lot of senses. It feels like every single unique quirk the PlayStation 2 featured, Metal Gear Solid 2 was there to test out. Beyond these little quirks such as analog buttons being used to lower weapons and peep corners, the game takes advantage of being on the new age of sixth-generation consoles by featuring detailed 3D models with facial expressions and lip-syncing, a desire of the developers during the development of the first game, as well as even higher detail environments to sneak around in—still restricted to the same fixed camera as the first game, but this time, giving the player a first-person perspective to shoot in as well as a tranquilizer to knock out enemies with. The most significant addition to Sons of Liberty, however, is that after you spend 2-3 hours on a Tanker in the middle of the ocean following what happened to Snake and Otacon after they escaped Shadow Moses, something strange happens. Something distinctly kept out of marketing up until the very last day until the game’s North American release. Solid Snake disappeared, presumably dead, and just three hours into Metal Gear Solid 2, you meet the real main character: Raiden. Oh, to have been there. Solid Snake, based on Kurt Russell’s rough and tough Snake Plissken character, was directly contrasted by Raiden, who was designed to be a sexually appealing young man in the eyes of women. Raiden was thin, he had long, blonde hair, his clothes were skin-tight—the anti-thesis of Snake. Raiden wasn’t cool with the ladies; he had a girlfriend named Rose who guided him on the radio. He wasn’t a seasoned soldier, but rather he was a rookie who had only done training. Kojima wanted Raiden because he wanted to see Snake through the eyes of another character, similar to how Sherlock is seen by Watson in the Sherlock Holmes novels. But as the title goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that Raiden is more than a sexy look or a pair of eyes.
While it has improved and polished gameplay (albeit some frustrating elements in the form of annoying Cyphers, somewhat repetitive level design, and a really, really tough enemy AI), the main draw of Metal Gear Solid 2 is its narrative genius. It’s hard to discuss Metal Gear Solid 2 without rewriting the whole plot, so for the sake of this review I will act as if the reader is familiar with the content of the game and not waste time going over the plot. Metal Gear Solid 2 is one of the most creative and unique games I have ever seen, directly responding to the player’s desire to get a follow-up to a game with a ride-into-the-sunset ending by blue-balling the player with a few hours of Snake and then making them play not just as an entirely new character but also play through a reorganization of the entire story of Metal Gear Solid set up by “The Patriots” (Or, if you will, the La-li-lu-le-lo), the ones who control the ones who control the government and all of its decisions in-universe, using the president as a puppet for what their real goals are. In the real world, it’s very abundantly clear that Metal Gear Solid 2’s level design is drawing from Metal Gear Solid’s formula of success, however the scene where Ocelot rips the curtain back and reveals that this similarity was in fact a purposeful recreation, a metacommentary about the ways that control over an environment can forcibly breed character, floored me when I first saw it; to pull something like that off should be the goal of any writer. If the first game wasn’t clear enough, the second game in the Metal Gear Solid series doubles down on theming its story around the danger of Government control while tackling additional themes such as AI, information sharing, self-identity, etc. that feel so modern that this could pass as a work of art written today. Raiden’s story, very much queer-coded (side-tangent: It’s awesome that Vamp is the first character to be bisexual in gaming), is that you—yes, you the player as well—choose who you are based on who you want to be. What we pass on isn’t just our genes but our legacy: a collection of what we do, how we do it, why we do it. Let the next generation know what we fought for, believed in.
For most, this would be a perfect place to stop. An insane metacommentary with a new protagonist who has a strong arc about self-identity. For Hideo Kojima, this was about a quarter of the way through. The meat of the story comes with the Patriot AI, the reveal that Colonel Campbell and Rose have been AI the entire time, grooming Raiden into being a perfect soldier just as Snake was. The AI begins to malfunction and spew its manifesto: that the leaders of the world can’t trust the digital age where everything is so readily accessible, a constant flow of information prevents a controlled populace, so the Patriots plan to use their AI to control what people see, an algorithm that works for them, not just uncontrolled information—because in the eyes of the Patriots, uncontrolled information is dangerous to society and leads to what’s “true” being buried. Wow. 2001. It’s been said 1000 times before and will be said 1000 times after, but Metal Gear Solid 2 was right on the money in so many ways. In a Pre-Twitter, Pre-Snowden, Pre-Generative AI world—written before 9/11—Metal Gear Solid 2 gave warnings about the environments festered by social media, about the dangers of AI and the digital age as a whole. As much as it is an optimistic story about finding yourself despite your past, Metal Gear Solid 2 is also a cautionary tale about where the digital age would lead society if we weren’t careful, and corny as it may be, I think that we failed to heed the warnings. Information is now being filtered through social media search engines with the demonstrated ability to suppress certain keywords, and now Google is rolling out AI responses to google searches. Generative AI has plagued the internet and within a few years, it’ll be near impossible to tell what’s real footage and what is being made up—a tool that Metal Gear Solid 2 is quick to point out can and will be weaponized by those in power to feed the people the “truths” that they want them to believe. On the topic of weaponization, I find it incredibly interesting how Raiden brings up image training done on child soldiers using action movies, being that this series is based on action films—it feels like something that just is not touched on often in M-Rated games (that the content of these experiences could be used to form an image), yet a point so important to the themes of the game: when context is removed, a new “truth” is formed, this case being a truth that weaponized the appearance of so-called heroes to develop new ones, not dissimilar to SS3 in the game. Additionally, I think it should be brought to attention that this game’s story was written before 9/11, yet it so accurately depicts what the US Government’s immediate move in the face of what they consider a “threat” would be in the digital age—suppressing information, showing the people what they need to see, telling them what they need to hear to “function”. A game that makes sure you know that the people in power will work to maintain it, making sure nothing changes to hurt them: even if it means using people, lying to them. With this control of information, it becomes easy to make the people believe a certain person or group of people is an enemy or justify a “mission” for the sake of what they think is the greater good. Raiden’s cluelessness and the manipulation he experiences by GW while on the battlefield are so indicative of what the War on Terror would immediately become. Perhaps it’s a tune older than the nation, but to come out in November of 2001 with these ideas was bold and important (Kojima would go on to say that he had almost entirely given up on releasing the game upon hearing of the September 11th attacks, thinking the game would be impossible to release). To a game that ends with the message that passing on ideas and beliefs that you fought for, giving the world a piece of media that doesn’t represent the political climate of the world in order to to fight for individuality and freedom in the face of control is not just appreciated, it’s essential.
On the front of characters, Metal Gear Solid 2 excels. Seeing Snake through the perspective of another is masterfully done, and Raiden as he appears in MGS2 is one of the best protagonists of all time; his arc is immediately impactful and feels real. He feels so unique in his personality and movements from Snake, so there’s a breath of fresh air throughout the whole game (and the subtle differences make it all the more satisfying when you fight alongside Snake at the end). Though I’ll always prefer Snake Eater, Kojima’s writing abilities truly do peak here; the entire ending montage is one of the most moving sequences in video game history. Otacon and Emma stand out as well; the game highlights a very uncomfortable scenario in the depiction of their relationship but not for the sake of shock, rather for the importance of the story (with sinister undertones towards Otacon’s mother once you factor in their ages) and that’s what makes it work—sincerity. In a game that has to repeat the narrative decisions of its predecessor, nothing feels forced; Olga Gurlukovich stands out to me as a highlight of this, someone who should feel like a stale retread of Frank Jaegar but perseveres as her own character. Solidus is another highlight of the game, as is Ocelot. Both very engaging villains who make the most of their screentime. Dead Cell is also fantastic, even if they are just in the story to retread FOXHOUND.
There’s so much to say about Metal Gear Solid 2 that entire papers could be and have been written about its rich characters, story, themes, implications, predictions, so on and so forth. It’s beautiful and relevant and scary that it’s relevant. This game has lines so indicative of the world we live in today despite so much additional context from the last 23 years that there were times that I was genuinely scared. On the contrary, this game also has parts so beautiful and relevant to the world we live in today that I could not help but watch as tears welled up in my eyes. I’ve heard that Kojima never really planned to make a third game, so thinking of Metal Gear Solid 2 as the “last one” is poetic and beautiful. After four games of fighting, Solid Snake is able to save Raiden from the literal exact same trap he fell into. After accepting that it’s too late to just be David, and that his way to make a change is through fighting corruption headfirst, Solid Snake is able to give Raiden the journey of self-discovery he never got to have. To think of a world where people just understood its message and didn’t rally for the assassination of Raiden’s arc… twice… Even after my second or third full replay of the story, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty remains one of the greatest and most moving creations I have ever been blessed to experience.
---
“Life isn't just about passing on your genes. We can leave behind much more than just DNA. Through speech, music, literature and movies... what we've seen, heard, felt... anger, joy and sorrow... these are the things I will pass on. That's what I live for. We need to pass the torch, and let our children read our messy and sad history by its light. We have all the magic of the digital age to do that with. The human race will probably come to an end some time, and new species may rule over this planet. Earth may not be forever, but we still have the responsibility to leave what traces of life we can. Building the future and keeping the past alive are one and the same thing.”
I used to really not like this game but after a couple of retrospectives on YouTube I've come to appreciate what it was trying to tell.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Raidan. But not being able to play as snake is disappointing but at least he's in the game. And the setting, the big shell, is kind of a boring setting for me.
The villains are also very bland. I know they have intense backstory and deep morals and everything but I just can't get to like them as villains that much.
But the moral and themes of the game are so intense and eye opening I can't help but love it. The ending still gives me chills every time it feels way too meta.
I get the point of the game it just wasn't for me but it's a must play when it comes to gaming in general.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Raidan. But not being able to play as snake is disappointing but at least he's in the game. And the setting, the big shell, is kind of a boring setting for me.
The villains are also very bland. I know they have intense backstory and deep morals and everything but I just can't get to like them as villains that much.
But the moral and themes of the game are so intense and eye opening I can't help but love it. The ending still gives me chills every time it feels way too meta.
I get the point of the game it just wasn't for me but it's a must play when it comes to gaming in general.
This review contains spoilers
Raiden was good, probably one of the best in gaming. Still I can help but feel that he could have been better. His character is pretty much about how in the grand scheme of things his own thoughts and feelings are what truly matter, his own subjective reality. It's not about right or wrong, objective truth, but our faith in what we believe in and what matters to us. The problem is that we don't get much of his thoughts and feelings which is kinda annoying. I guess his conversations with Rose (whether she's objectively real or not his love for her and his memories with her are real to him and that's what should truly matter to him), and how much he wanted to succeed in the mission/fighting Solidus to save the baby (again, whether it's real or not it was real for him, he wanted to succeed/save the baby and his experience throughout the mission is real for him, for the AI of the patriots it's just a simulation, everything was made up, but for him it was a meaningful mission where he saved lives. Who's to say whos right or wrong? it's subjective. I also like how it correlate to art's subjectivity) these are probably the main building blocks for his development that help validate it, but I think it could have been elaborated upon a bit more.
The plot itself lowkey made me doubt reality it was so surreal, the weirdest gaming experience i've had. The twists were insane, some of the best i've seen. I also don't think I understood all of it but tbh it almost feels like you don't need to, it's also kind of part of the game's message yk, so I don't mind that.
The plot itself lowkey made me doubt reality it was so surreal, the weirdest gaming experience i've had. The twists were insane, some of the best i've seen. I also don't think I understood all of it but tbh it almost feels like you don't need to, it's also kind of part of the game's message yk, so I don't mind that.
I don't get it.
I always see people include this in their top greatest games of all time but I just don't get it. I didn't play anything, I just watched.
I did enjoy the gameplay and considered it to be quite an upgrade from the first but there wasn't nearly enough of it. I think the longest I went was probably 30 minutes until I had to put the controller back down so I can listen with every brain cell to a two hour long partial differential equation of a cutscene. I do think it has an incredible pay off at the end and there were some truly unique memorable moments like the Codec calls with Campbell and that one radar glitch with the girl, the way Kojima basically predicted the future was also brilliant yet unsettling but man the amount of dialogue I had to sit through for that; I have a hard time deciding if it's justified. The story is for the most part, tell not show, sometimes that works, it certainly did in MGS1, I don't think it does here.
I found Raiden alright, I of course would've preferred Snake again but Raiden was decent, his design screams early 2000s which is a vibe I fuck with. Cartwheeling around is always fun. Fatman is also one of my favorite designs of a boss, chasing after an obese man while he zips around in rollerblades planting bombs and occasionally tripping over himself is classic Kojima creativity. The other bosses; however, were quite mediocre, the creativity from Metal Gear solid 1 was lacking, many of the bosses in that game though were so genius it's kinda unrealistic to ask for it again. I found the setting of Big Shell to be pretty bland, most encounters with enemies were also unexciting, not much thrill, just chill wave sounds and seagulls. The new arsenal of gadgets and weapons were very fun though.
Overall, I can see why this game was the shit in the early 2000s, to accomplish all this back then is without a doubt an achievement but playing this for the first time now, with no nostalgia, na.
I always see people include this in their top greatest games of all time but I just don't get it. I didn't play anything, I just watched.
I did enjoy the gameplay and considered it to be quite an upgrade from the first but there wasn't nearly enough of it. I think the longest I went was probably 30 minutes until I had to put the controller back down so I can listen with every brain cell to a two hour long partial differential equation of a cutscene. I do think it has an incredible pay off at the end and there were some truly unique memorable moments like the Codec calls with Campbell and that one radar glitch with the girl, the way Kojima basically predicted the future was also brilliant yet unsettling but man the amount of dialogue I had to sit through for that; I have a hard time deciding if it's justified. The story is for the most part, tell not show, sometimes that works, it certainly did in MGS1, I don't think it does here.
I found Raiden alright, I of course would've preferred Snake again but Raiden was decent, his design screams early 2000s which is a vibe I fuck with. Cartwheeling around is always fun. Fatman is also one of my favorite designs of a boss, chasing after an obese man while he zips around in rollerblades planting bombs and occasionally tripping over himself is classic Kojima creativity. The other bosses; however, were quite mediocre, the creativity from Metal Gear solid 1 was lacking, many of the bosses in that game though were so genius it's kinda unrealistic to ask for it again. I found the setting of Big Shell to be pretty bland, most encounters with enemies were also unexciting, not much thrill, just chill wave sounds and seagulls. The new arsenal of gadgets and weapons were very fun though.
Overall, I can see why this game was the shit in the early 2000s, to accomplish all this back then is without a doubt an achievement but playing this for the first time now, with no nostalgia, na.
Terminei faz tempo mais esqueci de escrever alguma coisa
A lot more concepts and themes I vibe with in this one. Raiden is a great stand in for Snake. I like just about everything except for Rose and some pretty dodgy treatment of women characters. I also love the aesthetic and think Big Shell is a really solid setting, I don't know if I prefer it over Shadow Moses but it hits the same notes while being very different.
Dead Cell is also a good set of bosses, I didn't have much issue with how any of them were fought and was engaged throughout when I fought them, an issue I had with MGS1 was that the bosses aside from their personality kinda fell flat for me gamewise (exceptions being Vulcan Raven and Sniper Wolf, some of Liquid Snake)
Overall, the other Metal Gears have some tough competition.
Dead Cell is also a good set of bosses, I didn't have much issue with how any of them were fought and was engaged throughout when I fought them, an issue I had with MGS1 was that the bosses aside from their personality kinda fell flat for me gamewise (exceptions being Vulcan Raven and Sniper Wolf, some of Liquid Snake)
Overall, the other Metal Gears have some tough competition.
Kojima san, how many cutscenes and codec calls do you want in your game?
Kojima: yes.
I'd really, really love to rate MGS 2 higher, but to be honest, the game was a slog to play through. Mainly because it's not really a game. It's an interactive movie that occasionally let's you play for 5-10 minutes.
80% of the game consists of loooooooooong cutscenes and codec calls. I get that this was revolutionary in 2001, but it's kinda boring nowadays. I think MGS 1 had a better gameplay-to-cutscene ratio, which made it more entertaining. Plus, while there is some humor in MGS 2, it's missing the over- the-top, ridiculous dialogue that is in MGS 1.
The extremely samey looking environment throughout the whole game and the constant backtracking also didn't help to make the game more fun.
I also felt like the bosses were much more unique and interesting in MGS 1. Here, they were just kinda meh.
The ending and the plot twist towards the end of the game was really memorable though. It's crazy how relevant the game's message is today. That 4th wall breaking moment with colonel was downright creepy.
The game also has some really cool mechanics that were really impressive to see in a game from 2001.
For example, the way the enemies are patrolling, communicate with each other on the radio and call reinforcements. You can also disguise yourself by wearing the enemy's uniform and carrying their gun.
They also added lots of new equipment, which are really fun to use. For example, the tranquilizer gun, the microphone or the coolant spray.
There are lots of new additions in this sequel that I really appreciate, but the problem is that there is just not enough gameplay. So you don't really get to have fun with your new gear that much.
It's weird, because despite all the new additions, I still feel like this sequel was a bit of step back compared to MGS 1.
Kojima: yes.
I'd really, really love to rate MGS 2 higher, but to be honest, the game was a slog to play through. Mainly because it's not really a game. It's an interactive movie that occasionally let's you play for 5-10 minutes.
80% of the game consists of loooooooooong cutscenes and codec calls. I get that this was revolutionary in 2001, but it's kinda boring nowadays. I think MGS 1 had a better gameplay-to-cutscene ratio, which made it more entertaining. Plus, while there is some humor in MGS 2, it's missing the over- the-top, ridiculous dialogue that is in MGS 1.
The extremely samey looking environment throughout the whole game and the constant backtracking also didn't help to make the game more fun.
I also felt like the bosses were much more unique and interesting in MGS 1. Here, they were just kinda meh.
The ending and the plot twist towards the end of the game was really memorable though. It's crazy how relevant the game's message is today. That 4th wall breaking moment with colonel was downright creepy.
The game also has some really cool mechanics that were really impressive to see in a game from 2001.
For example, the way the enemies are patrolling, communicate with each other on the radio and call reinforcements. You can also disguise yourself by wearing the enemy's uniform and carrying their gun.
They also added lots of new equipment, which are really fun to use. For example, the tranquilizer gun, the microphone or the coolant spray.
There are lots of new additions in this sequel that I really appreciate, but the problem is that there is just not enough gameplay. So you don't really get to have fun with your new gear that much.
It's weird, because despite all the new additions, I still feel like this sequel was a bit of step back compared to MGS 1.
I'm having a hard time writing the review for this, so I'll keep it brief.
Coming from the high of Metal Gear Solid, I expected more of the same and that's largely what I got, plot twists and all. My favorite aspect of the game was the story, it was super engaging! It sucked me in just like MGS1 and I ended up beating MGS2 in under a week. I loved how modern it felt, with all the AI discussion and internet censoring. Still very relevant today, perhaps even more so. Please play it blind! You'll be pleasantly surprised.
Moving on, The controls were disappointing. MGS2 is my first experience with the PS2 despite having grown up in the 2000's, and I really do not like the pressure sensitive buttons. I got used to it by the end (sorta) but for most of my 12 hour playthrough, the buttons felt unresponsive and made snake/ raiden feel sluggish in return.
Putting the controller aside, the controls feel largely unchanged from mgs1 and I don't mean that in a good way. Oftentimes I would stick to a wall when I didn't mean to, or I would accidentally crawl while trying to shoot and then I would be a sitting duck, even climbing ledges felt clunky. There are some platforming sections mid game that were super frustrating because of this. I get that's kinda how stealth games should work but it still felt inopportune in certain moments. Swimming was clunky, there is still a tricky button mashing section like MGS1, I could go on.
The graphics and sound are impressive though. MGS2 has aged very well on that front, and I liked how footage from MGS1 was in some of the codec calls. I'm a sucker for fan service, I know. I need to find the score for this and put it into my vgm playlist asap! One could say the vibes are immaculate.
I'm not really sure how to word my feelings towards Metal Gear Solid's sequel. It was more of the same, which was both good and bad for me. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first game, but it was still quite memorable and I'll probably stick around to play the third game!
Coming from the high of Metal Gear Solid, I expected more of the same and that's largely what I got, plot twists and all. My favorite aspect of the game was the story, it was super engaging! It sucked me in just like MGS1 and I ended up beating MGS2 in under a week. I loved how modern it felt, with all the AI discussion and internet censoring. Still very relevant today, perhaps even more so. Please play it blind! You'll be pleasantly surprised.
Moving on, The controls were disappointing. MGS2 is my first experience with the PS2 despite having grown up in the 2000's, and I really do not like the pressure sensitive buttons. I got used to it by the end (sorta) but for most of my 12 hour playthrough, the buttons felt unresponsive and made snake/ raiden feel sluggish in return.
Putting the controller aside, the controls feel largely unchanged from mgs1 and I don't mean that in a good way. Oftentimes I would stick to a wall when I didn't mean to, or I would accidentally crawl while trying to shoot and then I would be a sitting duck, even climbing ledges felt clunky. There are some platforming sections mid game that were super frustrating because of this. I get that's kinda how stealth games should work but it still felt inopportune in certain moments. Swimming was clunky, there is still a tricky button mashing section like MGS1, I could go on.
The graphics and sound are impressive though. MGS2 has aged very well on that front, and I liked how footage from MGS1 was in some of the codec calls. I'm a sucker for fan service, I know. I need to find the score for this and put it into my vgm playlist asap! One could say the vibes are immaculate.
I'm not really sure how to word my feelings towards Metal Gear Solid's sequel. It was more of the same, which was both good and bad for me. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first game, but it was still quite memorable and I'll probably stick around to play the third game!
Infravaloradisima obra maestra
Bastabte sexo
peak
every character being a smash makes this worth five stars
Gli metterei sei stelle se potessi
Нет слов, одни эмоции.
Это были одни из лучших часов в моей жизни. Ни одна игра, да даже фильмы или сериалы не принесла мне столько эмоций, радость, смех, слёзы, сопереживание, вдумчивость. Это я ещё не углублялся в те темы которые затрагивает игра, персонажей, музыку и геймплей, здесь превосходно просто всё.
Я буквально могу обсуждать эту игру часами. Без преувеличений, Кодзима гений.
Это были одни из лучших часов в моей жизни. Ни одна игра, да даже фильмы или сериалы не принесла мне столько эмоций, радость, смех, слёзы, сопереживание, вдумчивость. Это я ещё не углублялся в те темы которые затрагивает игра, персонажей, музыку и геймплей, здесь превосходно просто всё.
Я буквально могу обсуждать эту игру часами. Без преувеличений, Кодзима гений.
pros:
- gameplay is a massive improvement over the first game, even just the revolution of first-person aiming and clearer instructions of how to aim + run makes this a much more enjoyable experience
- story is fantastic, the final CODEC calls alone are mind-blowing considering the game is over 20 years old
- overall controls a lot smoother than MGS
cons:
- raiden is cool but man the game peaked in the tanker section
- early progression is frustrating due to lack of equipment and no map
- gameplay is a massive improvement over the first game, even just the revolution of first-person aiming and clearer instructions of how to aim + run makes this a much more enjoyable experience
- story is fantastic, the final CODEC calls alone are mind-blowing considering the game is over 20 years old
- overall controls a lot smoother than MGS
cons:
- raiden is cool but man the game peaked in the tanker section
- early progression is frustrating due to lack of equipment and no map
Quite a game, but not as good as....
When I think about this game, I keep thinking that there's a lot of slow parts in it. But then I'll see a video clip or something and realize there really isn't.
How many divorces did Kojima go through to write those Rose codec calls christ
Also more people need to play the VR missions in this game that stuff is ace.
Also more people need to play the VR missions in this game that stuff is ace.
Sometimes I play just for the codec calls.
i love jack and rose’s codec calls sm 😭😭
There is nothing that I can say that really does justice to this masterpiece of a game. It is so deeply embedded in the idea of personal experience that anything that I try to pass off as objective would be doing the whole game’s meaning a disservice. I could say that the game refocuses the core gameplay back on the stealth aspect of the series from where Metal Gear Solid 1 took a more set piece focused structure; I could say that the game finally justifies itself being in 3D with how it very effectively utilizes verticality and its first person perspective; I could say how I think Kojima’s writing style really matures in this one, compared to the more blunt and in your face style that the prior games had, here being much more subtle and intricate while still holding on to that grandiose nature; and I could say that MGS2 is one of the most unique experiences I have ever had in this medium. But the entire game is built on the premise of building your own memories, and creating your own conclusions, so I feel a bit out of place in trying to chronicle my experience rather than just keeping my experience to myself. So, with that, I think I'm just going to leave this as a cop out review and let my thoughts about this game settle for a while, because there is truly a lot to digest. Though, I think that is probably the only objective thing I can say about Metal Gear Solid 2; that no matter who you are, you will undoubtedly find something deeply meaningful in this game, one way or the other.
This game was Fantastic. Loved the story, characters and even how it takes place in the middle of the ocean. Gameplay in MGS games is always amazing and still fun in this game with tight spaces. I know some don't like the MGS games that take place in the future but the love goes both ways for me in this franchise. PLAY THE SERIES!!!
9/10
Favorite game story-wise
Gameplay was hella clunky cuz it was like 2001 at the time
Had Raiden in it
Favorite game story-wise
Gameplay was hella clunky cuz it was like 2001 at the time
Had Raiden in it
Goated game
The one where you play as that other twink