I mean it’s fantastic but I still prefer mgs1 and for a couple of reasons which I’ll get into later. But I have to mention how revolutionary it is for ps2 and I think it improves the controls aspect of mgs1 a ton: with new improved gun controls and better accuracy makes it a much smoother experience.

One thing I noticed tho was that mgs1 is paced fantastically once you get going you’re going for the whole game but with this you do the snake part and then the game kinda kills all its momentum and resets itself for the raiden parts but to give it credit it does then pick up really well.

Surprisingly easy too and in very weird ways like some of the boss fights were just a breeze and then there’s some parts that are incredibly difficult like just crossing bridges with cyphers that never stop coming and it’s more frustrating then fulfilling.

The stuff they do with stealth tho is pretty fantastic, I mean it’s add a creative element to the game that gives you more freedom to do what you like and when faced with a difficult objective it does reward you for thinking outside the box.

I don’t know now that I’m listing the good elements of this I’m kinda tied up on what is better but I still think my experience with mgs1 was better just because it delivered it’s message in a more conscise way.

Incredible game. The gameplay has improved from MGS1, especially with the new first-person mechanics. Even though it still has some of tedious stuff that was also in MGS, stuff like backtracking feels way better in here (probably related to how the whole main area of the game is designed). The story in this game is also top notch, and probably my favorite in any game I've played thus far (obviously, the twist at last third of the game kinda carries it but that's besides the point). Absolutely terrifying how it still holds up today and even better than ever. The cast of characters, although probably inferior to MGS1, are still good here as well. I feel as if the game gets better after the mid-way point, or at least that's how it felt when I played it but even before that I still found it decently enjoyable, and of course everything in the last third of the game was just amazing.

I don't get the Raiden hate, he's cool.

"Who am I really?"

For a few years now I've been replaying MGS2 every year and finishing on April 30th, for obvious reasons, but it's also a excuse to replay one of the best games ever made. This time I played the OG NA release.

MGS2 means alot to me, and is a game I adore in every way. Just everything in the game is so good, the story, Voice acting, gameplay, music etc game is nearly flawless and when you consider it was a very early life PS2 game it's crazy. Theres so much detail in every aspect of the game, in the Tanker mission alone theres so many secrets, codec calls & just little details that you wouldn't expect from a portion of the game that typically lasts over a hour. MGS2 is able to take the amount of care and detail from the tanker segment of the game and place it in every single aspect of the game throughout, and because of it the Big Shell is just such a well made, and almost alive location. I'd say it seems alive just because the atmosphere in MGS2 is something that I consider unmatched, just the general ambience the little details everywhere, the music, just everything in all the locations in the game just make the game feel alive in a way that I feel I might be struggiling to get across, but it's just something special...

I could talk about the amazing story and how beatiful it is but I won't, if only because I'd hate to butcher it, but I can say that it's honestly a kinda lifechanging story, that I really think about alot. If you're reading this review and for some reason haven't played MGS2 I strongly reccomend you try and go in as spoiler free as possible, playing this game for the first time is a crazy experience. There's a reason it's got the reputation it does, and why everyone always parrots the line that the game predicted the future etc, but like it's just really good (I gotta say though It defintely wasn't the first game to carry the ideas that it does, but I mean that doesn't change that it carrys a strong message and ideas and then executes them near flawlessly)

I'll keep the review short, so I'll end here, but again this game means alot to me, and I'm sure it does to alot of other people as well, and it didn't gain that love for nothing, it's very well deserved. Just a honest to god work of art that is basically perfect in nearly every way. 10/10

The greatest game of all time. Every aspect is perfect. The graphics are perfect and look great for a 2001 PS2 game, the voice acting and writing is great for a Japanese game of its time. The gameplay is relatively linear with a few explorative segments but still feels open with the tools you are given to experiment and mess around with the really great enemy AI. Open world AAA devs take note. THIS is how you put freedom in a game without making it bloated and spread out over a mediocre world map. The story is literally the greatest and most meaningful and relevant story in a video game to date. every twist is delivered with perfection and will leave you in shock. The final twist is one of the most shocking and eerie moments in video games, leaving you trying to figure out what exactly happened. I would reccomend reading the script for what you just played after each session to get in your brain what just happened and who betrayed who. it greatly improved my enjoyment of the game. 10/10. My favorite game of all time.