[Played Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance]
Since I got into MGS at a time where I was unable to emulate PS2 games, I knew Metal Gear Solid 2's story long before actually playing it- I'd seen a playthrough, I'd watched a friend stream it... that can't ever quite replace playing a game yourself, but I knew I loved its writing long before I ever got around to properly play it.
As for playing the game... I mean, it's fun, but also it's only a little more than "alright". It feels a bit like an awkward in-between of MGS1/the MSX games and MGS3, where its room design and AI don't really fit the overhead perspective, leading to frustration. It's trying to abandon the Soliton radar what with it needing to be re-unlocked for every room, but it needs it more than ever due to the aforementioned issues. Before you do the game is a whole lot of shifting to first person, which is awkward - bizarrely I think this is the game where the cardboard boxes might be the most useful. Take all of the above with a grain of salt- as much as I love Metal Gear I could never 100% get into any game's gameplay loop (Well, excluding Rising's, but I don't think that counts...). Still there's good stuff here, the ability to play non-lethal fits the series' themes brilliantly and is generally a good option to have, and it's always satisfying to quickly headshot a guard with a silenced pistol (tranquilizer or not that it may be): I really like how when you deal with every enemy in an area more are eventually called in by the confused radio operator, it's a nice touch of realism and presents the player with a choice that didn't exist before (although it does remove the satisfaction of systematically clearing out a whole room). Still, especially with how fast the game rushes towards its conclusion and with how full it is of setpieces, MGS2 never really feels like it gets to make its mechanics shine. Boss battles are overall good, but never reach the heights of MGS1 or 3, with the Dead Cell characters' abilities never translating to particularly interesting gimmicks in gameplay unlike said games' rogues galleries.
Overall the gameplay does the job I ask of it- It's entertaining in short bursts, and the game's focus on story makes it so you rarely deal with more than that. Besides that... I quite loved the look and feel of the game. MGS3 is advanced enough to look pretty darn realistic (which it does with far more style than most other games that try), but MGS2 has an aesthetic all of its own- a sort of shiny, gleaming idealized reality that I think serendipitously fits Sons of Liberty's themes very well. While we've all heard Yell Dead Cell and it is indeed quite good, I also think the game's soundtrack shines the brightest in the more atmospheric tracks.
So much has been said about Metal Gear Solid 2's themes and metanarrative but I think on a simpler level Raiden's character and his arc are not appreciated enough- I struggle to think of any character that heightens and incarnates his story's themes as well as he does and it's genuinely a shame that even today he's thought of as the inferior version of the cool cyborg we got later on. I also love how the Patriots are presented, before MGS4 pulled away the curtain- as an almost supernatural entity that defies explanation. I love how many characters in MGS2 are hiding something or eventually betray Raiden- even the heroic ones like Snake end up stabbing him in the back at some points, and that very much works for the themes of information and misinformation that the game carries. There are some flaws in the storytelling- I overall feel positively towards Rose, but some of her dialogue with Raiden is a bit hard to believe even considering the series' propensity for melodrama, and Stillman's arc resolves too fast to have much emotional impact. Still, I gained a newfound appreciation for the game overall- it's flawed, clearly a bit too ambitious for its own good, and unbearably campy (<- this is a good thing) at times, but it's one of the most clever narratives in the medium to this day, executed in a completely unique way, and all without losing any of its heart and style, which is all pretty impressive for a game where there's a guy called Fatman (because he's fat and makes bombs) who runs around on roller skates drinking wine with a straw (<- this is a good thing).
Since I got into MGS at a time where I was unable to emulate PS2 games, I knew Metal Gear Solid 2's story long before actually playing it- I'd seen a playthrough, I'd watched a friend stream it... that can't ever quite replace playing a game yourself, but I knew I loved its writing long before I ever got around to properly play it.
As for playing the game... I mean, it's fun, but also it's only a little more than "alright". It feels a bit like an awkward in-between of MGS1/the MSX games and MGS3, where its room design and AI don't really fit the overhead perspective, leading to frustration. It's trying to abandon the Soliton radar what with it needing to be re-unlocked for every room, but it needs it more than ever due to the aforementioned issues. Before you do the game is a whole lot of shifting to first person, which is awkward - bizarrely I think this is the game where the cardboard boxes might be the most useful. Take all of the above with a grain of salt- as much as I love Metal Gear I could never 100% get into any game's gameplay loop (Well, excluding Rising's, but I don't think that counts...). Still there's good stuff here, the ability to play non-lethal fits the series' themes brilliantly and is generally a good option to have, and it's always satisfying to quickly headshot a guard with a silenced pistol (tranquilizer or not that it may be): I really like how when you deal with every enemy in an area more are eventually called in by the confused radio operator, it's a nice touch of realism and presents the player with a choice that didn't exist before (although it does remove the satisfaction of systematically clearing out a whole room). Still, especially with how fast the game rushes towards its conclusion and with how full it is of setpieces, MGS2 never really feels like it gets to make its mechanics shine. Boss battles are overall good, but never reach the heights of MGS1 or 3, with the Dead Cell characters' abilities never translating to particularly interesting gimmicks in gameplay unlike said games' rogues galleries.
Overall the gameplay does the job I ask of it- It's entertaining in short bursts, and the game's focus on story makes it so you rarely deal with more than that. Besides that... I quite loved the look and feel of the game. MGS3 is advanced enough to look pretty darn realistic (which it does with far more style than most other games that try), but MGS2 has an aesthetic all of its own- a sort of shiny, gleaming idealized reality that I think serendipitously fits Sons of Liberty's themes very well. While we've all heard Yell Dead Cell and it is indeed quite good, I also think the game's soundtrack shines the brightest in the more atmospheric tracks.
So much has been said about Metal Gear Solid 2's themes and metanarrative but I think on a simpler level Raiden's character and his arc are not appreciated enough- I struggle to think of any character that heightens and incarnates his story's themes as well as he does and it's genuinely a shame that even today he's thought of as the inferior version of the cool cyborg we got later on. I also love how the Patriots are presented, before MGS4 pulled away the curtain- as an almost supernatural entity that defies explanation. I love how many characters in MGS2 are hiding something or eventually betray Raiden- even the heroic ones like Snake end up stabbing him in the back at some points, and that very much works for the themes of information and misinformation that the game carries. There are some flaws in the storytelling- I overall feel positively towards Rose, but some of her dialogue with Raiden is a bit hard to believe even considering the series' propensity for melodrama, and Stillman's arc resolves too fast to have much emotional impact. Still, I gained a newfound appreciation for the game overall- it's flawed, clearly a bit too ambitious for its own good, and unbearably campy (<- this is a good thing) at times, but it's one of the most clever narratives in the medium to this day, executed in a completely unique way, and all without losing any of its heart and style, which is all pretty impressive for a game where there's a guy called Fatman (because he's fat and makes bombs) who runs around on roller skates drinking wine with a straw (<- this is a good thing).