Didn't click with this at first. Don't get me wrong it is still a fun game and thinking on it more I decided to bump the score half a star. But there are a few parts I think the first game did a little better.
The gameplay is rather tight and much more fluid than the first. Though I found Shadow Moses a little more fun to traverse.
The story is entertaining, though it does starts to feel like watching a really long movie than a playing a game. Not entirely a bad thing but just a point of note. Raiden did grow on me, and the select scenes with Snake and Otacon were good, though characters like Vamp and Fortune I didn't find as interesting of antagonists as the members of Foxhound. Also the way Ocelot got possessed by Liquid is exactly how Homer was possessed by Snake in Treehouse of Horror 9.
The final act and its themes are really interesting and ahead of its time. There are parts my 17-18 year old self would have resonated with more at the time.
Great game that I'll likely love more on a second playthrough. But for now, onto Snake Eater!
(And since April 30th 2009 landed on a Thursday there's a likely chance Rose and Raiden watched an episode of The Office that night.)