"Find something to believe in. And find it for yourself. And when you do, pass it on to the future."
What a technological leap this was from MGS1 to MGS2... The wait and anticipation I had for this game was on another level - I eagerly scooped up gaming magazines to read anything I could about Kojima's next generation masterpiece prior to its release. I couldn't wait to play it and experience the full power of the PlayStation 2!
Once I finally got my hands on it, it didn't disappoint. The opening of the game with Harry Gregson-Williams' incredible score playing in the background was spectacular. It is by far the best version of the MGS theme and served to hype up the game even more. The graphics were jaw dropping - seeing Solid Snake in his PS2 debut, the rain/wind/smoke effects, Metal Gear Ray's introduction, etc. made me think graphics were never going to be better than this.
The initial Tanker mission brought back fan favorites Solid Snake, Otacon, and Revolver Ocelot and it was incredible seeing them in all their PS2 glory. The first act lived up to the immense amount of hype I had going into it.
Unfortunately, it didn't last for me... to this day, I will never get over the "bait and switch" after the prologue mission... I'm one who still doesn't like Raiden, and it is all because of his nasally, whiny, annoying self. He is purely the anti-thesis of Snake in each and every way. Whether he is slipping on pigeon shit, getting pissed on, getting felt up by the President of the United States, doing naked cartwheels, or getting into arguments with his girlfriend Rose, I found him to be unbearable. And I still didn't enjoy him in future titles, as I felt they tried to swing the pendulum in the exact opposite direction to try to make him "cool" that it just felt ridiculously forced (just look at his appearance in MGS4 and MG Rising: Revengeance).
This game also got a bit cutscene heavy for my liking... unlike before where I felt they did a much better job in the original MGS1 striking a more perfect balance between story and gameplay. As for the game's story, I didn't like it at all back when I was a kid (especially when it goes off the rails at the end), but after multiple playthroughs and the passage of time itself, I've come to understand and appreciate it much more... especially with how Kojima seemingly predicted the future with the game's messaging and themes: the inherent dangers of the internet, an overwhelming amount of information in a digital world, misinformation and censorship, artificial intelligence, etc. It is really quite good when looking back on it.
The best thing about this game though was the gameplay and technical improvements that were made from the PS1 era - the ability to use First Person makes aiming your weapon much easier, holding up enemies and shaking them down for their dog tags, hiding in lockers, the vastly improved enemy AI, cover mechanics, unique boss fights, etc.
This truly felt like a next-gen title back in 2001 with many unique ideas and game mechanics, and while it isn't at the level of MGS1 or MGS3 in my opinion, this was a required evolution of the Metal Gear series, and is a must-play game for any Metal Gear or Hideo Kojima fan.
What a technological leap this was from MGS1 to MGS2... The wait and anticipation I had for this game was on another level - I eagerly scooped up gaming magazines to read anything I could about Kojima's next generation masterpiece prior to its release. I couldn't wait to play it and experience the full power of the PlayStation 2!
Once I finally got my hands on it, it didn't disappoint. The opening of the game with Harry Gregson-Williams' incredible score playing in the background was spectacular. It is by far the best version of the MGS theme and served to hype up the game even more. The graphics were jaw dropping - seeing Solid Snake in his PS2 debut, the rain/wind/smoke effects, Metal Gear Ray's introduction, etc. made me think graphics were never going to be better than this.
The initial Tanker mission brought back fan favorites Solid Snake, Otacon, and Revolver Ocelot and it was incredible seeing them in all their PS2 glory. The first act lived up to the immense amount of hype I had going into it.
Unfortunately, it didn't last for me... to this day, I will never get over the "bait and switch" after the prologue mission... I'm one who still doesn't like Raiden, and it is all because of his nasally, whiny, annoying self. He is purely the anti-thesis of Snake in each and every way. Whether he is slipping on pigeon shit, getting pissed on, getting felt up by the President of the United States, doing naked cartwheels, or getting into arguments with his girlfriend Rose, I found him to be unbearable. And I still didn't enjoy him in future titles, as I felt they tried to swing the pendulum in the exact opposite direction to try to make him "cool" that it just felt ridiculously forced (just look at his appearance in MGS4 and MG Rising: Revengeance).
This game also got a bit cutscene heavy for my liking... unlike before where I felt they did a much better job in the original MGS1 striking a more perfect balance between story and gameplay. As for the game's story, I didn't like it at all back when I was a kid (especially when it goes off the rails at the end), but after multiple playthroughs and the passage of time itself, I've come to understand and appreciate it much more... especially with how Kojima seemingly predicted the future with the game's messaging and themes: the inherent dangers of the internet, an overwhelming amount of information in a digital world, misinformation and censorship, artificial intelligence, etc. It is really quite good when looking back on it.
The best thing about this game though was the gameplay and technical improvements that were made from the PS1 era - the ability to use First Person makes aiming your weapon much easier, holding up enemies and shaking them down for their dog tags, hiding in lockers, the vastly improved enemy AI, cover mechanics, unique boss fights, etc.
This truly felt like a next-gen title back in 2001 with many unique ideas and game mechanics, and while it isn't at the level of MGS1 or MGS3 in my opinion, this was a required evolution of the Metal Gear series, and is a must-play game for any Metal Gear or Hideo Kojima fan.