It's genuinely a beautiful game.
I have to say its my favorite of the series and introduced so many elements that modern day indies still borrow from.
Seriously, people aren't even aware how much today's indie rpgs owe to mother 3 because they never bothered playing the fan translation of this.
It's quirkiness and multi-character persepectives come to a head in the most full and wholesome way to craft a story of loss, love, and redemption.
Kudos to that brave ending as well, cant say Ive ever seen one like that since.
I cried and you will too.
I laughed often and you will too.
I will always remember this game... and you will too.

The Dark Souls of Platformers; not because it's hard, but because it dares to have the richest lore without shoving it down your throat and establishing a grimdark world of insects with such finesse I hold it to the esteem of devs like DS.
I can't praise this game enough, it so boldly presents a simpl-to-play but difficult to master action platformer style that slowly builds to a truly epic conclusion depending on your choice of ending.
That true final boss had me attempting over and over for more hours than nearly every other final boss I've fought ever.

Easily my favorite game and a respectable, competitive nomination for greatest game of all time.
It's got it all without letting any one element out of balance: gameplay, story, music, characters, easter eggs, humor, style.
I could talk about the lore of this game and how it made the most James Bond crossed with anime tier video game experience of all time but there's nothing I can say that isn't already known. The codec calls, easter eggs, and blooper disc alone make it well worth your time but the absolute joy that is the espionage action against the enemy AI allows for fun and creativity, never taking itself TOO seriously.
The serious nature of the game still shines through when you least expect it and tugs at the heartstrings.

It's actually scary how much of a prophet Kojima turned out to be with this game. I can't actually articulate all my thoughts on this game's genius and motifs. I'll just say this: the gameplay is tight and rewarding with solid level design that allows you to explore while never straying too far from the main focus. Some of the boss battles are to this day revolutionary and pushed the ps2 further into its GOAT status.
As always, the easter egg game is on point with everything from pin-up models to hilariously ill-timed codec calls.
Event the frickin' ice melts in real time in this game!

Warioland on crack. The number of times I was truly sweating not knowing if I'd zoom to the finishline just in time were too many to count. It rides that fine line between just difficult enough to keep you on your toes but I never lost a level completely (aside from WAR) so can't say it's overly hard.
The style alone is impressive to say the least, the level design is ALWAYS fresh utilizing a new game mechanic to constantly mix it up.
Add onto this the eclectic cast of characters and just WTF style humor and it really is a modern classic in the making.
Can't wait to see the speedruns that this game was built for.

Truly the single most overrated piece of media of the modern age.
This movie thinly disguised as a game had an effect on the video game industry that is unfortunately still prevalent today.
Forgo everything you know about gameplay feedback that actually feels rewarding; replace all of that with a sappy zombie story that has no place as anything more than a survival horror or visual novel but slap watered down action/stealth elements onto it and you get this self-important bloated interactive experience.
Sony themselves literally said they want to give us "experiences" rather than fun.
Well this was definitely an experience, a dreadfully predictable and painful one.
This "game" convinced casual gamers to consider themselves representatives of what is cool and in the zeitgeist of gaming and helped bring in endless "story over gameplay games" emphasizing the "video" rather than the "game". If I could wish one work of art away forever, it would be this. It cannot be forgiven for its sick effects on the western gaming industry I used to love.

Easily my favorite game of all time.
The style just oozes out of the screen as you experience the thrill ride that is the peak of the MGS series. It's got everything. Tight, rewarding gameplay accommodating all styles of play. Truly unique and groundbreaking cutscenes, dialogue and interactivity that rides the line between movie and game without being a "movie-game" that many mainstream games are these days.
Characters straight out of a paranormal anime/James Bond crossover that will charm, intrigue and overall endear themselves to you like the living memes they are.
Dozens and dozens of secrets and easter eggs to find, ensuring endless runs of material to experience.
Level design that truly matters with an enemy AI that is smart enough to make it engaging but not so overbearing that you cant have fun and mess around more often than not.
There's even an entire disc of bloopers to sit back and laugh at, truly a one of a kind game that many games today could do well to learn from.
In my mind, it is the indomitable peak of gaming and is a shining example of airtight game design.