Kojima's cinematic influences begin to flourish with the ambition showcased in Metal Gear 2. Noted as one of the greatest "glow-ups" from one game to the sequel, Metal Gear 2 tones back a bit of the cryptic nonsense of its predecessor and adds in ahead-of-its-time cutscenes, game mechanics, and, most importantly, finally feels like a stealth game.

It's nice to see Metal Gear contained compared to where the series immediately goes after this, down a rabbit hole of contrived rabbit hole that I love, yet I appreciate how reigned in the series is when it's establishing its footing.