Pretty cool game, clunky and simplistic ofc but I think it’s rad for something that formed the backbone of a whole series going forward.
I played through some of the major pre-MGS5 games years ago (as in solid 1-4) but until this year i actually hasn’t played the first two games until I decided on playing & replaying as much of the series as possible, it was cool going back and getting to experience MG1 and MG2 beyond the recaps in solid 1.
Anyways I don’t have much to say really, but turn off the device you’re reading this review on, now!

Angry Dad Simulator: 2012 Edition
Jokes aside, it’s pretty good within the lens of being an impressive, interactive anime. as a game the core gameplay is… extremely weak but i think there’s a lot of good there in terms of how it interfaces with the medium, i’d argue its combined strengths and weaknesses make it a better game than it would be a broadcasted anime
Beyond that there’s so much to love here too, the artstyle that mixes together hinduism and buddhist mythologies with a high tech twist is beyond sick imo, especially when you realize how Asura and the other demigods are essentially cyborgs with mechanical innards, bodies that audibly creak when under extreme pressure etc.
Shame about the ending being paid DLC, but tbf it absolutely is worth the price of admission - I don’t know if I would recommend the game without Part IV tbh
One thing that’s kind of interesting to look back on is how Asura’s Wrath is very much a take on the hot blooded man-literally-too-angry-to-die power sim games that were (somewhat) all the rage at the time. It’s not entirely like something such as classic God of War, both in terms of themes or gameplay but it definitely exists within the same vein… that said, it always felt like this game came out just in time for that fad to start fading away, QTEs became dramatically less omnipresent too iirc

What a game. Coming back to it there’s elements of it that don’t entirely hold up gameplay-wise but when it works it works really well, and ofc the presentation and writing is a big step up from metal gear 2 (considering that it’s all in-game the cutscenework is so good for its time like omg)
Now when it comes to it being a sequel to MG2, it’s… pretty interesting how much this feels like a stealth remake of that game, lots of similarities and outright reused scenarios here. In some ways it’s cool (especially given how MGS2 ultimately weaves that approach into its story) and in others it feels a little been here, done that.