Everything is at its peak here: gameplay, camera, music, boss battles, Ocelot(!). The series and its mechanics have always been creative, but they’re on steroids here. There are genuinely tense moments at times, it feels like the perfect love letter to action spy flicks and it wears its inspirations proudly on its sleeve. An absolute treat to play, except for that one section where Eva decides to take up competitive eating in the middle of the jungle. Some of the Cobra unit members felt a bit one note, and the structure of the game follows the same pattern as MGS1 & 2 but this time without a decent narrative/thematic premise for doing so like with 2 - these gripes didn’t really take away any enjoyment though. Very glad that there was no attempt made to explain the supernatural here, as we know how that would’ve ended up..

A remarkable step up from MGS1 with gunplay now actually enjoyable, fluid movement, a more ambitious story with themes that tie well to both the mechanics and the franchise as a whole. Whilst it sets its aims of telling a thought provoking story with a substantial message, it can miss the mark. Plot twists, whilst perfectly serviceable, aren’t paced well and cluster into an exposition dump by the end. Rose’s character is integral to the plot and its themes, but a lack of subtlety had me at times less weighing up why her dialogue mattered and more wondering if the colonel had decided to go on a cigarette break to avoid the second hand embarrassment of listening to a lovers tiff whilst the player tries to save their game. I appreciate the intentional ambiguity of the plot and the faith in the player to come to their own conclusions - sad that MGS4 ultimately dumps on all of that, despite how much I love that game (it was stupidly my entry point into the series). If the message of MGS2 was easier to digest, the fans surely wouldn’t have demanded a follow up though right..right?!

The various mechanics and ways to solve problems feel satisfying albeit very obtuse at times during some sections. The execution can often be negatively impacted by frustrating controls. This isn’t surprise given its age but it does result in some disappointing set pieces that could be so much more. The sniper sections are a good example of where the painfully slow aiming movement just lessens the enjoyment of what could be tense, engaging fights. With that and the trial and error gameplay out the way, the music, character design, narrative and voice acting are all top notch. It’s like playing a classic 80s action movie up there with the likes of Die Hard, with the perfect set of antagonists to accompany the plot. Cool atmosphere and lots of neat quirks that make this still worth experiencing.