27. Metal Gear Solid 2

I don't know if there was a more hyped up game than MGS2, at the very least its near the top. MGS1 was the PS game of the generation, a landmark title for stealth games and cinematic storytelling in games. Then came THE trailer, to go from MGS1 blocky graphics to the graphics they showed in that trailer. On a tanker, in the rain. solid snake so detailed, I could not believe my eyes. MGS2 had the most impressive graphics of any next gen at the time, so not only were we getting the sequel to THE GAME but it was a graphical power house, the kind you want to show off your new PS2. So MGS2 became an event game, so much so that it's demo is legendary, and what a demo it was. MGS2 sported massive improvements to the controls in MGS1. The ability to change to first person at any time completely changes the dynamics in how to handle encounters. Aiming becomes an actual gameplay mechanic, enemies react in realistic ways, gunfire causes mayhem to the environment with objects exploding, gun fire opening up flour bags, lights could be shot and more. Oh and ice melts! Kojima is a master of many things but I feel his attention to detail is what really sets him apart from other directors. When I play a Kojima game I expect to try an action in game and it causing a reaction that would surprise me. MGS2 is filled with those small and large details alike, it makes the game world feel alive in ways most games don't ever come close to replicating.

More trailers would come out, how exciting it will be to see Solid Snake back in action. Reviews were gushing, another classic was at hand, its more of what we wanted. I buy the game, take it home and I read the instruction manual first as was my custom back when we had manuals. I look through the very detailed manual with the cool comic layout to teach you all the ways to incapacitate enemies. Then in the manual it mentions the tanker and the plant. Ok whats the plant, it then also said you would play as a character named Raiden... uhhh WHO?! I never seen this guy in any trailer, so I play as him for a short while I guess, weird. I start the game and that intro starts up, THAT INTRO, THAT MUSIC, to this day I watch the full thing every time I start it up.

The first few hours are eveything I could dream of. Even though I played the demo to death the full game has more rooms, more details, it's an incredibly well designed area. I loved the dog tag system, it made me want to hold up every enemy, its a great collectable that makes you play a very different way than if you are just avoiding guards. The gameplay was top classic MGS, it was still top down but the first person aiming made every room and encounter have way more options. I love playing MGS2, it is so smooth, perfect 60 fps, controls are a joy, everything is so responsive. Going no kill, no alert was a great challenge. Finding every dog tag required many playthroughs. Oh and Substance, when they stripped away the story and just focused on gameplay scenarios the gameplay shined so much. This is a masterpiece of gameplay and controls.

Yet it is my least favorite MGS game because it disappointed me at the time. Once the tanker is over you control Raiden in the biggest hidden twist in gaming history, how they kept that a secret is still mindblowing and cannot be replicated in today's world. The plant is a bland orange environment where everything looks the same. Sure Raiden controls the same as Snake but it doesn't feel the same, which I get it, thats the story, MGS2 goes great lengths to have a meta reason for Raiden that goes beyond the game and comments on the player. The story in MGS2 is beyond brilliant especially looking back now at how prophetic it all seems. I didn't know what a MEME was back in 2001. Social media did not exist. The lecture at the end of MGS2 sounded like the ramblings of a madman and now it is so on the nose it is frightening. Yes I have appreciation for what Kojima was attempting to do but I feel it came at the expense of the game. For one the pacing was off, MGS1 felt like a top tier action movie while MGS2 had so many stops and long winded cutscenes that I wondered where is the energy. MGS1 had way better boss battles, this is a series built on bosses the downgrade was so apparent that it really hurt my opnion on the game. Fatman? Fortune isnt even a real boss. The jet is just a new version of the Hind D. These characters were not as interesting, the moments smaller in scale. There was a lack of epic setpieces. It never reaches the highs of the furst game.  Rather than ending on that high a great action film gives you, I was sitting watching an hour long cutscene of the weirdest shit, I don't care how relevant it is today, that hurts the pacing.

With that MGS2 still stands among the best games of that generation. Gameplay is sublime and despite the boring setting MGS2 at least tries to mix things up. There is freezing of the bombs, fighting the jet, listing to heartbeats, swiming through mines, giving sniper cover fire to Emma, fighting with the sword, its still MGS and its still Kojima. I appreciated the game more when I skipped all cutscenes and played just to have fun and get better ranks. So yeah, I was kind of disappointed in MGS2, lucky for me that was about the only hiccup Kojima had cause what we got next more than made up for it.

Your description of MGS2 is how I'd describe 4. But its terrible pacing isn't caused by interesting social commentary. Still has the probably the best QTE ever, though.

26.

edgecrusher said:

Half life Alyx

Precisely. We must wait until Half-Life Alyx is released in case the list needs retconning.