It has been said many a time before, but Metal Gear Solid 2 is even more brilliant today than it was when it was released in 2001. The gameplay has several new layers and QoL features that make it feel surprisingly modern (most of the time). All the frustratingly rough edges that MGS1 had have been smoothed out, resulting in an extremely polished experience.

The story and characters are where this game shines the most however. As convoluted as the plot is, the story is a beautifully sincere piece about living life as you see fit and believing in your own truth instead of just following the ideals of the masses. There are so many touching moments, from Otacon's last conversation with Emma to Snake's monologue at the end of the game. The meta-narrative soars these themes to levels never-before-seen in gaming, allowing the player to relate to Raiden and his feelings as he learns more about the world around him. It also basically predicted Twitter.

10/10.

I played this for the first time on the PS3 about 10 years ago. I didn't fully appreciate it at the time, but still enjoyed it. I just had the same complaints that were common at the time, like the story is confusing or Raided is whiny. But replaying it now, I value it much more. Raiden is still a bit annoying at times, but not as bad as I remembered. Snake and Otacon's friendship is really wholesome. What was once confusing about the story is now my favorite part. It is so far ahead of its time, and super relevant to how things are today. The concepts of censorship, misinformation, and the dangers of ai are things that everyone is discussing now, and this game was talking about it in 2001. I still prefer the first and third games, but this one is much better than it used to be taken for. I do wish that the rereleases included all of the bonus content from Substance. It's a shame that I can no longer skateboard around Big Shell.

I want to preface this by saying that I'm so glad I continued playing the series and specifically this entry. Even though I got the Master Collection, I was a little disappointed by the first entry and became reluctant to play the next game. Furthermore, when I began playing this game, it was a little boring, and I took a break from it midway through. There didn’t seem to be any sense of direction in the first part of the game, however, halfway in, the story gripped me. The way the theme of misinformation is explored by embracing the medium of video games to the fullest captivated me. I felt at times that the story was held back by the aged gameplay, but as the story progressed, so did its levels of awareness, going beyond its gameplay and becoming a story and experience about the subjectivity of truth and purpose. For me, the Metal Gear franchise started off on the wrong footing, but the latter half of Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty was a beautiful adventure about love and espionage. Without spoiling anything, the more surreal approach this entry took profoundly resonated with me. The continued relevance of the story proves its ingenuity as a prophetic work ahead of its time. I look forward to playing the next one.