finished this about a week ago but never got to writing my review until now but here we go
MGS1 is a game i found immense enjoyment in plot wise, gameplay wise not so much. gunplay and boss fights especially felt like a chore, mostly due to being a PS1 game. due to the jump to PS2, MGS2 improves on MGS1’s flaws and then some, using new innovative ways to fight enemies, and having actually good boss design this time around.
MGS2 starts with the tanker section, in which solid snake and otacon return after hearing word of a potential metal gear being held on a u.s. marine corps tanker. while snake goes to investigate things quickly go wrong as a group of russian mercenaries take over the ship in order to steal the metal gear. in this section snake must sneak by the mercenaries and sneak further into the tanker to verify the existence of this new metal gear. followed by the tanker section is the plant section, where one of the larger twists in the game is revealed, you don’t play as solid snake. you play as raiden, a vr trained soldier who’s mission is to save the president from a group labeling themselves as the sons of liberty. i’m going to choose not to write about the specific events of both of these sections because a game of this type of quality deserves to be experienced first hand rather than read about.
MGS2 is without a doubt a masterclass in storytelling. while at the surface i found the overarching plot to be convoluted and confusing, the further i went into the game the more astounded i found myself to be. the CODEC calls were a huge part of what made MGS1 unique, and in this game they’re even better. the calls between raiden and rose especially were absolutely amazing and learning about their backstory together was something truly special. the plot twist toward the end is something absolutely unpredictable that left me truly amazed at just how much kojima thought of while writing this game, once it was revealed thinking back on earlier sections of the game caused me to think differently of those sections in the best way possible as the new information was given to me.
gameplay in MGS2 is largely improved from MGS1, it’s much smoother and features new mechanics that make things like combat and traversal much easier and more fun. the addition of first person aiming makes stealth much more easier and fun to use, especially when you take advantage of being able to hold up enemies and making them shake off their belongings like dog tags or ammo. new stealth mechanics like being able to peak and shoot from cover make boss fights a lot more fun as it encourages the player to use their surroundings to avoid enemy gunfire. MGS2 also adds a new rolling mechanic which allows faster traversal across short areas, which can also be used to cross short paths without being spotted by enemies.
in short, MGS2 is an absolute all time masterpiece with truly wonderful themes all made possible by the genius of Hideo Kojima. this game has easily helped cement MGS as one of my all time favorite game franchises due to its wonderfully unique writing and stories. easily one of the greatest games i’ve ever played, and it truly helped me understand the genius of Kojima.
MGS1 is a game i found immense enjoyment in plot wise, gameplay wise not so much. gunplay and boss fights especially felt like a chore, mostly due to being a PS1 game. due to the jump to PS2, MGS2 improves on MGS1’s flaws and then some, using new innovative ways to fight enemies, and having actually good boss design this time around.
MGS2 starts with the tanker section, in which solid snake and otacon return after hearing word of a potential metal gear being held on a u.s. marine corps tanker. while snake goes to investigate things quickly go wrong as a group of russian mercenaries take over the ship in order to steal the metal gear. in this section snake must sneak by the mercenaries and sneak further into the tanker to verify the existence of this new metal gear. followed by the tanker section is the plant section, where one of the larger twists in the game is revealed, you don’t play as solid snake. you play as raiden, a vr trained soldier who’s mission is to save the president from a group labeling themselves as the sons of liberty. i’m going to choose not to write about the specific events of both of these sections because a game of this type of quality deserves to be experienced first hand rather than read about.
MGS2 is without a doubt a masterclass in storytelling. while at the surface i found the overarching plot to be convoluted and confusing, the further i went into the game the more astounded i found myself to be. the CODEC calls were a huge part of what made MGS1 unique, and in this game they’re even better. the calls between raiden and rose especially were absolutely amazing and learning about their backstory together was something truly special. the plot twist toward the end is something absolutely unpredictable that left me truly amazed at just how much kojima thought of while writing this game, once it was revealed thinking back on earlier sections of the game caused me to think differently of those sections in the best way possible as the new information was given to me.
gameplay in MGS2 is largely improved from MGS1, it’s much smoother and features new mechanics that make things like combat and traversal much easier and more fun. the addition of first person aiming makes stealth much more easier and fun to use, especially when you take advantage of being able to hold up enemies and making them shake off their belongings like dog tags or ammo. new stealth mechanics like being able to peak and shoot from cover make boss fights a lot more fun as it encourages the player to use their surroundings to avoid enemy gunfire. MGS2 also adds a new rolling mechanic which allows faster traversal across short areas, which can also be used to cross short paths without being spotted by enemies.
in short, MGS2 is an absolute all time masterpiece with truly wonderful themes all made possible by the genius of Hideo Kojima. this game has easily helped cement MGS as one of my all time favorite game franchises due to its wonderfully unique writing and stories. easily one of the greatest games i’ve ever played, and it truly helped me understand the genius of Kojima.
Genuinely mindblowing.
excellent sequel, pretty much everything from the predecessor has been expanded and improved in every way, the presentation is amazing, the gameplay which allows even more options and approaches such as being able to hang from raillings or hide enemy guards's bodies on a locker, tranquilizer weapons and of course the first-person aiming, it's such an better stealth game than the first game. the story is also somehow even better than the predecessor, playing them back to back was extremely rewarding, the Arsenal Gear section along with the ending might be one of my favorites that I had encountered in an game, it's creepy and unique, the fact that the themes are so relevant today makes it scary.
maybe the only things that I find it better on MGS1 were the antagonists, some of the pacing and the setting, something about Big Shell doens't hit as hard as Shadow Moses did but what we have here is also great.
overall an brilliant game, it's everything an sequel should strive to be, play it.
maybe the only things that I find it better on MGS1 were the antagonists, some of the pacing and the setting, something about Big Shell doens't hit as hard as Shadow Moses did but what we have here is also great.
overall an brilliant game, it's everything an sequel should strive to be, play it.
wow,
This review contains spoilers
This was my first MGS game and I didn't entirely know what I was getting into, nor what happened in the game. I haven't played it since I was 14 and ooooooh I have some thoughts now.
As of writing this section I haven't given this game a rating yet because I'm really not sure how I feel about it. Overall I really appreciate what this game is going for; it's incredibly ambitious ideas and approach to storytelling is mind-blowing and a kind of creativity we don't see often in any form of art, games included. However, I think said ambitious, post-modern and exciting ideas distract the majority of players from some fatal errors made in execution.
Passed on from the first game-the boss fights are still awful. I'm not a huge fan of boss fights generally unless they're in a game by fromsoft but they are especially atrocious in these two games. The controls meant for tactical stealth don't transfer to boss fights which just makes them awkward, unengaging and frustrating (Besides fat man which I weirdly enjoyed and couldn't tell you why).
Gameplay is mostly an improvement over the first game. The addition of first person makes me feel so much cooler and able to tackle stealth missions, making the core gameplay generally more fun. I found myself not using many tools outside of my guns though but that may just be because of my playstyle and how much fun I was having telling enemies to "FREEZE!"
Despite my love of the gameplay, I was given much less of it in this game which leads into some of my thoughts on the story.
Unlike its predecessor, the pacing is very off in this one. The game begins throwing you into its most complex, difficult levels and then pulls back when you start playing as Raiden as it goes back over an unskippable tutorial that players of the first game know already and new players were just forced to figure out in the tanker chapter. What follows is a few bite-sized fragments of gameplay consistently being interrupted by an absurd amount of CODEC calls, making the early section of the big shell chapter almost like a parody of a MGS game.
Now I've heard some people say that this is part of the story. The opening Raiden section is annoying to make us kind of hate him at the beginning so we can slowly build that relationship up. But I think this kind of illustrates my issue with this game and its response. Kojima and the team came up with a cool idea, it feels shit in the moment of playing but in understanding that decision, people just accept this flaw. And for some people things like these aren't flaws which is great and I'm not telling you that my opinion is correct. But I do genuinely believe this game is given a lot of slack because of its ambition.
This problem extends to the characters for me as well; most of the cast feel like archetypes with traits I'm being told and not shown about. I think the poor character work is my overall problem with this game. While the first game presented mostly interesting characters with engaging archs, this game's eye roll worthy emotional scenes and poor voice acting from some important characters (Raiden and Rose) feel completely looked over by most people because of the admittedly cool ideas Kojima and his team tackle.
Even then, these ideas that is most of what I believe distracts people and admit are interesting aren't as fleshed out as they could be. The calls with GW at the end are cool but they stop way too quickly and I don't feel sufficiently mind-fucked given their reputation. Also, the exposition dump of and ending doesn't organically present these ideas; it kind of feels like Kojima came up with the twist and just decided not to write the 3rd act and share the bullet points with us.
I know this review has focused on the negative but I do like this game. Not as much as the emotionally engaging stories of 1st and 3rd games but I really appreciate the experiment this game is, even if not everything works. For me, the game still hits the fundamentals, leaving it as an incredible idea that resulted in a fine -bordering on really good- final draft that I understand the acclaim for, even if I think a lot of missteps are overlooked.
As of writing this section I haven't given this game a rating yet because I'm really not sure how I feel about it. Overall I really appreciate what this game is going for; it's incredibly ambitious ideas and approach to storytelling is mind-blowing and a kind of creativity we don't see often in any form of art, games included. However, I think said ambitious, post-modern and exciting ideas distract the majority of players from some fatal errors made in execution.
Passed on from the first game-the boss fights are still awful. I'm not a huge fan of boss fights generally unless they're in a game by fromsoft but they are especially atrocious in these two games. The controls meant for tactical stealth don't transfer to boss fights which just makes them awkward, unengaging and frustrating (Besides fat man which I weirdly enjoyed and couldn't tell you why).
Gameplay is mostly an improvement over the first game. The addition of first person makes me feel so much cooler and able to tackle stealth missions, making the core gameplay generally more fun. I found myself not using many tools outside of my guns though but that may just be because of my playstyle and how much fun I was having telling enemies to "FREEZE!"
Despite my love of the gameplay, I was given much less of it in this game which leads into some of my thoughts on the story.
Unlike its predecessor, the pacing is very off in this one. The game begins throwing you into its most complex, difficult levels and then pulls back when you start playing as Raiden as it goes back over an unskippable tutorial that players of the first game know already and new players were just forced to figure out in the tanker chapter. What follows is a few bite-sized fragments of gameplay consistently being interrupted by an absurd amount of CODEC calls, making the early section of the big shell chapter almost like a parody of a MGS game.
Now I've heard some people say that this is part of the story. The opening Raiden section is annoying to make us kind of hate him at the beginning so we can slowly build that relationship up. But I think this kind of illustrates my issue with this game and its response. Kojima and the team came up with a cool idea, it feels shit in the moment of playing but in understanding that decision, people just accept this flaw. And for some people things like these aren't flaws which is great and I'm not telling you that my opinion is correct. But I do genuinely believe this game is given a lot of slack because of its ambition.
This problem extends to the characters for me as well; most of the cast feel like archetypes with traits I'm being told and not shown about. I think the poor character work is my overall problem with this game. While the first game presented mostly interesting characters with engaging archs, this game's eye roll worthy emotional scenes and poor voice acting from some important characters (Raiden and Rose) feel completely looked over by most people because of the admittedly cool ideas Kojima and his team tackle.
Even then, these ideas that is most of what I believe distracts people and admit are interesting aren't as fleshed out as they could be. The calls with GW at the end are cool but they stop way too quickly and I don't feel sufficiently mind-fucked given their reputation. Also, the exposition dump of and ending doesn't organically present these ideas; it kind of feels like Kojima came up with the twist and just decided not to write the 3rd act and share the bullet points with us.
I know this review has focused on the negative but I do like this game. Not as much as the emotionally engaging stories of 1st and 3rd games but I really appreciate the experiment this game is, even if not everything works. For me, the game still hits the fundamentals, leaving it as an incredible idea that resulted in a fine -bordering on really good- final draft that I understand the acclaim for, even if I think a lot of missteps are overlooked.
A game that barrels past cinema into something else entirely. It's sloppiness will make it charming forever.
everything about mgs2 is amazing and beautifully written and id happily glaze it all day long
Great in parts but it doesn't have the magic of the other MGS games to me because the baddies are quite boring in this one and Raiden and Rose's codec banter is total pigswill.
This review contains spoilers
So damn fucccking good man, Clever gameplay, fun mission, diversity in mission
The writing of character is top notch done right here, Emma-otacon's dynamic,the sprinkle of Raiden's past, internet's influence and how it does get monopolized by a smaller Powerful Society of world,USA Presiden being puppet of "that power-craving society " is masterfully crafted and it ages so well and relevant with times rn
Acelot,solidus,vamp are great-done antagonist
The writing of character is top notch done right here, Emma-otacon's dynamic,the sprinkle of Raiden's past, internet's influence and how it does get monopolized by a smaller Powerful Society of world,USA Presiden being puppet of "that power-craving society " is masterfully crafted and it ages so well and relevant with times rn
Acelot,solidus,vamp are great-done antagonist
"In the current, digitized world, trivial information is accumulating every second, preserved in all its triteness. Never fading, always accessible. Rumors about petty issues, misinterpretations, slander. All this junk data preserved in an unfiltered state, growing at an alarming rate. It will only slow down social progress, reduce the rate of evolution. We should blame it all on Valorant.” - Rose and Colonel Campbell, MGS2
This review contains spoilers
TWO MGS GAMES IN ONE MONTH??!!! Perhaps a third??? nay... .lest?
yeah this game fucks so hard and has no problems at all except i find solidus not very compelling but who tf cares its president snake in power armour
my god this game held me hostage for a week but it felt like years, in a good way. i will think back on this time when i reflect on my mgs era, i will think about the ending til i am dead, i will think about the 'TURN THE GAME CONSOLE OFF' moment and how much it made me shit myself every day til im infodumping on the poor ppl in the nursing home about it and they strangle me to shut me up and collect the insurance payout
just as campy, exciting and compelling as its predecessor with infinitely improved gameplay, flawless soundtrack, amazing and extensive voice acting. i dont quite know what else to say about it, except what i keep saying to my very patient friends; this game feels complete. it feels like they did absolutely everything they could to finish this game to the highest quality and fit everything they wanted to in it. no part feels unfinished or neglected, everything you interact with and engage with is rewarded. i would kill someone, like a nice old lady or a toddler, to be able to wipe my memory and play this again from scratch
yeah this game fucks so hard and has no problems at all except i find solidus not very compelling but who tf cares its president snake in power armour
my god this game held me hostage for a week but it felt like years, in a good way. i will think back on this time when i reflect on my mgs era, i will think about the ending til i am dead, i will think about the 'TURN THE GAME CONSOLE OFF' moment and how much it made me shit myself every day til im infodumping on the poor ppl in the nursing home about it and they strangle me to shut me up and collect the insurance payout
just as campy, exciting and compelling as its predecessor with infinitely improved gameplay, flawless soundtrack, amazing and extensive voice acting. i dont quite know what else to say about it, except what i keep saying to my very patient friends; this game feels complete. it feels like they did absolutely everything they could to finish this game to the highest quality and fit everything they wanted to in it. no part feels unfinished or neglected, everything you interact with and engage with is rewarded. i would kill someone, like a nice old lady or a toddler, to be able to wipe my memory and play this again from scratch
Dude this game is way ahead of its time. The stealth is so unforgiving in great ways. And the story is absurd in all the right ways.
This review contains spoilers
Jack Metal Gear
LA LI LU LE LO
This review contains spoilers
The first time I played this I said to myself “if anything bad happens to Emma I’m killing my self” and then the very next part was when she had to cross the bridge
I think what went wrong with my playthrough was I played on the now bunked PlayStation Now game livestreaming service. I remember the controls being really bad at times, especially when aiming down the sniper sights. Don't know if that what intentional game design or not, but the controls definitely messed me up at many points.