At this point, I should probably give it its own in-depth review like I've given the previous games. The only reason I still haven't done that is because I didn't see the point in reviewing something where there's almost nothing to be criticized, but after 5 playthroughs in a row and STILL finding new things to like about it on each replay, I feel that some conclusion has to be drawn to emphasize just how much I love this masterpiece. Of every game I have ever played, this is the closest one has ever gotten to beating Resident Evil 4 as my favorite game of all time.

This is a hard one to review for me. I feel just as mixed about this game as with MGS1, but can't sum it up as easily. The tonal clash between the stealth and the action is completely fixed but comes with the caveat of the pacing being all over the place, which is confusing to me because the pacing was one of my favorite things about the original. The ways you can approach the stealth is a lot more varied with the first person view and enemy AI, but it also goes too far in the opposite direction because now enemies can miraculously spot you even when you're standing outside their field of view. The boss fights and backtracking sections are far less tedius and evenly spaced out, but the tedium now comes from how ridiculously easily you're spotted (as previously mentioned) and having ridiculously little space to hide because the environments now mostly consist of narrow hallways as opposed to complex, wide open rooms.

You're probably also expecting me to bring up Raiden in some way, but weirdly enough, he's probably the only new thing that I actually liked unconditionally. Would I have preferred it to keep Snake? Of course, but watching fanboys create this outrage over playing as a different character will never not be funny. A bit of uniqueness is always needed in a sequel, not so much letting me sit through even MORE cutscenes. I didn't mention the Codec calls previously because they really only lasted more than 3 minutes during dramatic moments, and while part of me is trying to have the patience I had there, sitting through half an hour of characters talking is starting to get on my nerves. That's not to say the ending didn't completely throw me off-guard, because holy fuck!

Plot-wise, there's almost NOTHING to complain about! It might as well be the only instance of a game trying to replicate film that actually works. Great characters, immensely strong themes for such an old game, and some of the best voice acting in the business.
Gameplay-wise, I'm torn. The design itself is amazing, with so many funny details to immerse you into the world, but the way it's utilized feels confused about what kind of game it wants to be. It's marketed as a spy-thriller stealth game, but it also has an obscene amount of schizophrenic boss fights and sequences where enemies chase you down while you're collecting assault rifle ammo like a fat kid eats his MacDonald's chicken nuggets.

I don't want to be too harsh on it, because it is a classic of the fifth console generation, but I wasn't there to experience it at the time so I don't have the nostalgia to back up my enjoyment. I still have two more sequels waiting to be played, and who knows where the quality goes depending on how they evolved with the platform? I'll be looking forward to seeing these characters again (for a while at least before they get replaced by an albino twink).