Alright, so long story short, I’ve been playing all the Metal Gear games in chronological order, with absolutely no prior knowledge before diving into the series. All my opinions are based on my own experience going through the games blindly, not even really knowing what the general community based opinion is on each game.

I wrote here about:
Metal Gear
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid 2 is complicated to me. Not that I didn’t understand its message, no, that was quite clear, but rather the game was complicated in the sense that it kept swinging me back and forth, simultaneously being both impressive while also tediously annoying.

One second I would be absolutely flabbergasted in the visuals and controls this game had for coming out in 2001, only to be thrown back into needing to use these updated aspects to do the most boring and monotonous task ever. I get that in the end it’s purposely supposed to be this way as the end message ensures that the player knows the whole point of Metal Gear Solid 2 is to just complete what the Patriots had intended for you. Learn to hate Solidus, even when what he’s fighting for is well intended, as you complete what you were fighting against and destroy the Patriots only remaining opposition. Metal Gear Solid 2’s ending is absolutely beautiful in having not just Raiden, but also the player (as they very clearly break 4th-wall in letting you know that) learn to realize that just because you were told something doesn’t mean you should accept it as true, but still it’s easier to continue to do what is expected of you first and foremost (which in this case is kill the Patriots largest threat).

It’s really a lesson that has been seen throughout all of the Metal Gear series, with Big Boss breaking your trust in the original Metal Gear, Grey Fox & Petrovich in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, and Campbell in Metal Gear Solid. It’s directly mentioned at the end of the MGS1 where Liquid taunts Snake for still following orders when he should have learned his lesson at this point. MGS2’s final message is very strong, but I think it was weakened a bit with the earlier games already bringing this theme up, albeit not as front and center. The ending overall really is MGS2’s strongest point, and is very emotional in relaying its message. I can completely understand how much it must have blown people’s minds, especially being so beautifully cinematic while telling its story (in 2001 in NYC on top of it all). But ultimately, I’m a person that significantly values the gameplay aspect of a game to the overall opinion of a game, and Metal Gear Solid 2’s actual gameplay in telling the story was a bit meh.

Controlling Snake/Raiden has never felt better, that’s for certain, as we finally get the ability to do this cartwheel thing which is the closest we’ve ever gotten to a jump yet. Everything feels and looks amazing, but the actual gameplay of MGS2 is a legit drag, forever trapping you on either the tanker or the plant running back and forth and back and forth with 15 minute cutscenes put into the game to cut it up a bit more evenly. Gameplay was mostly just disarming some bombs, running from point A to point B, and escorting Otacon’s stepsister (who seems to be very sexually into her own step-brother which is um… definitely a plot point). It all helps continue the story that Kojima wanted to tell, but really isn’t that fun to play through, and starts to feel more like that dreaded video formula I always groan at of just running back and forth in order to “continue the game” aka just see the next cutscene. MGS2 felt 50/50 in gameplay to cutscene time in comparison to MGS1 which felt like 70/30 and MG2:SS which felt like 85/15. Again, I GET that as video games advance, the creator is going to be excited to be technologically available to SHOW story elements over PLAYING them or even just telling them in words, but it is very much a personal pet peeve of mine to get excited to play a game, only to end up feeling like I’m watching a movie instead.

Even though the cutscenes take up a good part of the game, I’m guessing they were a bit budget restricted, as the characters constantly keep switching to the codec even when right next to each other as it’s easier to animate, but makes it all the more boring. I know they put an in-plot reason that was something like they didn’t want to be overheard, but it was pretty obvious (and ugly oops) why they kept doing it. Speaking of the radio, I was SO disappointed to see the gorgeous sprite artwork from MGS1 gone, now replaced with their models talking. It’s cool and very advanced for the time don’t get me wrong, and I’m imagining they changed it to show off their improved technology, but man it’s not remotely as gorgeous/good at setting the mood - but in the end, it’s more of a personal complaint than something truly wrong with the game.

I’ve come to learn from friends that apparently being baited and switched to play as Raiden was very controversial when the game first came out. I guess I can see why, as while Metal Gear Solid is a very beautiful and artistic video game series, it also still fulfills that male fantasy of being a badass untouchable gunman/spy who gets the ladies. Fans who fell more into liking the series for the latter reason (and somehow missing EVERYTHING else about what Metal Gear is about apparently) are understandably going to be disappointed at not being able to play as Snake, and Western fans especially are not going to understand Raiden’s very trendy (in Japan) “feminine”-looking male protagonist design. I can understand why these fans would be upset, but I don’t think it’s really a valid complaint at the end of the day, as Raiden is fine, and the true reason WHY we have to play as him throughout the game makes the story much stronger. It does get a little annoying having Snake, I’m sorry, I mean Pliskin, kinda do a lot of the work for you throughout the game though. AGAIN, I KNOW IT’S PLOT RELEVANT (we all want to be a cool unbeatable fictional character like Snake, but that’s not what real life is blah blah blah, closest you can get is a cheap intimidation) but ultimately, it’s a video game first and foremost, and holy shit did it suck constantly being given help and an abundance of rations, even when on normal difficulty, getting rid of the fun a good challenge brings.


The strongest parts that Metal Gear Solid 2 has going for it are the parts that make Metal Gear what it is, and that’s its very clever 4th-wall breaks and beautiful story-telling, particularly its strong ending. Both of these are so insanely good that even acknowledging the issues I have listed above, I can see how and why this game would be a perfect 5/5 for a lot of people. The 4th-wall breaking in MGS2 has to be the best out of the whole series, hell, it might have the best 4th-wall breaking in any video game I’ve ever played. I can still feel the chills of being a naked Raiden who just accidentally alerted the guards and having the corrupted Colonel AI immediately call me, turn to directly face the camera, his face now just a skull, and tell me, “What happened? I thought you played this game enough to be good at it by this point.”

I also would love to note that when I first saw the Colonel when starting as Raiden, I couldn’t help but compare that his codec image looked very similar to the way he appeared in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, to the point that I even mentioned to my friend how much younger the Colonel looked here than he did in MGS1 and how his portrait really brought a MG2 resemblance to me. I don’t know if it was intentional, or I’m just still so obsessed with Metal Gear 2 that I’m trying to pick any callback that I can muster and just sound insane lol.

While the more bland gameplay elements mixed with the constant cutscenes had me more annoyed with MGS2 than with the earlier games, I can’t ignore just how insane the game looks graphically, and how amazing the story they tell is too. While it picks at a lot of my gaming pet peeves, it also completely blew me away in other aspects that were so impressive it’s easy to ignore the less fun parts. Metal Gear Solid 2 really opens up a can of whoop-ass, both with all the characters being literally caked up, and because of how insanely powerful the message it portrays is, especially now, 20 years later, when we need it even more than ever. What a truly beautiful and special series.