Metal Gear Solid 2... another game of immense importance to me in both my gaming history and personal life. I had not a lot of connection to MGS 1, which leads to an stark difference in how I feel about the game compared to many others. MGS2 has a complicated history in how much it was HYPED back in the day - the return of Solid Snake and the continuation of a 10/10 game from the PS1 era, transitioning to the PS2 with grand new graphics and systems to play with. A revolution waiting to happen... instead it is more or less a retread of the first game. Completely intentionally however!
There are so many layers to this game it is difficult to get through in a review, so basically just watch SuperBunnyHop's videos on the MGS series to go over the whole crazy shenanigans with the subversion of the new main character, and the metacommentary on the thirst for sequals and "scripted" content like video games that Hideo Kojima was trying to say - we're going to skip all of that shit because it didn't really matter to me at the time and it still does not. We're going to talk about what I think is the thesis of the game, stated directly by Snake at the end, and a motto by which I approach every game and encapsulates what I am trying to do here with my 52 game challenge:
"It doesn't matter if it was real or not..everything you felt, thought about during this mission is yours, and what you decide to do with them is your choice"
"Building the future, and keeping the past alive are one in the same thing"
Where MGS1 was about "Genes" and CHOOSING your place in the world even after what you're given to start with - MGS2 is about "Memes": what information do you want to pass on to those that come after? This game doesn't hit that theme QUITE so hard as MGS1 does its own, but it does it in a more amusing way of having Snake speak directly to the player - "What do you find important? What do you value and what will you pass on?" I understood back then what Kojima was trying to say to me directly - it doesn't matter what I want you to think, it only matters what you think and feel here: it is real to you and you should keep it close. And then pass it on. That's what I'm doing here.. I wish I had a better answer sometimes on what I value and who and when I will pass these things on but.. I'm doing my best I think for now.
Anyway, to the actual game - more stealth goodness! I played on the Hard difficulty setting due to never beating it as a teenager when I first played the game... it was definitely tough and I got my ass beat a lot, but ultimately felt pretty good. Some very tense boss battles with the Rays for sure... but Fatman was a REAL bastard, damn. The early game had lots of difficulty as well as I was stuck on how to get around a lot of guards without any weapons, and it felt great to finally get them haha, I imagine Raiden felt the same! Ludonarrative convergence??
The game still plays great, looks great, excellent cinematography and music.. I guess the only negative is the obvious one - some of the cutscenes near the end are too damn long with too little going on, the melodrama with Otacon and his family history is just ughhh, and there's way too much interrupting the player early in the Plant chapter. Otacon's stuff very much felt like "Oh we gotta do something interesting with his character this game... give him a more tragic backstory??" and it never really lands. BUT the stuff with him and Emma is pretty ace, and her death/his reactions fucking got me. Yet more FEELS for Otacon as he yet again is left behind by those he loves..
These are some actual negatives, but honestly I don't think they detracted too much from my experience, especially since I've finished it so many times I know what to skip. Objectively I do think its a problem with the game that I would warn others about but for me? Damn this is great shit.
Now I need to decide what to pass on...
There are so many layers to this game it is difficult to get through in a review, so basically just watch SuperBunnyHop's videos on the MGS series to go over the whole crazy shenanigans with the subversion of the new main character, and the metacommentary on the thirst for sequals and "scripted" content like video games that Hideo Kojima was trying to say - we're going to skip all of that shit because it didn't really matter to me at the time and it still does not. We're going to talk about what I think is the thesis of the game, stated directly by Snake at the end, and a motto by which I approach every game and encapsulates what I am trying to do here with my 52 game challenge:
"It doesn't matter if it was real or not..everything you felt, thought about during this mission is yours, and what you decide to do with them is your choice"
"Building the future, and keeping the past alive are one in the same thing"
Where MGS1 was about "Genes" and CHOOSING your place in the world even after what you're given to start with - MGS2 is about "Memes": what information do you want to pass on to those that come after? This game doesn't hit that theme QUITE so hard as MGS1 does its own, but it does it in a more amusing way of having Snake speak directly to the player - "What do you find important? What do you value and what will you pass on?" I understood back then what Kojima was trying to say to me directly - it doesn't matter what I want you to think, it only matters what you think and feel here: it is real to you and you should keep it close. And then pass it on. That's what I'm doing here.. I wish I had a better answer sometimes on what I value and who and when I will pass these things on but.. I'm doing my best I think for now.
Anyway, to the actual game - more stealth goodness! I played on the Hard difficulty setting due to never beating it as a teenager when I first played the game... it was definitely tough and I got my ass beat a lot, but ultimately felt pretty good. Some very tense boss battles with the Rays for sure... but Fatman was a REAL bastard, damn. The early game had lots of difficulty as well as I was stuck on how to get around a lot of guards without any weapons, and it felt great to finally get them haha, I imagine Raiden felt the same! Ludonarrative convergence??
The game still plays great, looks great, excellent cinematography and music.. I guess the only negative is the obvious one - some of the cutscenes near the end are too damn long with too little going on, the melodrama with Otacon and his family history is just ughhh, and there's way too much interrupting the player early in the Plant chapter. Otacon's stuff very much felt like "Oh we gotta do something interesting with his character this game... give him a more tragic backstory??" and it never really lands. BUT the stuff with him and Emma is pretty ace, and her death/his reactions fucking got me. Yet more FEELS for Otacon as he yet again is left behind by those he loves..
These are some actual negatives, but honestly I don't think they detracted too much from my experience, especially since I've finished it so many times I know what to skip. Objectively I do think its a problem with the game that I would warn others about but for me? Damn this is great shit.
Now I need to decide what to pass on...