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.