8.5/10 (A-)
Continuing my MGS playthrough with MGS2, and yeah… I still really admire this entry. As far as which I “prefer” in terms of MGS1 vs MGS2, I do honestly think MGS1 is slightly better, but that’s nothing of an insult to MGS2. MGS1 gets my vote due to myself personally being able to attach myself more to that codec-crew, the side-characters, the musical soundtrack, and the villains just stand out more to me… that being said, it’s just a minuscule difference, and this game is still the wonderful pseudo-bizarro masterpiece that it’s always been. MGS2 is really a think-piece, I know everybody loves to label this as “ahead of its time”, but that’s because it absolutely was, I loved all of the themes and messaging about constant digital-censorship, and choosing your own freedom, making things out to be how you see them, and not what other people tell you to do with them. I did enjoy the antagonists here a lot… like Fatman is so ridiculously campy that it’s endearing, Fortune was interesting (loved her theme), Vamp was the biggest menace, and Solidus Snake made for a memorable villain (second villain in a row who ended up being the most duped). I actually do enjoy Raiden as the new protagonist, and he does grow on you as you uncover more about his character. I also quite adored the new supporting cast… okay, well Rose was actually quite annoying for around 95% of the overall runtime, and plays somewhat of reason of why I prefer MGS1, but everybody else? Really awesome! From Peter Stillman, to Olga, and then E.E… all of them and others left an impact on me. From the first glance, this game tends to noticeably retread a lot of MGS1’s steps, in terms of structure, and how threads play-out from beginning to end, but then the game goes out of its way to make that a point, even revealing that one Shadow Moses was also an “exercise”… (it’s insane). The gameplay was certainly cleaner and more refined here, so that is an improvement I will provide MGS2, and Big Shell did deliver a fresh atmosphere when compared to MGS1, instead of simply trying to recreate the same feeling, which is something I can appreciate. All in all, while this wasn’t my personal favorite in the series, it definitely still stands up with the rest admirably. While MGS1 was more melancholic and romantic, MGS2 was more physiological and mind-bending. Great franchises always offer memorable aspects with every entry.
Continuing my MGS playthrough with MGS2, and yeah… I still really admire this entry. As far as which I “prefer” in terms of MGS1 vs MGS2, I do honestly think MGS1 is slightly better, but that’s nothing of an insult to MGS2. MGS1 gets my vote due to myself personally being able to attach myself more to that codec-crew, the side-characters, the musical soundtrack, and the villains just stand out more to me… that being said, it’s just a minuscule difference, and this game is still the wonderful pseudo-bizarro masterpiece that it’s always been. MGS2 is really a think-piece, I know everybody loves to label this as “ahead of its time”, but that’s because it absolutely was, I loved all of the themes and messaging about constant digital-censorship, and choosing your own freedom, making things out to be how you see them, and not what other people tell you to do with them. I did enjoy the antagonists here a lot… like Fatman is so ridiculously campy that it’s endearing, Fortune was interesting (loved her theme), Vamp was the biggest menace, and Solidus Snake made for a memorable villain (second villain in a row who ended up being the most duped). I actually do enjoy Raiden as the new protagonist, and he does grow on you as you uncover more about his character. I also quite adored the new supporting cast… okay, well Rose was actually quite annoying for around 95% of the overall runtime, and plays somewhat of reason of why I prefer MGS1, but everybody else? Really awesome! From Peter Stillman, to Olga, and then E.E… all of them and others left an impact on me. From the first glance, this game tends to noticeably retread a lot of MGS1’s steps, in terms of structure, and how threads play-out from beginning to end, but then the game goes out of its way to make that a point, even revealing that one Shadow Moses was also an “exercise”… (it’s insane). The gameplay was certainly cleaner and more refined here, so that is an improvement I will provide MGS2, and Big Shell did deliver a fresh atmosphere when compared to MGS1, instead of simply trying to recreate the same feeling, which is something I can appreciate. All in all, while this wasn’t my personal favorite in the series, it definitely still stands up with the rest admirably. While MGS1 was more melancholic and romantic, MGS2 was more physiological and mind-bending. Great franchises always offer memorable aspects with every entry.