In short, MGS2 is a really great game that translates MGS to the sixth generation of consoles really well just like MGS did to Metal Gear for the fifth generation. The stealth is all really fun, with great logic puzzles that toe the line between realism and meta awareness of itself as a game. It is everything the first one was but better in terms of gameplay.
I'm hitting a snag on being firm on which I ultimately prefer. The gameplay sections of this avoided the occasional frustration of MGS, but the narrative lost me a little. The MGS franchise is over-the-top convoluted (and that really is part of the appeal for me) but while MGS struck a balance with this, MGS2 feels like it goes off on the deep end in the final act. The plot itself is relatively simple (relatively doing legwork here) but is revealed in something like 5 twists of who ACTUALLY was behind it all. I've had no problem following the plot so far in the franchise, but the ending here took some real focus to sift through, and I don't necessarily feel like that's the case because it's clever. That being said, there are some interesting themes being dissected here about the overreach of government and the information age, something I respect immensely given that it came out just after and was in production before 9/11.
The fact that I have so much and more to say about the plot does prove to me it has value, but I think it falls short of 5 stars because its reach exceeds its grasp ever so slightly here ...I look forward to seeing the series continue to strive for those heights. All in all, really fun and engaging regardless of a few potential flaws.
I'm hitting a snag on being firm on which I ultimately prefer. The gameplay sections of this avoided the occasional frustration of MGS, but the narrative lost me a little. The MGS franchise is over-the-top convoluted (and that really is part of the appeal for me) but while MGS struck a balance with this, MGS2 feels like it goes off on the deep end in the final act. The plot itself is relatively simple (relatively doing legwork here) but is revealed in something like 5 twists of who ACTUALLY was behind it all. I've had no problem following the plot so far in the franchise, but the ending here took some real focus to sift through, and I don't necessarily feel like that's the case because it's clever. That being said, there are some interesting themes being dissected here about the overreach of government and the information age, something I respect immensely given that it came out just after and was in production before 9/11.
The fact that I have so much and more to say about the plot does prove to me it has value, but I think it falls short of 5 stars because its reach exceeds its grasp ever so slightly here ...I look forward to seeing the series continue to strive for those heights. All in all, really fun and engaging regardless of a few potential flaws.