On my backloggd account I maintain a list of my personal Game of the Year picks for every year since 1970. Though 2002 comes close because I really, really love Kingdom Hearts 1, no year has caused me more agony than 1998. On the battlefield of my mind, the war between Metal Gear Solid and Ocarina of Time is more vicious than any other. I have torn down both games to the studs in search of an answer that is not rooted in mere nostalgia. I thought that perhaps I had found that answer when I considered OoT's randomizer. It is, after all, one of my absolute favorite things to play. Alas, I cannot give Shigeru Miyamoto credit for total strangers rewriting the code over a decade later without his consent.

Metal Gear Solid is my Game of the Year 1998 because fighting Vulcan Raven is more fun than fighting Twinrova.

Prescience of the world aside, I just can't love MGS2 with as much of my heart as MGS1 or 3. It's the little things, but they add up, and lines about flapjacks and tuning forks just don't hit the same if you see them coming.

The thing is, I still can't deny MGS2 a spot in the five-star club. Over time my highest rating has become less and less of an indication of what games I consider "perfect" and more of a showcase of recommendations, and I know that whether I'm as into it as the others or not, MGS2 deserves their status, and so here it is.