84: Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (MSX2)
Developer: Konami
Year: 1990
The overall staggering level of intricacies in the Metal Gear storyline fascinate me to no end. The roots of the plot, the origins of the characters, the birth of the series best ideas… When MGS3: Subsistence came out with both the original Metal Gear and its sequel, it was a chance for me to go back in time, so to speak, and experience the games that inspired one of the best series in the history of gaming. While Metal Gear had its moments, it was Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake that really sold me on the world and the large story as a whole.
Metal Gear 2 takes place after the events of – wait for it – Metal Gear 1. The story in the first game was pretty straightforward – evil guys have giant weapon, you have to kill them and destroy it. MG2 picks up the pieces of that plot, but introduces SUCH LEVELS OF IMMENSE BACKSTABBING. From every character, no less. Fox, Big Boss, and just about everyone else turns coat at one time or another, all in an effort to complete Big Boss’ dream of a country for mercenaries and soldiers to be praised, basically. Think of Outer Heaven as a huge ego trip for Naked Snake. Solid, on the other hand, has to fight through the series’s regular assortment of specialized baddies in an effort to save the world.
The gameplay is pure Metal Gear; for anyone thinking this is impossible, think again. The sneaking aspects are all there and, if anything, more difficult to pull off. Later games in the series have better AI, true, but that means there are more possibilities to pass them or get them off your trail. In the older games, its pretty much a “pass/fail” kind of situation, meaning you either get detected and fight for ten minutes, or you pass by guards with little effort. It creates a greater sense of need and urgency to stay hidden, much more so than the MGS series has produced. On top of this, the rest of the gameplay is the same – backtracking for keys, blowing up secret walls with C4, combat against massive vehicles, and weapon collection and proper utilization are all featured.
All in all, the second entry in the Metal Gear franchise is one of the best. But, then again, there really aren’t any bad games within the main, canon storyline. It is really an essential bit of background knowledge for lovers of the Playstation series that follows it, as key details about Fox, Big Boss, and Snake’s own past are discussed but never made 100% clear. With an updated rerelease at the ready on the special edition of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, playing this gem has never been easier. Of course, you COULD just ROM it. But I’m in no way advocating THAT. Ahem.
Classic Moment:
The often mentioned fist fight to the “death” between Snake and Fox is cool and powerful (especially if you know the aftermath that is showcased in Metal Gear Solid). The fact that it takes place on a minefield is equally cool. MG2 is a remarkable game in that it took two characters from the first game, one of which (Fox) was barely even a character, really, and made them so interesting that this fight meant something to the player. Well done.
Added September 29, 2016
Still need to do a chronological play-through at some point. Would be a real thrill.
See if this game still holds a place in my list, that’s for sure.
skylerbartels 
Skyler Bartels
John, feel like I should have been tagging you from the get-go. So sorry.
August 21, 2010 at 7:11 pm
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Skyler Bartels
Ok, ok. I won’t retroactively tag you in the past 20 notes, then.
August 21, 2010 at 7:18 pm
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Adam Jaco
I’m assuming Metal Gear Solid will also appear on this list at some point…
August 22, 2010 at 12:58 am
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Justin Carrothers
In my opinion, as a Metal Gear lover, I think it’d be tough to put certain games from that series in a top 100 list, because if you put certain ones in, you’d have to put in all the other ones that were better. Ex. If you put in MGS1, you have to put in MGS3 (and much higher up the list, mind you).
I’d rank the Solid series as such: 3, 4, 1, 2. And even then, a strong case could be made that 2 was better than 1, if you argue the intricacies of the environment, the changes in gameplay, etc. I just didn’t really care for Raiden.
August 23, 2010 at 1:36 pm
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Skyler Bartels
While I can’t comment on your ranking of MGS games as it may or may not compare to mine, I can say that I haven’t had the chance to sit through, 4 yet, mostly because I lack a PS3 at the current time (a change, though, is coming).
If there’s any one thing I’m very proud of (and this is such a dumb thing to be proud of, really), its that I don’t know any details about the 4th game. Usually I hunt and do a ton of research and learn everything about a game that I can before it comes out. With the Solid series, I usually watch a few trailers and then wait to buy the game. Its been out for how many years now? I don’t have a clue what happens in it, unless its been in a trailer.
Its going to be my first PS3 purchase, obviously.
August 23, 2010 at 2:01 pm
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Adam Jaco
Speaking as someone who also doesn’t own a PS3 but has had the privilege of playing some of the games, I feel inclined to highly recommend Uncharted and Uncharted 2 as games which to purchase immediately upon the purchase of a PS3.
August 23, 2010 at 4:27 pm
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Justin Carrothers
Second Adam Jaco’s Uncharted/2 plug. I’ve never played it, but if you’ve got a good TV, I’ve read that it’s one of only a few designed-for-1080p games. Everyone I’ve spoken to about it says it’s definitely one of the best game series for PS3.
I’m playing through 4 right now, it was my first PS3 purchase. 😀
I’ll save our cross-comparisons of MGS as a series until you’ve gotten a bit higher in the rankings, because I have a “sneaking” suspicion that one or more others will surface.
August 23, 2010 at 5:04 pm
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