| Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | KCEJ Success (PC) Bluepoint Games (HD port) |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Designer(s) | Hideo Kojima (producer, writer, director) |
| Composer(s) | Harry Gregson-Williams Norihiko Hibino Rika Muranaka |
| Series | Metal Gear |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 Xbox Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 PlayStation Vita |
| Release date(s) |
November 13, 2001
MGS2: Substance
PlayStation 2
Microsoft Windows
MGS HD Collection
|
| Genre(s) | Stealth action |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | IFCO: 15 |
| Media/distribution | DVD, Blu-ray Disc, DVD DL |
System requirements
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Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (メタルギアソリッド2 サンズ・オブ・リバティ Metaru Gia Soriddo 2 Sanzu Obu Ribati, commonly abbreviated as MGS2) is a stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 in 2001.
It is the fourth Metal Gear game produced and directed by Kojima and the direct sequel to Metal Gear Solid. Its release was followed by an expanded edition, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, a prequel to the entire Metal Gear series, followed in 2004. In 2008, a direct sequel, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was released.
The story revolves around the "Big Shell", a massive offshore clean-up facility that has been seized by a group of terrorists that call themselves "Sons of Liberty". They demand a massive ransom in exchange for the life of the President of the United States, and threaten to destroy the facility and create a cataclysmic environmental disaster if their demands are not met. The motives and identities of many of the antagonists and allies change rapidly, as the protagonists discover a world-shaking conspiracy constructed by a powerful organization known as the Patriots.
The game was well-received, shipping over 7 million copies worldwide[1] and scoring an average Metacritic aggregate score of 96%, making it the third highest-rated game on the PlayStation 2,[2] and the tied sixth highest-rated game of all time.[3] While the gameplay was universally acclaimed, critics were divided on the philosophical nature and execution of the game's storyline, which explores themes such as memes, social engineering, political conspiracies, and artificial intelligence. It has been considered the first example of a postmodern video game,[4][5][6] and has been cited as a primary example of artistic expression in video games.[4][6][7][8] The game was controversial due to its complex postmodern narrative and unconventional protagonist.[9] In 2009, Wired ranked it the 13th "Most Influential Game of the Decade."[10]
Contents |
Metal Gear Solid 2 carries the title of "Tactical Espionage Action," and most of the game involves the protagonist sneaking around avoiding being seen by the enemies. Most fundamental are the wider range of skills offered to the player. The new first-person aiming mode allows players to target specific points in the game, greatly expanding tactical options; guards can be blinded by steam, distracted by a flying piece of fruit or hit in weak spots. Players can now walk slowly, allowing them to sneak over noisy flooring without making a sound, or hang off walkways to slip past below guards' feet. The corner-press move from the original title, which allowed players a sneak peek around the next bend is expanded to allow players to fire from cover.[11] Other new abilities included leaping over and hanging off of railings, opening and hiding in storage lockers, and sneaking up behind enemies to hold them at gunpoint for items and ammunition.[11] The environment also had a greater impact on the stealth gameplay, taking into account factors such as weather, smell, atmosphere and temperature.[12]
In Metal Gear Solid 2, the enemy guards were given more advanced AI "to prevent an imbalance of power,"[13] and unlike the original Metal Gear Solid, work in squads. They call on their radios for a strike team upon seeing the player, then attempt to flank him and cut off his escape while avoiding the player's attacks. Often strike teams will carry body armor and riot shields, making them an even greater threat. Even if the player escapes to a hiding place, a team will sweep in to check the area. The game has a collective enemy AI,[14] where enemy guards work together in squads, can communicate with one another,[15] and react in a more realistic manner towards the player. The game's enemy AI was considered one of the best in gaming for many years.[16]
The game also expanded its predecessor's cover mechanic,[17] with Solid Snake or Raiden now able to take cover behind walls or objects and pop out to shoot at enemies,[18][19] while the improved enemy AI allowed enemies to also take cover from the player character. The enemies would often take cover to call for backup,[20] but during battle, they would take cover then pop out and shoot at the player or blindly throw grenades from behind their cover.[18][21] The game also features a laser sight mechanic, where a laser sight helps assist with manually aiming a gun, similar to WinBack (1999) and Resident Evil 4 (2005) but with first-person aiming rather than third-person.[22] Boss battles and set-pieces remain a case of finding a strategy that bypasses the defenses of the enemy. However, in a major break from action game standards, it is also possible to clear the entire game, including boss fights, without causing a single deliberate death, through use of tranquilizer guns, stun grenades and melee attacks.
The protagonist of MGS2 is a young rookie agent named Raiden.[23] He is supported by his commanding officer, the Colonel, and Rosemary,[24] his girlfriend. Allies formed on the mission include Lt. Junior Grade Iroquois Pliskin,[25] a Navy SEAL of mysterious background who provides his knowledge of the facility; Peter Stillman,[26] a NYPD bomb-disposal expert; Otacon,[27] a computer security specialist; and a cyborg ninja imitating Gray Fox's persona, but calling itself Mr. X.[28][29]
The antagonists of peace are the Sons of Liberty,[30] a group of terrorists who seize control of the Big Shell Disposal Facility, including anti-terror training unit Dead Cell, and a Russian mercenary force.[31] The Dead Cell team members are Vamp,[32] an immortal man exhibiting vampire-like attributes; Fatman,[33] a rotund man with exceptional knowledge of bombs; and Fortune,[34] a woman capable of cheating death by apparent supernatural means. The leader of Sons of Liberty claims to be Solid Snake,[35] previously declared dead after a terrorist attack, later revealed to be Solidus Snake, a third clone in "les Enfants Terribles" project.[36] Assisting the Sons of Liberty are Olga Gurlukovich, commander of a rogue Russian mercenary army,[37] and Revolver Ocelot,[38] a disenfranchised Russian nationalist and former FOXHOUND agent, Solid Snake's old archnemesis, and henchman of Solidus Snake.
Other characters include Emma Emmerich, Otacon's stepsister and a computer wiz-kid;[39] Sergei Gurlukovich, Ocelot's former commanding officer and Olga's father;[40] President James Johnson, held hostage by the Sons of Liberty;[41] and DIA operative Richard Ames.[42] Solid Snake returns,[43] along with Liquid Snake, who communicates via Ocelot because his right hand, sliced by Gray Fox in the previous game, has been replaced with the right hand of Liquid,[44] and a third Snake, Solidus,[45] is introduced.
This game features cameos by Mei Ling, the communications expert who aided Snake in the first game,[46] and Johnny Sasaki, the luckless soldier with chronic digestive problems.
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Metal Gear series fictional chronology |
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Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater |
Sons of Liberty opens with a flashback in 2007, two years after the Shadow Moses incident that was described in the original Metal Gear Solid. On August 8th, 2007 [47], Solid Snake and Otacon, now members of the non-governmental organization Philanthropy, are investigating the development of a new Metal Gear[48] described as an amphibious counter-Metal Gear unit.[49] Shortly after Snake's arrival on the disguised oil tanker U.S.S. Discovery, a group of Russian ex-military terrorists under the command of Russian nationalist Sergei Gurlukovich attack the ship.[50]
Snake sneaks down to the hold in order to record pictures of the new Metal Gear RAY.[51] Revolver Ocelot and Sergei Gurlukovich sneak into the hold and holds a marine commander at gunpoint. Ocelot and Sergei have different motives, with Sergei wanting to sell Metal Gear RAY to the highest bidder and Ocelot saying he is "taking it back". Ocelot then betrays and murders Sergei.[52] It is revealed that Ocelot had his severed arm replaced with that of the late Liquid Snake. The implant causes a change in Revolver Ocelot's demeanor and behavior, with Liquid somehow 'possessing' him.[53] Under Liquid's control he sinks the tanker[54] and escapes with RAY before regaining command of his body.[55]
The game moves to the present, and the player now controls Raiden, supposedly operating under a reformed FOXHOUND two years after the Tanker Chapter on April 29, 2009.[56] Raiden has orders to rescue hostages, including the US president, from the terrorist group Sons of Liberty (whose leader claims to be Solid Snake), backed up by the rogue anti-terror training unit, Dead Cell, who are also threatening to destroy the Big Shell clean-up facility they have seized.[57] The SEAL team manages to rescue the President, but before they are able to extract him, Dead Cell members Vamp and Fortune ambush and kill all of the SEALs except Iroquois Pliskin.[58] Raiden joins forces with Pliskin and bomb specialist Peter Stillman to disable explosives planted on the Shell by Stillman's former pupil, Fatman, now a terrorist. Though Raiden successfully eliminates Fatman, Stillman is killed as a result of one of Fatman's traps.
A mysterious cyborg ninja known only as Mr. X[59] informs Raiden of a man named Ames, who knows where the president is being held. Raiden tracks down Ames, but also overhears a conversation between Ocelot, Olga and a man calling himself "Solid Snake". Ocelot discovers Raiden shortly after Ames dies of a heart attack, and the fake Solid Snake then attacks him on the bridge, but is then stopped by the real Snake. Raiden moves deeper into the facility and locates President Johnson, who informs him that Big Shell is actually a facade to hide a new Metal Gear. Known as Arsenal Gear, it houses a powerful AI called "GW", which is capable of controlling the transmission of digital information. The president also claims that the democratic process is a sham, and the true rulers of the United States are a secret organization called the Patriots.[60] Ocelot kills the president soon after this revelation.
Raiden moves on to his final objective: disabling Arsenal Gear and halting a nuclear strike. Solid Snake and an Arsenal Gear engineer, Emma Emmerich, assist Raiden in uploading a virus into the "GW" mainframe, but the upload is halted partway through and Emma is killed by one of Vamp's knives. Snake's partner Otacon escapes with the surviving hostages, just as Mr. X returns and reveals itself to be Olga Gurlukovich,[61] who knocks Raiden unconscious.
Raiden awakens in a torture chamber, stripped of his clothing and tied to a holding device. He is greeted by Solidus Snake, the true terrorist leader. Solidus, who uses his mechanical tentacles to probe and torture Raiden, quickly reveals that he once adopted Raiden, a former child soldier, as his son during the Liberian civil war,[62] and that Raiden is now a Patriot agent. Solidus then leaves the chamber, and Olga steps in and frees Raiden, telling him that she is also a Patriot double-agent within the Sons of Liberty and that she was blackmailed by the Patriots to aid Raiden in order to protect her child, who was conceived during the tanker chapter. She leaves him outside the chamber, somewhere deep inside Arsenal Gear, still completely naked.
While Raiden makes his way through the bowels of the facility, his commanding officer, the Colonel, begins to act very erratically, giving him odd instructions, telling him to "turn the game console off",[63] and eventually speaking in complete non-sequiturs. It becomes apparent that the "Colonel" Raiden has been taking orders from is actually a construct of the GW supercomputer, and that the partially-uploaded virus is beginning to damage its systems. Raiden reunites with Snake and his gear, and the two then encounter Fortune, who seeks to avenge her father's death.[64] Snake holds her off to allow Raiden to escape, but Raiden is then forced into a battle with the 25 Metal Gear RAY units guarding Arsenal Gear. Olga intervenes to protect him, but is then killed by Solidus. Solidus moves to kill Raiden as well, but the RAY units suddenly malfunction and begin to attack him and each other.[65] In the chaos, Arsenal begins an emergency ascent.[66]
Solidus, Raiden, Ocelot, Fortune, and Snake (who has been captured)[67] end up on the roof of the fortress as it surfaces. Ocelot then reveals that he too is a Patriot agent, and that the entire Big Shell mission was a carefully coordinated attempt to reenact the events of the Shadow Moses incident.[68] Ocelot kills Fortune, but then is possessed again by Liquid and announces his plan to hunt down the Patriots based on his host's knowledge.[69] Liquid sets Arsenal Gear on a collision course with New York then steals the remaining RAY unit and launches it into the ocean, with Snake diving after him.[70]
Arsenal Gear crashes into downtown New York, launching Raiden and Solidus onto the roof of Federal Hall.[71] Solidus reveals his reasons for trying to steal Arsenal: a nuclear electro-magnetic pulse would have taken down Manhattan's digital infrastructure and allow Solidus to lead it as a republic against the Patriots, a nation of "Sons of Liberty".[72] At this point, Raiden is contacted by another AI, introducing itself as a representative of the Patriots. It reveals the truth of their actions: The AIs were programmed to act as "digital censors", removing trite and needless information from the electronic world in what they call "Selection for Societal Sanity", or the "S3 Plan"[73] After this revelation, Solidus engages Raiden in a final duel, believing that his only remaining option is to use the information contained in Raiden's neural implants. Raiden is forced to fight Solidus, after being told that the Patriots will kill Olga's child and Rose if he doesn't cooperate.[74]
Raiden defeats Solidus, and as crowds descend upon the wreckage of Arsenal Gear, Snake appears one last time to tell him that only he can choose what to believe in, and that he must pass on what he believes to be true.[75] Having planted a tracking device on Liquid's Metal Gear, Snake and Otacon plan to follow him, and to hunt down the Patriots, whose details were hidden in the GW computer virus disc.[76] As Snake disappears into the crowd, Raiden is finally reunited with Rose, on April 30, 2009, the anniversary of their first meeting.[77]
In a brief epilogue, Otacon and Snake discuss the decoding of the virus disc, which contains the personal data on all twelve members of the Patriots' high council. A revelation found on the disc indicates that all twelve members of the Wisemen's Committee are not only dead, but they have been dead for approximately two hundred years.[78]
According to Hideo Kojima in the documentary Metal Gear Saga Vol. 1, the original plot of the game revolved around nuclear weapon inspections in Iraq and Iran and had Solid Snake trying to stop the Metal Gear while it was located on an aircraft carrier, in a certain time limit, while trying to stop Liquid Snake and his group. However, about six months into the project the political situation in the Middle East became a concern and they decided that they couldn't make a game with such a plot. The tanker in the released game is based on this original plot.
Kojima's original design document for the game was eventually completed in January 1999,[79] but was not available in English until 2006.[80] It mentioned that the game was originally going to be called Metal Gear Solid III to symbolize Manhattan's three tallest skyscrapers at the time and that Raiden was designed as "a character in which women can more easily empathize."[79][80] The document outlines new game mechanics and features, such as bodies that need to be hidden, enemies being able to detect shadows, lights in an area that can be destroyed to affect enemy vision, realistic enemy AI that relies on squad tactics rather than working individually, and multi-level environments that add an element of "vertical tension" to the stealth gameplay. It also outlines themes, such as passing on memories, environmental issues, and particularly social themes regarding the "digitization of the military," digital simulations, the "digitization of operational planning," the "digitization of everyday life," and the "effects of digitization on personality." The document stated that the "aim of the story" involves "a series of betrayals and sudden reversals, to the point where the player is unable to tell fact from fiction" (departing from the "very clear and understandable story" of its predecessor), that "every character lies to (betrays) someone once," blurring the line between "what is real, and what is fantasy," and "ironies aimed at the digital society and gaming culture."[79]
MGS2 was also intended to reference the novel City of Glass, notably in the naming of its characters.[81] Raiden's support team originally featured a different field commander named Colonel Daniel Quinn; Maxine "Max" Work, an Asian woman who saves game data and quotes Shakespeare, and William "Doc" Wilson, the creator of GW. All take their names from key characters in the book, and all three would have turned out to be artificial intelligences. None of these characters survived to the final edition, their roles being absorbed by other characters, namely the "Colonel Campbell" simulation, Rose, and Emma Emmerich. Peter Stillman, however, takes his name from another City of Glass character.[82] Kojima has also cited another novel, Kōbō Abe's Kangaroo Notebook, as an influence on the game.
A character named Chinaman, originally planned to be included as a villain, was later on omitted and his abilities incorporated in Vamp, namely the ability to walk on water and walls. Chinaman would have movements modeled after Jet Li and have a body tattoo of a dragon that would come alive as soon as he dove into water.[83]
Significant changes to the game's ending were made late in development following the September 11 attacks in New York, where the finale occurs. A sequence depicting Arsenal Gear's displacement of the Statue of Liberty and crashing through half of Manhattan was removed, as was a short coda to appear after the credits, a breaking newscast showing the Statue of Liberty's new resting place, Ellis Island. At the point where Solidus dies, Raiden was supposed to have cut the rope on Federal Hall's flagpole, causing an American flag to fall over Solidus' body, and American flags that were supposed to be on all the flagpoles in New York were removed from the title.[84] More recently, Kojima revealed that the name "Raiden" was spelled in kanji rather than katakana due to the latter form of the name resembling "Bin Laden" in Japanese.[85]
Hideo Kojima's choice of composer for Metal Gear Solid 2 was highly publicized in the run-up to the game's release. Kojima decided upon Harry Gregson-Williams, a Hollywood film composer from Hans Zimmer's studio, after watching The Replacement Killers with sound director Kazuki Muraoka. A mix CD containing 18 tracks of Gregson-Williams' work was sent to his office. Flattered by the research put into creating the CD (as some of the tracks were unreleased, and that what tracks he'd worked on for some films were undocumented), he joined the project soon after.[86]
In order to bypass the language barrier and allow the score to be developed before the cut-scenes were finalized, Gregson-Williams was sent short phrases or descriptions of the intended action. The resultant themes then shaped the action sequences in return. Gregson-Williams also arranged and re-orchestrated the original "Metal Gear Solid Main Theme" for use in the game's opening title sequence.
Norihiko Hibino, who had worked on previous Konami games such as Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, was responsible for all of the in-game music. He also worked on the majority of the game's cut scenes, re-orchestrating Gregson-Williams' "Main Theme" remix for use in several sequences.
As with Metal Gear Solid, the cut scene music includes orchestral and choir pieces, while the in-game soundtrack is scored with ambient electronic music. However, the score as a whole incorporates more electronic elements (particularly breakbeat) than its predecessor, in order to reflect the plot's thematic thrust of a machine-dominated society. Rika Muranaka again provided a vocal ending theme, a jazz track entitled "Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday", sung by Carla White. The game's music was released via 4 CDs: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Original Soundtrack, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Soundtrack 2: The Other Side, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance Limited Sorter (Black Edition) and Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance Ultimate Sorter (White Edition).
The MGS2 main theme was chosen by the London Philharmonic Orchestra for their Greatest Video Game Music-compilation.[87]
The Japanese release was held back two weeks following the initial American release. As a result, the developers added new features and cut scenes, including two new modes: Boss Survival and Casting Theatre (the latter allowed players to select cut scenes and change the character models used). Like the original Metal Gear Solid, a Premium Package of the game was issued in addition to the stand-alone version. The box came with the reversible cover art on the DVD case, a DVD video, an A4-sized pamphlet and a metallic-colored Solid Snake figurine.
The game's initially scheduled European release date of February 22, 2002, nearly three months after the other releases, was delayed another two weeks. The added features from the Japanese release were carried over to the European version, along with a new difficulty setting (European Extreme). In addition, the European edition featured a Making Of DVD video by French television production house FunTV. As well as collating all of the game's promotional trailers and a Gamespot feature on the title's closing days of production, it featured a documentary filmed at KCEJ West's Japanese studio. The DVD was included as an apology to European gamers for the several month delay that had occurred between the American and Japanese releases, which saw numerous European gaming magazines detail the various twists in the game.
Released on September 12, 2002 in Japan and September 24 in North America, The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 is an interactive "making of" documentary released for the PlayStation 2. The disc is a database of the game's development process where the user can view polygonal models used for characters, mechanics and areas in the game, as well as listen to the game's soundtrack. The disc also features all of the game's real time cut-scenes from the game (without audio) and their respective storyboards. Other features include a collection of behind-the-scenes footage, preview trailers, a partial script, Hideo Kojima's original draft of the game (available only in Japanese), a development timeline, and a gallery of Metal Gear Solid related products and merchandise. The disc also includes five "VR Training" levels that served as a preview of Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance. The disc was included in the European PlayStation 2 version of Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, but was not available at retail in that region. It was also included in the 20th Anniversary Edition re-release of the original Metal Gear in Japan.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance is a multi-platform updated version of the original MGS2 first released for the Xbox, then followed by PlayStation 2 and PC. The game contains the main Sons of Liberty game with some subtle alterations, as well as the inclusion of Boss Survival and Casting Theater modes from the Japanese and PAL versions of the original game. The idea for Substance follows from Metal Gear Solid: Integral and was continued with Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence.
The main addition of Substance is the inclusion of an extra missions mode with 300 virtual reality training missions set in a computer-constructed environment and 200 "Alternative Missions" set in areas taken from the main game. The player can choose to play these missions as Solid Snake or Raiden, with alternate outfits for both characters becoming available as the player progresses. Mission objectives include reaching the goal undetected, target practice, eliminating enemies, bomb disposal and a set of miscellaneous missions that include protecting a wounded ally from enemies or fighting a series of enemies. There are also a set of missions simulating a first-person shooter game.These missions are divided into seven modes. Sneaking Mode, Weapon Mode, Variety Mode, Photograph Mode, Hold Up Mode, Bomb Disposal Mode and Elimination Mode. The character X Raiden has a special mission called Streaking Mode. In this misson, the player has to complete 5 sneaking stages without any weapons or items (barring a cardboard box) without being seen. This stage also has a 2 minute time limit, which pauses when the player is discovered and resumes when the player continues.
In addition to the missions mode, there is also a set of "Snake Tales", which are five story-based missions featuring Solid Snake as the main character. This includes missions set in the Big Shell area from the Plant chapter, featuring characters such as Fatman, Emma, Vamp and Solidus Snake, as well as an alternate version of the Tanker chapter, which replaces Olga Gurlukovich with Meryl Silverburgh (from Metal Gear Solid) as the boss. These missions, which are not canonical in respect to the main storyline, have no voice acting but are instead narrated via on-screen text. They are side stories created by directors of Kojima Productions such as Shuyo Murata and Shinta Nojiri.
The PS2 version also featured a skateboarding minigame based on Konami's Evolution Skateboarding game.[88] The player can use Solid Snake or Raiden in a pair of Big Shell-themed levels and has to complete a set of objectives before time runs out. These objectives range from collecting dog tags scattered throughout the level to blowing up parts of Big Shell.
Substance was originally released as an Xbox timed-exclusive in North America on November 5, 2002. The PS2 version was released on March, 2003 and released alongside the PC version. All three versions of the game were released almost simultaneously in Europe, the PS2 version being bundled with The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 to once again make up for a substantial delay in its release. Only the PS2 version of Substance was released in Japan on December 19, 2002, replacing the original Japanese voices with the English dub.
Konami has announced, at a pre-E3 press conference on June 2, 2011, that Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance will be released in HD. The games for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles as part of an HD Collection also including Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. [89][90] on Nov. 8th, 2011. [91]
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 95.04%[92] |
| Metacritic | 96 / 100[93] |
| GameStats | 10.0 / 10[94] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 38.5 / 40[95] |
| Famitsu | 38 / 40[96] |
| Game Informer | 10 / 10[97] |
| GamePro | 5 / 5[98] |
| Game Revolution | A[97] |
| GamesMaster | 96%[97] |
| GameSpot | 9.6 / 10[99] |
| GameSpy | 97 / 100[100] |
| GameZone | 9.8 / 10[101] |
| IGN | 9.7 / 10[102] |
| Official PlayStation Magazine (US) | [97] |
| Official PlayStation Magazine (UK) | 10 / 10[103] |
| PSM | 10 / 10[97] |
| PSM3 | 96%[97] |
As a result of promising trailers and the huge commercial success of its predecessor Metal Gear Solid, there was a high level of anticipation in the gaming community surrounding the release of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.[104] Metal Gear Solid 2 received a large amount of critical and fan praise, having sold over 7 million copies worldwide and maintaining a critical average of 96% on Metacritic, where it is the third highest-rated game on the PlayStation 2,[2] and the tied sixth highest-rated game of all time.[3] Game Informer Magazine gave the game a score of 10/10, and it received high reviews from nearly all major publications and websites. Gamespot gave the game a high 9.6 rating, stating that: It all boils down to this:You must play Metal Gear Solid 2 .[105] Critics praised the title's stealth gameplay, particularly the improvements over its predecessor, as well as the game's level of graphical detail, in particular the use of in-game graphics to render plot-driving cut scenes.[106]
Despite the gameplay being universally acclaimed, the title's storyline was divisive[107] and became the source of mixed opinions and controversy. The storyline explores many social, philosophical and cyberpunk themes in great detail, including meme theory, social engineering, sociology, artificial intelligence, information control, conspiracy theories, political and military maneuvering, evolution, existentialism, censorship, the manipulation of free will, the nature of reality,[4][7][9][108][109][110] child exploitation,[111] and taboos such as incest[112] and sexual orientation.[113] Hideo Kojima's ambitious script has been praised, some even calling it the first example of a postmodern video game.[4][5][6][7][8][9] However, some critics considered the plot to be "incomprehensible" and overly heavy for an action game, and also felt that the lengthy dialogue sections heavily disrupted the gameplay, and that the dialogue itself was overly disjointed and convoluted.[114][115] The surprise introduction of Raiden as the protagonist for the majority of the game (replacing long-time series protagonist Solid Snake) was also controversial with fans of Metal Gear Solid.[9]
E3 2001 Game Critics Awards
E3 2000 Game Critics Awards
IGN Best of 2001
Game Informer 2001: Game of the Year Awards
GameSpot 2001 Game of the Year Awards
GameSpy 2001 Game Awards
CESA Game Awards 2001-2002
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2002
In a 2006 viewer poll conducted by Japan's Famitsū magazine of top 100 games of all time, Metal Gear Solid 2 was ranked at #42 in the poll.[119] In the 200th issue of Game Informer Magazine in 2009, its list of top 200 games of all time ranked the game at #50 on the list.[120] Metal Gear Solid 2 was ranked #7 on Game Informer's list of The Top 10 Video Game Openings in 2008.[121] In 2010, UGO included the game in the article The 11 Weirdest Game Endings at #1, with an editor calling it "the most insane, nonsensical thing I've ever seen."[122] In 2011, the game was included in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die.[123]
Metal Gear Solid 2 is often considered the first example of a postmodern video game,[4][5][6] and has often been cited as a primary example of artistic expression in video games.[4][6][7][8] In his paper How Videogames Express Ideas, Matthew Weise of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology described Sons of Liberty as "perhaps the most vivid example of a game that uses tension between different levels of player agency to fuel a multi-faceted ideological argument," noting Solidus Snake's suggestion of the United States being a "totalitarian regime of thought control" and pointing to the "very meta concept" of "how the designer’s imposed plan or path for the player maps to the tyrannical nature of the government," where, "like the player, Jack has no agency other than what his puppet masters give him."[7] In the book Joystick Soldiers: The Politics of Play in Military Video Games, Tanner Higgin examined the game's "resistant and subversive counter-history of military engagement," describing its "convoluted narrative and unconventional gameplay logics" as a "critique" of "the very networks of biopolitical and informational control that comprise the postmodern military, and posthumanity generally," and noting that it "purposefully manufactures frustration and negative affect" to "highlight the typically unexamined codes, conventions, and hidden pleasures of the military game genre."[124] Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com notes that "Metal Gear Solid 2 is a game built on misinformation" and that it "was simply too avant-garde—too clever—for its own good."[125]
In 2009, Wired included the game in its list of "The 15 Most Influential Games of the Decade" at #13, concluding that every "videogame story that subverts a player’s expectations owes a debt to the ground broken by Metal Gear Solid 2."[10] The artistic influence of Metal Gear Solid 2 can be seen in some later video games, such as Goichi Suda's similarly postmodern game Killer7,[5] the survival horror title Eternal Darkness, and particularly BioShock,[126] which featured a very similar plot twist to Metal Gear Solid 2.[127]
Several game mechanics developed in Metal Gear Solid 2, such as the cover system and laser sight mechanic, have since become staples of stealth games as well as shooters, including Kill Switch (2003), Resident Evil 4 (2005) and Gears of War (2006).[17][22] The early anticipation that surrounded Metal Gear Solid 2 since its E3 2000 demo has also been credited as a key factor in the PlayStation 2's best-selling success and dominance during the sixth console generation, as well as the demise of Sega's Dreamcast.[128]
The game's main theme song, composed by Tappy and Harry Gregson-Williams, was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which included the track in its Greatest Video Game Music album in 2011.[129] MGS2, along with its predecessor, will be featured in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's "The Art of Video Games" exhibition, taking place from 16 March to 30 September 2012.[130]
IDW Publishing published a 12-issue comic book adaptation from 2006 to 2007, titled Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty, illustrated by Ashley Wood (who also worked on the comic book adaptation of the previous game) and written by Alex Garner. This version deviates from the game, where many scenes involving Raiden are substituted with Snake.
A digital version of the comic, titled Metal Gear Solid 2: Bande Dessinée, was released on June 12, 2008 in Japan. Originally announced as a PlayStation Portable game, similar to the Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel, the digital comic was released as a DVD film instead. A fully voiced version of the graphic novel adaptation of the first Metal Gear Solid is featured as well.[131]
A novelization of the game written by Raymond Benson and published by Del Ray. The American paperback edition was published on November 24, 2009. The novel is almost completely faithful to the game, and a majority of the character interaction in the novel is taken verbatim from the Codec conversations in the game itself.
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