Colonel: Snake. We need you to infiltrate the compound and retrieve the package.
Snake: Roger. I'm in the compound and retrieving a package....Wait. Is that an exclamation point above that guys head?
Colonel: Snake, is everything alright?
Snake: I just made a stupid decision and now the entire compound is after me. But it's okay. I'm Snake. I got thi --static
Colonel: Snake, what's wrong? Snake? SNAAAAAAKE!
Welcome to Volume 4 of the best games ever made series. Here we're reminiscing on an old classic: Metal Gear Solid and its sequel Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. I actually played the second game first. I put it on my wishlist for Christmas and when I unwrapped it excitedly ripped off the sealed plastic to find.... that the disc had been removed and the package resealed (when I was older I would find out that this was a scam run by holiday warehouse workers - probably still is...).
Days later when I finally got my damn game (first world problems, right?), I plopped it in to be whisked away to a world of intrigue and conspiracy. The game was a tad unforgiving to newcomers, but there was never a point where you thought it was being unfair.
The game was absolutely gorgeous for a PlayStation 2 game, and the first section on the ship had me admiring the rain and lighting effects even as I put Snake through his paces by getting him killed continuously. I hadn't played the first game, so I didn't get the symmetry going on in the story line or anything like that, but I was still absolutely hooked. There was something so heart-pounding about having to sneak your way through instead of kicking down doors with guns blazing.
I mean, considering that's the whole game it's pretty impressive that it never really got old. Getting through a section always required stealth, but you had a lot of choice about how you employed that stealth. Would you tranquilize a guard and let them sleep it off in a locker? Would you merc them and dump them over a rail? You even had the choice to tranquilize the main bosses instead of killing them outright.
But, of course, there was a little bit of an issue when you switch characters relatively early in the game. Enter Raiden, one of the least liked characters in all gaming at the time of his release (I haven't played past MGS3, but I hear he gets cooler).
However, I cut the guy a little slack. He can't help it if he's totally emo (which makes sense when you find out about his history).
It wouldn't be until much later before I would finally play the original Metal Gear Solid. The question is: how did that experience stack up to the second?
Well, it obviously wasn't as pretty to look at. That being said, it was still a surprisingly elegant and beautiful games. The controls were incredibly smooth for a PlayStation 1 game. Of course, Snake was waaaay more likeable than Raiden and having a full game of him was pretty awesome.
The Metal Gear franchise is famous for having convoluted plotlines that read like a conspiracy nut's wet dream. However, in my opinion that's part of their charm. You really have to pay attention to understand what's happening. They're pretty close side by side, but the bad guys in the first game are pretty dang interesting.
So, who would win in a fight? MGS, or MGS2?
Snake: Colonel.
Colonel: Snake, what happened to Raiden?
Snake: I pimp-slapped him with a rolled up dirty magazine I found in a locker room.
Colonel: That's not the mission Snake... but well done.
Raiden: Yeah, I guess I am kind of annoying.
Not sure if that answers the question, but I do know one thing for sure: MGS and MGS2 are some of the best games ever made.
Follow: @jenkinrocket
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