@@WardenOfTerrabro what are you even talking about? Dude said it gives him chills and you deny that? Like how dumb is that🤦♂️ “Oh yeah I know how you feel better than you” is how you sound and it’s not very intelligent 💀
Completely went over my head. I always thought it felt weird that I could make someone who doesn't smoke develop a habit for smoking cigarettes even though I played MGS1 and I knew that's what they were for, in case I needed them later on in some laser segment that never really came.
The single fact, the game predicted the social media meta and AI involvement in 2004, before the big social media platforms were formed, makes it the craziest videogame of all times to me.
@@WardenOfTerra You can't correct someone whose statement was already correct & then tell them to educate themselves. AI philosophy could have been around since the 50's & MGS2 still could've predicted exactly what the original commenter said. The only way your comment makes sense is if somebody said "MGS2 was the founder of the idea of AI & social media". Predictions can use prior known philosophy, data, patterns etc. So essentially you need to chiggity check ya self before ya wreck ya self my brother in Christ.
Why do people keep acting like this is something bigger than what it actually is? All Kojima did was input discussions and ideas from japanese message boards from the 90s into his wild anime game.
It makes me so unbelievably happy that mgs2 gets appreciation these days for how good it is. It’s easily my favourite of the MGS games and favourite games of all time. Honestly I wish another game could capture the same type of atmosphere this game did because it’s so cool and I really cannot think of anything even vaguely similar
Ya boi Wrendale I completely agree. That’s why most of my nitpicks are just that we didn’t get to do enough in that environment. I really do wish we got to explore the big shell at the sea level that could’ve been a cool shootout segment having to cross the pontoons and take our guards and cyphers on your way to Emma,snake and Otacon.
@@VicerimusMortem when I was a kid. I remember Game Informer having user input on MGS 2 and everyone called the dialogue "crack head dialogue" and "Kojimas blabbering nonsense"
@Nero It took many years for sure. It's prophetic. I also, for no reason at all, wonder if those dudes from the user reviews on the game informer mags are still alive? It's been more than 20 years now.
MGS2 / Substance was THE most proohetic & thought provoking game of all times. Well, amongst with the similarly underrated "Invisible War" of Deus Ex universe.
13:45 - It's also worth pointing out that this game preceded most real-time physics engines. Meaning that all the stuff that could fall over after getting shot, ice melting in real time, the bags of flour leaking when they got shot, were all *manually animated*. It's an insane level of detail.
I know people like to say "Oh yea Raiden is cool because Cyborg Ninja" but I genuinely loved Raiden in 2. His appearance, voice, his dialogue. It is all perfectly encapsulating the themes of MGS2 and is one of the reasons Sons of Liberty is one of the best and most important video games ever made.
He is honestly my favorite protagonist in the franchise by a very slim margin(this game inparticular since he became kind of dull after)but he is very anime protagonist especially with his development thru the game so comparing him to snake i can understand why people hate him but his more relatability and just coming into his own badass makes him my favorite
Ha… ha… ha… meanwhile, smart ID gun prototypes have just been invented, everything in society is controlled on the digital level, and politics are just a cover for what is really going on… we all dance to The Patriots’ tune after all.
I mean the prophetic thing is really overstated, dystopian cyberpunk settings were doing this for decades, a major character in Ghost in the Shell was voiced by the Solid Snake voice actor.
DanFilmsLtd. Fatman is just priceless. I think that because you spend so much time diffusing the baby bombs it makes his character leave a larger impression. Even though he was only in game for the 5 minutes you fight him it felt like you were in some way taking him on during the entire disposal section. It’s like a very muted subversive boss fight. Kinda like the End, he’s barely in MGS3 but one of the most memorable parts because of ways you can deal with him and unique mechanics of the fight.....🙄 sorry didn’t mean to start writing another script lol
I'll agree with you on the other female deaths in MGS being "easy emotional gut-punches" but I think that The Boss' death was handled extremely well! The emotions that the player feels when, after she gets through with her dialogue, and the player has to physically pull the trigger their selves, it was all earned!
Yeah, the rest I get, but the Boss? She was built up the entire game, her death is the most important event in MGS3 and the main reason the rest of the series happens.
As a kid, the home screen art looked like that "sidekick" to me. As much as I loved Solid at the time. I was actually thrilled to play as this new person. His character design alone was enough for me. I love Raiden. MGR2 WILL happen. I'm officially speaking it into existence.
I would like that too, since I love Rising, but I doubt we'll see a sequel, it's been out for years now. It seemed set up to continue Raiden's story, though.
If the Internet can bring Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield into relevancy again, then maybe Fans can make Metal Gear Rising 2 a thing if they all keep up the Memes. :)
I played MGS2 for the 1st time when I had a fever and was delerious making the scene when Campbell is sending crazy codec messages all the more disturbing lol
I played the game late at night half sleeping but almost done. It was a pleasant school night until I heard Campbell telling me to shut my console. I actually believed him and went to sleep as soon as he said so...
I still don't like Raiden. The fact he just appears again in MGS4 as some uber bad ass without any explanation always felt like complete fan service to me.
I remember playing the MGS2 demo for hours and hours. Figuring out all the little nuances that the guards do. There are very few games that has as much effort put into AI guard behavior than the Metal Gear games.
It's just funny in the conversation too. Raiden feels so proud like he's phoenix wright solving a case, getting the link from his backstory and his name. And Snake just goes "....what the flying fuck are you talking about?! It's a slur because he was sleeping with a man you dumb bastard."
@North Georgia Rebel I'm 55 and "vamp" was used occasionally to refer to bi's. Vamp was also used as a nickname for a hot looking skank lady WAY back in the day (30's). That tag predates my generation quite a bit. I also grew up in a very rural area where such terminology stuck around longer. If I'd been born in the mid to late 70's or in a city I'd have probably never heard that word used for bi's (or sluts) myself.
11 year old me: haha he has 20 tranq darts in his face *takes in game photo* 32 year old me: This is a cyberpunk/milsci masterpiece that is lampooning the original game and players themselves at the same time.
@@kvltizt As a kid I loved shooting a guards radio, then sticking up and shooting a knee and an elbow from the opposite side, then putting my gun away and watching them run like an idiot lol
@Wanky Hank's Frankly Dank Spank Bank 👋 Or be aware of the world at large. I played it near release as a kid and MGS2 didn't feel like a prophecy, it felt like a mirror.
I never got the anger against MGS2 even back in the day. I think I read a Kojima interview in PSM magazine where he said something like "Characters can seem more badass if you're not the one controlling them" and little 14-year old me was like oh ok no wonder snake was infinitely cooler this time around MGS2 best MGS boiiiii
I honestly feel like that’s why they made that same move with Raiden in 4. Especially if they had rising planned to come out afterward. It would make sense to elevate the character before getting to play as them again
That's true i only can think of 3 games were the character you control is as cool in gameplay as in cutscenes since you can do pretty much everything they show in cutscenes in game. Which would be Devil may cry, Bayonetta and MG Rising funny enough.
@@PaperStarship Yeah I remember how during MGS2 fans people complained about having to play as Raiden instead of Snake, then for MGS4 they complained about only getting to play as (old) Snake and wanted Raiden to be playable too. The demand for Raiden was so huge that it lead to the development of Revengeance.
57:34 … on the subject of long scenes of dialogue, I get what you said about the developers not wanting to animate these scenes where people are just talking… It reminds me of the conversation between Solid Snake and Baker in MGS1, they way they got out of animating an entire conversation was to switch to stock footage of nuclear disposal stuff to kind of illustrate the conversation. I wish they would have done that more in MGS2.
What I like most about Raiden is that his personal journey is so compelling that ALL of his personal development and accomplishments resonate with us even in hindsight, despite how much the scale has shifted. Think about it: these days, he's a cyborg ninja so powerful that metal gears -- METAL GEARS, people -- are barely road bumps in his way. His best self in MGS2 was weaker than the lowest grunt he deals with in Revengeance, but we don't care. He's a character so deep that we don't need the "cool factor" to always be in play to justify our interest. It's like he could walk right out of the screen and into the real world, start his own boring life, and we'd still be interested in him simply for the person he is. Removed from all the circumstances we enjoy seeing/playing as him in, he'd still be Raiden and we'd still love him. That's some seriously good character writing. Kojima and company can create believable characters that seem real and relatable even in the midst of truly ridiculous anime-level nonsense, and that's something very special.
@@PaperStarship I played MGS2 once as a kid when I first got a collection of the games, felt basically the way everybody else did that the game was a disservice to the series, and didn't touch it for years. Eventually when I came back to it, a bit more mature myself, I was floored by how strongly it set the roots for future entries, in particular it lays the foundation for so many themes in MGS4. The AAA-grade cinematics with the ultimate in surrealist campy acting is unmistakable. In my opinion games that aged the best were those that focused on the small, creative details rather than necessarily going for photorealism.
@@NLynchOEcake I think it's also the fact that, at the time, the story was complete technobabble and jargon to most people. It's absolutely insane how well that aspect has aged, and how much less of a mess/mindfuck the story became after a decade or so. I have no idea if Kojima got lucky, or if he genuinely had a strong enough understanding to have the foresight related to data ownership, the effect of digital and social media on propaganda, echo chambers, and the ethical issues of using AI for information control... But it's worth bearing in mind that this game was written before Google became a verb, and 5-6 years before UA-cam existed.
When I bought this game in 2001 and got it home and started playing it, I thought to myself that games graphics had hit the pinnacle. They couldn’t possibly get any better lololol. I mean in 2001 it looked unbelievable
While people rant on Raiden of him complaining and disrespecting Snake and Hal, I never had a problem. I mean really, the guy was getting lied to every other second and felt horrible for being used by even his "allies". Not getting full details on info too that made things harder on him. You can't blame him for being upset every other second. You start to sympathize with him of what he's going through. EDIT: maybe it wasn't too bright though to try to pass the torch so fast though in terms of trying to connect audiences to the main character.
literally exactly what snake experienced at the end of MGS1, as well. It's perfect, Snake is Raiden's Grey Fox, but that moment makes you worry that Snake will be Raiden's Campbell, instead... and in a way, he was
Never understood the hatred of Raiden. Might have been because I started with Twin Snakes instead of MGS1 so I had a full MGS2 style game with Snake under my belt.
@@diegomedina9637 He was frankly kind of annoying in MGS2. I don't hate him but I really hate the fact that MGS4 introduces him again as some SUPER DUPER BAD ASS ANIME GUY JUST BECAUSE. He always felt like an intentionally OP character for the sake of cool points like One Punch Man or Superman. Using his barehands to literally flip a gigantic Metal Gear over his head in MGR? His character after MGS2 is just so over the top and forced, which I know is exactly what people love...but for me it's just lame. Especially since we never get any exposition or scenes to explain the change.
@@BknMoonStudios they’re both right. It’s cringe but it’s true. People are inclined to remember emotional associations with key identities such as people and media; they’ll judge them based on the “taste left in their mouth” even if they don’t actually remember why they hate/like something or someone
i played MGS2 when i was 11 and was probably the first game i finished all the way because i was so enthralled the story. the characters felt so real to me. The Otocon stepmom part threw me for a loop!
This game got a nuclear amount of hate when it first came out. I was alone among my friends who really liked it. In the years since they have all come around to agree with me that this game is not only a masterpiece but that its predictions about the information overload catastrophe of the 21st century are coming painfully true.
Yup you said it 👍Kojima called it big time how technology information will take over and fuck everybody up I mean with out getting to Biblical the good book 📖 also called that to of revelation arc but will you get what iam saying
The thing I liked about MGS2 was that it reminded me of Patlabor and a few other anime OVAs I was lucky enough to experience when I was young. Stories set a little further into the future that had a lot of interesting set pieces but had a very profound theme and a philosophy that was trying really hard to tell me something, so because I didn't understand it initially I came back to them when I was older.
MGS2 gave off so many feelings. The game just starts feeling creepy shortly after the harrier fight. The sun is setting, otacon's story was disturbing, Emma dying, snake "betraying" you... then everything after that. I felt so uneasy, and that weird out of place feeling is just... all over, but you have to keep pressing through
Honestly, after spending the last few weeks playing through Rising over and over, it’s nice seeing Raiden’s roots in the series again. Also nice to see someone with an actual positive look at the game, rather than just shitting on it nonstop
The latter half of the video blew my mind. The thing that's crazy to me is that the game predicted a lot of our digital age boom and how it would be used against us for the benefit of the government or those who seek to maintain a level of control. And hats off to Kojima because I can only assume that when this was all written it was based on examining human nature because the level at which the digital age has taken over is so much deeper now than when the game was released. Human beings really are very much creatures of habit and easy to manipulate and its kind of mind blowing how simple and effective the process can be.
I watched my brother play MGS1 and we both went to sleep crying when Sniper Wolf died. But MGS2 was the one that I beat on my own. You have to remember that this game came out not long after 9/11 so a lot of the themes became more relevant. By pure coincidence when I got to the end of the game, the sun in real time was also coming up so it felt very surreal that what I was playing was really happening around me. The ending monologue about the digital age has stuck with me to this day. Kojima hit the nail on the head.
shortboypinoy I had one of those moments with this game last year as I beat the game on April 30th on one of my playthroughs. It was a really cool surreal feeling
Your last line dude, "Kojima hit the nail on the head" Kojima is not the genius that people think he is, his co writer left after mgs3 and look at what happened with the series, and then look at what happens when he is in total control, you get "death stranding" eww
1:18:02 - Raiden and Vamp's rivalry may not have gotten much traction in mgs2 but it sure picked up in mgs4. Though he bested Vamp during their duel ontop Rex, it's a shame Raiden wasn't directly responsible for Vamp's death as a way of avenging Emma.
I'll never thank enough the guy who decided to put the documentary with the game. It really helped me understand what kojima was going for in terms of themes, narrative and deconstruction of metal gear solid 1. The spoon-fed explanation of "Snake isn't a main character anymore to show that he got his own destiny and can''t be manipulated by the player or the big bad, like raiden at the end of the game, when he looks at the name you gave him and throw it away" really makes you overcome the frustration of playing raiden. Metal gear solid protagonists are dumb, uninformed and manipulated because there's no plot twist otherwise, snake was as dumb as raiden but he just acted cool about it.
Half a million views, goddamn... Says a lot about how many people to this day still view this game as irreplaceable ❤️ Played it as a child, it shapes my life to this day and for decades to come.
I was born in 1999 very young only like 6 or 7 and this was my first MG game and one of the first games I’ve ever played my first being Ocarina Of Time, needless to say it’s shaped my expectations and standards on video games and even to this day very few match the quality, they really put their heart and soul into games and you can tell
Thank you👍 really glad you liked the video and appreciate the support. It was hard not to rush this vid out as I kept seeing mgs analysis vids coming out left and right m. I’m glad I took my time though and definitely look forward to doing more of these kinds of vids for other Kojima games and just games and movies in general that I love. There’s a few of my earlier vids I plan to go back and give this treatment.
I didn't have a favorite comic book hero. I had Solid Snake. MGS2 is by FAR my favorite. Visiting Federal Hall and seeing the George Washington statue made my hair stand up, and that was almost 20 years later.
Dominik Bos thanks man. Really appreciate it. Lol yeah when it comes to doin MGS retrospectives you just gotta day f**k it. It’ll be as long as it needs to be. Glad you enjoyed the video 👍🤙
One of my favorite youtube videos ever probably. Sheesh Sad part is, I don’t know anyone personally that I could recommend this entire video and they’d watch it all, this was great man. Hideo Kojima is the goat. Metal Gear Solid is easily a candidate for greatest gaming franchise / greatest story telling of all time
"Why does Solidus look so old?" "How was Solidus able to run for president if he's so young?" Bro you just answered your own question. The patriots designed him to age faster so they could install him as president. Great video by the way.
Jake Foley thanks man I appreciate it. And I didn’t even think of that, good point age him so he can look the proper age. It just didn’t make sense in terms of him being cloned the same year as liquid and solid but the patriots seem to know what they’re doing. I think I’m going to start calling stuff like that Kojima science lol
@@megamike15 As Saren would say: "The strengths of both, (Solid and Liquid) the weaknesses of neither." Technically incorrect since Solid is all good and Liquid is all bad, but any excuse to use that quote!!
The Raven Doll makes sense if you think about it. Nastasha wrote a book about shadow moses you can imagine all the bosses got described in detail. That Raven Doll is In the Darkness of Shadow Moses Merch
@@jonathancampbell5231 there were in fact people that sold stuff like that. also remember one of the most merchandised faces in America is Che Guevara. also remember that the foxhound unit was basically the equivalent of poking fun at GI joe villains.
@@jonathancampbell5231 Osama Bin Laden has featured in video Games. Same idea really in the MGS universe the shadow moses incident was featured in a book and toys were made about the characters
I'm currently playing through it, and I have to say, this game is truly a work of art. To me, it's one of those games that everyone should play at least once in their lifetime, it's just too damn good.
Also, this game is actually pretty relevant nowadays, which is all the more reason to play it. It eerily predicted the current state of the digital world. With us being constantly bombarded with propaganda & fake news, shadowbanning, information warfare/manipulation, echo chambers, etc. It's the age of information brought upon by unprecedented interconnectivity, yet we're more disinformed and divided than ever.
Nice, its one of the few MGS games I missed. I just got the Metal gear solid HD collection too. Plays great on the series X but I'm starting with Snake eater since technically the first one chronologically. The old controls take getting used to unfortunately.
MGS2 retrospectives are literally my favorite content on youtube, even tho it's hard for them to say something that hasn't been said before at this point. Still, good job!
@@willcotterill8598 i comprehend it. Wasn't very hard too. The issue isn't that tlou2 is too complicated. The issue is that its story is dumb, and more a less undoes the ending and story of the first game. Also revenge is bad in general is just a dumb message, thats been completely done to death. Which again goes against the tlou 1 which was about moral ambiguity. Where in this post apocalyptic world there isn't exactly right and wrong any more.
@@brendanpelkey120 Thank you for having a fucking brain. This game doesn’t take a genius to decipher. It’s all right there in front of you. A sequel that destroys all that came before is, by definition, not a good sequel. A good sequel expands the world of its predecessor, which is what MGS2 does perfectly. The fact that there’s even a comparison being made between MGS2 and TLOU2 sickens and baffles me.
@@cocob0l0 also Druckmann most likely believes he's Kojima 2.0 but he really only has all of Kojima's insanity and lack of decency, with none of his creativity or understanding of the world, with an added ego that just screams "I'm an absolute douchebag"
That Fight Club ost distracted me and sent me into nostalgia mode so much, I didn't listen to a single word you said, which was the part you put the most research behind.
I hated them the first time around and ended up skipping some of them. But then when I realised there were various ways that they tied into the game's final act and ending, I listened to all of them on every future playthrough. Sometimes you've gotta take the bad with the good so that you can fully understand and appreciate the good. Such an incredible game.
Quick point about Escape From LA, and the "1997 CGI shot" Kurt Russell actually did that shot in real life, he's a talented basketball player and make the shot after a few attempts.
That’s pretty awesome, definitely would t have guess that.I don’t know what it is about that shot though it just has that bad cgi look for whatever reason
My girlfriend played MGS2 for the firs time today ! She just fished the tanker level, one thing I noticed is the beautiful level design of the tanker. As a veteran I never go the "intended" route where otacon gives you the optional codec to open the door. However I noticed she wound up going that way without any prompting. Once Inside the next room, the guard on the top prompts you to go that way, leading you upstairs. Next the camera points you in the direction to go afterwards. There are more examples but you get the jist. The natural design of the levels are what walk you through the mechanics of the game, without forcing quick time events or forced button prompts. You are led down a path unknowingly, but if you do know where to go you don't have to follow it. Which speaks volumes for MGS2. The tutorial level of this game is better than most modern titles.
Each cutscene is embedded in my mind and I've honestly never had an experince like it before when I played it as a teen. This and Final Fantasy X where some of the first games that I forgot about gameplay and was completely immersed in the worlds and characters the teams of astounding artists had created ❤
Every single time I'm more convinced that Kojima never aims to be praised on release but instead to achieve cult status with his games, emulating movies he borrows from for his games. He wants his games to be the Blade Runners of videogames.
Either way guys I have to admire his passion to make great warez. He flew all over the world looking for "latest tech" for Death Stranding and it was 3-4 years before released. I haven't even got to play that yet but fuck everyone who says it is shitty. They don't have a brain.
@@PaperStarship Almost the entire internet is a wild west. Some places, like Facebook, are Warzones. Maybe we had more peace in the real wild west since the reality wasn't like the movies.
imo, this is the best game of all time. Everything about it amazing. Both the story and the gameplay have SO many layers to it. This game is fine wine.
My dad always had a knack for having friends that olayed some cool video games. His friend left it over and I beat it. My dad was more into splinter cell (still a boss series) but I like both. Beat it so many times as a kid. I remember being on a break in school and beating it in a day. Got up at like 6 or 7 and just binged the whole game. Beat it before 11pm. Still own the copy he left. Then later in life ... A friend of mine found snake eater in the bathroom of school. Sitting on the back of a toilet tank. He didn't have a ps2 so he gave it to me. Crazy. My first mgs was 2 as well. Still have yet to play 1 or 4 or 5
This was my first ever metal gear after falling in love with Snake in Smash Bros. I didn't know WHAT game he was from. And my dad got me MGS2. I was 12. I beat the game in 3 days, never hopping off, because I had no memory card. I got to the ending scene, and I broke out into tears after going through this mind fuck. I had to walk downstairs, hug my dad, and tell him how much I love him, due to the ending speeches. It changed my life from there on, and how I look at..... everything....
I remember running downstairs and being like "Metal Gear Solid is the game with SNAKE?????" and I could not stop playing it. I was so confused at the plant chapter, and then I saw that cutie Raiden.... I also fell in love with him, but I was absolutely..... Dumbfounded? Like the commenters said, I didn't feel betrayed, but I felt scared, it being my first game. I felt a true connection with him, as we both grew through the mission.....
@@MoosenOggen4343Awesome story brother, thanks for sharing! I absolutely love this game. I remember getting home from primary school and disregarding every bit of homework and obligations to absorb every single bit of this game I could possibly get before bed time! The dialogue, the art style, music and not to mention the real world implications this game has are all the pinnacle of gaming in my opinion. It’s simultaneously serious topics yet somehow feels like it doesn’t take itself too seriously and I absolutely adore it for it. I hold this game in the highest regards all these years later, glad, yet sad to see this game age like fine wine all these years later.
@@GoobHak absolutely man, it's crazy how fantastic it was and still is, especially with all the implications of how America would use its media 20 years after its release.... true art imo! :)
Metal Gear Solid 2 was my first one and I literally knew nothing about the series beforehand, except that I had the MGS1 disk from a garage sale but ONLY the VR Missions worked and those were fun. When we switched from Snake to Raiden I was just like "Oh, I guess this is what the series does" and went with it. It was great as my first MGS2. I remember being so scared in the Big Shell, not yet knowing how to play the game properly and the rush of being caught by guards and trying to get away. Also with the glitchy codec calls at the end I legitimately thought it wanted me to turn off the PS2 because I had been playing for such a long length of time at that point. I saved and quit and immediately started the game back up to see if the calls would stop. I don't remember how it felt watching the last bunch of cutscenes - I was probably just very confused - but since then I've spent so much time with the Metal Gear series, and I beat MGS2 over and over and over on all the difficulties back then. One of my favorite games ever.
isn't the point of ocelot's crazy based on MGS3 and V that he is basically in love with big boss and wants to overthrow the fuckers that did him dirty. Probably more to it than that but i'm fairly certain its something along those lines.
Pretty much Also I think Liquids hand taking over his conscience was all done by Ocelot. He hypnotized himself so many to make himself think so much it’s actually badass how much he put himself through, for Big Boss
@@TreeFiddyBandit after mgs3 the series is null and void and mgs4 ruined already established characters and concepts and anything else after that again is just beating a dead horse, though V in terms of gameplay in is good and honestly, after 3 they should of just done big boss creating outerheaven and then lead that into a metal gear and metal gear 2 remake
@@jcdenton6575 I disagree. That would have left way too much of a gap. A gap of nearly 30 something years or whatever. So much can change during that time.
@@jcdenton6575 The fact that MGS4 explains all the cool paranormal stuff with nano machines make me want Kojima to retcon stuff. They could have taken Vamp out better too
For me, Raiden was always cool. Looking back at it, I agree with Kojima that his inclusion was necessary. Without him, we also wouldn't have MGR, which, despite being memed a lot, is a really excellent game in its own right.
This is one of the first games I've ever fallen in love with. I remember being a kid, and being obsessed with MGS2. I don't think I've ever beaten any other game as many times as I have with this one. I was content to just replay and re experience this story over and over, listening to every codec call and watching every cut scene. Thank you for sharing this deep dive into what is truly a masterpiece in gaming.
My favorite part about MGS2 might unironically be the instruction manual that's just literally a short manga that explains the basics in the coolest way i've ever seen. I was honesty flabbergasted when I first opened the manual and saw cool pictures instead of plain text.
In my humble opinion i think mgs2 is the best in the series. After I completed all the VR missions I really understood the game mechanics in and out completely. And i just think it is such a smooth and responsive game for the time. God I'm having war flashbacks to fighting the tengu alonside snake on extreme difficulty.
My reading into fatman is much more literal. "Fatman" was the bomb dropped over Nagasaki during world war 2. Basically him yearning to be remembered for generations is a parallel to the aftermath of Fatman is remembered generations later.
Thanks for making this video. MGS2 will forever be held in the hearts of the fortunate youth who were able to play it as they grew up in our age of Surveillance Capitalism.
One thing that's very interesting that you didn't mention is how many changes there are between difficulties. The speed at which the guards walk over to you when you're just outside their field of view, how many more C4 control panels you have to snipe requiring you to use stand on your tiptoes, Fatman's bombs being placed in weird locations...
R Lou that’s because I like I say a few times in the vid I’m as the definition of average gamer so I almost always play games on just the normal difficulty. I had no idea about guard speeds changing or elements like that. That is really interesting though. I’ve gotten a taste of the bombs being in weird spots from playing the bomb disposal vr missions in Substance and yeah those can be a pain in the ass lol. Thanks for that info though, I never would’ve known otherwise
Colonel Campbell and rose are patriots AI from arsenal gear. The virus emma created caused the AI on arsenal to glitch massively which caused those weird codec calls from Campbell during arsenal gear
What a video. I was in the odd percentage of those who played 2 before 1, and even more so one of the people who initially liked Raiden and I have to say, the raw emotion this game invokes in people is truly captured in this description. The video was over before i could notice it. This video, along with MGS2, is a masterpiece.
I will say that when I saw the title, I thought this was Steak Bentley. While it wasn't as good as his, I will say that I liked it and was not disappointed. I also really like what you do with the thumbnails for your video. Keep up the good work.
I had a conversation at work about MGS2 tonight and it gave me the urge to rewatch this. Something he said jogged my memory and made me remember what it was like playing this game back in 2002. Modern graphics have improved so much that it’s hard to see things from the perspective of the graphical standards of the time. Watching/playing the Olga fight now people aren’t really going to be impressed but when I played this game at launch it was mind-blowing and all of my friends felt the same way. I was already just genuinely blown away by the entire game so far, but that moment really stuck out to me unlike anything else. The weather effects throughout the fight paired with the spotlight and the tarp coming loose and blowing in the wind were unlike anything we had ever seen in a game before. It’s also notable that it’s all happening in real-time. It was just so unbelievable. I may be reading too deeply into it, but I always felt like the fight was made intentionally simplistic specifically so people would either notice how good it looks with all of the effects going on or so people (back then) would still be able to do well while they were picking their jaws up off the floor. It still looks amazing today. The level of interaction with the environment was also something that hadn’t been done much before, and especially not to that degree. I only wish they had placed more focus on things like the shadows, wet footprints, etc. instead of being able to completely ignore it for the most part.
On the subject of the name "Dead Cell", "Red Cell" was an IRL unit founded by a former SEAL Team dude to "test unit awareness and readiness". It got a little out of hand and was ultimately abolished.
I thoroughly enjoyed this as a long-time MGS fan. Not only the in-depth explanation of the game itself, but the way you can turn a phrase, provide behind-the-scene info, insightful criticism and viewpoints, etc., make this entertaining. Will definitely check out your other stuff... Bravo!!
I remember playing this game at the same time as a friend of mine, and I was constantly talking about how everything was a rehash of MGS. The elevator, Dead Cell, the fighter jet fight, the ninja, the codec frequencies. I was impressed that even as a 14 year old I was able to tell the difference between a regular sequel doing more of the same and a deliberate attempt by the developers to make you feel like you're doing the same thing all over again in a slightly remixed way.
As someone who grew up alongside this franchise, I just wanted to thank you for this love letter. I find it interesting that everyone complains about this game, yet, they are referencing a character made on screen of a PS1 game versus....two other games that came out prior to it. Seeing the evolution of Kojima and him coming into his own as what I would rarely call an auteur, was amazing as a kid. Raiden isn't getting 'punked' -- it was my first lesson in subversion, and in retrospect (as this is a retrospect) was a clear path to his and his team's intention of creating something unique. I put it up there with something like Twin Peaks, which was also a vivid memory of that time coming out juxtaposed to something like the X-Files. Sometimes, you just gotta get weird with it. Way weird. And that hasn't stopped yet in his psychedelic rocket of media.
I think Raiden is so dope because his lack of experience was the same as mine with the metal gear series. I too had started with MGS2. I still had the "what the fuck" moment when I started playing as him, because I knew that snake was the badass main character. I was pissed off at the start but then it suddenly came to me one night that Raiden is the player, or that the player is Raiden. At the start of the game we see Raiden as weak and unexperienced, but as the story progresses I found myself more confident in my playing, and saw that similarly reflecting in Raiden. I was getting experienced alongside Raiden. Fucking big brain... Me coming to this realization made my jaw drop and I had a breaking of the fourth wall holy shit moment. I have been hooked on the series ever since. Way to go Kojima. You got me. ;)
I think the raven doll fake out was really clever because it forshadows (literally) that not everything in the game is how it seems. The shadow is an iilusion, just as big shell is an iilusion.
Wow I'm blown away by the breakdown. To think with introspection, I was introduced to Metal Gear rather late. Like a year before MGSV late. My old friend wanted me to play MGS2 first but I fell out of love with it because ALL my life I've only seen Snake. It's weird how "defied" he was and I never even played MGS. My first siting of Snake was through Smash Brawl and he was my favorite character considering he had this big ass grenade launcher and was going toe to toe to some of gaming's most absurd Characters. Ironically it was the memetic concept of what Snake stood for by fans that made me latch on like a baby to that essence and I opted to play through the entire Big Boss Saga first before even touching MGS2 again after all these years. But after the essay, beating Rising yesterday, and reading up a lot of philosophy... I've reconciled happily. Raiden was dynamic in his own right to be a totally changed person and it's well beyond "whining". The dude was a badass from the get go but we failed to see it. He impressed Snake. Destroyed multiple Metal Gears on his first mission. Was the first character to take the mantel of the greyfox (the "boba fett" of gaming). That and he had a chance to make the silliest but coolest hack n slashes made by a third party studio. That's the meme of Raiden and for that I'm glad to have a chance to play MGS2 again. Edited for clarity
One thing that's missing from this video is how different the game is on higher difficulty. Everything is in different locations and it really changes how the game is played. I get this is more as a retrospective but still, would've been worth mentioning.
Btw: nanomachines being basically telepathy is actually not that far-fetched. Non-verbal communication is absolutely something that we believe is possible to achieve with implants, I don't know how "magic" it was seen by scientists at the time when the game released, but today it's not unrealistic. I agree it was probably also to save work on animated cutscenes, but using nanomachines to talk does seem like the smart move especially in that scene since you could easilly be overheard.
31:25 Bad af take dude. People weren't mad you couldn't play as Joel, in TLoU2 - they were mad that a new unknown character killed a infinitly more likeable one. It'd be like if Raiden shot snake then cut off his limbs in front of Otacon at the start of MGS2 and spit on his corpse.
@@Ruben1994OL how do you spoil that games story? You're saving people from needing to play it! Lol sorry. Also, I'd say only buy it if you like exploration and gameplay. That's what the game has of value.
@@Ruben1994OL ah save your money and your time for something worthwhile. that game's legacy is nothing more than 4chan photoshop memes anyways, and also probably gonna get a GOTY award it doesn't deserve in the slightest
Here’s the Table of Contents guys. Couldn’t fit in the description.
0:30 - Intro
3:30 - Opening
4:10 - Hype/ Development
8:06 - Tanker Incident ( Infiltration/ New Mechanics/ Environment/Meeting Olga/ The Holds)
21:39 - Attack On Metal Gear
24:19 - Tanker Conclusion
26:04 - Big Shell of Lies
30:33 - What’s A Raiden? ( Raiden/ Struts/ Meeting Vamp)
37:40 - The Name’s Snake but Call Me Pliskin (Meeting Snake/ Meeting Fortune)
45:01 - Kangaroo Notebook
46:42 - Bomb Disposal
51:04 - Vaudeville Villain ( Fatman)
54:40 - Ninja/ Disguise/ Ames
59:36 - The Other Other Snake ( Solidus)
1:03:33 - Allies/ Shell 2/ The President
1:08:44 - Vamp’d Up
1:11:50 - The 7 Sins of Escorting Emma
1:22:21 - Intermission/ Arsenal Intro
1:23:35 - Naked and Afraid
1:25:26 - Solid Satire (MGS2/ Escape From LA)
1:29:53 - More Naked Raiden ( Nude Stealth/Reality Crumbles)
1:33:42 - Slice and Dice
1:36:52 - Subsequent Substance
1:40:09 - VR Trooper ( Ray Battle/ S3/ VR Theory/ Olga&Fortune)
1:51:21 - Liquid Ocelotta Bullshit
1:56:28 - Arsenal Crash: Solidus Motives
2:00:32 - Theme of Meme
2:09:39 - Final Fight/ Pep talk Snake
2:13:34 - Experiential Bond ( Fan Experience)
2:17:25 - Wrap Up/ Rose/ To the Future
2:19:50 - Deified Snake
2:21:26 - Ridin with Raiden
2:24:22 - The Real Big Boss ( Kojima)
2:25:30 - Snakes Speech/ Fragile Bridges
2:28:02 - Road to Retcon Hell/MGS2 Legacy
2:30:45 - Conclusion
Awesome. If you add this to the description, it will actually add the chapters on the video timeline itself.
Kurashu I actually tried but with everything else in the description the table of contents put me over the 5000 word count for description 😂
@@PaperStarship Ah damn! Well, thanks for the pinned chapters then! ;)
Kurashu no prob. I know vids like this are daunting in one sitting so I tried to make it easier to just jump back in where you stopped
What’s the song from Slice and Dice? ( 1:33:42 )
"I first thought Kojima was kidding, then I realized he was serious." seems to be quite the common occurence.
I've a feeling "I thought he was kidding" is an oft spoken phrase among Kojima's dev team.
That last codec line always sends chills down my spine “our beloved monsters, enjoy yourselves”
No it doesn't.
@@WardenOfTerra having fun commenting on everyones comments?
@@WardenOfTerrabro what are you even talking about? Dude said it gives him chills and you deny that? Like how dumb is that🤦♂️
“Oh yeah I know how you feel better than you” is how you sound and it’s not very intelligent 💀
@@WardenOfTerrayes it does actually clown
@@WardenOfTerraidiot
Snake giving Raiden his cigarettes is a literal metaphor for passing the torch. Didnt realize that until now
And the 45. Damn that’s deep. I played this game so many times and never saw that till now.
@Adnan Yusuf did you said nerd?
@@jackraiden1499 not nerd, node.
Completely went over my head. I always thought it felt weird that I could make someone who doesn't smoke develop a habit for smoking cigarettes even though I played MGS1 and I knew that's what they were for, in case I needed them later on in some laser segment that never really came.
Raiden is gay
I'm glad you included the best line in the game. "A DUD"
I originally forgot it and someone mentioned it in a Facebook group and I was like I absolutely have to add that line lol it’s a classic
@@PaperStarship was it FoxHound? Hahahaha
@@PaperStarship Bruh can we get a timestamp in the pinned comment for this legendary line?
@@scottypittman1 43:40
damn dude, i mother freaking hate duds
The single fact, the game predicted the social media meta and AI involvement in 2004, before the big social media platforms were formed, makes it the craziest videogame of all times to me.
Predicted? It's literal philosophy that's been around since way before MGS2. You should really educate yourself.
Just wanna remind you my guy that MGS2 released even earlier in 2001. That's 20 year old prediction that became true.
@@WardenOfTerra You can't correct someone whose statement was already correct & then tell them to educate themselves. AI philosophy could have been around since the 50's & MGS2 still could've predicted exactly what the original commenter said. The only way your comment makes sense is if somebody said "MGS2 was the founder of the idea of AI & social media". Predictions can use prior known philosophy, data, patterns etc. So essentially you need to chiggity check ya self before ya wreck ya self my brother in Christ.
@@WardenOfTerra is it so wrong for modern generations to still getting to learn about it from another source???
Why do people keep acting like this is something bigger than what it actually is? All Kojima did was input discussions and ideas from japanese message boards from the 90s into his wild anime game.
It makes me so unbelievably happy that mgs2 gets appreciation these days for how good it is. It’s easily my favourite of the MGS games and favourite games of all time. Honestly I wish another game could capture the same type of atmosphere this game did because it’s so cool and I really cannot think of anything even vaguely similar
Ya boi Wrendale I completely agree. That’s why most of my nitpicks are just that we didn’t get to do enough in that environment. I really do wish we got to explore the big shell at the sea level that could’ve been a cool shootout segment having to cross the pontoons and take our guards and cyphers on your way to Emma,snake and Otacon.
It’s by far the most well paced of the MGS games. Never a lull. I think I’ve played MGS2 through more than any other of them.
fuckin loved it in 03 when i first got it
It's by far the best game in it's time and holds up to current. They make a PC version too (if that's not the one he's playing).
It’s been my favorite game of all time since playing it at 9 years old
Playing in 2001: Holy crap this game is good!
Playing in 2022: Holy fuck this game predicted our future
More like: Holy shit are we *THIS* predictable?
@@VicerimusMortem when I was a kid. I remember Game Informer having user input on MGS 2 and everyone called the dialogue "crack head dialogue" and "Kojimas blabbering nonsense"
@Nero It took many years for sure. It's prophetic.
I also, for no reason at all, wonder if those dudes from the user reviews on the game informer mags are still alive? It's been more than 20 years now.
@@daoyang223proof, that most people are not even worth an ounce of oxygen wasted on them.
MGS2 / Substance was THE most proohetic & thought provoking game of all times. Well, amongst with the similarly underrated "Invisible War" of Deus Ex universe.
13:45 - It's also worth pointing out that this game preceded most real-time physics engines. Meaning that all the stuff that could fall over after getting shot, ice melting in real time, the bags of flour leaking when they got shot, were all *manually animated*. It's an insane level of detail.
The soldiers did ragdoll, so pretty sure that it had a physics engine
@@SnapThorityjust like your face
@@SnapThorityNaw they didnt.
Also the fish tanks leak to the level to put holes in them at
"I hate water. It's wet and cold, and it gets everywhere."
- Emma
So I know two people who hate the beach
IM ANAKIN! I hate you, your whiny, and you make my mind so frustrated it goes everywhere.
- Raiden
@@presidentraiden9203 You okay bro ?
2 people who hate the beach?
Claude Speed and Tommy Vercetti
@@benja-tp1sp my guy
I know people like to say "Oh yea Raiden is cool because Cyborg Ninja" but I genuinely loved Raiden in 2. His appearance, voice, his dialogue. It is all perfectly encapsulating the themes of MGS2 and is one of the reasons Sons of Liberty is one of the best and most important video games ever made.
People don’t hate him as much as they pretend to.
I love how Raiden during MGS2 was basically the most uncool cool guy ever. He really wasn't cool at all xD But we loved him for it
He is honestly my favorite protagonist in the franchise by a very slim margin(this game inparticular since he became kind of dull after)but he is very anime protagonist especially with his development thru the game so comparing him to snake i can understand why people hate him but his more relatability and just coming into his own badass makes him my favorite
...said noone ever.
@@WardenOfTerra my man can not comprehend people liking a game he doesnt
How hilarious would it be if Kojima predicted our future by complete accident and was just as suprised as everyone else
Ha… ha… ha… meanwhile, smart ID gun prototypes have just been invented, everything in society is controlled on the digital level, and politics are just a cover for what is really going on… we all dance to The Patriots’ tune after all.
I mean the prophetic thing is really overstated, dystopian cyberpunk settings were doing this for decades, a major character in Ghost in the Shell was voiced by the Solid Snake voice actor.
I am a female and as a kid I initially was interested in MGS2 because my cousin was playing and I thought Raiden was pretty. #itworked
Unlike Snake who was an ugly weirdo creep!
@@robertforster8984
Excuse me
He's pretty and no one shouts "FREEZE!!!" like he does.
plus his haircut is 𝓕 𝓐 𝓑 𝓤 𝓛 𝓞 𝓤 𝓢
Hi female , I’m dad
I am a male.
Fatman building an atomic bomb when he was a kid was honestly the most hilarious part about this game for me.
DanFilmsLtd. Fatman is just priceless. I think that because you spend so much time diffusing the baby bombs it makes his character leave a larger impression. Even though he was only in game for the 5 minutes you fight him it felt like you were in some way taking him on during the entire disposal section. It’s like a very muted subversive boss fight. Kinda like the End, he’s barely in MGS3 but one of the most memorable parts because of ways you can deal with him and unique mechanics of the fight.....🙄 sorry didn’t mean to start writing another script lol
Im laughing out loud lmfao
laugh and grow fat
Lol the rollerskating with a martini did it for me.
I bet the story came from people who made nuclear reactors at their parents home like Michio Kaku
I'll agree with you on the other female deaths in MGS being "easy emotional gut-punches" but I think that The Boss' death was handled extremely well! The emotions that the player feels when, after she gets through with her dialogue, and the player has to physically pull the trigger their selves, it was all earned!
I could never really sympathize with Snake because he kills Sniper Wolf... Boss is sad but not THAT MUCH.
@@KasumiRINA She tells him to kill her….
I can't help but salute EVERYTIME I pull the trigger and then again when Big Boss goes to her grave.
I mean if you wait like a minute the game just shoots her for you
Yeah, the rest I get, but the Boss? She was built up the entire game, her death is the most important event in MGS3 and the main reason the rest of the series happens.
As a kid, the home screen art looked like that "sidekick" to me. As much as I loved Solid at the time. I was actually thrilled to play as this new person. His character design alone was enough for me. I love Raiden. MGR2 WILL happen. I'm officially speaking it into existence.
I would like that too, since I love Rising, but I doubt we'll see a sequel, it's been out for years now. It seemed set up to continue Raiden's story, though.
If the Internet can bring Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield into relevancy again, then maybe Fans can make Metal Gear Rising 2 a thing if they all keep up the Memes. :)
Amen
@@ChanceTM as a time traveler, this comment has aged poorly.
@Scott Trainer yeah Mortal Kombat is gay
I played MGS2 for the 1st time when I had a fever and was delerious making the scene when Campbell is sending crazy codec messages all the more disturbing lol
wtf are you me? I completed this game through a bout of the flu, the game is so good. Played it multiple times.
I played the game late at night half sleeping but almost done. It was a pleasant school night until I heard Campbell telling me to shut my console. I actually believed him and went to sleep as soon as he said so...
lmfao me too
@@hopelessent.1700 Lmao, shit is hilarious, scared me so much. Man games aren't the same anymore. Not even once someone tried.
WTF that was my experience dude !!
From effeminate, whining kid to badass cyborg ninja is honestly the best goddamn character arc.
Thank you, Paper Starship, for the heart! Didn’t expect anyone to read my comment, lol.
He’s still effeminate as a cyborg, which is even more based
Cutting through everyone in heels is unmatched
@@LunaLinkleHe's cutting through people using his heels, too! What a badass.
In the Japanese version, he sounds more professional and more masculine
I still don't like Raiden. The fact he just appears again in MGS4 as some uber bad ass without any explanation always felt like complete fan service to me.
I remember playing the MGS2 demo for hours and hours. Figuring out all the little nuances that the guards do. There are very few games that has as much effort put into AI guard behavior than the Metal Gear games.
AI, physics, Easter eggs, tiny nuances and mechanics that have 0 reason for as much work as they put in it for the time and it created masterpiece
yeh the demo was better than the dog shit game.
@@eddjordan2399 you are exactly the reason MGS2 was made.
"If you are going to shoot me then shoot me.
Point gun at balls
Moooooo"
Funny how Vamp isn’t called Vamp because he behaves like a vampire, but because he is bisexual
That's what I thought. Thank you ❤️
It's just funny in the conversation too. Raiden feels so proud like he's phoenix wright solving a case, getting the link from his backstory and his name. And Snake just goes "....what the flying fuck are you talking about?! It's a slur because he was sleeping with a man you dumb bastard."
I have never heard the term Vamp associated with bisexual people before
@@ThisisKyle You must be relatively young.
@North Georgia Rebel I'm 55 and "vamp" was used occasionally to refer to bi's. Vamp was also used as a nickname for a hot looking skank lady WAY back in the day (30's). That tag predates my generation quite a bit.
I also grew up in a very rural area where such terminology stuck around longer. If I'd been born in the mid to late 70's or in a city I'd have probably never heard that word used for bi's (or sluts) myself.
“Colonel I have Emma Emrich here. We’ve managed to avoid drowning!” Out of all the lines in this series that one gets me literally every single time 😂
Dude same the way he says it is so goofy 💀
98% percent of this game went over my head when I played it as a kid.
I'm 36 and still don't get it at all.
@@realJimMarshall 😂
11 year old me: haha he has 20 tranq darts in his face *takes in game photo*
32 year old me: This is a cyberpunk/milsci masterpiece that is lampooning the original game and players themselves at the same time.
@@kvltizt As a kid I loved shooting a guards radio, then sticking up and shooting a knee and an elbow from the opposite side, then putting my gun away and watching them run like an idiot lol
@Wanky Hank's Frankly Dank Spank Bank 👋 Or be aware of the world at large. I played it near release as a kid and MGS2 didn't feel like a prophecy, it felt like a mirror.
I never got the anger against MGS2 even back in the day.
I think I read a Kojima interview in PSM magazine where he said something like "Characters can seem more badass if you're not the one controlling them" and little 14-year old me was like oh ok no wonder snake was infinitely cooler this time around
MGS2 best MGS boiiiii
I honestly feel like that’s why they made that same move with Raiden in 4. Especially if they had rising planned to come out afterward. It would make sense to elevate the character before getting to play as them again
THIS. Teaming up with Snake made him cooler than playing as him!
PSM was the best!!
That's true i only can think of 3 games were the character you control is as cool in gameplay as in cutscenes since you can do pretty much everything they show in cutscenes in game. Which would be Devil may cry, Bayonetta and MG Rising funny enough.
@@PaperStarship Yeah I remember how during MGS2 fans people complained about having to play as Raiden instead of Snake, then for MGS4 they complained about only getting to play as (old) Snake and wanted Raiden to be playable too. The demand for Raiden was so huge that it lead to the development of Revengeance.
57:34 … on the subject of long scenes of dialogue, I get what you said about the developers not wanting to animate these scenes where people are just talking… It reminds me of the conversation between Solid Snake and Baker in MGS1, they way they got out of animating an entire conversation was to switch to stock footage of nuclear disposal stuff to kind of illustrate the conversation. I wish they would have done that more in MGS2.
What I like most about Raiden is that his personal journey is so compelling that ALL of his personal development and accomplishments resonate with us even in hindsight, despite how much the scale has shifted. Think about it: these days, he's a cyborg ninja so powerful that metal gears -- METAL GEARS, people -- are barely road bumps in his way. His best self in MGS2 was weaker than the lowest grunt he deals with in Revengeance, but we don't care. He's a character so deep that we don't need the "cool factor" to always be in play to justify our interest. It's like he could walk right out of the screen and into the real world, start his own boring life, and we'd still be interested in him simply for the person he is. Removed from all the circumstances we enjoy seeing/playing as him in, he'd still be Raiden and we'd still love him. That's some seriously good character writing. Kojima and company can create believable characters that seem real and relatable even in the midst of truly ridiculous anime-level nonsense, and that's something very special.
Yeah, you put into words my thoughts. Love Raiden. He's a great co-protagonist.
Totally~!
The graphics are low key still kinda good on mgs2 even nowadays 😂
You’re not wrong. For 20 years old those graphics are solid……..I’m not even sure if that pun was intended lol
@@PaperStarship I played MGS2 once as a kid when I first got a collection of the games, felt basically the way everybody else did that the game was a disservice to the series, and didn't touch it for years. Eventually when I came back to it, a bit more mature myself, I was floored by how strongly it set the roots for future entries, in particular it lays the foundation for so many themes in MGS4. The AAA-grade cinematics with the ultimate in surrealist campy acting is unmistakable. In my opinion games that aged the best were those that focused on the small, creative details rather than necessarily going for photorealism.
@@NLynchOEcake I think it's also the fact that, at the time, the story was complete technobabble and jargon to most people. It's absolutely insane how well that aspect has aged, and how much less of a mess/mindfuck the story became after a decade or so.
I have no idea if Kojima got lucky, or if he genuinely had a strong enough understanding to have the foresight related to data ownership, the effect of digital and social media on propaganda, echo chambers, and the ethical issues of using AI for information control... But it's worth bearing in mind that this game was written before Google became a verb, and 5-6 years before UA-cam existed.
When I bought this game in 2001 and got it home and started playing it, I thought to myself that games graphics had hit the pinnacle. They couldn’t possibly get any better lololol. I mean in 2001 it looked unbelievable
@@leerobbo92 Raiden go brrrrr
While people rant on Raiden of him complaining and disrespecting Snake and Hal, I never had a problem. I mean really, the guy was getting lied to every other second and felt horrible for being used by even his "allies". Not getting full details on info too that made things harder on him.
You can't blame him for being upset every other second. You start to sympathize with him of what he's going through. EDIT: maybe it wasn't too bright though to try to pass the torch so fast though in terms of trying to connect audiences to the main character.
literally exactly what snake experienced at the end of MGS1, as well. It's perfect, Snake is Raiden's Grey Fox, but that moment makes you worry that Snake will be Raiden's Campbell, instead... and in a way, he was
Never understood the hatred of Raiden. Might have been because I started with Twin Snakes instead of MGS1 so I had a full MGS2 style game with Snake under my belt.
@@diegomedina9637 He was frankly kind of annoying in MGS2. I don't hate him but I really hate the fact that MGS4 introduces him again as some SUPER DUPER BAD ASS ANIME GUY JUST BECAUSE. He always felt like an intentionally OP character for the sake of cool points like One Punch Man or Superman. Using his barehands to literally flip a gigantic Metal Gear over his head in MGR? His character after MGS2 is just so over the top and forced, which I know is exactly what people love...but for me it's just lame. Especially since we never get any exposition or scenes to explain the change.
@@salmon_wine bingo! I was just playing 1 again and started saying the same.
I just love that Carpenter didn't pursue legal action because Kojima was nice to him. Life lessons right there for you.
Aye people rarely remember what you said or did, but they remember how you made them feel 🧐☝️
@@CursedWheelieBin cringe
@@neo-filthyfrank1347 Nobody loves you. Not even your pets.
@@neo-filthyfrank1347 cringe but he’s right
@@BknMoonStudios they’re both right. It’s cringe but it’s true. People are inclined to remember emotional associations with key identities such as people and media; they’ll judge them based on the “taste left in their mouth” even if they don’t actually remember why they hate/like something or someone
Solid Snake: I don't remember saying I was on your side!
Solid Snake 1 hr before: Raiden I'm on your side!!
Snake has bad memory? He could very well still be telling the truth.
@@theerealatm he did forget he and Liquid weren't 100 percent DNA matches for Big Boss
i played MGS2 when i was 11 and was probably the first game i finished all the way because i was so enthralled the story. the characters felt so real to me. The Otocon stepmom part threw me for a loop!
This game got a nuclear amount of hate when it first came out. I was alone among my friends who really liked it. In the years since they have all come around to agree with me that this game is not only a masterpiece but that its predictions about the information overload catastrophe of the 21st century are coming painfully true.
Yup you said it 👍Kojima called it big time how technology information will take over and fuck everybody up I mean with out getting to Biblical the good book 📖 also called that to of revelation arc but will you get what iam saying
Just wait until the IOT apocalypse happens....
Death Stranding kinda predicted what's going on now, too, and that was also seen with massive hate.
@@jase276 But Death Stranding is a bad game it doesn’t matter if it predicted anything if it’s not fun to play.
The thing I liked about MGS2 was that it reminded me of Patlabor and a few other anime OVAs I was lucky enough to experience when I was young. Stories set a little further into the future that had a lot of interesting set pieces but had a very profound theme and a philosophy that was trying really hard to tell me something, so because I didn't understand it initially I came back to them when I was older.
MGS2 gave off so many feelings. The game just starts feeling creepy shortly after the harrier fight. The sun is setting, otacon's story was disturbing, Emma dying, snake "betraying" you... then everything after that. I felt so uneasy, and that weird out of place feeling is just... all over, but you have to keep pressing through
Plus the weird codec call with that music with the lady singing
@@fuuuuuuuuuckyouprerna I don't recall that actually
@@LoftOfTheUniverse just search the guts of arsenal
It's a mgs2 soundtrack
I think the memories will come rushing back
@@LoftOfTheUniverse do you remember ?
@@fuuuuuuuuuckyouprerna let me see
Honestly, after spending the last few weeks playing through Rising over and over, it’s nice seeing Raiden’s roots in the series again. Also nice to see someone with an actual positive look at the game, rather than just shitting on it nonstop
Rising is the best cheese game I ever played.
The latter half of the video blew my mind. The thing that's crazy to me is that the game predicted a lot of our digital age boom and how it would be used against us for the benefit of the government or those who seek to maintain a level of control. And hats off to Kojima because I can only assume that when this was all written it was based on examining human nature because the level at which the digital age has taken over is so much deeper now than when the game was released. Human beings really are very much creatures of habit and easy to manipulate and its kind of mind blowing how simple and effective the process can be.
I watched my brother play MGS1 and we both went to sleep crying when Sniper Wolf died. But MGS2 was the one that I beat on my own.
You have to remember that this game came out not long after 9/11 so a lot of the themes became more relevant. By pure coincidence when I got to the end of the game, the sun in real time was also coming up so it felt very surreal that what I was playing was really happening around me.
The ending monologue about the digital age has stuck with me to this day. Kojima hit the nail on the head.
shortboypinoy I had one of those moments with this game last year as I beat the game on April 30th on one of my playthroughs. It was a really cool surreal feeling
Your last line dude, "Kojima hit the nail on the head" Kojima is not the genius that people think he is, his co writer left after mgs3 and look at what happened with the series, and then look at what happens when he is in total control, you get "death stranding" eww
@@jcdenton6575 that's a pretty subjective statement
@@jcdenton6575 it was already a few times debunked.
1:18:02 - Raiden and Vamp's rivalry may not have gotten much traction in mgs2 but it sure picked up in mgs4. Though he bested Vamp during their duel ontop Rex, it's a shame Raiden wasn't directly responsible for Vamp's death as a way of avenging Emma.
They ruined Vamp by making his powers nano machine based.
I'll never thank enough the guy who decided to put the documentary with the game. It really helped me understand what kojima was going for in terms of themes, narrative and deconstruction of metal gear solid 1.
The spoon-fed explanation of "Snake isn't a main character anymore to show that he got his own destiny and can''t be manipulated by the player or the big bad, like raiden at the end of the game, when he looks at the name you gave him and throw it away" really makes you overcome the frustration of playing raiden. Metal gear solid protagonists are dumb, uninformed and manipulated because there's no plot twist otherwise, snake was as dumb as raiden but he just acted cool about it.
I do think its realistic they're dumb. You can't know everything all the time. So a flaw is inevitable
Otacon: I had an Affair with your mother....she Seduced me.
Emma: wait what? (Dies)
Typical nerd, always playing the victim.
She raped him.
That's it. He was 17 at the time.
Half a million views, goddamn... Says a lot about how many people to this day still view this game as irreplaceable ❤️
Played it as a child, it shapes my life to this day and for decades to come.
I was born in 1999 very young only like 6 or 7 and this was my first MG game and one of the first games I’ve ever played my first being Ocarina Of Time, needless to say it’s shaped my expectations and standards on video games and even to this day very few match the quality, they really put their heart and soul into games and you can tell
Theres been so many metal gear analysis' this year from so many different channels but this is definatley the best one, keep it up.
Thank you👍 really glad you liked the video and appreciate the support. It was hard not to rush this vid out as I kept seeing mgs analysis vids coming out left and right m. I’m glad I took my time though and definitely look forward to doing more of these kinds of vids for other Kojima games and just games and movies in general that I love. There’s a few of my earlier vids I plan to go back and give this treatment.
*analyses (plural) 😊🙏
I didn't have a favorite comic book hero. I had Solid Snake. MGS2 is by FAR my favorite.
Visiting Federal Hall and seeing the George Washington statue made my hair stand up, and that was almost 20 years later.
Ive not once thought this game was anything less than a masterpiece.
Shit man, it’s almost as long as mgs4 cutscenes. And I actually enjoy mgs4 cutscenes. Keep up the good work!
Dominik Bos thanks man. Really appreciate it. Lol yeah when it comes to doin MGS retrospectives you just gotta day f**k it. It’ll be as long as it needs to be. Glad you enjoyed the video 👍🤙
Actually, when you put all the cutscenes together. MGS4's Cutscenes Movie is 8 hours long.
Thought you were a woman in your profile photo
not wanting to shit all over you but the mgs4 cutscenes have it beat by about 7 hours
@@The-Big-Boss Huh, you're right. Well, I mean. You MUST be the expert since you're Big Boss so it's no big, dude.
Kojima: "this is not beautiful in the slightest, it's sad and painful."
Also Kojima: "heheh"
One of my favorite youtube videos ever probably. Sheesh
Sad part is, I don’t know anyone personally that I could recommend this entire video and they’d watch it all, this was great man.
Hideo Kojima is the goat. Metal Gear Solid is easily a candidate for greatest gaming franchise / greatest story telling of all time
"Why does Solidus look so old?"
"How was Solidus able to run for president if he's so young?"
Bro you just answered your own question. The patriots designed him to age faster so they could install him as president. Great video by the way.
Jake Foley thanks man I appreciate it. And I didn’t even think of that, good point age him so he can look the proper age. It just didn’t make sense in terms of him being cloned the same year as liquid and solid but the patriots seem to know what they’re doing. I think I’m going to start calling stuff like that Kojima science lol
he was the perfect clone of big boss.
@@megamike15 As Saren would say: "The strengths of both, (Solid and Liquid) the weaknesses of neither." Technically incorrect since Solid is all good and Liquid is all bad, but any excuse to use that quote!!
@@TheHulk1850 Big Boss was good and bad, like Solidus?
Both did good and bad things, so they are a mix of Solid and Liquid?
Accelerated aging... metalgear.fandom.com/wiki/Les_Enfants_Terribles
The Raven Doll makes sense if you think about it.
Nastasha wrote a book about shadow moses you can imagine all the bosses got described in detail. That Raven Doll is In the Darkness of Shadow Moses Merch
Buy mgs2, you can read her book in it
That's like saying there are people out there who sold dolls of Osama bin Laden.
@@jonathancampbell5231 there were in fact people that sold stuff like that. also remember one of the most merchandised faces in America is Che Guevara. also remember that the foxhound unit was basically the equivalent of poking fun at GI joe villains.
@@jonathancampbell5231 Osama Bin Laden has featured in video Games. Same idea really in the MGS universe the shadow moses incident was featured in a book and toys were made about the characters
I'm currently playing through it, and I have to say, this game is truly a work of art. To me, it's one of those games that everyone should play at least once in their lifetime, it's just too damn good.
Also, this game is actually pretty relevant nowadays, which is all the more reason to play it. It eerily predicted the current state of the digital world. With us being constantly bombarded with propaganda & fake news, shadowbanning, information warfare/manipulation, echo chambers, etc.
It's the age of information brought upon by unprecedented interconnectivity, yet we're more disinformed and divided than ever.
Nice, its one of the few MGS games I missed. I just got the Metal gear solid HD collection too. Plays great on the series X but I'm starting with Snake eater since technically the first one chronologically.
The old controls take getting used to unfortunately.
@@Arturo-Peredo like the propaganda of the metal gear series.
MGS2 retrospectives are literally my favorite content on youtube, even tho it's hard for them to say something that hasn't been said before at this point.
Still, good job!
31:35 Raiden did not kill Snake with a golf club while Otakon goes on a killing spree for revenge.
If you can’t comprehend tlou2’s story then you don’t deserve to experience mgs
@Best UA-cam channel the last of us part 2 cry hater
@@willcotterill8598 i comprehend it. Wasn't very hard too. The issue isn't that tlou2 is too complicated. The issue is that its story is dumb, and more a less undoes the ending and story of the first game. Also revenge is bad in general is just a dumb message, thats been completely done to death. Which again goes against the tlou 1 which was about moral ambiguity. Where in this post apocalyptic world there isn't exactly right and wrong any more.
@@brendanpelkey120 Thank you for having a fucking brain. This game doesn’t take a genius to decipher. It’s all right there in front of you. A sequel that destroys all that came before is, by definition, not a good sequel. A good sequel expands the world of its predecessor, which is what MGS2 does perfectly. The fact that there’s even a comparison being made between MGS2 and TLOU2 sickens and baffles me.
@@cocob0l0 also Druckmann most likely believes he's Kojima 2.0 but he really only has all of Kojima's insanity and lack of decency, with none of his creativity or understanding of the world, with an added ego that just screams "I'm an absolute douchebag"
Time for my annual rewatch of this masterpiece video. Might bump it up to bi-annual
Hell yes brother. I love this crazy ass piece of fiction and you’ve done a wonderful job of encapsulating it.
Let this meme spread
They also mix facts in there.
A shout out to Steak Bently?
Sold.
I rub dicks with my imaginary e-celeb friends and I only eat shit from ugly bitches
That Fight Club ost distracted me and sent me into nostalgia mode so much, I didn't listen to a single word you said, which was the part you put the most research behind.
The early codec calls with Rose add to the insanity near the end of the game. They are a plot device and I think you judge them too harshly.
I hated them the first time around and ended up skipping some of them. But then when I realised there were various ways that they tied into the game's final act and ending, I listened to all of them on every future playthrough. Sometimes you've gotta take the bad with the good so that you can fully understand and appreciate the good. Such an incredible game.
Quick point about Escape From LA, and the "1997 CGI shot" Kurt Russell actually did that shot in real life, he's a talented basketball player and make the shot after a few attempts.
That’s pretty awesome, definitely would t have guess that.I don’t know what it is about that shot though it just has that bad cgi look for whatever reason
The use of the AoT OST in the Ray scene is F*ing INSANE, makes sense and just gave me goosebumps! Respect my man!
And here I thought I was the only one who found Snake Tales to be such a huge difficulty spike
The lack of the Soliton Radar makes an ENORMOUS difference so you're not alone
My girlfriend played MGS2 for the firs time today ! She just fished the tanker level, one thing I noticed is the beautiful level design of the tanker. As a veteran I never go the "intended" route where otacon gives you the optional codec to open the door. However I noticed she wound up going that way without any prompting. Once Inside the next room, the guard on the top prompts you to go that way, leading you upstairs. Next the camera points you in the direction to go afterwards. There are more examples but you get the jist. The natural design of the levels are what walk you through the mechanics of the game, without forcing quick time events or forced button prompts. You are led down a path unknowingly, but if you do know where to go you don't have to follow it. Which speaks volumes for MGS2. The tutorial level of this game is better than most modern titles.
Huh, I always get lost on the tanker 😅
Each cutscene is embedded in my mind and I've honestly never had an experince like it before when I played it as a teen. This and Final Fantasy X where some of the first games that I forgot about gameplay and was completely immersed in the worlds and characters the teams of astounding artists had created ❤
Every single time I'm more convinced that Kojima never aims to be praised on release but instead to achieve cult status with his games, emulating movies he borrows from for his games.
He wants his games to be the Blade Runners of videogames.
or he just makes whatever he wants and it just literally works itself into masterpieces.
Either way guys I have to admire his passion to make great warez. He flew all over the world looking for "latest tech" for Death Stranding and it was 3-4 years before released. I haven't even got to play that yet but fuck everyone who says it is shitty. They don't have a brain.
@@jackburton6330 have you played it yet?
@@NoSmoke1 Yeah. It's kinda shitty. :(
@@jackburton6330 yeah well it is shitty, so is mgs4
this video is why the Internet does more good than harm... Also: Iroquois Pliskin is the unsung hero of the whole saga...
Angel Buendía theres still some good out here in the Wild West of the internet
@@PaperStarship Almost the entire internet is a wild west. Some places, like Facebook, are Warzones.
Maybe we had more peace in the real wild west since the reality wasn't like the movies.
I absolutely love this VID! it was an amazing lookback with little pressed bias...GOOD JOB BROTHER!
imo, this is the best game of all time. Everything about it amazing. Both the story and the gameplay have SO many layers to it. This game is fine wine.
Well said
Mgs2 was my first metal gear. Just found it in my dad's music cd case behind his couch. My young pre teen mind was blown
bad dad , it should have been stored in his sons pillow case
Your dad had his own couch? 🛋
@@CursedWheelieBin my parents split when I was two lol
My dad always had a knack for having friends that olayed some cool video games. His friend left it over and I beat it. My dad was more into splinter cell (still a boss series) but I like both. Beat it so many times as a kid. I remember being on a break in school and beating it in a day. Got up at like 6 or 7 and just binged the whole game. Beat it before 11pm. Still own the copy he left. Then later in life ... A friend of mine found snake eater in the bathroom of school. Sitting on the back of a toilet tank. He didn't have a ps2 so he gave it to me. Crazy.
My first mgs was 2 as well. Still have yet to play 1 or 4 or 5
@@CursedWheelieBin 😂😂😁😁
This was my first ever metal gear after falling in love with Snake in Smash Bros. I didn't know WHAT game he was from. And my dad got me MGS2. I was 12. I beat the game in 3 days, never hopping off, because I had no memory card. I got to the ending scene, and I broke out into tears after going through this mind fuck. I had to walk downstairs, hug my dad, and tell him how much I love him, due to the ending speeches. It changed my life from there on, and how I look at..... everything....
I remember running downstairs and being like "Metal Gear Solid is the game with SNAKE?????" and I could not stop playing it. I was so confused at the plant chapter, and then I saw that cutie Raiden.... I also fell in love with him, but I was absolutely..... Dumbfounded? Like the commenters said, I didn't feel betrayed, but I felt scared, it being my first game. I felt a true connection with him, as we both grew through the mission.....
@@MoosenOggen4343Awesome story brother, thanks for sharing! I absolutely love this game. I remember getting home from primary school and disregarding every bit of homework and obligations to absorb every single bit of this game I could possibly get before bed time! The dialogue, the art style, music and not to mention the real world implications this game has are all the pinnacle of gaming in my opinion. It’s simultaneously serious topics yet somehow feels like it doesn’t take itself too seriously and I absolutely adore it for it. I hold this game in the highest regards all these years later, glad, yet sad to see this game age like fine wine all these years later.
@@GoobHak absolutely man, it's crazy how fantastic it was and still is, especially with all the implications of how America would use its media 20 years after its release.... true art imo! :)
Metal Gear Solid 2 was my first one and I literally knew nothing about the series beforehand, except that I had the MGS1 disk from a garage sale but ONLY the VR Missions worked and those were fun.
When we switched from Snake to Raiden I was just like "Oh, I guess this is what the series does" and went with it.
It was great as my first MGS2. I remember being so scared in the Big Shell, not yet knowing how to play the game properly and the rush of being caught by guards and trying to get away.
Also with the glitchy codec calls at the end I legitimately thought it wanted me to turn off the PS2 because I had been playing for such a long length of time at that point. I saved and quit and immediately started the game back up to see if the calls would stop.
I don't remember how it felt watching the last bunch of cutscenes - I was probably just very confused - but since then I've spent so much time with the Metal Gear series, and I beat MGS2 over and over and over on all the difficulties back then. One of my favorite games ever.
isn't the point of ocelot's crazy based on MGS3 and V that he is basically in love with big boss and wants to overthrow the fuckers that did him dirty. Probably more to it than that but i'm fairly certain its something along those lines.
Pretty much
Also I think Liquids hand taking over his conscience was all done by Ocelot. He hypnotized himself so many to make himself think so much it’s actually badass how much he put himself through, for Big Boss
@@TreeFiddyBandit after mgs3 the series is null and void and mgs4 ruined already established characters and concepts and anything else after that again is just beating a dead horse, though V in terms of gameplay in is good and honestly, after 3 they should of just done big boss creating outerheaven and then lead that into a metal gear and metal gear 2 remake
@@jcdenton6575 I disagree. That would have left way too much of a gap. A gap of nearly 30 something years or whatever. So much can change during that time.
@@jcdenton6575 The fact that MGS4 explains all the cool paranormal stuff with nano machines make me want Kojima to retcon stuff. They could have taken Vamp out better too
For me, Raiden was always cool. Looking back at it, I agree with Kojima that his inclusion was necessary. Without him, we also wouldn't have MGR, which, despite being memed a lot, is a really excellent game in its own right.
I was pretty sad after hearing that damn bird... say "Hal I missed you". I at the time didn't even realise Hal was doing the dirty with EE's mom.
She said it so much that the bird eventually adapted. Crazy.
You may of felt alone in loving MGS2 on release but I did. There were dozens of us....DOZENS! ✊
This was TOTALLY AWESOME, dude! Bravo, and well done. I enjoyed every second of it. Thank you for sharing. Bless up!
This is one of the first games I've ever fallen in love with. I remember being a kid, and being obsessed with MGS2. I don't think I've ever beaten any other game as many times as I have with this one. I was content to just replay and re experience this story over and over, listening to every codec call and watching every cut scene. Thank you for sharing this deep dive into what is truly a masterpiece in gaming.
Punished snake got turned into big boss. He was a proto liquid ocelot
My favorite part about MGS2 might unironically be the instruction manual that's just literally a short manga that explains the basics in the coolest way i've ever seen. I was honesty flabbergasted when I first opened the manual and saw cool pictures instead of plain text.
In my humble opinion i think mgs2 is the best in the series. After I completed all the VR missions I really understood the game mechanics in and out completely. And i just think it is such a smooth and responsive game for the time. God I'm having war flashbacks to fighting the tengu alonside snake on extreme difficulty.
Yup metal gear is made to be played at top speed
@@Hank_Castle Righto. With all the codec calls and cutscenes, it's really made for going fast.
My reading into fatman is much more literal. "Fatman" was the bomb dropped over Nagasaki during world war 2. Basically him yearning to be remembered for generations is a parallel to the aftermath of Fatman is remembered generations later.
Thanks for making this video.
MGS2 will forever be held in the hearts of the fortunate youth who were able to play it as they grew up in our age of Surveillance Capitalism.
One thing that's very interesting that you didn't mention is how many changes there are between difficulties. The speed at which the guards walk over to you when you're just outside their field of view, how many more C4 control panels you have to snipe requiring you to use stand on your tiptoes, Fatman's bombs being placed in weird locations...
R Lou that’s because I like I say a few times in the vid I’m as the definition of average gamer so I almost always play games on just the normal difficulty. I had no idea about guard speeds changing or elements like that. That is really interesting though. I’ve gotten a taste of the bombs being in weird spots from playing the bomb disposal vr missions in Substance and yeah those can be a pain in the ass lol. Thanks for that info though, I never would’ve known otherwise
Colonel Campbell and rose are patriots AI from arsenal gear. The virus emma created caused the AI on arsenal to glitch massively which caused those weird codec calls from Campbell during arsenal gear
What a video. I was in the odd percentage of those who played 2 before 1, and even more so one of the people who initially liked Raiden and I have to say, the raw emotion this game invokes in people is truly captured in this description. The video was over before i could notice it. This video, along with MGS2, is a masterpiece.
I will say that when I saw the title, I thought this was Steak Bentley. While it wasn't as good as his, I will say that I liked it and was not disappointed.
I also really like what you do with the thumbnails for your video. Keep up the good work.
I had a conversation at work about MGS2 tonight and it gave me the urge to rewatch this. Something he said jogged my memory and made me remember what it was like playing this game back in 2002.
Modern graphics have improved so much that it’s hard to see things from the perspective of the graphical standards of the time. Watching/playing the Olga fight now people aren’t really going to be impressed but when I played this game at launch it was mind-blowing and all of my friends felt the same way. I was already just genuinely blown away by the entire game so far, but that moment really stuck out to me unlike anything else. The weather effects throughout the fight paired with the spotlight and the tarp coming loose and blowing in the wind were unlike anything we had ever seen in a game before. It’s also notable that it’s all happening in real-time. It was just so unbelievable. I may be reading too deeply into it, but I always felt like the fight was made intentionally simplistic specifically so people would either notice how good it looks with all of the effects going on or so people (back then) would still be able to do well while they were picking their jaws up off the floor. It still looks amazing today. The level of interaction with the environment was also something that hadn’t been done much before, and especially not to that degree. I only wish they had placed more focus on things like the shadows, wet footprints, etc. instead of being able to completely ignore it for the most part.
Ended up watching the whole thing. You're pretty good.
"Pretty...Good..."
👉👉
On the subject of the name "Dead Cell", "Red Cell" was an IRL unit founded by a former SEAL Team dude to "test unit awareness and readiness". It got a little out of hand and was ultimately abolished.
I thoroughly enjoyed this as a long-time MGS fan. Not only the in-depth explanation of the game itself, but the way you can turn a phrase, provide behind-the-scene info, insightful criticism and viewpoints, etc., make this entertaining. Will definitely check out your other stuff... Bravo!!
I remember playing this game at the same time as a friend of mine, and I was constantly talking about how everything was a rehash of MGS.
The elevator, Dead Cell, the fighter jet fight, the ninja, the codec frequencies.
I was impressed that even as a 14 year old I was able to tell the difference between a regular sequel doing more of the same and a deliberate attempt by the developers to make you feel like you're doing the same thing all over again in a slightly remixed way.
As someone who grew up alongside this franchise, I just wanted to thank you for this love letter. I find it interesting that everyone complains about this game, yet, they are referencing a character made on screen of a PS1 game versus....two other games that came out prior to it. Seeing the evolution of Kojima and him coming into his own as what I would rarely call an auteur, was amazing as a kid. Raiden isn't getting 'punked' -- it was my first lesson in subversion, and in retrospect (as this is a retrospect) was a clear path to his and his team's intention of creating something unique. I put it up there with something like Twin Peaks, which was also a vivid memory of that time coming out juxtaposed to something like the X-Files. Sometimes, you just gotta get weird with it. Way weird. And that hasn't stopped yet in his psychedelic rocket of media.
I think Raiden is so dope because his lack of experience was the same as mine with the metal gear series. I too had started with MGS2. I still had the "what the fuck" moment when I started playing as him, because I knew that snake was the badass main character. I was pissed off at the start but then it suddenly came to me one night that Raiden is the player, or that the player is Raiden. At the start of the game we see Raiden as weak and unexperienced, but as the story progresses I found myself more confident in my playing, and saw that similarly reflecting in Raiden. I was getting experienced alongside Raiden. Fucking big brain... Me coming to this realization made my jaw drop and I had a breaking of the fourth wall holy shit moment. I have been hooked on the series ever since. Way to go Kojima. You got me. ;)
I think the raven doll fake out was really clever because it forshadows (literally) that not everything in the game is how it seems. The shadow is an iilusion, just as big shell is an iilusion.
Love this video! MAKE MORE. Content and commentary was amazing! Glad to see appreciation for this series.
Even if Hayter said what he said, don’t sweat it, keep making content because it’s excellent.
Wow I'm blown away by the breakdown. To think with introspection, I was introduced to Metal Gear rather late. Like a year before MGSV late.
My old friend wanted me to play MGS2 first but I fell out of love with it because ALL my life I've only seen Snake. It's weird how "defied" he was and I never even played MGS.
My first siting of Snake was through Smash Brawl and he was my favorite character considering he had this big ass grenade launcher and was going toe to toe to some of gaming's most absurd Characters.
Ironically it was the memetic concept of what Snake stood for by fans that made me latch on like a baby to that essence and I opted to play through the entire Big Boss Saga first before even touching MGS2 again after all these years.
But after the essay, beating Rising yesterday, and reading up a lot of philosophy... I've reconciled happily.
Raiden was dynamic in his own right to be a totally changed person and it's well beyond "whining". The dude was a badass from the get go but we failed to see it.
He impressed Snake.
Destroyed multiple Metal Gears on his first mission.
Was the first character to take the mantel of the greyfox (the "boba fett" of gaming).
That and he had a chance to make the silliest but coolest hack n slashes made by a third party studio.
That's the meme of Raiden and for that I'm glad to have a chance to play MGS2 again.
Edited for clarity
Definitely deserve more subs. Awesome analysis and overall video! It's hard not to love MGS 2 and the whole franchise
One thing that's missing from this video is how different the game is on higher difficulty. Everything is in different locations and it really changes how the game is played. I get this is more as a retrospective but still, would've been worth mentioning.
Your “And then it happens” callback to Steak Bentleys “MGS4 was a mistake” at 21:35 was glorious
You could say MGS4 was a mistake was my VR training to make this video 👍🤙
A truly incredible video with funny editing, thank you for writing such an entertaining script and giving me a great 2 and a half hours
Coming back for another viewing of this great video. I'll always appreciate the effort that went into making this one. God Bless you Mr. Starship.
Btw: nanomachines being basically telepathy is actually not that far-fetched. Non-verbal communication is absolutely something that we believe is possible to achieve with implants, I don't know how "magic" it was seen by scientists at the time when the game released, but today it's not unrealistic. I agree it was probably also to save work on animated cutscenes, but using nanomachines to talk does seem like the smart move especially in that scene since you could easilly be overheard.
31:25 Bad af take dude. People weren't mad you couldn't play as Joel, in TLoU2 - they were mad that a new unknown character killed a infinitly more likeable one. It'd be like if Raiden shot snake then cut off his limbs in front of Otacon at the start of MGS2 and spit on his corpse.
It's also just due to the situation.....how he died was such plot bullshit.
This is like the last place I expected to accidentally find a spoiler about that game. Thanks guys.
@@Ruben1994OL how do you spoil that games story? You're saving people from needing to play it!
Lol sorry. Also, I'd say only buy it if you like exploration and gameplay. That's what the game has of value.
@@Ruben1994OL ah save your money and your time for something worthwhile. that game's legacy is nothing more than 4chan photoshop memes anyways, and also probably gonna get a GOTY award it doesn't deserve in the slightest
@@mercury2157 I dunno, I enjoyed the first game, and wanted to see how the story progresses. If it's really that bad....