The game's collision and such are actually handled on the soliton map. The main screen is just a higher end graphical interpolation of that. Neat way to do things :)
Some have criticism of it. As a stealth concept. Interms of having to use your eyes feels more emersive as a stealth concept. But i do think its alright for a 2D stealth game atleast like MG2 Solid Snake, since you cant see front of you there. I like that you can crawl and hide more here as compared to first game. Also the idea of some floors you walk on giving away noise i thought was innovative
Play the original fallout games they're way more brutal with similar graphics and if you use the flame thrower the death animations of enemies are very similar to big boss's death scene except you can do it whenever you want but the other death animations make this look tame by comparison enemies are blown apart with blood and guts flying everywhere its awesome
+KamektheMagikoopa1 spoilers but wasn't it the fact that the point was venom dying and big boss was alive? so the fact that venom is dead the world thinks big boss is dead so it technically works. if someone comes back from the dead what would u call it? it fits its just not what we wanted.
The similarities between Metal Gear 2 and Metal Gear Solid remind me of the similarities between The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time. Transferring the properties from a 2D game into a 3D game.
***** Deus Ex actually did this too The plots of 1 and 3 are completely different, but the actual events mirror one another, even down to being betrayed by an creepy asian lady
I know these comments are months old, but I just felt like saying this. There's another correlation between Link to the Past and Metal Gear 2: It was where the series really began. The first two Zelda games made some concepts and challenges, but we didn't really ever get our first Zelda game that every sequel would be molded after until Link to the Past. The first two games (and in MG's case, the first) game was rather different.
cloak211 Not really, they just use a lot of similar modern scifi tropes. Augmentation, secret societies controlling the world, cog in the machine soldiers, cops or what have you getting reluctantly thrown into a conspiracy thing.
SpookyKid94 Two friends join an Illuminati-type organization to have more control over world events, only for their ideologies to split, causing a splinter organization to form and infighting happens. The splinter organization clones two sons from the world's most genetically qualified fighters (as well as a super secret third clone revealed in the second game of the series), all of who share biblical names. It's up to one of the clones to save the world from the shadowy organization after his "brother" fails.
I agree ;) Though I honestly can't complain about us reaching this level of an audience in just two short months. All ya gotta do to help out is just sit back, watch the show and enjoy! Thanks for viewing
It's not broken. The solution to the hang glider puzzle is to smoke a cigarette, watch the smoke indicating wind direction and then jump off. The first game has, in my opinion, a lot more random unexplained puzzles. You can get through the second one without a guide rather easily.
Antonio Carrillo Everyone learns and plays games differently so I don’t see anything wrong with it. Fans made it to the end and enjoyed the experience (hopefully) Not gonna lie, I love this game
I just played through Metal Gear 2 this week and I was so surprised by how much enjoyment I got out of some old 2D game that laid the groundwork for MGS. Being young(16) and use to 3D games exclusively, I was always quick to underestimate games from this era's gameplay and detail, thinking they would all only good for the time and would be hell to play now. To my surprise, I enjoyed this game just as I enjoyed MGS1-3. I loved the bosses, I loved the gimmicks, I loved the areas, and I loved the core mechanics. Seeing just how much 1-3 stayed true to this game was pretty cool too, seeing as I really enjoy the way those game's controlled and played, even though everybody would say those games gameplay aged terribly. This was honestly one of the most fun experiences I've had in gaming, ever.
Unfortunately many people write off playing MG1 and MG2 because they think of them as "crappy 2D games with no story". MG1 probably fits that description. It's a chore to play. But MG2 is a marvel of a game. It really holds up better than MGS1 imo.
The guard movement sorcery is most likely this: Every possible position of the guards movement patterns is put into an array (a big list of numbers, essentially). The movement array is incremented every second or so, and so they move around on the level. Once they reach a position where the game needs to load them into the screen, they are rendered. This cycle would continue than they would then convert into a pursuit mode and chase you. I can't guarantee this is how it was done, but it was what I would do to code something like that. It is simple and effective.
Not sure if someone else has already stated (youtube is a mess to try and search comments), but since you were playing this on the HD collection, the manual for MGS3HD actually does have the tap codes and the frequency for Campbell in it, in the MG2 section. Additionally, between radio calls and the hints from the children, everything excepting the stupid hang glider section is explained in the game. With that said, MG2 was freaking great. The design is top notch. I think something I was most impressed with is how when you go to the desert, you get the call about needing to watch out for the mines, so you think OK, Mine Detector, let me walk around them. Then in the next screen, there are mines that you can't just walk around, so you either die, or you call Campbell who tells you that you can crawl over the mines to pick them up. So you continue and encounter the Hind D and have to backtrack to get the Stinger, and end up fighting Running Man -- who you exclusively need the mines for! It's brilliant! You're right -- it is SUCH a good game, and anyone who is a fan of older games really needs to play it. The technical prowess it shows for its time is just damn astounding. It's also arguably one of the largest improvements between prequel and sequel.
JJShura Honestly, even if it was in the manual, I still don't think it was really the best design choice, at least not for the modern port. You'd have to be forced to leave the game in order to open up the manual, and because of how the game saves, you have to leave the area to get to a checkpoint for your game to save.
All that this was missing was the mentioning of the original games character portraits that were VERY similar to Hollywood stars. Snake looking like Mel Gibson, Big Boss as Sean Connery etc.
Metal Gear 3 was originally going to be the direct sequel to MG2, but on Panasonic 3DO. There's some concept art floating around of the Foxhound unit. I wish there was more info about it around, e.g. How far in development it was and if the premise of the game was similar to what we ended up with in MGS1. I guess we'll never know
it's amazing how similar MG2 Solid Snake and MGS are so similar. MG2SS was a masterpiece, sucks it took until the MGS3 Subsistence release for us in US to finally play it.This game is the bridge between the big boss games and solid snake ones where you actually learn of big bosses motivations for starting a military nation. Hideo Kojima is a genius, play it if you're a Metal Gear fan play this one for sure!
I'm sure someone's mentioned it, but my favourite trivia about the original Metal Gears is how the character portraits in the codec were modelled on real actors - Big Boss was Sean Connery (I'm sure there's some irony with MGS3's Bond theme there), Solid Snake was Mel Gibson, and the Colonel was the Colonel from Rambo. For the remakes they had to update the images so they weren't so copyright infringing. Just do a search on "Metal Gear 2 codec portraits" and you can find them!
Finally played and completed MG2 for the first time today. I wasn't sure i could get engaged with a game that old I didn't have a childhood connection to, but it's genuinely fun to play
Going back through them all in such short sittings reveals just how contrived some of the connections between these games are, but in this case I can't really see it as a bad thing. Plus, the whole story is a self-aware series of silly spy games. They're crazy enough to get away with all kinds of silliness, and that makes the serious moments hit harder. -G
Like you did eleven years ago, I recently decided to sit down and play every game in the series again, but in short order, rather than over decades on release as I've been doing since mgs1. And I came to the conclusion that this is the best one.
And if you talk to the kids in Zanzibarland they give you a lot of clues E.g. The Owl puzzle. I can see how some people find them frustrating, this game doesn't hold your hand like the rest of the series does, it requires patience, logical thinking and puzzle solving. It's a shame the puzzle elements weren't apart of the later games
The information the original manual had is all in the digital manual you have if you have the HD collection, so there's nothing you really need to look up a guide for (except for bullshit like smoking cigarettes to change the wind direction...)
+Hannes Johansson it doesn't change it. It's more of a "do x to initiate cutscene" kind of thing. I guess the in world logic would be that he's using the cigarettes to test the wind instead of the gas grenades but yeah... That was some bullshit. They really should have altered the dialogue to fit that change,
MG2 is the best in the series. I honestly couldn't believe how much it resembled MGS1, when I first played MG2 in 2006. Please review Snatcher on the Sega CD, that is one of Kojima's finest and even has a better cyberpunk feeling than MG2. "It's SUCH A GOOD GAME". if you don't believe me just watch the intro on UA-cam, the music, the story, it's all kick arse!
MG2 is great. MGS is okay, but the series becomes Cuckoo-For-Fucking-Cocoa-Puffs shortly thereafter (convoluted plot, an abundance of retcons, over-the-top anime aesthetics, supernatural elements, Solid Snake is a CLONE, etc).
FlawedIntellect What are *you* talking about? MGS has a few bits of the supernatural, but they're relatively constrained compared to everything that follows it.
Rasuke11 Metal Gear Solid demonstrated that video games could show stories in a different way, no doubt about that. Problem is, the "Solid Snake is a clone" bit hurt the series in the long run and the inclusion of increasingly over-the-top supernatural elements combined with retcons started the series on a confusing path. P.S. You are not a video game. You are not a film. You are not a book. A criticism on a video game, a criticism on a film, and a criticism on a book are *not* a criticism of *you*. Don't take such opinions as an attack on your character.
@Aaron9 The problem is, when you've played MG2, you realise that you've been bestowing credit to to the wrong game because MGS1 basically took most of MG2 and just made it 3D. It did it well, but MG2 holds up better today. MGS1's gameplay hasn't aged anywhere near as well.
Maybe it's because we don't bug everyone to subscribe, like, favorite and comment all the time. But maybe it's because we're only two months young. We'll gain more exposure with time. Until then, feel free to just sit back and enjoy the show ;) - G
People always want to hate on Snake's Revenge. I personally haven't played it, but have heard it's actually pretty good. I think people should appreciate Snake's Revenge for being the catalyst that drove Kojima to continue the series, even if they don't like the game personally.
i havent played it myself but yeah it looks like a lot of fun if you like those old top-down dumb military shooters of the era, which I do! Also "THERE ARE NO TRAPS ON THE TRAIN" is a classic gag
I love that opening theme. I wish I could use it as a ring tone, but I would have to wait until I get a much better phone. I remember when I got MGS 3 Subsistence and I was so happy. Granted, I didn't know how to play and complete the the first two games, but they were still a fun challenge ( and I still haven't completed them yet) and the 3d camera control for MGS 3 was great.
(spoilers for mgsv: tpp) 7:18 just incase no one else has said this, the big boss you fight in the first metal gear isn't technically big boss, but venom snake. Made clear through Mgsv: tpp, through some shenanigans with the destruction of the original mother base a medic was brainwashed into thinking he was snake and acted as his body-double, building outer heaven while big boss hid in the shadows. The big boss that you fight in metal gear is "venom snake", aka the brainwashed medic.
Tip from someone who played the game back in the day: for the hang glider scene, it's much easier to use the cigar smoke than the grenades. Snake just won't do a blind jump without knowing the wind direction.
Metal Gear 2 was fantastic. A brilliant soundtrack, brilliant story and exemplary gameplay make MG2 legitimately one of my favourite Metal Gear titles. Good times!
'Bout two weeks for each one, but occasionally I can manage to throw one together real fast. Depends on how much other stuff I have planned for that week. - G
Just a side note, the game does tell you about the owl and the temperature changing thing from Gustava, at least in the Subsistence version. I admit it is through optional codec communication, but Campbell does call you to tell a second time about the memory shape alloy in case you missed it the first time.
Thanks! Me too. I'm going to go at MGS from a bit of a different perspective than these two, considering that it's a game that almost everyone and their mother has played. - G
The thing with the wind is an error in the emulation for the Subsistence and HD Collection ports of Metal Gear 2. In the original the wind would actually change directions, but in the ports it always blows south.
you know what would be awesome, if Kojima remade, MG1 and MG2, expand the plot in 1, maybe to explore the solid snake and big boss dinamic and merge the 2 into 1 game, retelling the beginning of the metal gear saga, i love these games and its a shame that people dont play these nowadays because of graphics or some shit, so the best next logical step would be a remake, especially if Kojima is the one directing it
I love this review so much, it explains why the game is good much more eloquently than I manage myself. One thing I would like to add though, is that this game might just have the best stealth action in the entire series since there's better level design than MGS and no easymode Tranquilizer gun like in all the games after MGS. If you want a Big Boss rank in this game, you need to get good at stealth
A little bit of both, actually. It's kind of admirable that he's sticking to the same story after so many decades, but at the same time the connections he's made between the games are pretty stretchy.
OH GOD THATS SUCH A GREAT IDEA. I played about halfway through Snatcher a few years ago and really enjoyed myself, but didn't finish it. I've been wanting to take another crack at it, but haven't had a good excuse to. Until now. -G
Such a fantastic game. I got MGS 3: Subsistence just to play it, and when I started, for some reason the save feature didn't work. I had to play it all the way through the first time without turning off the console, which actually made it so much better of an experience. The music, atmosphere, story, graphics and gameplay all work so well together. All of the items, tricks, and environments you use them in are so fucking cool. I wish I could get an MSX2 and the original cartridge without going broke.
I hate to be that guy. But a kid you talk to tells you about Gestovas Brooch changing in different temperatures. And another kid talks about how the owls hoot at night, While another kid in the same room tells you the guards turn the lasers off at night. So someone does tell you. I also live In Calgary so seeing snake talk about the Olympics here made me smile .
The game tells you what to do every step of the way if you check in with your contacts. Sometimes you have to be in the right room though which can definitely add to the obscurity of a solution...
Still own the original (Japanese, 1990) cartridge from my childhood! Best thing I've ever bought! Inspiration for programming, GFX, storyline and much more on only (8bit, 512Kb). Really loved this game.
Turns out the paper-thin retconning got its own paper-thin retcon! Now the Big Boss you killed in MG1 was actually just some random medic that survived the destruction of the first Outer Heaven from Peace Walker, and the one in this game is the real Big Boss, but he survived anyway for another twenty years or something just to go die atop of The Boss's grave because Solid Snake gave him FOXDIE.
That wind puzzle is bugged. Orginally when you thow a gas grenade and an arrow points up it tells it's time to jump. The porting team removed the puzzle but forgot the arrow direction. I personally noticed it during my playthrough.
I always liked to roam around and explore. Find everything I could. So I found the owl and talked to some kid who told me they unlock the gates at night.
Snake's revenge was actually the first metal gear I played. I recognize that it's not considered a true metal gear and I get it. I mean I was like 10 when I played it so despite not having played it in a long time I feel certain that stealth was not the biggest concern in Snake's Revenge. But on the same coin I was 10 and actually had the patience (and game genie codes) to get all the way to the final boss. 10 year old kids aren't typically known for their patience and if the game was "no good" I doubt I'd have made it half way through. I've heard that even Kojima said something like "It's not a bad game, it's just not really a metal gear game" And that's how I feel about it. It was just more action and way less stealth. But that doesn't make it crap. I remember having loads of fun. ... Until the end where you travel through a grid maze, c4ing walls till you get to METAL GEAR, blow that up and trigger a self destruct sequence and have to remember your way out.... f*** that game.
Oh its all good, in the next game he calls Chaff grenades, Chafe ....like they set fire to your crotch by making your underwear too tight or some shit To say nothing of the Rayshuns you will be eating instead of rations lmao
Once you get used to the controls this game it's actually really fun to play. Although it is very simple and the graphics are poor compared to modern games, my love of the Metal Gear storyline means I would rather play this than some of the games being developed today with little creativity in the storylines and the main focus being on graphics.
I marathoned every metal gear game recently, and tbh I think this games graphics hold up better than mgs1s. Everybody always says this game needs a remake in the fox engine. I would honestly prefer a remake of the whole series in mg2s style.
what's fascinating about this port is the translation and the consideration of how it controls. This was a game made for a Keyboard and it feels just right beside the other games it's packaged with.
This is my 2nd fav MG game, after MGS. Back in the day, it was quite a feat to download and get one of those MSX emulators to make this ROM play (OK, actually not that hard, but...) and it blew my mind that it was not famous. Yeah, so good. And impossible to beat w/o gamefaqs, I admit it!
It was when the emulator was unstable as hell/crash happy and had no sound emulation for Konami's sound cart or translation... That's how I did it originally. Friend had some kanji to Romanji homebrew and I used a fricken Japanese to English dictionary.
Youve only been at this two months???(at time of upload) Its one of the most professional game reviews i've seen out there! Keep up the good work man! Your MGS2 one really blew my mind. Cant wait for more!
I agree it should never be converted to 3D in its present form, but the original MG games do need to be reimagined into a new MGS game with the same core story. 1, To rectify future retcons. 2. Because we all want to play a young Solid Snake once again (admit it!)
I think you are my favorite video game commentator (for now, don't get complacent!) I didn't play MG2, but I played a little of Ghost Babel (Game Boy Color) and was similarly blown away by how close the game mechanics and everything resembled MGS. All those things we thought were so innovative in MGS were actually pretty old.
I haven't played Peace Walker, so this idea might have already happened. It seems like one of many big missed opportunities to not have a young Grey Fox on Mother Base in MGS5.
Better yet, he should either shave it off or get a hair cut that doesn't hide it - people losing there hair fear a thing that would actually better than an obvious but weak attempt at covering it up.
Easy to say this when you have your hair. I have a lush, thick set of hair, so I never feel the need to comment on bald/balding guys. You wouldn't know how to deal with it. Losing your hair is a real bitch.
I wrote down and memorized every codec frequency in mgs2 before figuring out the memory function in mgs3. It honestly added to the immersion of the game in my opinion.
I followed your suggestions and in the last 2 weeks i've managed to play both Metal gear 1 & Metal gear 2 and...worth it. There are a couple of points that can definitely be frustrating without a strategy guide (i had to consult one for a point in particular) but boy...awesome games.
No, it doesn't. It's a good game as it is, making it 3D would make it worse, because now it stands as a great contrast to the Solid games, and is also fun to experience in 2D.
Thaer Razeq Well, If you're like me you'll be playing all the games over and over again so it'll be good to have them all in one place and with some achievements just for a little extra to do. If you're not then go ahead and get the emulator. There's some bad English here and there but it's still good.
I grew up with 2D games. I played the best. IMO the best ever 2D game is Super Mario World. After that, Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake. It's tragic this didn't get a western release. Aside from the cinematics and voice acting, all the other plaudits bestowed on MGS1 are MG2's by right because it did everything MGS1 did but 8 years earlier. It's a marvel to play, even today, it's aged far better than MGS1 in every aspect and is more fun to play. Had MG2 got a SNES release (with no bastardisation like the NES port of MG1) it would have become a hit. Without a doubt.
Funnily enough, I've heard that MG2 was going to be ported to the Sega Genesis. I don't know if it's true or not, but it would probably have been awesome.
I'm very tempted to the give Subsistence copy a new try. I found both this and the original to be very difficult. That intro music is so damn good. Cant wait for more MGS videos.
The game's collision and such are actually handled on the soliton map. The main screen is just a higher end graphical interpolation of that. Neat way to do things :)
Interesting! I believe Final Fantasy X does that too.
always suspected that.
I love the fact that on the radar, 1 soldier = 1 pixel
Some have criticism of it. As a stealth concept. Interms of having to use your eyes feels more emersive as a stealth concept. But i do think its alright for a 2D stealth game atleast like MG2 Solid Snake, since you cant see front of you there. I like that you can crawl and hide more here as compared to first game. Also the idea of some floors you walk on giving away noise i thought was innovative
Big Boss has the most grueling death I've ever seen in postage-stamp sized pixel graphics.
Play the original fallout games they're way more brutal with similar graphics and if you use the flame thrower the death animations of enemies are very similar to big boss's death scene except you can do it whenever you want but the other death animations make this look tame by comparison enemies are blown apart with blood and guts flying everywhere its awesome
@@orionparsons7631Fallout has much more modern graphics though
"Big Boss is revived"
Heh heh heh. Yeah, funny how a few years after this video that is no longer the case according to MGSV: TPP.
Can we not?
+KamektheMagikoopa1 spoilers
but wasn't it the fact that the point was venom dying and big boss was alive? so the fact that venom is dead the world thinks big boss is dead so it technically works. if someone comes back from the dead what would u call it? it fits its just not what we wanted.
Nick Taddia Please stop.
+KamektheMagikoopa1 He doesn't have to stop. It actually makes sense.
+KamektheMagikoopa1 he said spoilers
The similarities between Metal Gear 2 and Metal Gear Solid remind me of the similarities between The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time. Transferring the properties from a 2D game into a 3D game.
***** Deus Ex actually did this too
The plots of 1 and 3 are completely different, but the actual events mirror one another, even down to being betrayed by an creepy asian lady
I know these comments are months old, but I just felt like saying this. There's another correlation between Link to the Past and Metal Gear 2: It was where the series really began. The first two Zelda games made some concepts and challenges, but we didn't really ever get our first Zelda game that every sequel would be molded after until Link to the Past. The first two games (and in MG's case, the first) game was rather different.
+SpookyKid94 Now that you mention Deus Ex, its lore has a lot in common with Metal Gear's, doesn't it?
cloak211 Not really, they just use a lot of similar modern scifi tropes. Augmentation, secret societies controlling the world, cog in the machine soldiers, cops or what have you getting reluctantly thrown into a conspiracy thing.
SpookyKid94 Two friends join an Illuminati-type organization to have more control over world events, only for their ideologies to split, causing a splinter organization to form and infighting happens. The splinter organization clones two sons from the world's most genetically qualified fighters (as well as a super secret third clone revealed in the second game of the series), all of who share biblical names. It's up to one of the clones to save the world from the shadowy organization after his "brother" fails.
Setch
You know, like of the Setch Republic, formerly Setchoslovakia.
***** this is not sarcasm
SpookyKid94 sketchy
Fucking hilarious!!
I’ll never understand how a guy so fucking smart can fuck up easily understood words so badly.
@@denimchicken104 us education system i assume :(
I agree ;)
Though I honestly can't complain about us reaching this level of an audience in just two short months. All ya gotta do to help out is just sit back, watch the show and enjoy! Thanks for viewing
1:23: Us when Konami thought it's a good idea to turn Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater into a pachniko machine game.
Hit that lever!
Smash the button!
Watch the things!
When Big Boss started saying the same words The Boss said in mgs3 I was fanboying so hard.
"it's broken and I had to cheat my way through it"
"SUCH A GOOD GAME"
The pros outweigh the cons.
You can love a game despite its flaws.
It's not broken. The solution to the hang glider puzzle is to smoke a cigarette, watch the smoke indicating wind direction and then jump off. The first game has, in my opinion, a lot more random unexplained puzzles. You can get through the second one without a guide rather easily.
you need to learn the hangglider section. its hard
Antonio Carrillo
Everyone learns and plays games differently so I don’t see anything wrong with it. Fans made it to the end and enjoyed the experience (hopefully)
Not gonna lie, I love this game
I just played through Metal Gear 2 this week and I was so surprised by how much enjoyment I got out of some old 2D game that laid the groundwork for MGS. Being young(16) and use to 3D games exclusively, I was always quick to underestimate games from this era's gameplay and detail, thinking they would all only good for the time and would be hell to play now. To my surprise, I enjoyed this game just as I enjoyed MGS1-3. I loved the bosses, I loved the gimmicks, I loved the areas, and I loved the core mechanics. Seeing just how much 1-3 stayed true to this game was pretty cool too, seeing as I really enjoy the way those game's controlled and played, even though everybody would say those games gameplay aged terribly. This was honestly one of the most fun experiences I've had in gaming, ever.
Unfortunately many people write off playing MG1 and MG2 because they think of them as "crappy 2D games with no story". MG1 probably fits that description. It's a chore to play. But MG2 is a marvel of a game. It really holds up better than MGS1 imo.
@@ZanzibarBreezeMg2 is my favorite in the whole series, and I started with mgs1 and religiously played all of them on release.
The guard movement sorcery is most likely this: Every possible position of the guards movement patterns is put into an array (a big list of numbers, essentially). The movement array is incremented every second or so, and so they move around on the level. Once they reach a position where the game needs to load them into the screen, they are rendered. This cycle would continue than they would then convert into a pursuit mode and chase you. I can't guarantee this is how it was done, but it was what I would do to code something like that. It is simple and effective.
Didn't ask nerd
@@kramer1254 i did, nerdn't
Not sure if someone else has already stated (youtube is a mess to try and search comments), but since you were playing this on the HD collection, the manual for MGS3HD actually does have the tap codes and the frequency for Campbell in it, in the MG2 section. Additionally, between radio calls and the hints from the children, everything excepting the stupid hang glider section is explained in the game.
With that said, MG2 was freaking great. The design is top notch. I think something I was most impressed with is how when you go to the desert, you get the call about needing to watch out for the mines, so you think OK, Mine Detector, let me walk around them. Then in the next screen, there are mines that you can't just walk around, so you either die, or you call Campbell who tells you that you can crawl over the mines to pick them up. So you continue and encounter the Hind D and have to backtrack to get the Stinger, and end up fighting Running Man -- who you exclusively need the mines for! It's brilliant! You're right -- it is SUCH a good game, and anyone who is a fan of older games really needs to play it. The technical prowess it shows for its time is just damn astounding. It's also arguably one of the largest improvements between prequel and sequel.
Aye-aye, sir! This is my favorite 8 bit video game ever. :)
I know this is an old comment, but I believe the the manual for MGS3HD in America doesn't actually say that. I'm probably wrong, but I never saw it.
+uknownada No worries! I've actually only got an American copy, I'll take a picture of it later on.
JJShura Honestly, even if it was in the manual, I still don't think it was really the best design choice, at least not for the modern port. You'd have to be forced to leave the game in order to open up the manual, and because of how the game saves, you have to leave the area to get to a checkpoint for your game to save.
JJShura I just looked at it again. Turns out it WAS in the manual!
This is hands down the most underrated Metal gear game of all time.
Man, it even has the alert sound they still use to this day. Good stuff.
All that this was missing was the mentioning of the original games character portraits that were VERY similar to Hollywood stars. Snake looking like Mel Gibson, Big Boss as Sean Connery etc.
Happy Birthday Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
It was released July 20th, 1990. 23 years ago.
I love how in retrospect, the whole "paper-thin retconning" of Big Boss' revival was finally explained in MGSV.
"Also Metal Gear has a penis"
Best line ever
WorthlessGeek And now it has one again!
Grubbo lol
+Grubbo All but Ray have a penis. Shinkawa likes giving mechs penises.
WorthlessGeek well how else are metal gears made?
Metal Gear 3 was originally going to be the direct sequel to MG2, but on Panasonic 3DO. There's some concept art floating around of the Foxhound unit. I wish there was more info about it around, e.g. How far in development it was and if the premise of the game was similar to what we ended up with in MGS1. I guess we'll never know
it's amazing how similar MG2 Solid Snake and MGS are so similar. MG2SS was a masterpiece, sucks it took until the MGS3 Subsistence release for us in US to finally play it.This game is the bridge between the big boss games and solid snake ones where you actually learn of big bosses motivations for starting a military nation. Hideo Kojima is a genius, play it if you're a Metal Gear fan play this one for sure!
We were robbed of a masterpiece.
I'm sure someone's mentioned it, but my favourite trivia about the original Metal Gears is how the character portraits in the codec were modelled on real actors - Big Boss was Sean Connery (I'm sure there's some irony with MGS3's Bond theme there), Solid Snake was Mel Gibson, and the Colonel was the Colonel from Rambo. For the remakes they had to update the images so they weren't so copyright infringing.
Just do a search on "Metal Gear 2 codec portraits" and you can find them!
Out of all the main Metal Gear games, this is the only one I never got around to. I should probably change that soon.
Best one, no joke.
Finally played and completed MG2 for the first time today. I wasn't sure i could get engaged with a game that old I didn't have a childhood connection to, but it's genuinely fun to play
Fuck I just noticed your profile picture is based of MG 2
Going back through them all in such short sittings reveals just how contrived some of the connections between these games are, but in this case I can't really see it as a bad thing. Plus, the whole story is a self-aware series of silly spy games. They're crazy enough to get away with all kinds of silliness, and that makes the serious moments hit harder.
-G
Like you did eleven years ago, I recently decided to sit down and play every game in the series again, but in short order, rather than over decades on release as I've been doing since mgs1.
And I came to the conclusion that this is the best one.
Those puzzles you complain about at around the 5 minute mark are mostly explained if you call people on the radio.
And if you talk to the kids in Zanzibarland they give you a lot of clues E.g. The Owl puzzle.
I can see how some people find them frustrating, this game doesn't hold your hand like the rest of the series does, it requires patience, logical thinking and puzzle solving. It's a shame the puzzle elements weren't apart of the later games
Thank you for pointing this out, it was so annoying to hear him bitch
Without a doubt this is the best 8-bit game ever made.
The information the original manual had is all in the digital manual you have if you have the HD collection, so there's nothing you really need to look up a guide for (except for bullshit like smoking cigarettes to change the wind direction...)
You really have to smoke to change the wind direction?
Okay, I knew that Metal Gear was crazy, but not that crazy.
+Hannes Johansson it doesn't change it. It's more of a "do x to initiate cutscene" kind of thing. I guess the in world logic would be that he's using the cigarettes to test the wind instead of the gas grenades but yeah... That was some bullshit. They really should have altered the dialogue to fit that change,
It's the Konami jingle you'd hear when booting up MGS or Policenauts
MG2 is the best in the series. I honestly couldn't believe how much it resembled MGS1, when I first played MG2 in 2006.
Please review Snatcher on the Sega CD, that is one of Kojima's finest and even has a better cyberpunk feeling than MG2. "It's SUCH A GOOD GAME".
if you don't believe me just watch the intro on UA-cam, the music, the story, it's all kick arse!
MG2 is great. MGS is okay, but the series becomes Cuckoo-For-Fucking-Cocoa-Puffs shortly thereafter (convoluted plot, an abundance of retcons, over-the-top anime aesthetics, supernatural elements, Solid Snake is a CLONE, etc).
Ragitsu What're you talking about? MGS1 has some supernatural elements in it already. X3
FlawedIntellect
What are *you* talking about? MGS has a few bits of the supernatural, but they're relatively constrained compared to everything that follows it.
Rasuke11
Metal Gear Solid demonstrated that video games could show stories in a different way, no doubt about that. Problem is, the "Solid Snake is a clone" bit hurt the series in the long run and the inclusion of increasingly over-the-top supernatural elements combined with retcons started the series on a confusing path.
P.S. You are not a video game. You are not a film. You are not a book. A criticism on a video game, a criticism on a film, and a criticism on a book are *not* a criticism of *you*. Don't take such opinions as an attack on your character.
@Aaron9 The problem is, when you've played MG2, you realise that you've been bestowing credit to to the wrong game because MGS1 basically took most of MG2 and just made it 3D. It did it well, but MG2 holds up better today. MGS1's gameplay hasn't aged anywhere near as well.
Maybe it's because we don't bug everyone to subscribe, like, favorite and comment all the time. But maybe it's because we're only two months young.
We'll gain more exposure with time. Until then, feel free to just sit back and enjoy the show ;)
- G
People always want to hate on Snake's Revenge. I personally haven't played it, but have heard it's actually pretty good. I think people should appreciate Snake's Revenge for being the catalyst that drove Kojima to continue the series, even if they don't like the game personally.
i havent played it myself but yeah it looks like a lot of fun if you like those old top-down dumb military shooters of the era, which I do! Also "THERE ARE NO TRAPS ON THE TRAIN" is a classic gag
Laura Marx The traps on the train guy reminds me of Master Miller with his bad advice and non sequiturs
I love that opening theme. I wish I could use it as a ring tone, but I would have to wait until I get a much better phone. I remember when I got MGS 3 Subsistence and I was so happy. Granted, I didn't know how to play and complete the the first two games, but they were still a fun challenge ( and I still haven't completed them yet) and the 3d camera control for MGS 3 was great.
(spoilers for mgsv: tpp)
7:18 just incase no one else has said this, the big boss you fight in the first metal gear isn't technically big boss, but venom snake. Made clear through Mgsv: tpp, through some shenanigans with the destruction of the original mother base a medic was brainwashed into thinking he was snake and acted as his body-double, building outer heaven while big boss hid in the shadows. The big boss that you fight in metal gear is "venom snake", aka the brainwashed medic.
Are you going to review the GBC game?
Tip from someone who played the game back in the day: for the hang glider scene, it's much easier to use the cigar smoke than the grenades. Snake just won't do a blind jump without knowing the wind direction.
Metal Gear 2 was fantastic. A brilliant soundtrack, brilliant story and exemplary gameplay make MG2 legitimately one of my favourite Metal Gear titles. Good times!
'Bout two weeks for each one, but occasionally I can manage to throw one together real fast. Depends on how much other stuff I have planned for that week.
- G
Just a side note, the game does tell you about the owl and the temperature changing thing from Gustava, at least in the Subsistence version. I admit it is through optional codec communication, but Campbell does call you to tell a second time about the memory shape alloy in case you missed it the first time.
Yup. Keep an eye out ;)
Thanks! Me too. I'm going to go at MGS from a bit of a different perspective than these two, considering that it's a game that almost everyone and their mother has played.
- G
The thing with the wind is an error in the emulation for the Subsistence and HD Collection ports of Metal Gear 2. In the original the wind would actually change directions, but in the ports it always blows south.
you know what would be awesome, if Kojima remade, MG1 and MG2, expand the plot in 1, maybe to explore the solid snake and big boss dinamic and merge the 2 into 1 game, retelling the beginning of the metal gear saga, i love these games and its a shame that people dont play these nowadays because of graphics or some shit, so the best next logical step would be a remake, especially if Kojima is the one directing it
I love this review so much, it explains why the game is good much more eloquently than I manage myself.
One thing I would like to add though, is that this game might just have the best stealth action in the entire series since there's better level design than MGS and no easymode Tranquilizer gun like in all the games after MGS. If you want a Big Boss rank in this game, you need to get good at stealth
A little bit of both, actually. It's kind of admirable that he's sticking to the same story after so many decades, but at the same time the connections he's made between the games are pretty stretchy.
Well, that explains it. I wonder how they missed that-- it's a pretty important part of the game, and seriously had me scratching my head... -G
OH GOD THATS SUCH A GREAT IDEA. I played about halfway through Snatcher a few years ago and really enjoyed myself, but didn't finish it. I've been wanting to take another crack at it, but haven't had a good excuse to. Until now.
-G
So...about that Snatcher review ;)
SD-Snatcher needs more love too !
Such a fantastic game. I got MGS 3: Subsistence just to play it, and when I started, for some reason the save feature didn't work. I had to play it all the way through the first time without turning off the console, which actually made it so much better of an experience. The music, atmosphere, story, graphics and gameplay all work so well together. All of the items, tricks, and environments you use them in are so fucking cool. I wish I could get an MSX2 and the original cartridge without going broke.
I hate to be that guy. But a kid you talk to tells you about Gestovas Brooch changing in different temperatures. And another kid talks about how the owls hoot at night, While another kid in the same room tells you the guards turn the lasers off at night. So someone does tell you. I also live In Calgary so seeing snake talk about the Olympics here made me smile .
The game tells you what to do every step of the way if you check in with your contacts. Sometimes you have to be in the right room though which can definitely add to the obscurity of a solution...
I have to say, Metal Gear 2 really seems like a SOLID game!
(double meaning intended)
Not so paper thin anymore eh?
Yeah now it's needlessly complicated and creates hundreds of more questions than it answered.
Nanomachines SON
Nanomachines NONE
In traditional Metal Gear fashion.
Still own the original (Japanese, 1990) cartridge from my childhood! Best thing I've ever bought! Inspiration for programming, GFX, storyline and much more on only (8bit, 512Kb).
Really loved this game.
I love going to back to these old videos if only to hear George mispronounce words like Czech and comparison
Turns out the paper-thin retconning got its own paper-thin retcon! Now the Big Boss you killed in MG1 was actually just some random medic that survived the destruction of the first Outer Heaven from Peace Walker, and the one in this game is the real Big Boss, but he survived anyway for another twenty years or something just to go die atop of The Boss's grave because Solid Snake gave him FOXDIE.
That wind puzzle is bugged. Orginally when you thow a gas grenade and an arrow points up it tells it's time to jump. The porting team removed the puzzle but forgot the arrow direction. I personally noticed it during my playthrough.
I always liked to roam around and explore. Find everything I could. So I found the owl and talked to some kid who told me they unlock the gates at night.
What was with the "dude are you seriously saying this shit" lines?
Snake's revenge was actually the first metal gear I played. I recognize that it's not considered a true metal gear and I get it. I mean I was like 10 when I played it so despite not having played it in a long time I feel certain that stealth was not the biggest concern in Snake's Revenge.
But on the same coin I was 10 and actually had the patience (and game genie codes) to get all the way to the final boss. 10 year old kids aren't typically known for their patience and if the game was "no good" I doubt I'd have made it half way through.
I've heard that even Kojima said something like "It's not a bad game, it's just not really a metal gear game"
And that's how I feel about it. It was just more action and way less stealth. But that doesn't make it crap. I remember having loads of fun.
...
Until the end where you travel through a grid maze, c4ing walls till you get to METAL GEAR, blow that up and trigger a self destruct sequence and have to remember your way out.... f*** that game.
I-I-I'm sorry, but how did you pronounce Czech? :DD
Oh its all good, in the next game he calls Chaff grenades, Chafe ....like they set fire to your crotch by making your underwear too tight or some shit
To say nothing of the Rayshuns you will be eating instead of rations lmao
Lol. His videos have weird mispronunciations to this day.
I'm glad this shit was finally brought over so I can play all the games in order.
Once you get used to the controls this game it's actually really fun to play. Although it is very simple and the graphics are poor compared to modern games, my love of the Metal Gear storyline means I would rather play this than some of the games being developed today with little creativity in the storylines and the main focus being on graphics.
I marathoned every metal gear game recently, and tbh I think this games graphics hold up better than mgs1s. Everybody always says this game needs a remake in the fox engine.
I would honestly prefer a remake of the whole series in mg2s style.
VIDEOS TAKE TIME HOLMES
Such enthusiasm! Believe me, I anticipate Tuesdays too ;)
- G
That was pretty much my reaction.
That guy can't seem to show up anywhere without it being a twist...
- G
what's fascinating about this port is the translation and the consideration of how it controls. This was a game made for a Keyboard and it feels just right beside the other games it's packaged with.
you are only missing a review for MGS4
This is my 2nd fav MG game, after MGS. Back in the day, it was quite a feat to download and get one of those MSX emulators to make this ROM play (OK, actually not that hard, but...) and it blew my mind that it was not famous. Yeah, so good. And impossible to beat w/o gamefaqs, I admit it!
It was when the emulator was unstable as hell/crash happy and had no sound emulation for Konami's sound cart or translation... That's how I did it originally. Friend had some kanji to Romanji homebrew and I used a fricken Japanese to English dictionary.
I played it with subsistance. Definitely good.
Nu~cle~ar
I'M WILD!
+MrGten Apparently, it's "nu-ku-ler"
John Doe He's mocking how the guy in the video is mispronouncing "Nu-cle-ar"
Standing, on the eeedge
+MrGten I still don't get why this word is mispronounced so often by so many. It's NOT HARD to say "nuclear" correctly.
You exagerrated how good this story was chief
And I love you for loving them
Youve only been at this two months???(at time of upload)
Its one of the most professional game reviews i've seen out there!
Keep up the good work man!
Your MGS2 one really blew my mind. Cant wait for more!
I agree it should never be converted to 3D in its present form, but the original MG games do need to be reimagined into a new MGS game with the same core story.
1, To rectify future retcons.
2. Because we all want to play a young Solid Snake once again (admit it!)
Damn right you are, like Max Payne, I'm done with these old farts, they look too much like that guy in the mirror in my badroom...
I think you are my favorite video game commentator (for now, don't get complacent!)
I didn't play MG2, but I played a little of Ghost Babel (Game Boy Color) and was similarly blown away by how close the game mechanics and everything resembled MGS. All those things we thought were so innovative in MGS were actually pretty old.
I really liked it! You won't regret it. Just make sure you have a wiki handy
- G
I bet Colonel Campbell would make some killer chicken soup.
I haven't played Peace Walker, so this idea might have already happened. It seems like one of many big missed opportunities to not have a young Grey Fox on Mother Base in MGS5.
He's in Portable Ops.
Stop pulling the hair forward; just let the bald happen.
Better yet, he should either shave it off or get a hair cut that doesn't hide it - people losing there hair fear a thing that would actually better than an obvious but weak attempt at covering it up.
Easy to say this when you have your hair. I have a lush, thick set of hair, so I never feel the need to comment on bald/balding guys. You wouldn't know how to deal with it. Losing your hair is a real bitch.
It sucks, it really does.
Fun fact about that wind blowing the right way puzzle, apparently if you smoke it changes the direction of the wind for some reason.
Nice review.
Btw. There is a mention of the shape changing item in the game. It's somewhat cryptic and mentioned by one or two of the war orphans.
this game does not deserve a nostalgia. this game DESERVES A FUCKING REMAKE! THIS GAME NEEDS TO BE EXPERIENCED IN 3D BY ALL!
I was just there to gather feedback.
Honest.
-G
I wrote down and memorized every codec frequency in mgs2 before figuring out the memory function in mgs3. It honestly added to the immersion of the game in my opinion.
I followed your suggestions and in the last 2 weeks i've managed to play both Metal gear 1 & Metal gear 2 and...worth it.
There are a couple of points that can definitely be frustrating without a strategy guide (i had to consult one for a point in particular) but boy...awesome games.
"No, I can't let this be" -Demon Kojima
Music is epic in this game. I don't have many soundtracks on my phone, but this one is a frequent listen.
"It deserves your nostalgia!!"
No, it doesn't. It's a good game as it is, making it 3D would make it worse, because now it stands as a great contrast to the Solid games, and is also fun to experience in 2D.
Guys, just download blueMSX emulator and the English translated game. So much fun.
You can find the ROM of the game almost everywhere, it is like more or less 1 MB in size.
Or just buy the HD collection because it's on that.
+Beary-Boo Why have over 50 GB worth just to play a game that is 1MB? It is better to play the original. Besides, I already played all sequels.
Thaer Razeq Well, If you're like me you'll be playing all the games over and over again so it'll be good to have them all in one place and with some achievements just for a little extra to do. If you're not then go ahead and get the emulator. There's some bad English here and there but it's still good.
However, there is a patch that fixes this. You need to set the machine to MSX Turbo R and patch the ROM and the framerate will be fixed.
He's reviewing the improved re-release and not the original. There are quite a few changes from the original.
Everytime that you say "nuclear" I think about that episode of The Simpsons where Homer says "nucular" instead of nuclear :"
What's up with "are you serious"-interruptions when you imply that The Boss' speech from MGS3 ties into Big Boss' in MG2?
Yup, spot on Wind Falcon.
I grew up with 2D games. I played the best. IMO the best ever 2D game is Super Mario World. After that, Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake. It's tragic this didn't get a western release. Aside from the cinematics and voice acting, all the other plaudits bestowed on MGS1 are MG2's by right because it did everything MGS1 did but 8 years earlier. It's a marvel to play, even today, it's aged far better than MGS1 in every aspect and is more fun to play. Had MG2 got a SNES release (with no bastardisation like the NES port of MG1) it would have become a hit. Without a doubt.
Funnily enough, I've heard that MG2 was going to be ported to the Sega Genesis. I don't know if it's true or not, but it would probably have been awesome.
Thanks! :)
You can find some pretty good MSX emulators on the 'net these days. My favorite is blueMSX. Also the game ROM is east to find.
I like MGS. As you have said about Zelda. Not for honorable reason. I think it was the closest interactive experience to play a Rambo game.
I wonder if Kojima got the makeshift flamethrower idea from Live and Let Die.
I'm very tempted to the give Subsistence copy a new try. I found both this and the original to be very difficult.
That intro music is so damn good. Cant wait for more MGS videos.
lol Kojima really called the NES MG1 an abomination? Anyone have a link to that?
WilHiteWarrior It's in the description, dammit.