Most of the console gaming business is pretty easy to predict--EA is going to continue to put out sports games every year, games based on licenses will continue to sell, and so on. But every year there are a handful of genuinely surprising events. Some are as simple as a long-delayed game shipping, and others are as complex as, say, one company purchasing another and canceling all its current projects or, in this year's case, a plot twist that no one saw coming. With that said, here's the winner of the 2001 Biggest Surprise Award:
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
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In a year packed with so many anticipated games, MGS2 managed to stay a cut above the rest thanks to the stunning trailers Konami would release to work fans into a frenzy. Stunning scenes featuring amazing graphics, gripping music and movie quality direction promised us a gripping thrill ride of a game with Snake at the wheel. Upon the game's release, the early levels delivered just that. With corridor we slunk through, eyes glued to the radar, fingers poised to trigger one of Snake's cool moves in case of trouble, we were hooked. This was what we wanted, this was Metal Gear…. And then our world turned upside down.
In a plot twist along the lines of Ripley taking the header into a lava pit at the end of Alien 3, MGS2 pulled off the mother of all headgames this year. It's one thing to surprise gamers at the end of an adventure, like
when we discovered Samus Aran's gender, but right in the middle? And with something as dramatic as the identity of the game's lead character? Hideo Kojima's bold risk raised MGS2 to a level of greatness that most sequels wish they could attain. Although Konami could have gotten away with a game that gave us more of the same with a healthy dose of eye candy, they took real risks and offered us the one thing we rarely see in a sequel: a genuine surprise. Love him or hate him, you just have to give Raiden his props.
Other Nominees:
Advance Wars
Grand Theft Auto III
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (GBA)
Zelda GameCube's new look
