MGS 2: sons of liberty is a brilliant game with many hidden messages and secrets
MGS 2: sons of liberty is a brilliant game with many hidden messages and secrets that many gamers fail to recognize.
Metal Gear solid 2:Sons of Liberty was and always will be a great game but I tend to think of it as an "inside joke" of sorts from the always entertaining Hideo Kojima for many reasons, not the least of wich the star of the MGS saga Solid Snake was only fully playable for the short introductory segment of the game and there was Raiden and the slightly overconvoluted storyline all combined to leave more than a few gamers bewildered at it all.
Those few drawbacks aside Metal Gear Solid 2 offers an incredible and very unique gaming experience that very few other games have been able to achieve.
The graphics are smooth and very nice to look at and the music is still my favorite in the series even better than the excellent score in part 3.
Again the only drawback (especially for those new to the series) is the slightly over convoluted storyline.
Although once familiar with the series and after a couple play throughs the (most) of the story makes sense.
*SPOILER ALERT
My biggest dissapointment with Metal Gear Solid 2 was that the story was at its core a re-hash of the SHADOW MOSES INCIDENT that took place in MGS 1 in that Raiden is supposed to be Snakes succesor for the Patriots -a Snake that THEY can control - but did they achieve that? We will have to find out in Metal Gear Solid 4.
This is a quick summary of what it seems Kojima was trying to accomplish with MGS 2 that might help explain the slightly eccentric storyline and some of the things that transpire later in the game;
During the game, Kojima makes a loop to engulf the player. The
one that has gone through the VR training in Shadow Moses; the one that
executed everything as told; the one that has been "talking" to an AI and
interpreting the recorded voices as if spoken by a person; the one who thought
the Colonel was "acting a bit strange, but it must be because Raiden is a
rookie", although has never met the Colonel in person; the one whose name
appears on Raiden's dog tag at the end... This is clearly implied while running
naked on New York's 52nd Street... "Raiden, turn the game console off right
now! ... Don't worry, it's a game! It's a game just like usual. You'll ruin
your eyes playing so close to the TV.". Those are clear messages to the player,
as well as the screen that reads "Fission Mailed", simulating a screwed up GAME
OVER, while the game continues in the small overlay. These are clear signs of a
higher level controlling the "reality" that the game simulation is, which is
being affected by the virus. So you see, Raiden was not being controlled. You
were... "Son of Liberty".
The game was designed this way to make the player uncomfortable with the
situation. With being controlled. Everyone wanted to play Snake for the whole
game, but this that we were given is a work of modern art and expression that
is intended to make the player think. It gives feelings and emotions that other
kind of media, like books or movies, wouldn't be able to because you are not
playing the main character. That is the whole point; transmit these memes to a
generation in a way that involved form and content. The ideas were not new, but
were used in perfect harmony with the game to create an interactive experience.
This essay is in the same spirit. Using existing memes to pass on a message
that tries to reproduce itself: The Meta-Meme. The whole idea of Snake being
the main character seen through the eyes of a rookie was well worth it; it was
also completely necessary to place the burden on the player's shoulders.
I highly recommend this game to ANY person that cares to call himself/herself a gamer and especially to those interested in picking up MGS4 for their shiney new Playstation 3's since MGS2 is the direct successor to MGS4.