Snake? Snake!? SNAAAAAAAKE!!!!!!!!

I think the original is still my favorite, but I have insane nostalgia for it and that probably colors my perceptions a bit. It wasn't completely over the top, the story felt relatively plausible, and there wasn't a whole lot of that magical power rannygazoo that kind of spoiled the later games for me.

don't be stupid, the answer is 2, 3 and 4

Most people who rate 1 the worst is because they didn't play it at the time. MGS 1 is easily one of my favourite games of all time, but I can't go back to it. Gameplay improvements over the years is a big factor on why games should really be rated at the time of release, not long after... You know?

For that reason, it goes 3>1>2>4 for me. I love them all, and going back, I really don't enjoy playing MGS 2, but at the time, I was fascinated. MGS 4 being last really doesn't mean I don't like it, but MGS is my favourite series by far, and I hold the other three immensely high on my love scale.

Do I have to choose? Because I kind of love them all on their own merits.

I love all of them, but if I had to pick I would say 2 and 4 because 2 is my favorite.

Nanomachines, son.

@ravenlight said:

This is a crucial statement.

People seem to either forget or not acknowledge that MGS2 was created to essentially parrot and satire the first game, showing you that it's better than any sequel could ever be, hence why so many boss battles and locations are reminiscent of the first game (deliberately, not because of bad game design or lazy staff).

I love all of them, but I have to go for 2 and 4. Nothing beats all the craziness.

3 is one of the best games ever made.

1 and 3 but 2 is still pretty great. Fuck 4.

Raiden

3 and 4.

Never played the first game - I honestly think it's too dated for me to truly enjoy playing now, unless they update it.

I don't dislike 2 but I didn't think the setting was very interesting and I don't like the overhead camera.

3 is definately my favourite. Interrogating people for information is badass, the hunger and cure systems are really cool, characters and bosses are awesome.

4 refined everything about the series and it's a cool game, I think it's missing something compared to 3 though.

MGS2 is the most absurd, meta, snake-eating-its-own-tail video game I've ever played. It's also a crummy stealth game where you run around identical-looking orange rooms. Sooo... that one. I really like 3 as well. Don't particularly care for 1, and have never played 4.

Snake Eaterrrr

2 & 3.

1 is kinda bad, and I haven't played 4, but it looks shitty.

Raiden is functionally identical to Snake in the gameplay of MGS2. Projecting your weird hang ups about how you secretly want to make out with him and that making you uncomfortable was Kojima's plan all along.

This guy got it right

@baillie: I played a little bit of MGS1 when it first came out, but not enough to leave a lasting impression. I played it all the way through only a couple of years back, and like you said the gameplay is hard to go back to. Instead of ranking games by which one was the best when it came out, I generally think "If I had all of these games in front of me, which would be the most fun to play through?"

Judging games from the time they came out makes sense. If you're creating a best of all time list or something, it's only fair to judge based on the market at the time. But if I was in a hypothetical situation where a friend with no experience with the series wanted to play only the best MGS game (and once they finished they would never touch another MGS game), I couldn't recommend 1 due to how badly it plays now and how little enjoyment they would probably get out of the combat and sneaking.

1, 2, and 4. Never have played 3.

2 is my favorite in the series, though.

3 and 4 would be my favorites then 2 and lastly Twin Snakes. All the metal gear games are dumb, 1 and 3 just less so. I'd say 3 is the only one with quality story elements. 4 is just mad dumb. At times Deadly Premonition levels of stupid. Which is why I like it.

1, 3, 4, big gap and then 2.

I've beaten all of them. I'd probably say 2 is my favorite, just based on how sort of ridiculous it is, but also how great it is. It's also a pretty fun game overall to play again. I can't stand 4 though. It almost felt dumbed down compared to 3. Also it tried to be so dumb that I felt like it lost a lot of it's charm that the series was known for.

2>1>3>4

People who hate MGS2 remind me of people who hate FFVIII, both the best entries in their respective series. They both do more the narrative and thematically push forward their respective genres and series than all the other entries combined, even if they aren't the most mechanically innovative.

I haven't played 4 yet, but I liked 1, 2, and 3. I liked 3 the best.

1,3, and 4 are all classics in their own right, but MGS 2 is on a whole different plane of existence.

By no means is MGS 2 my favorite game in the series or anything like that, but it's not a bad game by any means. I don't understand the hate that the game get's, it was still very fun. Yes Raiden may seem like a bit of a pansy compared to Snake, but he's still a decent character to me.