Edit: immediately moved this to the MGS2 section because I'm insecure about my choices. Derp.
In the 11/18/2014 episode of the Bombcast, Dan refers to watching certain anime as if one had played MGS2 before MGS1. I am that guy.
In early 2002, my best friend told me that I should play a game called Metal Gear Solid 2, and lent it to me. I had no idea what this was and the most cinematic game I had played by this point in my life was either Donkey Kong 64 or Perfect Dark. I was twelve. As I played through the game, I kept hearing reference to things like Shadow Moses, a dude who was apparently named after a state of matter and crazy non-sequiturs like "No wonder Naomi passed you over for the FoxDie program!" I probably understood 20% of that whole game and got the deeper, referential meaning of about 5%. This might be the worst (or at least, most risky) MGS to start someone on, a toss-up between this and 4.
However, a truly magical thing happened. It must have been the perfect storm of coincidences: I was a curious kid and interested in the mysterious; I was just opening my eyes to what video games could REALLY do as an art form, but wasn't quite aware of it; I had never seen anything even close to MGS2's cinematic delivery. I remember being specifically BAFFLED at my friend when he told me that after the Tanker chapter, the whole main game was spent on ONE level! This was absolutely mystifying to me, my most played game at the time being Super Mario World (I was one of those kids who got a SNES in like, 1996). I could have gotten to the introduction of the second - and admittedly less cool - protagonist and shunned him. I could have reached the meeting with Vamp and said "what the fuck is a vampire doing in a seemingly military based shooter?" I could have reached a mention of the Patriots and quietly, slowly turned my console off.
However - and I find it amazing how perfectly Dan nailed this analysis - instead, all of these confusing references and characters only deepened my interest. I would hear about how a legendary super-spy saved the world at a small island in the Fox archipelago and just like Dan said, think "I have no idea what happened at Shadow Moses, but I'm pretty sure it was fucking cool." Not to mention that all of the MGS2 specific content involving the Patriots (no spoilers, don't worry), Dead Cell and E.E. (who maybe I had a super-crush on at the time) was the most interesting material a game had ever delivered to me. To say, "I was hooked" would be a bigger understatement than "Dan Ryckert likes Hot Pockets".
MGS3 became the first game I ever got pre-hype for. I remember buying a copy of Playstation magazine while in Nanaimo (the NYC of Vancouver Island, Canada) on a family vacation, and inside were the early details of MGS3. I learned that I would not be playing as Solid Snake, but as a "different soldier during the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis", and that this would be Kojima's final entry in the series - for sure this time. *snicker* I asked for MGS3 for Christmas 2004, then secretly bought my own copy two weeks early because I couldn't wait.
All this time, MGS1 had been built up in my head as some sort of legend. I hadn't been able to locate a copy of the game in what would become six years. But when I did... well, that's probably a story for another day.
I think I should make my point. MGS2 changed my perspective entirely on what video games are, what they can do and what a good character is. It made me want a video game maybe more than any I've wanted in my life. So, I ask you dear Duders, is MGS2 really so bad? Yes, I know this game is respected for its impact and much of the reasons I've said, but I'm saying within the MGS context, should MGS2 really be branded as "the worst" of them? Like, for those Indiana Jones fans, would you say Temple of Doom is "the worst" of the trilogy (that's all there is, right? Three? Right), or that it's the "least fucking awesome" of the trilogy? Does MGS2 deserve that designation, or is it that people are still sore over the Snake switcharoo, or they can't be bothered to get interested in the story and write it off as "obtuse" and "pretentious"?
I'll grant you, the switcharoo was a dick move - particularly the pre-release footage of Snake fighting Fortune - but thirteen years later, really? As for the story, I'll admit I'm the last person to talk about the symbolic implications of art, but MGS2's plot has relevance to things we should be concerned about even today. MGS2 is literally the reason I find Net Neutrality logical and sound. Not to mention that MGS2 plays and has aged way, way better than its predecessor (I'm with Jeff, MGS2 plays the best out of all of them).
Despite my earlier comment about Raiden being less cool... well, it's hard to beat Solid Snake. I think of Raiden as trying desperately to be Snake but never quite reaching his level. He even seems to suggest this about himself at a point in the game. He's like the accidental mentee, or a friendly foil, to Solid Snake. Similar in description, but couldn't be more different in execution; but he's trying and trying hard. Viewed from there, I think Raiden is a real cool guy. Again, no Snake, but a worthy partner. As for Rose... let's say I tried real hard to like her, particluarly during my recent playthrough. I like how she's used a lot more in MGS4: sparsely and for emotional effect.
I guess the reason I thought of all this is Metal Gear Scanlon 1 showed me that for all of MGS' aging problems, a person blind to all of MGS can still enjoy the story and get excited for the future. Metal Gear Scanlon 2 is showing me that Strut F can suck my -- sorry, I mean that it's showing me that a lot of people hold little reverance for MGS2. Furthermore, more than a few people have said that it's okay if Drew hates this game, as he wouldn't be alone in that. I think that's unfair, partially because he's upset over the gameplay, not the story/characters as most people were; partially because as I've said, MGS2 deserves a decent chance. I've always thought that it isn't fair to sit back during a story and say, "okay, wow me." You have to be willing to meet the story halfway so to speak sometimes, because some stories require a little effort and consideration on the player's part. You have to get out there and love the story. You can't just wait for the story to love you (God, I hope someone gets this). I know Drew is his own thinking, intelligent person, but I'd hate for him to finish the game and say, "well, that was hard to understand, and Raiden's kind of a weiner, but no-one else likes it, so I guess that's no surprise. Oh, well".
So, I hope this has made some people a little more sympathetic to MGS2 and to consider its value before lambasting it. Furthermore, if some newcomers to MGS read this in conjunction with watching Metal Gear Scanlon and earn an appreciation for any of the MGS games - including 2, of course - nothing could make me happier.
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