• Publisher: Konami
  • Release Date: Nov 12, 2001
Metascore

Universal acclaim - based on 42 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 506 Ratings

  • Summary: Since the incident on Shadow Moses Island, Metal Gear's top-secret technology has been leaked into the black market through the machinations of Revolver Ocelot. As a result, countless variations of Metal Gears have sprung up in every corner of the globe, making the weapon an increasingly common component of the armed forces of nuclear powers.
    In the midst of all of this, Solid Snake, now a member of the anti-Metal Gear group "Philanthropy," has learned that a new prototype Metal Gear has been developed by the U.S. Marines and is being transported in secret to an unknown destination. To learn more about this new machine, Snake must infiltrate the transport, disguised as a tanker, as it makes its way down the Hudson River. Just as Snake is about to begin his mission, however, the ship is seized by a mysterious and well-armed group bent on stealing the new Metal Gear for their own, nefarious purposes. [Konami]
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. A perfect balance between videogames and cinema.
  2. A must-own, state-of-the-art tactical espionage stealth-a-thon. [Jan 2007, p.106]
  3. 100
    If you own a PS2 and you do not own and play through this game 100% you will forfeit your right to call yourself a game player and should trade in everything you own and become a monk.
  4. The gameplay factor is much lower for MGS2.

See all 42 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 22 out of 232
  1. The plot becomes appreciated after repeat playthroughs, and the game play kicks ass. I can definitely see why other people would dislike it, but I can't help loving this game. Expand
  2. PsychoMantis
    8
    The original is still better overall. The graphics are great in this game with cool effects and it all runs smoothly. The sound effects are great too, but the audio side I have a complaint about, in some instances the music turned to jazz/lounge, which some people might be turned off by, like me. Those instances are far and few between though, so no biggy. The story is WAY confusing at times and you may get lost, but it is still captivating and well told. My only other gripe is the game was too short and Rose's bitching to Jack every other Codec transmission, ugh. Expand
  3. The second game in the MGS series is probably the oddest one too. In this game, you start off as Snake, carrying out a mission to discover the new Metal Gear. From this point, we skip some time and are introduced to Raiden, a new member of Fox. The further you infiltrate the area, the more the veil of a new terrorist plot wears off. The gameplay didn't change, as it's still a stealth game. A few new weapons and items are introduced, most important being the Stun Gun and the Freezer. The story is quite immersive, but doesn't feel as deep as in the first game. The fact that you don't play with Snake is also a clever way of saying he's trying to skip the radar. This is proven as you meet him multiple times, calling himself Iriquois Plissken. The game was okay, the bad guys weren't as scary as in the first game -except Fortune- and the ending -Solidus being the third Snake- is rather weak and a typical move for a sequel. Also the fact that Solidus is supposed to be the perfect clone, yet Snake having a more physique liking to Big Boss is a flaw that I didn't see Kojima make. This game is definitely the weakest link in the series, but still deserves a certain gratitude for being a greater game than most out there. Expand
  4. No, I still dont get this, WHO CALLS A VIDEO GAME BAD BASED OFF PLOT? It makes no sense, are you really going to hate this game just because you play as Raiden? Are you high? Not only is his involvment in the game necessary to the plot, but its not that big of a deal, snake and raiden's controls are the same, how big of a baby are you to complain who you are playing as? Plot are you serious? "Screw the incredible graphic,s and gameplay, the plot was stupid" maybe you people forgot but this ISNT a movie, its a game, if you hate the cutscenes than just skip them, is it really that hard? How can functioning humans review like this, it is the epitome of illogical reviwing, thats like saying the food sucked because it wasnt on a good plate, who cares about the plate???? The food is the main focus. You cant just call food bad because of the plate it is served on. Expand

See all 232 User Reviews