When philosophy and privily intertwine...
Despite all of these perceived problems, they are all rendered worthless to me due to one phrase I typed in the above paragraph: “…would be legit gripes for those that played the first Metal Gear Solid…” Since I never had a PSX, I never got to play the first game. Therefore, Sons of Liberty was my first experience with the Metal Gear series. As a virgin popping the cherry that was the Metal Gear series, I definitely needed a cigarette after all was said and done. Of course, part of this was due to the fact that I was completing the game at around three in the morning while having a cold. Trust me: when your senses are already disoriented for reasons unrelated to a game, then you come across the plot twists of Sons of Liberty, your mind can actually combat itself to figure out what you are doing at any given moment. So by he circumstances that occurred while I was playing the game, it was already going to be one of the most memorable gaming events I’ve ever had. Thankfully, the rest of the game and the gameplay that happened prior were worthy enough to stay with me for a long time.
As the first major game I played (along with Final Fantasy X) for the PS2 with the cinematic presentation of a Michael Bay flick, the technical details were stunning. The character models looked tremendous, the voice acting was delivered in a believable manner, and the music was some of the best music I had ever heard in a game. Oh, the game was also a blast to play as well. While playing as Snake on the first “level,” the variety of the game becomes apparent very quickly. Taking strategic photographs of a military weapon while remaining undetected and conflicting with Russian terrorists that ambushed the tanker you are riding may not sound that interesting, but thanks to great level design and fluent and effortless controls, doing so was energizing. While Sons of Liberty is considered a stealth game, it is in a very loose manner. Compared to the first four Splinter Cells, Metal Gear games seem like stealth-by-preference rather than necessity. Because of this, the game was made even more fun simply based on the experimentation that could be done to advance; there wasn’t (by comparison) that much of a trial and error, but thanks to the ability to save the game anywhere, experimentation became a sheer joy. For example, I could try to play the game in a more conventional route and progress through the game by distracting the guards and then striking at an opportune moment. I could also decide to not bother for the time being, hide in a cardboard box in room containing about eight claymore mines lined up near the door, fire a loud gun, and see what happens when guards barge through the door. I’d get nowhere with that, but I’ll be damned if it was not fun. What was fun was the boss battles, breaking from typical conventions in terms of “winning” and presenting unique dynamics to the fights. When there were not any boss fights, the various tasks asked of you were changed up enough and at the right moments that monotony was not allowed to exist. Speaking of monotony, although the plot was hit or miss with many people, I was on the side of the former. Considering I was about thirteen when I played Sons of Liberty, a game trying to comment and challenge the perceptions of the digital age was fascinating. No other game I had played had reached so far to make a point, or at least try; I liked that tremendously. It was pretentious as hell, but it had the balls to risk it, and succeeded. For that reason, combined with being one of the first “big budget” games of the PS2, the dynamic gameplay, and the sheer amazement of what was a first experience with a series, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty succeeded on a number of levels that very few games could only, at best, achieve in some respects, much less all of them.
It’s also entirely possible that the majority of the reasons I loved this game carried over to my all time favorite PS2 game…because something has to validate this one a bit…
* This editorial is part of an article on TeamGameOnline.com where I recall my five favorite PS2 games of all time; this game followed Guitar Hero, SSX: Tricky, and Shadow of the Colossus. The next, and last, game on this list is Killer7, but I already wrote a detailed review of the game. *