Critical Close-up: Metal Gear Solid 2

A 35-minute philosophical docu-review of one of the most confusing game stories ever.
WARNING: Massive spoilers contained within...
Thus wraps the most time-consuming project so far. Hope you all enjoy.
This video uses music and sound effects from audiomicro.com.
For fun further reads, I encourage:
Articles:
metagearsolid.o...
www.deltaheadtr...
archive.insertc...
junkerhq.net/MGS2/
metagearsolid.o...
Books:
"And Then There's This" - Bill Wasik
"The Condition of Postmodernity" - David Harvey
"How to Do Things With Videogames" - Ian Bogost
Also check out superbunnyhop.com for a related blog post. This project was huge, and was put together during an intensive period. Gonna take a break next week and let it froth.

[@ColeTrainStudio]

I wanted to watch an interesting video, wound up having an existential crisis.

[@AlRomo19]

*Cues Goodbye Moonmen*

[@rozza1903]

SHUT THE FUCK UP THIS IS NOT A MUSICAL NUMBER

[@martinstoilov6671]

tits vai no lytriks

[@Spanjop]

It's a masterpiece. I'm gonna get high as fuck and rewatch this shit.

[@perfect.stealth]

lmao

[@HSnake5]

All joking aside, the way Kojima predicted the future of the information era with pin point accuracy is terrifying.

[@Geneforson]

Havoc Jaeger *very* terrifying

[@MrIndiemusic101]

Havoc Jaeger he did the same thing with the military industrial complex in MGS4

[@NamEun69]

MrIndiemusic101 And as of now militaries around the world are outsourcing and making war into a buissness. War has actually changed

[@breedlove94]

MrIndiemusic101 I wouldn't say he "predicted" the military industrial complex. At the time of MGS4 there were PMCs (like Blackwater) in Iraq and Afghanistan

[@Rakkhun369]

Havoc Jaeger It's because he knows....War. War never changes.

[@Ricky-cy4is]

25 minutes in.... questions sanity. 30 minutes in.... questions morals. 35 minutes in.... shrugs off questions. experiment has proceeded as planned.

[@Big_Dai]

You can finish the game in 35 minutes!?

[@user-ir8rd6oy4w]

+Dai He meant the video.

[@kiko485]

Jimmy William Dude, this video made me question my entire life...

[@SammyCola]

First half, alright MGS! Second half, this turned dark...

[@drunkensailor112]

@@kiko485 😂

[@amsaa91]

"Everyone withdraws to their small gated communities, afraid of a larger forum, speaking whatever truth suits them" In two fucking thousand one.

[@ChrisOliver4307]

Yeah, that was pretty fucking prescient. I dogged this game when it came out but Kojima deserves some credit.

[@SammEater]

SAFE SPACES!

[@Dr_Baphomet]

In other words: Kojima-God predicted Trump D:

[@JT044-iz1cv]

Kojima predicted SJWs and Tumblr.

[@joshuafane7324]

He didn't predict shit. He elucidated human behavior. "Kojima predicted SJWs and Tumblr" is as ironic of a response to this comment as "Kojima-God predicted Trump." If you can earnestly look across the aisle at ideological opponents and say "yes... this is about them" without hesitation, you're a fool.

[@jdalbiac]

Wouldn't it be interesting if Twin Snakes was the VR simulation of the Shadow Moses incident that Raiden undertook? That would explain things like Mei Ling's and Naomi's accent being changed from Chinese and British to Amercan and that the cutscenes are more like high budget action movies than in the original MGS1.

[@WodkaEclair]

When my friend mentioned the possibility back in the 00s, I just assumed this must be the case. With the tranq and first person aiming, the game becomes a lot easier, and a lot more like MGS2. And the overthetop action scenes help this a lot. It's no wonder Raiden thinks snake is such a badass with all those action movie flips and shit.

[@RagnaRok852]

I will now and forever accept this as my head canon.

[@TheFirstCurse1]

Damn I always hated Twin Snakes, but this makes sense. It also explains how Raiden (and we) admire(s) Snake so much and see him as such a badass.

[@SamsarasArt]

Dood...

[@SamsarasArt]

@@TheFirstCurse1 everything in that game felt hamfisted and bordered on the ludicrous at times to me. Did the twin snakes feel that way you you too?

[@NoobixCube]

Honestly, I will never get over the feeling I had, the first time I finished Metal Gear Solid 2. From the first mentions of information control, to the Colonel telling me to turn off the console, and let _him_ finish the mission, to Snake explaining that free choice, and the power to do with it what we want, to forge our own futures, are all in our hands. I was creeped out by GW, enthralled by the subversive idea that I'd not only just meddled for better or for worse in a morally grey area where I appear to have saved the world by enslaving it. When I was fifteen years old, this was heavy, heavy stuff, I'd never expected to encounter in a game.

[@bansho7076]

It shaped my life...

[@vincentvalentine9417]

goes to show the brilliance of the game. I can honestly say i've never had any sort of story, movie or book, affect me the way mgs2sol has. The game was so well written it has forever inspired me.

[@Alex_Logan22]

"in a morally grey area where I appear to have saved the world by enslaving it" Once Big Boss was revealed as "Only Snake is the True Hero" in the debut MGS3 trailer, I was already immediately connecting the dots of where the series was going, and of what really happened in the MSX games. Liquid had already heavily criticized Snake in MGS1 for blindly following the system and orders, it was too obvious. You even hear Old Snake's denial and confirmation bias in an Otacon codec in MGS4: "That man was a monster." He wouldn't had retired in Alaska if he didn't feel guilty for what he did. MGS2 made me question Solidus, its ambiguous how good/bad he was, then MGS3 made it super clear how un-bad its main antagonist was. Maybe the Patriots inject something into their agents that triggers false lies like Solidus revealing he killed Raiden's parents (out of the blue and out of character), which would explain why Liquid tried to replicate a false interpretation of Big Boss's will (from Snake's perspective) when we see Eli know the kind of man Big Boss really was in MGSV, along with him getting over his hate/jealousy issues in the unfinished episode (he didn't kill Big Boss). Its all a deep rabbit hole.

[@Alex_Logan22]

+GayFox Well, MGS2 still is the most sold MGS of all time, so there's that. Kojima was able to take the risk because of the success of the 1st one, of which fueled 2's false marketing. After it didn't pan out so well with fans, it affected the sales of 3 (and future titles, not 2), which ironically happened to be more of the kind of sequel people wanted in the first place. Pre-release reviews and skepticism thanks to the Internet wasn't around back then, I wondered if it would've sold as well with today's jaded consumer in-tune with social media and the Internet (NMS comes to mind).

[@soliddragon5571]

I don't understand the game. What makes it so life changing? Can anyone explain?

[@HiddenGhul]

Honestly though, you've been watching KZbin videos for a long time, don't you have anything else to do with your time?

[@McMeatBag]

I need memes! 61!

[@karikora8279]

No...

[@5persondude]

Close out the video right now You'll ruin your eyes watching so close to your monitor

[@martinstoilov6671]

lytriks.>....////../////??????? plz mean/

[@bluebitproductions2836]

its a common misconception that eyes close to a screen is bad for them

[@noosetime9423]

It's sad that the content of the game and the interpretation are becoming more and more relevant every day.

[@caseyspencer6278]

I remember a little while back watching a New Rules segment on Real Time, where he talked about "zombie lies" in the American right wing. Which are completely debunked talking points Republican politicians keep using because their popularity outweighs their reality. Comparable to "the proliferation of convenient half truths" in metal gear 2. Then I was a little horrified by myself when I thought that The Patriots AI system would be a really effective solution to that problem.

[@adonizi]

Left uses lies that wont die either, despite them being disproven. Lies like gender wage gap, college campus rape epidemia, cops shooting "innocent" black men because of rasicm.The most popular talking points that left uses are BS.

[@caseyspencer6278]

I barely remember the scene so I'm sorry if I misquote it. But The fake Colonel and Rose talked about how "we live in our own little ponds, leaking out whatever truth best suits us" and how "nobody is proven right nobody is refuted." So when you say all that right wing shit in contrast to my left wing shit. As if either have been proven as demonstrable fact (they haven't). we're kind of proving the patriots right. Leaking out some self serving crap we want to beLIEve about the world, without putting the effort in to really find out what's true.

[@gabrieltsiry]

this is why MGS 2 should be considered a legendary game. Ah, the good old days when Kojima and Konami were getting along ..

[@vivthefree]

Aha! But is that not also but a narrative - "the world is getting worse"?

[@tomfowler3590]

Amazing how this video was created six years ago on a game that's 17 years old whose motifs are now only gaining attention and relevancy more and more by the day

[@JewTube001]

@Alexander Supertramp we thought it was some deep sci fi at first. didn't think we'd be living it several years later.

[@davidreeding9176]

@Alexander Supertramp define 'from the beginning'

[@LutraLovegood]

Internet and forums existed at the time and we were already swarming in more information than we knew what to do with. A lot of MGS2 is still sci-fi though, like The Patriots AIs, active camo, Ray, Arsenal Gear, portable rail guns, etc

[@8BitGaming]

This video is such an eye opener! MGS2 was our childhood game and we had no idea there was such a deep meaning behind it. Awesome video man, loved it :)

[@stoney_1kenobi826]

Hey Ryan! And other Ryan!

[@ToxicAtom]

"at some point in time 100 years ago time and space compressed and everyone went crazy" New fav quote

[@robnickerson7819]

Toxic Atom Sounds like Death Stranding

[@ioannisgiannis5865]

mgs2 played us like a damn fiddle!

[@thealaskan1635]

Violin

[@Descro382]

That's why everyone hates it.

[@maxrecruit6522]

@@thealaskan1635 it's a joke at the end of MGS Ground Zeroes Kaz says they played us like a damn fiddle

[@druidofthefang]

BITCH

[@AloneintheLight96]

SUCH A LUST FOR REVENGE

[@ivanm.r.7363]

this game mindfucked me 15 years ago. this review screwed my mind all over again. great review. thanks.

[@rosiethefeeder3085]

Turn the browser off right now.....cut the power

[@flipsmachado4912]

Mgs2 changed my life

[@danielbarron3379]

it's one of my favorite games ever. I would rent it as a kid and never get passed the C4 part of the game lol which isn't very far into it. but even still as a kid I loved the character Snake. I loved the idea of sneaking around. hiding. being like military ninja. I love metal gear

[@SammEater]

Honestly now, don't you think you've been watching this video for too long? Don't sit so close to the monitor.

[@martinstoilov6671]

my lytiks shalll thy mindfunk

[@SpectrumHazard]

Holy fucking shit. This is one of the most well made reviews, if not videos I've ever seen.

[@gw3993]

+Richard Rominger Are you grump? Or perhaps...not so grump?

[@PhantasmPhoton]

+Richard Rominger Nearly all of it was straight ripped from "Drivig Off The Map" by James Howell: www.deltaheadtranslation.com/MGS2/DOTM_TOC.htm

[@diiasze3743]

+Jason McCreary just another layer to this mindfuck video

[@PhantasmPhoton]

+milkymustard For fun further reads isn't crediting :|

[@martinstoilov6671]

haw abaoyt some lytriks?????????>>?

[@jiayojames]

The end of this game specifically the codec call before the final fight with solidus was so far ahead of its time that it is actually ridiculous.

[@roc5291]

As I have gotten older, this game has become more and more important to me. The themes and the message Kojima and the rest of the developers were attempting to tell was so ahead of it’s time. The problem of echo chambers, how people can be manipulated by unseen forces, how society is getting to a point where they almost NEED to be controlled. The themes of this game didn’t hit me until I lived through the year 2020, and everything that happened in that year in a negative way. This game was literally looking into a crystal ball and seeing the future and Kojima was ballsy enough to make that the main theme in one of the most heavily anticipated sequels of all time. The amount of guts to make this game the way it is, is nothing less than astonishing. You’ll NEVER see a game take as many risks and do it so well as this game. An absolute masterpiece that has aged like a fine wine.

[@certainmisterbrick]

My brain is now spilling out of my ears.... I played MGS 2 and was completely... Confused, by the end of it, and I knew it was meant to make u think. But when completely put into context.... Wow. I've heard enough for the day.

[@certainmisterbrick]

I mean. I understood the base story of the game. But it was all just so... Weird. And I love George's vids. He actually makes educational points out of video games. And it's awesome

[@soliddragon5571]

I still don't get it

[@dnsfuntech1937]

We don't mean to control content but to create context

[@hanson666999]

I loved the way that the closing acts of Metal Gear Solid 2 leapt out of the console at the player, it was a total headfuck. The Codex call from the Colonel & Rose about the S3 program was really mindblowing. The older I get the more I find myself thinking that Solidus was ultimately the hero, as in the character with the best intentions for the world. Anyways great video SB, thank you ^_^

[@suwatsaksri7191]

Solidus was the perfect clone of Big Boss after all, they wanted to get rid of the Patriots, although for slightly different goals, if anything should be the ultimate bad guy, it would be Major Zero

[@D1rtyWhite]

+Suwat Saksri even zero didn't start out with bad intetions he got blinded by power

[@AnonymousAZ]

+hanson666999 everything that happened with raiden is false. 100% without doubt. mgs4 of him as a ninja isn't continuing upon MGS2, but is the first time he's established for snake. the tanker sank, and that was it. i am not sure about all of this, but brings up some good points. Jack is being controlled by Zero. If any of it is real, it's indistinguishable from the virtual thing.

[@vincentvalentine9417]

isn't that what makes the game so good though? You have to take time to think about who really is "bad" and "good", even so "bad" and "good" is subjective. I hate games that go through the good guy vs bad guy crap.

[@Big_Dai]

+Venom Knoxville I'd disagree with BB being a manipulator hypocrite that only wanted war. From what I've come to known about BB is that he would do anything to prevent a disaster.. sadly, the only way to stay in a position where you are ACTUALLY able to do anything about it requires that you become that which you hate. Ironic, isn't it? What was BB's plan in MG 1 (even if it was older than MGS)? A strange way of achieving world peace.. I think. After all, we all know that peace is a myth, and will never be achieved.. we can only maintain some sort of balance for so long.

[@AdobadoFantastico]

The fake ending at 25:20 totally got me. Then I had a brief connection error at 30:20 that stopped the video. But I was convinced it was just another video gag, and just sat there. Watching. Waiting.

[@SamWinterss]

This is one of the best videos I've ever watched.

[@TheEvilDead1983]

This might be the best video game review of all time.

[@paulstaker8861]

I just noticed that MGS2 - my most hated MGS game - is actually the kind of game I dream of making...

[@Dre2Dee2]

+Paul Staker "It's the BAD WRITING, Snake! You ENJOY IT!"

[@paulstaker8861]

Dre Ruiz Was that a real line lol?

[@Dre2Dee2]

Well Liquid says it in reference to "killing" to solid :P

[@paulstaker8861]

Dre Ruiz aw thought it was a real line

[@flyingspaghetti]

+Paul Staker All aspiring game devs dream of making games with a robust script. And they *ALL* end up like David Cage. Those who don't, make games that are gameplay-wise horrible like Suda51 and Sweary.

[@Skeletonpack]

The last five minutes of this made me extremely uncomfortable. Incredibly well done analysis; you've given me a lot to think about.

[@StefanoBlackest]

This is one of the greatest videos on all of KZbin. In setting up for its defense of MGS2, it just casually drops the most concise cultural history I've ever seen on the nature of modernism and postmodernism.

[@gooserpooper]

still watch this video just about once every year ❤

[@BFuckyou-x8e]

I come back to this video every couple years, might be one of my favorite ever made

[@0xidusnake]

My brain exploded watching this. I now have a new appreciation for what was my least favorite MGS game in the series. Awesome job putting this all together.

[@xaosbob]

This was unequivocally, unexpectedly great. I know you made this 3 years ago, but wow, man. Well done.

[@MegaPhilX]

Metal Gear Solid 2 is my favorite Metal Gear game. For many reasons. This video covers a good chunk of them. :) Amazing job! That game was so ahead of its time, especially the part about the Patriots and the part that basically "predicted" the overflow of digital information.

[@Meta9871]

To be honest, I don't think it was any worse than MGS3, like a lot of people claim. At times I enjoy it more.

[@Skotone514]

+Meta9871 Pst! The... Dog tags!! Remember those? XD

[@ps3andrhcp]

+Meta9871 MGS3 I enjoyed a lot better, but I do not dislike this game, I love the game.

[@MegaPhilX]

+Tristin Hamilton I enjoy MGS2's gameplay more because it's faster (60fps), simpler and doesn't have slow menus. MGS2's gameplay has less waiting than MGS3.

[@ps3andrhcp]

MegaPhilX Back then I didn't care about frames. Also now I either play the HD collection, which runs at 60 or use emulators. I still like MGS3 a lot better in story, bosses, setting, smoother actions while in gameplay, and the characters. MGS2 had the most thought provoking idea out of almost every MGS game, did originally run smoother, and I never hated on Raiden like most poeple did, I enjoyed him, I just like my snake!

[@LeGoooze]

This is the kind of content that I love and it is the undoubtedly proof that videogames can be as deep, or even more, as other kind of media. The subtle details of this and many other games is what make them a piece of art in its own right. Keep the amazing work up!

[@DaShonuff]

This is probably the best and well thought out break down of Metal Gear Solid 2 that I have ever seen since I've played the game and makes a lot of sense. It pretty much echoes what I've tried to tell many people that hate on the game what the goal of it was. Great job man.

[@ItsVamp]

Just started watching and thought “oh wow, this can’t be older than 2 or 3 years, a lockdown project maybe!” No This was 8 years ago And it’s still an amazing video! I love it!

[@axr6327]

It is! To add some unrequested nerdy context: Back in 2013, the internet was very much like it is today, except it was less bureaucratic. It was a few years past the halfway point between the total anarchy it used to be and the corporate greed pool it is today (I mean, this is when Twitter was becoming the OP platform for sharing thoughts and opinions). So, this felt super relevant then. But even before then, our familiar "sensible" America, a world where people's opinions and sensitivities matter so much they affect how information is spread and entertainment is consumed, is something that was up in the zeitgeist since the late 90's. I'm not sure how much future prediction there was on behalf of Kojima, but I think I know how he hit the nail on the head. Made explicitly evidently on later games, Kojima has always taken great inspiration from the oh-so ever relatable 1984. Information control has apparently always been something he likes to think about. What he wanted to emphasize was how it wasn't going to be a single Big Brother limiting information as the internet was used more and more, it was going to be the consumers of information because they are too sensitive to deal with reality in general. The truth, even in America, is a little in between (as it often is). We do censor a lot of shit with our confirmation bias, but we are never really shown all of the truth, and whatever information we are shown is unreliable af.

[@RichardMNixon-rt5lg]

Is MGS2 the best Metal Gear game? Probably not. Is it the best story? Probably not. It has however fucked my mind in all the best ways and made me think about how I perceive the world and information. I went in cold to this game, having never played or even heard of Metal Gear. I was about 11 or 12, got it as a Christmas present from my Mom. I look at the back. It sounded cool, reminded me of Tom Clancy so I started playing, and had idea idea what to do. I came back to it later and everything clicked. I started playing through it and eventually I hit Arsenal. It creeped the living hell out of it. I was scared, confused, the Colonel just kept getting weirder. Rose was faking, and seeming enjoying fucking with me. The architecture made no sense to me whatsoever and here I was crawling through it, dreading the next codec call. Then the monologue came in and straight up told me everything I was doing was pointless and told me that everything I knew, my opinions and thoughts were not mine, but a product of my life and those who shaped it. Take a step back- I was fucking twelve. That hits /adult/ me hard and makes me really think, but as a kid it blew my fucking mind. No other game has had that kind of effect on me, and to be honest I don't regret a second of it.

[@RaichuMGS]

Alternate MGS2 endings: Raiden swims to the oil fence, no hole... He leaves Raiden gets through the oil fence but there's no hole in the gate on Strut A's roof game ends

[@RaichuMGS]

+travis woooosh.

[@PinkCharmander]

I need scissors! 61!

[@lalalaLaFlex]

25:21 was one of the most amazing moments on youtube i have ever experienced...

[@TheSenCost]

that completely fucked me up

[@lolusuck386]

Gabriel, turn your computer off now!

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

I don't exactly get it. Can someone explain what that moment means exactly.

[@TapKim]

You look a bit like Frank Zappa. Through which you have earned my respect.

[@TheHappieCat]

Love this video, great work.

[@jgalla5549]

I think I prefer Super Mario 64's story. Save a princess and have cake.

[@Leon_der_Luftige]

And it requires slightly less thinking. :P

[@100lolerty]

+Dreidecker But what if it's a lie? What if Bowser isn't doing anything wrong, but Mario is? From the first game since? Think about i:, Bowser kidnaps Peach but never explains why and Mario is always beating him to save her. But what does this hydraulic do along the way? Kill enemies who damage him, but they only do it in self defense, only if you walk into them while they are walking like normal people.Only enemies after them are hostile from the first time you meet them, because they know what you did before. And the game is so constructed, that you never have a reason to stop and think about everything, which makes you think about Mario as a hero.

[@Leon_der_Luftige]

+Bartek Sojka Wait a minute, just let me get my conspiracy hat. :P

[@umbaupause]

Still, that cake is only as real as your brain tells you it is...

[@LonelyStardefender]

jgallag90 first thing off...when bowser took over mushroom kingdom,he turned his citizens into blocks and brocks(the ones you destroy through out the game)thats on the manual so.. secondly,in sm sunshine bowser did said why he*(bowser jr to be more precise) kidnapped her,so she could pretend to be his son's mother historically talking the japanese were partidaries with Hitler's ideal(thinking their race was better and the chineese,korean etc were dirty blooded low kinds of lives) so seeing how japanese are still racists(quiet ones not like americans) and there being a chance of some of the dev team still believing in communism,it could easily explain why Mario's hat is so similar to ..well,any other leaders hat like stalin...also,remember wario? he is supposed to be Mario's counter part right?...wario is a representation of how japanese see americans,fat,greedy and sometimes exaggerated crazy dudes and to top it all off...the dude hates his brother soooo we have a genocidal communist maniac who stalks a girl for her "cake" that constantly kidnaps her back to a kingdom that isn't hers to begin with from a noble dinosaur bowser who (as time goes on)is only seeking for companionship based on more noble intentions(a mother for her kids and probably a female figure)...by throwing him into hot burning lava... are you(the player as mario)really the hero?...or is just the cliche of american movies and comics that made you believe you are, just because someone said "hey! that's the bad guy,stop him and fuck him,save the princess and get her cake,MURICAH fuck yeah!"?

[@GiggaGMikeE]

My God.... Kojima really does deserve all the praise he gets... too bad 99% of the people who consider him a "genius" only call him that because they think SS is "soooo cool" and think Raiden is the worst, meaning they completely missed the point.

[@dafena821]

+GiggaGMikeE Kojima or... Tomokazu Fukushima?

[@maximus3869]

+dafena821 Fukushima is unfortunately underrated. He and Kojima could've been the Duo in gaming. Now I long for his involvement in the rest of the series.

[@tltar253]

+GiggaGMikeE Genius? he didnt make a good game in 10 years, MGSV was a disaster

[@GiggaGMikeE]

tltar253 Hyperbole and nothing to back up your argument? Yep, sounds like another YT troll response.

[@Skotone514]

+Alejandro Knoxville MGS4 isn't bad either

[@TheSilentKnight131]

When I think of MGS2, there's one line in particular that comes to mind. A single line that's been carved into my memory ever since I first played the game. "What we propose to do is not to control content, but to create context."

[@howielowis458]

Yes! That quote is so spot on, on how information is manipulated these days. Very easy example: take 1 line from a 30minute speech from some politician, who already had context created around him by the media, and then use that line out of context of his actual speech to reinforce the artificial context.

[@ObamaTheHedgehog]

We're not the ones smothering the World. YOU ARE

[@SeiferTV]

Just watched this again for the first time in forever and holy fuck this rings true so hard.

[@thesupersonicstig]

Funny how this deep af story is shadowed in hatred for Raiden....

[@djkapalofpkf7534]

yea really its a shame that so many people think its the worst of the saga and dont look back to it and its amazing and unique story just because of a character meant to represent yourself..for me mgs2 was and still is the best in the saga and Raiden is a cool character i might not have liked him enough at my first walkthroughs but i certainly like him now after all these years and the story he made possible to be pressented to us

[@thesupersonicstig]

+djkapalof Tsiskakis Metal Gear Rising has made me like Raiden a lot more than before.

[@djkapalofpkf7534]

+thesupersonicstig to be honest i liked Raiden mire on his more "human" naturw rather than his cyborg half self but that doesnt mean i didnt like him in Rising and mgs4

[@thesupersonicstig]

+djkapalof Tsiskakis I mean I like Raiden more as a human operative as if he didn't exist, MGR probably wouldn't exist and I love that game. Not to mention he became a badass the moment he first held his sword. When Snake gave it to him, after I played Rising and went back to MGS2, I thought to myself, "yes. Now Raiden is cool."

[@djkapalofpkf7534]

+thesupersonicstig oh ok yea i understand now and i have to agree to with that perspective

[@Jazmillenium]

That information era bit gave me goosebumps

[@jack.p]

This is so much more than a game review... I watched every second of this with pure attention, and it just made me appreciate this game even more. This is a must watch regardless of whether you're a MGS fan. Top class work man, thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@HumansFreshlyBorn]

This is the best Video-Essay-Type video that’s ever been made. Goddamn there’s so much substance here.

[@Akechi_The_Phantom_Detective]

Was that intentional? ^ It's hard to tell.

[@TwistedPuma]

The sad thing is, the majority of us will watch this, feel all overwhelmed for five minutes, then head back into our paradigm and watch videos of talking cats for two hours. It's too late, people. The joke's on us.

[@TwistedPuma]

Thank you. ♥ :3

[@Koseiku]

It really opens the question why we are not doing something different. A human can reach everything imaginable if he actually puts himself with heart and passion into anything. We could do anything. Just anything. Why are we not? Maybe the world will really end in a whimper and we just watch. What is holding us back?

[@MrSnakearter]

Koseiku I can tell you what holding us back. Us. We made a world where some people can't even close a door without a computer. Why, because it most convenient for us to live that way. We live in a fast paste world that say do this and this. I think the best example of this is Drugs. Drugs are offend use to making a feeling of being out of this world. In on itself, drugs is a very fast paste thing. It easily comparable to today lifestyle. People don't offend see what this fast paste lifestyle does. This fast paste lifestyle wants us to know everything as it happens. But only to those we want to see. Look at Miley Cyrus. More people wanted to know about her than Syria. Drugs are the ultimate form of doing this. It give us a feeling we want to feel. The problem is we don't see the problem of doing this. We offend don't' look at what bad going to happen to us. That the fast paste lifestyle. And like Drugs, will come back to bit us in the butt. To make things worst, we do not see the paradigm in any of this. Take you for example. "A human can reach everything imaginable if he actually puts himself with heart and passion into anything. We could do anything. Just anything. Why are we not?" Those words were made by the propaganda you want to get rid of. Look at the world in this way. View the world as a forest, view the people as sparks and view yourself as man. If you send in the Sparks to set a flame in the forest, who really destroyed that forest, you or the sparks. While you may have set the sparks off, there the one that still destroyed the forest. Not you. It the same thing with people. Who really kill the Jew during WWII, Hitler or the people? We offend do not view the world in these way because who really want to say Nazi Germany is possible again. No one. But what we fail to see is that Nazi Germany will come again if we don't tell the truth. Let me asks you something, why do you think we try are our hardest to make Hitler look mentally retarded(Ya there are people who are trying to prove that), insane, stupid, crazy? Why do you think people try so hard to do this? Please do not comment on anything else, because I'm not done. Please just answer the questions

[@Hound-Fox]

"You can stop being a part of a mistake.... Starting from now"

[@samshahan]

MrSnakearter We, the people just want someone to blame instead of ourselves... Most people are afraid to blame themselves, that´s why we have to put the blame on someone. Think of bullying, why does it keep happening? We mostly blame the actual bully instead of us. We should be the one´s stopping it by defending the bullied. But because people are afraid of stepping in action, bullying keeps happening.

[@mgrey24]

this is one of the greatest videos I've ever seen

[@Evanz111]

I never thought I'd hear the term ludonarrative dissonance applied correctly. Kudos to you, such a great video in general.

[@GamingintheAM0801]

So I recently checked out the "Document of Metal Gear Solid 2" behind-the-scenes game thingy, and there's one thing that really stuck out to me. I read through the entire script for the game included on it (yes, the whole thing), and from it we can see that there was a near-finalized version of the script where the Tanker chapter actually wasn't the intended start of the game. It was a flashback that would happen halfway in, after Plisken's real identity has been revealed and Raiden watches the President die. And even in the final game, the Colonel and Raiden's dialogue at the beginning of the Plant chapter is certainly meant to make you *think* you're playing as Snake at first, even if you've already played the Tanker and can tell that you're clearly not. But the MGS2 demo was very blatantly set up to appear as though the Tanker was the beginning of the game, and all of the marketing made it seem as though the Tanker would make up a majority of the game; so possibly, the original plan was to have the entire first half of the game even further blindside people who played the demo by being absolutely nothing like it. This theory is even further supported by the European and Japanese releases, where unlike the American version, the game doesn't ask you which chapter you'd like to start with. Instead it asks if you've played MGS1, and if you say no, it starts you off on the Plant chapter and you just skip the Tanker entirely. I'm not sure why they dropped this plan (probably because they didn't want to risk alienating their audience more than they already were), but it really would have added to the confusion the audience was clearly intended to feel when they boot up the game and everything they were promised is nowhere to be seen.

[@runeknytling]

"i feel like this guy wants to sell me something" First response when I showed this video to a friend.

[@thebiggestnut217]

I feel like somebody.... *WANTS TO SELL ME SOMETHING*

[@danielbremmer7242]

By comparishon

[@adamfrisk956]

Say hwat?

[@M4dMel]

I honestly believe Sons of Liberty to be one of the greatest, deepest, most thought-provoking works of art ever produced, and you did it justice with one of the most complex, interesting and self-aware youtube videos I've ever seen ^^

[@Liquid_Mike]

"comparishun"

[@scribble71891]

Everyone has that one or few words they butcher from time to time.

[@Boyzby]

"my new shay"

[@Kinzokugia]

"This issue could not have passed playtesting. It had to have been included to make a point."

[@paynexkillerreviews]

I once asked him why he said it that way. He claims that 'nobody ever corrected him until he started posting videos on the internet'.

[@KikiDiki]

Rayjeem

[@Jose-se9pu]

6 years later, this is still the best video George ever made (and that is saying something), glad to see it close to the million views.

[@groovysnake6664]

Fantastic review. it's great that this interpretation of the game has become more widely understood and accepted. Fans really hated the idea of the entire plot being "fake", which I always thought was odd given that they were meta-games to begin with. The way you contextualized the review with modern culture and stylized it after the game itself was really great, I think this is my favorite game review I've ever seen, to my favorite game no less. Well done. I'm subscribing with strong hopes that you'll decide to do an MGS4 review this in depth.

[@raulvito6246]

This is simply brilliant, I always despised MGS2 and its mindgames and this gave me a whole lot of explanations of its background and reasons. Not only do I have to salute the mad trolling skillz of Kojima (a good 4 or 5 years before the term) but the guts of Konami for letting this through. Suscribed!

[@SevenFingerDiscount]

George switching between a variety of nature shots between topics is my favourite thing this morning.

[@TestSubject1342]

I was marathoning all of your videos from the first to most recent in one day, but... this video. I need a break. I just can't do anything for a little while.

[@JoPeTuYaTroJoueY]

what a video. damn. it never gets old.

[@comradefreedom8275]

I'm watching it for the up-teenth time. It's a beautiful video.

[@aisakataiga5200]

Yeah I frequently rewatch this

[@ghaleon1103]

I came from 2021 to reiterate this statement

[@JoPeTuYaTroJoueY]

@@ghaleon1103 5 years, still as good. ;)

[@chilldude30]

this is such an icon of the youtube medium. So much passion and love and labour went into it. I must have watched this 5 times as well as the mgs3 one. I've always watched all of your videos quite a few times George. Huge fan/digi-friend

[@PinkCharmander]

28:00 The invisible wall isn't around Snake, it's based off of how far forward you go, like most invisible walls, to prevent the player from backtracking. Before that point you can run back and forth with impunity, Snake will run back trying to get you to follow him or camp out ahead (you can pretty easily trigger him to follow you and make him run to the back of the room with you in between waves of enemies and then just stand there when he tries to lead you back to the front, if you feel like moving him around too), but you're still in control, even though there's nothing in that room to look at. Nothing you do short of tranqing Snake will stop him from yelling things at you, but you're free to ignore him and avoid the items he throws (good way to stock up, as he'll keep throwing the same item until you get one) and it's the level design rather than Raiden or Snake forcing you to move forward. You can attack and kill Snake at this point, so I'd hardly say it's from Snake's POV, especially since the dialogue on the game over screen is still directed at Raiden when Snake dies. Snake's appearance, with his bandana blowing in non-existent wind is certainly over the top, but Raiden's appearance is meant to be equally humorous, not pathetic. Pull a gun on Snake and look at him, his hands shake, he's shivering too, you can see their breath, it's freaking cold there, of course Raiden was shivering he was butt naked, I really don't think that was a statement between the two. If anything that scene shows that Raiden's grown, he's not impressed with how cool Snake looks there or how he snuck up on him, he just wants his damn clothes back. His enamoration with Snake is wearing off, and Snake fights alongside him and treats him more like an equal than an unwanted ally. This is the point where Raiden stops trying to be Snake and starts trying to be his own person, and that's when he starts becoming badass. Snake may have a bigger life bar and better aim, but he's far from the untouchable figure he was previously, and Raiden later takes out his (supposedly superior) twin with a sword he just got.

[@iroga9764]

One of the many instances of overanalyzation in this video.

[@viewtiful1doubleokamihand253]

The main beauty of MGS2 is that, same as Silent Hill 2 (although to a lesser extent) it was a big production of it's time, unique in both presentation and style, delivering a message first and entertainment second. Something like this cannot happen today in AAA sector. The industry has grown thanks to games like these, yet it deliberately chooses to forsake this level of quality for the sake of delivering "fun", not overcharge their viewers with a message, a ground-breaking point that may end up changing their viewpoint on social, economical, religious standards... ...Roger Ebert might've been right when he said that games cannot be art... Mainly because people don't want art from games, they want entertainment... And publishers/developers know that.

[@sergiogonzales330]

Funny how people how see games as art and don't want to make them fun over anything else tend to make woke bullshit in walking simulators or interactive movies.

[@iroga9764]

The purpose of art is usually enjoyment. People look at sculptures and paintings because they like them. Only modern pretentious "artists" would disagree. If this game did not have a million plot twists for shock value and fun gameplay nobody would like it (rightfully so).

[@viewtiful1doubleokamihand253]

@@iroga9764 By nobody you mean everyone who aren't you and people similar to you, I remind you. We live in a world where an "action game" like Death Stranding has an audience who like it. There is literally *always* an audience for everything that gets produced. Because ideas resonate with people. *And the more undeniable the impact of those ideas are (and MGS2 quite literally ended up predicting the problems of future that is nowaday's present) the bigger the audience becomes* . Enjoyement is just one of the reasons for entertainment by this point in time.

[@iroga9764]

@@viewtiful1doubleokamihand253 yeah of course not literally everyone would dislike it. There are a lot of people in the world so of course there will be ateast someone who likes it. But most people would dislike it. Also, Mgs2 didn't predict anything. Fake news and the overabundance of dumb information were already a thing.

[@iroga9764]

Both Mgs2 and Silent Hill were enjoyable.

[@Sodaholic6502]

That bit at 25 minutes in really got me!

[@The_Weasel_]

Not me. But then again, I'm a mobile viewer.

[@Sodaholic6502]

The_Weasel_2012 And I'm on a desktop.

[@Skotone514]

+The_Weasel_2012 I'm on an iPad and was confused at first XD

[@xBINARYGODx]

Necromancer of Comment Threads - POWER 10 ACTIVATED!!!! Thread revived! Yes, that was awesome. I clicked away thinking "neat, but also a BS ending" and then his voice kicked in again. I blame the wine... because.

[@vatonage1599]

+BINARYGOD damn this thread got Nekros'd

[@scottbeard9603]

I love this video so much. I’m not one who used to appreciate art in general,; I used to think art was pointless beyond being pretty. This video was my introduction to Postmodernism, and next, modernism. Since I first watched this video, I have read widely across schools of art, and I absolutely love it. I will always be grateful to this introduction for broadening my mind to not only postmodernism, but to art in general. Thank you so much.

[@itscomplicatedwatches]

One of my favorite videos ever just so you know but I think MGSV has the most cerebral endings. After all the updates, etc. It's still totally insane. Everything leaving? EVERYTHING! Looking forward to a critical close up of V.

[@HaonProductions]

"This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper" while showing screenshots from /pol/ - Damn, George, you couldn't have known how correct you were.

[@zlodrim9284]

And those weren't even screenshots from the post-2016 elections where 4chan just imploded with everything MGS 2 warned and raised alarms about.

[@ShimyIa1]

I love this video. It's just so well written. I may disagree about some parts of the game itself but your points are too well presented to not take in consideration.

[@Big_Dai]

Do tell.

[@LunaroseClaire]

Still down to hear your thoughts.

[@rapzalsos6237]

Man. thinking back to my first time playing MGS2. I was like "I thought I was gonna be Snake" but then I realized years later, Raiden was created to deconstruct and make fun of the Juvenile Power Fantasy cliche. and that's the point I started enjoying the Metal Gear series not only as a game but also as a work of art.

[@michaelkopischke8072]

It took 15 years, but thanks to your video, I finally have a vague understanding of what actually happened in the final act of Metal Gear Solid 2. Thanks George.

[@RJ4002]

"Comparishon", I love you Super Bunnyhop.

[@TalonTheRetroGamer]

Wish I could’ve experienced this in 2001, but even knowing Raiden was the real protagonist and that the ending would mock the very idea of a 4th wall beforehand, it’s still in my top 10 games.

[@GamingintheAM0801]

"Stop caring about canon and learn to love subtext." Nine years since this video came out and nerd culture still desperately needs to learn this lesson.

[@SB-zb7sf]

Ironic that the KZbin algorithm filtered through its catalogue of junk videos to recommend this to me. And I'm glad it did. Edit: thank you for recommending this video Colonel

[@xhinoteque]

This is the best analysis of a video game on youtube ever

[@jaydy71]

This video puts my fascination with this game in words so much better than I could do for myself. I've tried to explain to people why this game blew me away like it did, but it was sort of impossible for me. Yes, I was disappointed too when I had to deal with Raiden instead of the awesome Snake himself. But it was fascinating too. Why did this happen? Why did Kojima take Snake away from us? What's the thinking behind that? Then the game went on, going crazier and crazier, but with so many cool and outlandish moments and the gameplay mechanics to back it up to keep going. When I reached the end, I was just completely flabbergasted and honestly in awe of what has been created here. Mind bending, unique, bold, bonkers, and clearly a work of art from one of the very few true 'auteurs' in the gaming industry. I was so disappointed that I had to buy a PS2 to play MGS3 (since I played the 1st 2 on PC), but it was worth it. One could argue MGS3 played it more safe, but gladly that didn't mean it was any less a work of genius (it's actually my favourite). It was awesome how MGS3 *still* didn't allow you really play Snake, but instead his nemesis from the first Metal Gear (the old MSX game, not MGS1).. MGS4 was a bit of a disappointment though. It felt a bit forced without having a true pay-off like first 3 games had. Still bloody fantastic, but not as inspired as the first 3 games. Anyway, I'd like to thank George Weidman for this video. It's an incredibly smart and in-depth deconstruction of MGS2, and very artfully put together.

[@sode07]

Even 8 years later still an amazing video

[@camclarke7220]

your critical close up series are still the best video essays on the MGS series, even after all these years. Just finished playing through the master collection - was really surprised by how effective the games still are, both in terms of gameplay and thematically. These videos are a great companion piece.

[@jamestacular]

Unfortunately MGS2 was the first game in the series that I got to play. I thought it was absolutely mind blowing. Greatest game I'd ever played and was all I talked about to my friends at school who'd never heard of it (and quickly got tired of hearing about it). Because it was the first game of the series I got to experience, I see now that I definitely missed out on a lot of the trolling and messaging that Kojima had intended for me as a gamer. But I'm assure that even if I had played MGS1 before MGS2 I would have missed all this as well seeing that I was a 6th grader and 11 years old at the time. It was hard enough grasping the plot of the game as it was.

[@Snakumaru]

I played MGS 2 after MGS1. And I was about 13 years old when I grabbed together all my pocket money to buy myself my own MGS2 copy and today, 10 years later, I begin to understand Kojima's real intent thanks to this video and the "reality of MGS 2" video here on youtube. It makes me wish, questions would have remained unanswered (especially the question about the patriots' identity). After finishing MGS4 I recall thinking its' story disappointed me back then and I didn't like it. Now that these questions originally were meant to remain unanswered, that reaction sort of made sense. I had always been a huge MGS fan but it is shocking to see I missed out so much on MGS2.

[@Koseiku]

Same here, I also played it when I was 11 lol. And it was my first MGS game. I didn't understand what was going on but was eventually so good to play the entire game in one sitting without being spotted or hit once. Back then it was just a great game for me. 10 years later when I watched playthroughs of this I got absolutely stunned by the story. The depth is amazing, I also regret not being able to witness this as a MGS fan back then. This game is easily the best in the series and absolutely deserves to be in the top 100 of all time. I can imagine that it could have been a game with 100% rating if a few things were tuned better.

[@jamestacular]

Even not being able to keep up with the plot so well when I was that young it was still easily the best game I'd ever played at that point. Ten years later it's still top 5. It was so monumental.

[@asdddddaaaaaaaaa]

I come back to this video once in a while to revisit MGS2 and George's amazing writing. Such a good essay.

[@msdos797]

“Hey it’s a video about MGS2! I haven’t played that one and i’d like to learn more about it” *35 min later* “Is free will real? Am i spreading lies for a higher up? Do i matter? do i even exist?”

[@Cooliex1986]

Thanks to this video, I feel like MGS2 is like the Matrix. When you watched/played it when you were younger you enjoyed it for the gameplay/action. But then when you come back with older eyes and actually pay attention, you realize they were shoving some pretty deep concepts in your face and you just weren't paying attention. Its fascinating!

[@zlodrim9284]

Only MGS 2 is a lot better than The Matrix.

[@Oblico1Morale]

The video is so smart and entertaining. And the work and effort put into the analysis is amazing

[@CloudCuckooCountry]

Fantastic video. Haven't played any of the MGS games, but I love seeing Mr. Bunnyhop deconstruct them in this manner.

[@mooganify]

Awww, man! :D You spoiled it so bad!

[@CloudCuckooCountry]

mooganify Pardon?

[@awesomezaka]

***** he means you should have played the games before watching this and that you spoiled it for yourself.

[@CloudCuckooCountry]

***** mooganify I've no interest in playing any of the Metal Gear Solid series. But I enjoy a good analysis piece, so I think I'm fine.

[@Vindicator12Music]

***** why no interest? what exactly do you have against it?

[@icraigg]

the subtext is what i love most about the mgs series!

[@benwasserman8223]

Further proof that Hideo Kojima is a gaming deity: he predicted the future of social media/communication way back in 1999 and exploited it in 2001. It's kind of f**ked up to see just how much of what the GW AI said came true.

[@BLACKSPLINTER90]

Ben Wasserman it's actually insane

[@TheFirstCurse1]

And he predicted the War Economy in MGS4

[@armand4116]

Time traveler detected.

[@imranicanovic1154]

He also kinda predicted the destruction of the Twin Towers. They scrambled to change it from the Twin Towers to what it actually is

[@Jose-se9pu]

Kojima had a writter...Kojima without a writter is MGS4/PW/TPP

[@archiethedog4515]

Kojima's message is that we're all fucking nerds and we need to get a life or something.

[@Theoryn]

+Jon Doe (Mr White Foxy) Haha, truth!

[@fdbdesign]

+Jon Doe (Mr White Foxy) He's like the Hideaki Anno of gaming.

[@fdbdesign]

+Jon Doe (Mr White Foxy) He's like the Hideaki Anno of gaming.

[@letsgobub8677]

Did you say "nerd"?

[@ygsr]

dsakd dskkdmkasmdwqo "I said node!"

[@cool140000]

I just rewatched the speech about ideological bubbles. In 2001 Kojima fucking predicted the rise of fake news and hyper partisanship. What the actual fuck.

[@alicetwilight5869]

He saw it coming!

[@kayeplaguedoc9054]

Yeah, holy shit. When I was rewatching the previous part I started saying "Why does some of this sound so goddamn familiar?" and this one clinched it. Yay.

[@metalngames509]

It's not a new thing. Fake news has been happening for years. You know how there's clickbait on the internet? Well people magazine and such is "readbait" that has been around for many decades now. It makes sense to come to the logical conclusion that communication via internet would be the next step in fake news propaganda. Donald Trump says he hates fake news when he runs his own fake news campaign. Same with Hillary Clinton and many other major political figures. That also ties in with what George was saying in the video about the illusion of choice. If you pay attention to Hillary Clinton in the 90s, she opposed gay marriage and supported the mass deportation of illegal immigrants and even said herself that she'd build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Bill Clinton and Trump were close friends and played golf together before the election. Coincidence? The pieces fit too well. "And this is how the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper."

[@sonikmuff]

Read about yellow journalism. The concept of fake news has existed for about a century.

[@xanzibar]

DaS Guardians He predicted SJWs

[@trickeyD]

Always end up coming back to this vid. Fucking good work man

[@bayarearetro3986]

I'm speechless. This is one of the best videos I have ever seen -- on youtube or anywhere else. What an amazing deep-dive into both a fantastic video game and the modern world itself. Thank you for this.

[@onatgz]

i've watched this 2 or 3 times before. still gives me goosebumps.

[@XxMilordxX]

yorumları gezerken türk mgs2 fanı görüp selam vermemek olur mu? selam dostum.

[@zombierepublican]

This game was incredibly fun. Ad the intriguing plot invited multiple playthroughs to fully grasp the shear scale and depth it portrayed. An asolutely brilliant and critically acclaimed game ever.

[@HarrisonRocks]

Awww shit, now I've got to go replay MGS 2.

[@williamdoyle4584]

Still coming back to this, love your work. Hope you're staying safe.

[@dellefranz]

.... I was really feeling something strange when the long monologe from the colonel showed, I saw my own reflection on my laptop screen, it gave me the same filter shade of dimmed computer screen green as the colonel had, our heads had the same size, as if I was in the game and he was actually there talking to me. It's a coincidence or atleast that's what I call it, but man it was an interesting and entertaining one at the very least. Nice video dude. (y)

[@ThatOneGuy0006]

Kevin Traberg No, it's very much intentional.

[@LukesShorts]

Brilliant analysis. This is the kind of thing that's missing from mainstream video game journalism

[@ryanwalker1593]

So, that hard cut to a different guy then giving a fake End of Video is probably my favorite part of this video. Very Kojima, very jarring, very cool. Keep up the good work SBH, I really enjoy the documentary types of videos you produce.

[@davecostello8978]

"comparishson"

[@vblue3377]

You shouldn't make fun of people's speech impediments or issues.

[@davecostello8978]

You shouldn't tell people what to do.

[@pepeinstigator6921]

You should follow your own advice.

[@elegantcat1496]

You should wash your teeth after every meal.

[@chimarvarmidium1425]

you should never eat day old sushi

[@uchytjes10]

I always knew MGS 2 had a little more to it than it was giving at face value, but fucking hell I didn't know it went this deep.

[@idontknowyet8540]

“The different cardinal truths neither clash nor mesh. No one is invalidated, but nobody is right.” That quote got to me.

[@Kabedesu]

This review is amazing. Probably the best I've ever seen. Bunnyhop, and everyone involved in the making of this. Great work guys!

[@unluckygoose8456]

Call me pretentious but this might be the best review/essay I've ever seen for a game on KZbin.