Johnny vs. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

[@ChannelGrayCTSW]

Look at the manual for this game. It says that there are two playable characters, Snake and Raiden, and which chapters they'll be playable in. Kojima knew that no one reads the manuals and he was confident enough to put Raiden in the manual by name.

[@QuakeGamerROTMG]

It shows Raiden in the intro cinematic too for what it's worth.

[@GameMaster-ig8oo]

@@QuakeGamerROTMG To be fair... who waits till the ends of a opening cinematic when they can be playing the game?

[@SmashSSL]

@@QuakeGamerROTMG I mean he only appears once in the intro, that doesn't really make you instantly think he's the main protagonist of the story. For all you know, that might just be Snake's new gf.

[@RobinNicoagain]

Funny enough, our game store was always miles away so I always read the manual while waiting in car. I never had this game and maybe it's a good thing in this case. :D

[@tsyumamatsuthehavenofguard32]

*remembers how Xenoblade did something incredibly similar spoiling something about shulk's role* Well I guess story writer's got smarter

[@CrimsonAcesChannel]

"Snake is a dodge roll while Raiden is more of a flippy little cartwheel" So Snake is Donkey Kong and Raiden is Diddy Kong? The one in charge and the young one. The one from the first game and the one from the second game with his girlfriend.

[@justbny9278]

Crimson Ace huh

[@TheKusa5]

Crimson Ace What the fu-...

[@voltmcvolt1751]

Big Boss is Cranky?

[@Nicolas-pf8vp]

@@voltmcvolt1751 Then Cranky is corrupt?

[@ganondorf66]

holy shit dude

[@OniLink96]

10:06 The Patriots are called the La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo because that set of syllables doesn't exist in Japanese. It kind of gets lost in translation. But it also sounds like nonsense in English, so it still *mostly* works.

[@AltFromTheLimbo]

It's like they talking about something, that does not exist for you (classified), even in words

[@dun0790]

Thank you i cant remember that ever being explained properly i always though they were something before the patriots

[@shaloofthebloof2062]

It also sounds like a American-colonial era song, like Yanky Doodle

[@JD260A9]

@@shaloofthebloof2062 I...huh? How do you figure that?

[@shaloofthebloof2062]

@@JD260A9 just sounds it, sounds like something colonists would sing in some way to me

[@SmashSSL]

7:34 *T H I R T Y B I L L I O N D O L L A R S*

[@movingtonewchannel.8360]

I know that people say Metal Gear Solid V is the darkest game in the series, but...I don't know. I feel like MGS2 has a more eerie and disturbing storyline to me; and thus, also slightly darker themes. Maybe not so much in the visual sense? But, as far as mentally? If you actually think about how accurate Kojima was in regards to how society is today? When you go into actual and deep thought on the message this game tries to convey? The fact that Raiden, who doesn't even know what to believe anymore, not only carries his life; but the life of Olga's daughter, and a woman who he doesn't even know if she really exists or not? That's...disturbing! To this day, the last cutscene conversations in this game gives me chills down the spine; the music, ambiance, the chilling face speech of the AI and the "not" Rose? There's a reason why this game is one of my Top 10 favorite video games of all time~! I just think that MGS2 hits a lot of good points, and it has some moments that aren't so great, but the greatness of this title heavily outweighs any of its negatives. IMO.

[@iamthepkmmaster]

Also, MGS2 has that kind of plot that feels a bit too close to home.

[@LieutenantAmerica]

For pretty much these reasons, I also consider this to be the most unsettling and disquieting Metal Gear game. The surreal atmosphere and nightmarish scenario of the entire plot make it, if not quite the darkest Metal Gear game, then the one that's by far the closest to being a horror story.

[@Nerom99]

Yeah, this story is not comforting, even the resolution is fucking cryptic until you reach mgs4.

[@mrgaudy1954]

MGS2 is darker hands down. MGS5 is just dull and dreary (plotwise).

[@Nerom99]

Mr Gaudy Yeah, it's kinda like comparing Majora's Mask vs. Twilight Princess. One's darker and the other's more edgy ( though TP's story still isn't the same level of dull as TPP.)

[@sterlingmuse5808]

That moment when you think the story summary is almost finished and then you realize it isn't even halfway over yet

[@completelyroundoak]

Take out the story and the game is literally like 3-5 hours long so that doesnt surprise me lol

[@yut3216]

I was expecting "Gas Snake" when I played this game.

[@distantsea]

Vapor snake sounds cooler

[@Haispawner]

*Plasma Snake* would have been pretty rad.

[@raulpetrascu2696]

Apparently Kojima was originally going to call him that but realised it sounded dumb and opted for Solidus, the state of matter between solid and liquid. Which makes sense since he's supposed to have both the dominant and recessive genes of Big Boss. Plasma Snake would be an awesome name for a character

[@D00000T]

@@distantsea or just vape snake

[@NeepNeepPohn]

@@solarstrike33 Plasma Snake, Colloid Snake, Bose-Einstein Condensate Snake, etc

[@hunterlord101]

That Dr. Evil impersonation was fucking perfect.

[@GeekCritique]

As a certified Dreamcast fanboy who held a grudge against the Sony hype machine for many years, I feel it's my duty to point out that Holiday 2001 was, in fact, a year AFTER the launch. The PS2 hit the US on Oct. 26, 2000, and that first year was rough if you wanted to do anything other than watch DVDs.

[@kylecampbell565]

The Geek Critique well he said launch WINDOW what span of time that is I have no clue

[@3awad797]

Kyle Campbell A launch window, but a year later?

[@bomba8589]

DVD players were expensive as fuck back then and the addition of a DVD player gave many kids a good reason to get their hands on probably the best home console ever created

[@overbiteneanderthal7370]

@@bomba8589 you jest, im sure. We both know that the atari lynx is the superior machine

[@CollectedG]

@@overbiteneanderthal7370 Actually it's the Apple Pippin. But that's okay, everyone has the right to their uninformed ignorant opinions.

[@LucaTheStar]

Hideo Kojima is such a great writer! Everytime he overlooks a plot hole he can fill it with "nanomachines".

[@brodiegolemon4354]

Plus he did predicted the state of the internet today with all the extreme far leftists and Fake news shit, Kojima has some fucking Amazing foresight

[@dun0790]

Or the la li le lo

[@tahamohammad8842]

I think this nanomachines comment fits more for mgs4

[@phoenixalpha5789]

Till Death stranding ... Aweful.

[@RadinV1]

His last good story was MGS 3. After that, they all sucked.

[@Feelin_DanDy]

I NEED SCISSORS, 61!!!

[@Akechi_The_Phantom_Detective]

+Ness Kirby Hiri Kiri Rock!

[@bradleynewson4860]

+Ness Kirby I can sympathize with you there though....

[@Spaztron64]

Raiden, turn the game console off right now!

[@darthvidar-spiller5343]

+Maciek Skywalker What did Johnny say it meant?

[@BKay121]

I had no choice but to make you pay for lunch the other day... I'm really sorry about that.

[@Mateoski97]

31:47 Apparently, Vamp was the one who placed those naval mines to keep Raiden at bay.

[@benlink202forever]

Fucking Vamp.

[@Roler42]

+Mateoski Productions That was obvious, however... What I love about the diving section is the fact that Raiden has nothing to say about Stillman's corpse floating around, poor bastard blew himself up and no one ever remembers him

[@JMandJJ7797]

+roler42 Who was Stillman again?

[@JMandJJ7797]

Oh he was one of the hostages. Also Vamp is not called Vamp cause of his vampire esque nature. Its cause he's a bi-sexual.

[@jachthejoke3589]

+Mateoski Productions Naval Mines At Bay Was that a water pun?

[@MichaelAiyedun]

Johnny's review of this game was pretty SOLID

[@lite64]

Your attempt at a pun makes me grind my GEARs.

[@SKirbGame]

+Lite 64 (joão carlos) Gee, the puns here are appearing like SNAKEs.

[@jdavis8847]

+Lite 64 (joão carlos) You made me slam my head against my METAL desk.

[@mechashadow]

Too much liquid 7.8/10

[@jeffaaa4984]

Waiting for the next pun on this post has me Standing On The Edge. Who ever posts the next pun Kept me waiting huh? Enough references though, I'll just be Quiet.

[@MMetelli]

I have to disagree about the Rose conversations. While we both may not like them for being sugary to the point of diabetically lethal, they are supremely important. For they, combined with his interactions for Snake contribute to both the overall plot per se, and Raiden's character arc. Raiden's character arc is a struggle for identity that is more apparent the more the player realizes they're retreading MGS1 and while the patriots are mind-fucking him. But it's a unique take on the struggle, as rather than be noticeable or dorky Jack, he's trying to emulate something he's not and build a new identity. He's got no past and nothing at first to the player, making him a player surrogate stand in. However, as time progresses and especially through both the Rose conversations and the plot twist at the Arsenal Gear revealing his past, we then learn Raiden is more than just a player stand in like the patriots want. He's a person, with his own demons and troubles but because he's so damn trying to shake off his past and make a new life for himself, he's subjecting himself completely to the Patriots' brainwashing. He's also so ashamed of himself (Rose conversations note that he sleeps by himself in his room with nothing but a bed and desk and he keeps pushing her away from him, which he confirms when at Arsenal he's afraid of his demons lashing out at her) and his past he doesn't want to be Jack the Ripper or Raiden: He wants to be Snake too, just like the player is when they play as him. In turn, this is why you don't see anything about Raiden in the trailers or the boxart: Raiden doesn't exist as far as anybody is concerned; especially to Raiden. Kojima is notorious for utilizing means outside of video games to convey a story or even use other mediums in his games (remember the Meryl codec?). Once the patriots turn on him, Raiden not only becomes less concerned with following their orders their plans; but he also stops emulating his hero and sets about to reclaim his individuality ("I'll decide what to believe in and what to pass on!"). And it's worth noting that despite the Patriot's retort that THAT belief was something Snake said, it's what Raiden himself believes in, so it doesn't lose any gravitas when it's just in Snake's words; because it's a shared philosophy. He has gone from emulating Snake, to learning from Snake while being his own hero. This is reflected by the sword he gets. While from a gameplay perspective it's a pain in the ass to get that thing with little practice before final boss swordfight, it's also the first thing he gets that isn't Snake related. It's something that makes Raiden stand out enough and is something unique about him that Revengenance makes players remember even better. Also, he accepts himself at the game's end too after all is said and done, as he throws away the dog tags with your identity on them and the title screen changes from the red Solid Snake screen to the Blue Raiden screen; satisfyingly closing out his character arc. If the Rose conversations were removed from the game, Raiden would literally be NOTHING more than our patsy, our eyes through the game. There'd be no arc, no point for any of the S3, and no reason to play as Raiden either. But then, the game suffers as a whole because of it; because then, it's REALLY apparent that we're retreading MGS1 through another set of eyes, and we'd have no reason for playing this game. The rose conversations add quite a bit to Raiden because we're told nothing at all about Raiden throughout the main story at all until Arsenal Gear. Because of the conversations, they add weight to the plot twist at Arsenal (because suddenly revealing him a child soldier would be a pinch in the nuts), which in turn forces Raiden to accept his past, then in turn struggle for his own individuality and thus tells his story. Without Rose to really humanize Raiden, the plot twist at Arsenal would just enforce the fourth wall breaking only and nothing else. That would make the game seem like it was made just to fuck with us and then we'd have the impression that Kojima made the game because "You'd dumb Americans paid $60 for another MGS1, neener neener" which isn't his thing. It'd also remove a tragic portion of Raiden, and weaken Kojima's statements about Child Soldiers. Could they do all of that with Snake? No, not without significant re-writes. Snake already had his story told, hence his Otacon to Jack's Rose. For the sake of the story Kojima wanted to tell, a new character had to be created, someone with an equally troubled past, but could have what Snake never will. Raiden was perfect because of what he has that Snake never will: A home to go back to and a life outside of perpetual fighting. But through the conversations, we also see him at risk of losing that too. We see Raiden running a risk that he's about to become another Snake and in turn lose what he values the most. He also has a dirty past all his own that has its own gravity to him because we already found out about Snake's past in MGS1 and earlier games, and it's also an incentive to keep the player going. What's Raiden's damage? What's so important about April 30th, who the fuck is Raiden? Rose tells us. Except for the April 30th, but she at least hints that it's important to them. Raiden won't remember, because again, he's pushing her away. Once he remembers at the end, he's accepting her again. So, I think Rose's conversations, saccharine induced as they may be, are absolutely pivotal to the story and to Raiden's character arc.

[@stephenobrien6983]

+MMetelli great comment!

[@SetoShadowVT]

+MMetelli Extremely well said Matt

[@lous7458]

+MMetelli It adds to the games *subtle* insult towards the player with Raiden. He's a big whiny dork raised on video games with no real life experience and a nagging girlfriend because he forgets anniversaries, birthdays etc. In fact, there is a theory she never existed at all and the whole Plant section is a VR simulation, with the final scene just being another part of the simulation (hence why it's so surreal with nobody noticing Snake, Raiden and Rose) and Raiden being given false memories of her.

[@KidSnivy69]

I think it's more of a preference thing

[@557deadpool]

+KidSnivy69 i think you're an idiot

[@rouge939]

I think the fact that Raiden fights like 10 Rays at once helps add to the surrealism of the ending. Like did it even happen?

[@587DeathKing]

Seeing the length of this makes me wonder how long a review for Xenoblade Chronicles or a Fire Emblem game would be

[@codenamezq8027]

+KelvinBelmont Well if he were to do multiple Fire Emblems I know his story explanation would get shorter and shorter each time since the games borrow plot points from each other to the point of insanity.

[@Leo-pw3kf]

+Codename ZQ really? How ripped off is the story from Ike's games? Those were the only ones I've played.

[@MKNull]

Not really, this game has a clusterfuck of a story.

[@ProjectNaturePrds]

+KelvinBelmont Xenoblade Chronicles is a long game in terms of Completion but a story run through could easily be explained within a reasonable time.

[@rossruss6901]

Fire emblem cutscenes aren't nearly as long as this and the support conversations in those games are optional. so I don't think it will be that long.

[@MountainFudgecake27]

The La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo is actually a really interesting idea for a code name for the Patriots. The reason is because the Japanese alphabet uses vowel-consonant combinations (A I U E O, Ka Ki Ku Ke Ko, etc.) but because their language doesn't have the equivalent of an L in the language, the phrase La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo essentially means "something but nothing." It's totally lost in English, but it's still cool, in my opinion. It would have been better if they made the English code name something like the "letters" used in pronunciation to describe sounds that don't have a good letter equivalence, so it could still be pronounced even though it was meaningless.

[@blake112x]

That is interesting, never knew that. I kind of feel like who ever translated the original MGS did a better job translating for an English audiences. I remember MGS 2 had a lot of funny sounding dialogue (La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo), or that whole interaction when the US President grabbed Raiden crouch. That sense (interaction) make zero sense. Was he going to f*** Raiden if he was a woman? When I played MGS Twin Snakes I understood why MGS2 was so stilted. This was a straight translations with almost no localization. And I could not stand the codec scene between Snake, Naomi, Roy retranslated when Snake and Roy are saying Zanzibar Land. In the original they just called it Zanzibar, because Zanzibar Land sounds like a theme park in the US.

[@jubbie1122]

i like how snake calls himself pliskin, as in pliskin snake. almost as if they thought we would have no idea its snake and tried to foreshadow

[@donkeykong75m]

+jubbie1122 its a movie reference to the escape from New york in which the main character is Irqoi pliskin aka the charcter that snakes likeness was based on in the msx games

[@Akechi_The_Phantom_Detective]

+jubbie1122 To be fair he even explains it in a codec call after he reveals he's Snake.

[@jubbie1122]

donkeykong75m i know. thats why i found it funny

[@lous7458]

+jubbie1122 Iroquois is Yupik for snake

[@DeepDiveDevin]

So then that means his codename is literally snake snake.

[@BluesM18A1]

I hear it's amazing when the famous purple stuffed worm in flap-jaw space with the tuning fork does a raw blink on Hara-Kiri Rock. I need scissors! 61!

[@enigma6845]

5:40 - You DO Hear Mei Ling Though In A Codec Call With Otacon, It Explains How He Gets His Save Proverbs, & Also That He's Not Understanding The Meanings Behind Them

[@gmaster2647]

Yeah, I find MGS2 incredibly interesting if only because its meta-narrative applies so much to today's culture and it's downright creepy. Personally though, I think MGS3 is the best game in the series. Relatively simple but engaging plot with an equal amount of interesting gameplay. MGSV might have the best gameplay of the series, but it's the way the gameplay is used, imo, that makes the difference. MGS3 nailed it. But, getting ahead of myself here. I'm sure the review for MGS3 is going to be shorter...probably about 20 minutes.

[@tyronetiggums6441]

I personally believe MGS4 and MGS5 are the worst games in the main series. MGS4 because it goes a little too overboard with the cutscenes and plays the nostalgia/reuses assets card too often (the bosses are a good example of this and they actually destroyed Psycho Mantis as a character in one fell swoop). While MGS5 is incredible gameplay wise, it's absolute shit when it comes to story and boss fights.

[@Jsmoove8k]

I see what your saying .. the limitations of gameplay in every game before PP is what made them so interesting and challanging

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

@@tyronetiggums6441 LMAO hell no. Mgs4 and mgs5 are NOT the “worst” in the main series at all as you try to state it at all. They’re not “bad” and FAR from being “sHiT” at all. Mgs4, it’s a great but messy tribute to the series and the ending to solid snake’s journey. Yeah it’s narrative is messy and has problems with too much cutscenes but overall it was a great final to a hero's end. As for MGS5, mgs5 has the most disappointing story as it doesn't seem like it goes anywhere and alot of it seems like filler in the series but it also has plenty of positive as well like art direction, graphics, some level of humor, and easily the best stealth action gameplay in the series. It’s narrative is massively flawed but damn there’s still a lot to be obtained from it. I can understand why people don't like it though.

[@LoneWolfZakuro14]

Hey Johnny! So glad to see the review is up! Thanks for always brightening my day! :D Oh and I'm one of the only people who actually likes Raiden.

[@SomecallmeJohnny]

+Iris in a Bottle It's not 2001 anymore, the heat has drastically diminished.

[@rachelm4300]

yeah me too and at least they made him the main character in metal gear solid rising revengence

[@ericburroughs3129]

+SomecallmeJohnny so maybe after the metal gear solid marathon you could try nights into dreams

[@TBrizzle01]

I agree with Johnny. Besides, someone else is filling that role now in MGSV...

[@donkeykong75m]

+Iris in a Bottle liked raiden then also him turning into a badass cyber ninja didnt hurt things at all.

[@TheMaestroMizerous]

18:56 They played him like a damn fiddle!!!

[@playstation2gamer4life69]

Never played this game until recently. So far it could end up becoming one of my favourites.

[@MrBorderlands123]

Good it's the best one.

[@AnimeMiner57]

+Matthew Etter No the 3rd one is. The second one is the second best. (Pun not intended)

[@timekeeper2538]

+Just Michael I personally think DmC: Devil May Cry is the best MG game. (Putz).

[@lintlickers]

happy to hear that, mgs2 is one of the best games ever made

[@lintlickers]

@@AnimeMiner57 the only reason you kids love mgs3 is because you can kill insects and animals.. yeah its cool but kiddo, it adds little to nothing to the gameplay... mgs3 is really good, def the 2nd best game in the series possibly, but mgs2 is without a doubt the best.

[@sashicoolcrew]

I feel like Rose is somewhat important, she's here for one important purpose. She's the patriots failsafe for their S3 plan incase Raiden doesn't want to cooperate. She might be there to make Raiden seem like a normal guy

[@paoerfulone1089]

1:48 If Nintendo did this by having a Zelda Wii U playable demo in Twilight Princess HD. That's 1 million copies sold, right there.

[@NinjaxShadowXx]

MGS2 is my favorite in the series.

[@biohazard2236]

That's a bold statement, my friend. When I first played 2 I could not get into it. I hated it. About a year ago, however, I got the HD collection on the Xbox 360 and more or less fell in love. It's a great game. It's my least favorite of the first three, but that's only because of how much I like 1 and Snake Eater.

[@jmwlife2k]

I agree. Easily my favorite mgs game. I actually liked that it forced you to play as Raiden and helped with seeing Snake in a legendary light.

[@ardi1463]

Ninja and its the only mgs game I have ever completed

[@FoxyChariot]

The Mighty Ardi I've completed 2 and 4

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

I’m glad you think so. 👍

[@case2948]

No matter how many times i rewatch this video or replay the game, the term 'Taint Flips' will never fail to make me laugh.

[@Daitomodachi]

Wait until you get to MGS4.

[@HybridAngelZero]

Revolver Ocelot's dad is a medium, the Sorrow. Thus, the spiritual sensitivity is genetic. That's why Liquid Snake can possess him via the arm.

[@itsjustvin7630]

Micaiah the Otaku Gamer [HybridAngelZero] yeaa no. they explain this at MGS4

[@HybridAngelZero]

I'm aware, but nanomachines and self-hypnosis are much less enjoyable to me as a reason. I felt like MGS4's explanations of things took a lot of fun out of the Metal Gear universe

[@itsjustvin7630]

***** they have to tie up the loose ends and sayin all reasons is cuz "Nanomachines, son" really did tie up a whole lot of loose ends

[@MarioGenerations]

Micaiah the Otaku Gamer [HybridAngelZero] the way I see it, the sorrow explanation was canon up until ocelot replaced liquids arm with a cyborg one. Once ocelot replaced liquids arm he realized he still needed liquids persona and that’s when the nanomachines and hypnotherapy come in

[@TheSwordsman100]

​@@MarioGenerations You have the right of it, it stated Ocelot had Liquid's arm replaced with the one from MGS4 because of Liquid being too unpredictable and underwent hypnotherapy to fool the Patriots into thinking Liquid was still actually around. I don't get why so many people get this fact wrong and think MGS4 got rid of the supernatural, only Vamp got its "Nanomachines son", (even then if you pay attention its stated to boost abilities he had as a child) heck there is a whole segment with Psycho Mantis, Sorrow and the voice of God. (played of course by Kojima)

[@no1important777]

anyone think it would have been better or worse to have elliot do the review as a sort of meta joke?

[@TheSkully343]

+no1important Would've been funnier if Johnny had Matt do the review.

[@Magicarpmaster]

Johnny should have done the intro and then elliot takes over. Johnny then comes back a bit before the end.

[@no1important777]

Magicarpmaster that lines up perfectly.

[@lous7458]

+no1important Johnny comes back 5 minutes into Elliot's segment claiming to be someone else and wearing Groucho glasses and a post-it-note on his t-shirt saying "not johnny" Still a better disguise than Pliskin.

[@joey-jw3rj]

and the screw attack shout goes off out of nowhere mid review for no reason, or if he kills The End early and sees the flaming piece of the wheelchair flying towards him

[@carlintaylor3229]

This was my dad's favorite back in the day when we were little used to watch my dad play this and the first game on playstation 2 he stopped following after we got our first playstation 3 and metal gear solid 4

[@79bigcat]

So MG Rays were always pathetic, not just in Revengeance

[@Segaman55]

+79bigcat I chock it up to them being knock-off metal gears

[@5-Volt]

But they are the coolest looking! And they have a water laser.

[@Kingdom850]

+79bigcat Yes! Split it wide open!

[@lous7458]

+79bigcat The ones you fight as Raiden are the mass-produced models, weaker than the original (the one you fight in MGS4) which was stolen by Ocelot at the start of the Tanker. The one you fight in Revengeance is an upgraded model, but Raiden is a cyborg at this point so from a gameplay standpoint it's weaker. (plus it's the first boss so it's naturally going to be pathetic)

[@doksofficestudios5381]

+Louis Sevette technically not true, raiden never destroys a single ray unit in 2. Once their health bar empties they slink off to be replaced by another unit. There is not an instance of ray going boom until solidus gets his hand in. To say the mass produced ones are weaker isn't right. Also the one you fight in 4 with Rex is an Outer Haven mass produced model not the one from 2

[@demi-femme4821]

The original explanation for Liquid Ocelot came from his parentage. The Sorrow, Ocelot's father and the second most significant member of the Cobra Unit, was a spirit medium. It was implied that Ocelot inheriting these powers made it easy for Liquid's spirit to posses him.

[@Jaceblue04]

The original explanation in this game is that Liquid is able to control Ocelot through his surgically reattached arm. In MGS3, it's retconned into being implied that Ocelot is a spirit medium. In MGS4, its retconned AGAIN into being the result of hypnotherapy. Any of those reasons would've been fine, but I guess Kojima couldn't make up his mind as to how the whole Liquid Ocelot thing was supposed to work.

[@TheSwordsman100]

@@Jaceblue04 MGS4 didn't retcon Liquid possessing Ocelot out, instead since Liquid was a uncontrollable factor that could mess with his plans he had the arm replaced and underwent hypnotherapy to fool the Patriots into thinking Liquid was still a factor.

[@sn1per1741]

18:56 "THEY PLAYED US LIKE A DAMN FIDDLE!"

[@aBDKstan]

5:42 Actually there's an easter egg on the tanker with Mei Ling. If you call Otacon and save enough times, eventually she'll come on the codec and yell at him for getting all of her chinese proverbs wrong lol

[@harrison.kaiser]

Rose adds a lot to Raiden's character - she's not really much of a character herself, which is probably why she's only in codec conversations. Whether or not she actually exists is intentionally muddy, because it feeds into the ending theme of "finding your own interpretation of things." Raiden meeting her face-to-face despite her probably not being real is the game's way of showing Raiden choosing his own interpretation.

[@blake112x]

Rose exists she pops up at the end of the game, she was held hostage (that is in the game) She a AI in the codec.

[@mann-nova9392]

25:00 I got this one yesterday .-. Also i never realised the whole "Raiden is the player" idea before. Thanks for informing me on it!

[@ptbunz2501]

As a teenager, I didn't understand the story. As an Adult it blows my mind how meta this is and how it can apply to any war situation.

[@Chocoburger]

Didn't read all the comments (2,086 at the time of this posting!), but the reason why Raiden can take on multiple Metal Gear Rays at once, whereas Snake had to fight Metal Gears one-on-one, was because the Rays in MGS 2 are AI controlled, thus less threatening since there's no human in the cockpit. Perhaps the AI is not fully completed either, meaning it was simply a test to gather data to make future improvements.

[@whatnopie]

This is genuinely the best summary anyone has ever made for the story of this game. You should be proud!

[@KevinStriker]

I'm actually one of those weirdos who likes MGS2 better than MGS4.

[@TBrizzle01]

I think most people like MGS4 the least these days. I am one of them.

[@aBDKstan]

+Kevin Striker Yeah most people consider 4 to be the weakest. It's still a solid game though

[@BoulderPunchPodcast1]

+aBDKstan I see what you did there

[@TheTankbus]

+aBDKstan *rimshot*

[@solaris6428]

mgsv too is the weakest imo

[@ChaddyFantome]

"Skip to 28:07 to avoid spoilers" "Yes, 28:07" _DAYYYYYYYM!_

[@PaperMarioFan64]

Kudos to the "Fission Mailed" screen, John. That was my favorite joke ending in this game.

[@solidsnake5935]

lol nice docter evil refrence

[@PaintyMainy]

*That stupid smirk I have on my face, when Johnny uploads a new video.*

[@crono3015]

"What took you so long?"

[@isaacplayer4268]

+Willie Wonker "Kept you waiting, huh?"

[@temp1326]

*Sees beehive*

[@NoMoreHeroes75]

Me :)

[@GoddamnILoveBison]

#JohnnyForNextDrEvil

[@MayitoGx]

I think the reason why ocelot can channel his inner liquid snake is because (Spoiler warning for MGS3) He is the son of the sorrow, who can talk with the dead and has paranormal abilities. Of course is just a theory, at least I think it has never been confirmed by kojima, but I'm not sure. Also you have to play MGS3 to get this information, but is the most accepted theory.

[@Kisaru1000]

Too bad that all gets retconned with MGS4.

[@ZeroReaper42]

+Amatakato No, that's not what happens. MGS4 explains that.

[@MayitoGx]

ZeroReaper42 Remind me what exactly did MGS4 explain about it, please? It's been I while since I've played that game.

[@ZeroReaper42]

Amatakato Long story short, MGS4 said that Liquid's arm wasn't in control the whole time. Ocelot just hypnotized himself to think and act like Liquid Snake in order to give the Patriots misdirection. It was a trick to actually destroy the AIs of the Patriots.

[@temp1326]

I thought in mgs2 liquid took over, THEN in mgs4 he self hypnotized himself, pay attention to the arm ocelot, in mgs4 it’s metal, in mgs2 it’s liquids

[@angelartiyalvt9574]

Just realized that the Colonel is the same voice as Grampa Max Tenneson.

[@solarstrike33]

Paul Eiding voices the both.

[@Xxandrew01]

23:07 Not really Johnny.I played this game in 2003,when I was five years old.Granted,it was kinda confusing when the game brought up Shadow Moses (The place from Metal Gear Solid 1 obviously) I still appreciated Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons Of Liberty,as it was my introduction to the Metal Gear franchise,and the first M rated game I ever played.

[@wesdee5086]

Trying to summarize the story for this game must of been a nightmare.

[@devildavin]

"i hear its amazing when the famous purple stuffed worm in flap jaw space, with a tuning fork! does a raw blink and Hairi kairi Rock, I need scissors 61!"

[@josephcross8464]

Would love it if Johnny made an Onimusha marathon.

[@itsjustvin7630]

Joseph Cross same

[@1cioda]

give it time, if its a series he likes, he will make it (look at the sonic marathons)

[@BlackxExorcistitsyaboi]

Well years later we begin

[@animeslam7951]

MGS2, best of the saga.

[@Timliu92]

Before Deadpool made breaking the fourth wall and meta-humor popular, there was MGS 2.

[@Dr.Indalecio]

34:25 Wait wait wait, Fission Mailed?

[@aceman1858]

Played the game? Can't spoil it for you if you haven't, definitely is in my top 5 so i highly recommend it, but yes, that is an on purpose fission mailed, and experiencing it is fantastic.

[@temp1326]

I NEED SCISSORS! 61!

[@Comkill117]

“Raiden turn the console off right now!” “What?” “Don’t worry it’s just a game like always...”

[@mikeissleepy]

It’s a meta joke

[@cfcbbrr9830]

This game hits even deeper today

[@sirgreg7124]

Raiden was an awesome character. He was meant to resemble the player (which was incredibly smart) and was developed super well. He may not be solid snake but he’s still great

[@tamathemaid7171]

I like Raiden, Fight me

[@mikeissleepy]

I will

[@BorcaYT]

I dislike him in MGS2, I love him In MGS4 though

[@navylaks2]

Please tell me why?

[@shiethegal]

He's better in MGS4/Rising, but I don't hate him in MGS2.

[@66kaisersoza]

Put up ur dukes m8

[@AHeroAlmost]

Watching these reviews has really given me an itch to play MGS again ..

[@HaishaYGO]

Great review as always Johnny!

[@JHoxtell]

but how?

[@richardschaefer88]

kojima games always have great graphics

[@FranBattery95]

Oh Johnny, if you think Raiden defeating an army of MG Rays is makes them weak, I can't help to think when you get into Rising: Revengeance

[@amoncobra]

your metal gear series is one of the best on youtube

[@NicoTheCinderace]

2:07 **Cue the 'I hate stairs line' from Left 4 Dead**

[@crono3015]

2:05 This is the official funniest MGS 2 review on KZbin.

[@5-Volt]

Everyone thought Grey Fox was cool so they made another white haired child soilder that eventually becomes a cyborg ninja & everyone hates Raiden :/

[@tyronetiggums6441]

Actually, most of the hate subsided with the releases of MGS4 and Rising.

[@Matrix9056]

Why does everyone hate raiden? I think he is one of the most badass characters. Rising was awesome and jaw dropping for me.

[@tyronetiggums6441]

Matrix9056 A lot of people hated him because of his portrayal in MGS2. After playing MGS4 and Rising though, I can say he's easily more tolerable when replaying MGS2.

[@TheJordanWS]

Never understood all the hate directed towards Raiden...

[@baclaba12]

+Jordan W S He wasn't solid snake, people thought that was enough reason to hate a man. I for one liked him before mgs4 and rising.

[@NexusVerbal]

Before being Meta was hip. There was Metal Gear Solid 2.

[@TheTC]

19:22 It's like how the Joker implanted his DNA in Robin in Batman Beyond or that one haunted hand movie I forgot the name of.

[@Zarasuto]

Just gotta laugh briefly. I am watching this for the first time. (Sorry Johnny, love the vids but I skip around on what types of vids I wanna watch and when you first put this out I was not of the desire to watch Game Reviews.) But when you started the plot synopsis I was shocked by the skip to time, and about the time I reacted and half said "Wha?" the captioned changed to "Yes, 28:07". That struck my funny bone. Keep up the awesome work.

[@CecilyJisi]

I wonder if something specific happens if you _do_ turn the game off when Cambell tells you to. I mean, I'm sure nothing happens other than losing your progress from your last save, but still :/

[@biohazard2236]

Cecily Jisi That would be cool. Like maybe it could somehow disable the function and recognize your attempt, causing the AI to reiterate its power over Raiden, and thus the player. I'm actually gonna try that when I can.

[@329link]

It is possible to make the game quickly autosave before that message, thus allowing the devs to make something actually happen when it's turned back on.

[@freddythepie]

It was a reference to metal gear when Big Boss tells the player to turn off the MSX.

[@NotAGoodUsername360]

329link Not in the era where memory cards were seperate

[@vladv5126]

Something very specific does happen. Your console gets switched off.

[@KidEDarus]

7:30 And to think I couldn't love Johnny even more. My god! Favorite moment of this review :D

[@Tony6Shot]

I agree with Johnny in that MGS is a bad starting point for a series newcomer. I would know because my 11-year-old brain melted into goo way back when I first played this game. I'm proud of myself for understanding what was happening well enough up until Arsenal Gear, then my brain shut off. 8 years later, I understand more and boy fuckin' howdy, there's too much to understand.

[@coffeecream3188]

5:43 is somewhat wrong. We only see Mei Ling after you save enough times as Snake with Otacon.

[@MagicMaster667]

Can we all just take a moment to appriciate the quality of Johnny's scripts for his videos?

[@c0mf0rta61ynum6]

Everytime Johnny keeps bringing up the Patriots, I keep picturing an alternate version of Metal Gear where he's referring to the New England Patriots.

[@jansvatek5029]

This game is my favorite in the series. The themes and story are timeless. Raiden actually grew on me. Rose is actually a clever way to represent Raiden's mental state. By the end the player wanders if she was even real. And you get a new perspective on Snake. A true classic

[@blake112x]

What is the story of MGS2?

[@baraksha1]

"I say the game takes about 4 hours" almost 30 for me

[@MrBorderlands123]

+baraksha1 That just means you suck...bad.

[@baraksha1]

oh come on, couldn't you at least go easy on me?

[@MrBorderlands123]

***** Sorry fam I'm savage as fuck.

[@baraksha1]

well, at least you acknowledge it

[@mikedude2724]

@@MrBorderlands123 Or that means he played the game on a very high difficulty.

[@56brandonray]

Raider talking to the decaying AI of the colonel is exactly what it’s like having a bad trip

[@LorenHelgeson]

Great review, Johnny. By the way, to those who are curious, the cutscene at 20:24 clocks in at over an hour, and it’s just talking, talking, talking. Strap in and get ready!

[@DrunkenCoward1]

"I was trained by VIDEO GAAAAMES!" - Raiden But *spoilers* Wasn't he also a child soldier and therefore... trained by shooting people when he was 12?

[@generalwashingtoad6516]

His memory was wiped.

[@DaimoHope]

When I was first binging on this game, I freaked out when The Colonel told me to turn off the game.

[@onerandomdude4015]

Did you?

[@generalwashingtoad6516]

@@onerandomdude4015 wouldn't you?

[@GreenNinjaTea]

25:12 SNAKES FUCKING FACE

[@GreenNinjaTea]

Alpha Charlie Echo Plays! because teh more people who know who Sarah Nyberg is the better

[@crono3015]

Congrats, you got a youtube commenter's attention.

[@mariokarter13]

Yep. That describes exactly what you're looking at.

[@scribble71891]

19:13 that’s something you’re supposed to piece together yourself by playing/reading MGS3 and the Digital Graphic Novels. Ocelot is The Sorrow’s son, so it’s safe to assume he inherited his father’s powers as a spiritual medium as well. The Novels seem to confirm this. It’s just too bad that got retconned in the fourth game.

[@therangedmartialartist5749]

One tidbit that hints that the tanker portion we play is a VR simulation experienced by Raiden, in the intro video for MGS VR Missions snake says "thanks to the VR training I did onboard the discovery". If you look at the transom of the tanker itself in MGS2 you'll notice the tanker is called the Discovery.

[@FullmetalSonic260]

Oddly enough, this was my first MGS game, played it when I was younger and I've been following the series still.

[@Snikeros]

Can't wait to see how long the MGS4 review will be

[@percivaldotburgers]

Yes Johnny, it does get better with MGS3. It's the best Metal Gear game. The best of the series

[@crono3015]

If it had more jungle segments, it'd be perfect for me.

[@linkkirby7783]

My man. Nothing is quite like Snake Eater, and Big Boss is called that for a good reason. He's BOSS

[@batman88891]

+Justin St-Georges Honestly... I preferred Metal Gear Solid 4. Metal Gear Solid is REALLY close, and they both get 10/10s from me, but I still think MGS4 just all around was the better game. I mean, honestly just that microwave scene... my God. Or the final fist fight. Every single time I reach the fist fight, I turn all lights in my room off, turn the T.V. up, and just beat the living crap out of Ocelot (or should I say...beat the... Liquid out of Ocelot). Even if I like Naked Snake better than Solid Snake as characters, mostly because Snake up until MGS4 was basically "could you explain that for me please even though I should all ready know this?", or "Thank you for only specifically asking that question so we can keep the big dramatic reveal later when I reveal it to you lol". That being said, MGS3 is the better "game", as in, actual gameplay. MGS4 is the better movie.

[@batman88891]

***** I think Peace Walker is unfortunately underrated personally. Watching Mother Base get destroyed in Ground Zeroes... man.

[@Sukaiba69]

+Justin St-Georges Meh, i still like MGS1 and MGSPW much more than MGS3, i never really saw why it was such a genius game.

[@vinegar3617]

26:23 I was never really bothered by the fact you had to fight waves of Metal Gear RAYs because while they are giant walking mecha, they aren't as inherently threatening as the other Metal Gears due to the fact that RAYs aren't nuclear-equipped. I'd argue the fact that you fight them and arguably not the MAIN Metal Gear of this game, Arsenal Gear, which is armed with MULTIPLE nuclear warheads, sort of adds to the theme of hopelessness and the control of the Patriots. You can handle RAYs, but Arsenal Gear is too big an opponent to face alone and is pretty much impossible to stop, like the conspiracy of control the Patriots exude over America.

[@RockingtheRaikou]

26:00 Who else would love to see Johnny have round table discussions on current societal issues? Personally, I'd think it'd be really interesting

[@MegamanNG]

I saw the whole thing. Man that was a long one. Though I know once you reach stuff like MGS3, 4, etc... they get long and ridiculous. No laughing matter here.

[@KravenSpider]

7:59 Hi, Grandpa Max!

[@Beriorn]

Yeah, if they did the thing where you play as Snake for a bit of the game and as some no-name mook for the rest of the game while Snake himself does far more interesting stuff the fans would be in an uproar. Oh wait.

[@MegamanElric16]

2:04 There has to be a separate video for this. I could watch it for hours.

[@danrosalina]

Oh man, I am loving these long reviews. Keep up the good work!

[@Nimbereth]

Your reviews are the greatest in the interweb. Love MGS series. But i'm so glad that end over The Phatom Pain. I think that Kojiman-san is ready to create another games.

[@Nimbereth]

Btw, you don't imagine how much hate i had to Raiden back then. It was an era pre -youtube and interweb was really not a big deal in 2002. I just want to play with Snake and Kojima cheat on me.

[@WarrenValion]

I suggest that you check out Matthewmatosis's review.

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

@@WarrenValion Why? They're good enough on their own with too much comparison.

[@matdemaz]

MGS2 has by far the best story in the series, in my opinion. It's just so damn good. I love revisiting this bad boy.

[@HP-ej3bo]

why does everyone hate raiden he is awesome

[@MrEffectfilms]

Because having human, relatable characters is a bad thing apparently. They had to turn Raiden into a Devil May Cry character for people to like him.

[@balderdasq8987]

I always assumed that nano communication was instantaneous, like people's brains imagining a full conversation but actually exchanging data at a computer-like speed. That's the logic I had for why the world basically stops for your codec calls, since as far as everyone else is concerned the call lasted less than a second.

[@darkknight072]

You're really knocking these reviews out of the park! Keep up the good work