Why Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake Deserves Your Attention...

After the release of Metal Gear, Hideo Kojima was satisfied with his work, and moved on to his next project. He actually had no plans to ever make a sequel to Metal Gear… until he was catching up with a coworker of his who had been assigned to the Snake’s Revenge project, with their talks about the game giving Kojima the inspiration to create his own sequel to the original game. And thus, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake was born and ultimately released just 3 months after Snake’s Revenge. So how did Kojima and his team go about improving upon the foundations laid by the original Metal Gear, and how does it hold up today? Well, let’s talk about it.
Full Metal Gear Series: • A First Timer's Journe...
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is a 1990 action-adventure stealth video game[c] developed and published by Konami for the MSX2 computer platform. It serves as a direct sequel to the MSX2 version of the original Metal Gear, written and designed by series's creator Hideo Kojima, who conceived the game in response to Snake's Revenge, a separately-produced sequel that was being developed at the time for the NES specifically for the North American and European markets. The MSX2 version of Solid Snake was only released in Japan, although Kojima would later direct another sequel titled Metal Gear Solid, which was released worldwide for the PlayStation in 1998 to critical acclaim. This later led to Solid Snake being re-released alongside the original Metal Gear as additional content in the Subsistence version of Metal Gear Solid 3 for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. It was also included in the HD remastered ports of Metal Gear Solid 3 released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox 360, and was given a stand-alone re-release in Japan as a downloadable game for mobile phones and the Wii Virtual Console.
✪ CONNECT WITH ME ✪
Subscribe ➤ / @notcole
Membership ➤ / notcoledrakulich
Twitter ➤ / coledrakulich
Discord ➤ / discord
TikTok ➤ / notcoledrakulich
Patreon ➤ / notcole
#metalgearsolid #metalgearrising #metalgear #metalgearsolidvthephantompain #metalgearrisingrevengeance #konami #kojimaproduction #hideokojima

[@shuboy05]

When Chole wondered how Big Boss was still alive after dying in the previous game, I felt myself and millions of Metal Gear fans quickly shift our eyes from left to right in rapid succession....

[@dantesparda8524]

A snake full of venom...

[@BLACULA-Skeewoah]

V has come to....

[@axsprime]

People always debate between MGS 1-3 as being the influential games in the series but the amount of stuff MG2 established that every game after it use and regularly go back to in both gameplay and story shouldn't be glossed over.

[@Gatherway]

Yes indeed. There are so many gameplay elements and moments in Metal Gear 2 that were later implemented directly back into Metal Gear Solid, it's unreal. I'm of the opinion that while the original Metal Gear can be skipped, Metal Gear 2 should be played by any die-hard fans at least once, to gain an appreciation for where Metal Gear as we know it truly began.

[@randalabra3852]

playing them in release order makes it really feel like MGS1 is basically a 3d pseudo "remake" of MG2, like how Ocarina of Time is to ALttP

[@cfilorvyls457]

​​@@randalabra3852pretty sure it literally is, down the the boss fights design. That's why they called it Solid, since it was remade into a solid 3D perspective

[@LordGrim1313]

For that first hidden wall, the radar does show a room there. A curious player would probably try to blow up the wall just to see if theres loot there

[@TasTheWatcher]

"Petrovich Madnar" You ain't fooling me, that's _clearly_ Albert Einstein

[@shuboy05]

And Big Boss is clearly Sean Connery!

[@Sleygar]

Omg, it's Albert Einstein, omg, Albert Einstein, omg.

[@DarthEquus]

@@shuboy05 And Richard Crenna is the Colonel.

[@SoidSnake]

@@DarthEquus And Sylvester Stallone is Solid Snake

[@BigGainer98]

​@@SoidSnakeHe is supposed to be Mel Gibson. The game never released in the US because it uses western actors and would get copy right to Hell. That is why the remake from 3 uses digital sprites instead.

[@RamenReignss]

So many things from MG2 Solid Snake were repeated in MGS1. Although I really wish they would remake the first two Metal Gear games for newer consoles so that we can see these games come to life and really experience the story between Snake and Big Boss

[@BLACULA-Skeewoah]

Kojima has stated that metal gear was extremely faithful to mg2's gameplay because most of the world never played an msx. A lot of mgs is a shot for shot remake

[@aaronskuse2207]

I played this on the MGS HD Collection for the Xbox 360, and it’s an incredibly futuristic game for the time. If I never knew anything about it, I would swear it’s a modern Indie game.

[@shsrpr]

9:06 I'm like 99% sure you can go back down the elevator during the Red Blaster fight. I just played through the game a few weeks ago, and I got there early and turned right back around and reentered the elevator. You can also break those wires by just bumping into them a few times.

[@heavyc4450]

Yep. Saved my ass

[@mariomares6572]

You absolutely can. I just played that section and beat that boss literally today, I didn't have the grenades yet when I found him so I had to leave and return later. That's also true for the helicopter fight and the Running Man so I'm pretty sure you can do it for most if not all the bosses in the game.

[@jesseferguson8668]

You can use the cardboard boxes on the trucks with conveyor belts to quick travel around the base to help with back tracking. This is actually available in Metal Gear Solid 1-3 as well

[@maskednil]

Don't forget MGSV too!

[@jesseferguson8668]

Oh yeah. The fast travel is pretty cool in that one

[@gertytk5528]

This game's soundtrack is absolutely awesome.

[@nicosimioni7363]

Overall my favorite in the whole series. It can get super creepy at certain moments and I love it. The eerie music with the mannequins, the children roaming around and the dark rooms... somehow it manages to be creepier than some horror games I've played. Super atmospheric and memorable throughout the whole game. Edit: now that I think about it, it reminds me of Super Metroid, especially all the Maridia themes. That's probably the biggest compliment I can give to it.

[@Neck41]

Yeah the thing about Kojima was right, he said he and the guy talked on the train and after the conversation he came up with the entire story by the time he got home. Although i'm sadden this game was never ported to America until MANY years later.

[@CERap22]

This is the 1st synopsis of this game ive seen that is the legit ORIGINAL version. I didn't know you could still play this unless you were playing the re-release part of MGS3 subsistance. Really interesting seeing these original character portraits

[@blackhawk65589]

I think there was a fan translation patch that used thr original codec images with fan/offician English text a few years back.

[@2yoyoyo1Unplugged]

Did you know that the sewers are meant to be fast travel between buildings? The fast current saves a ton of time

[@blackhawk65589]

I never noticed that! That's really clever and not forth wall breaking either.

[@Jzx1103]

Snake looks like Stallone, Grey Fox looks like Wes Studi, and Big Boss look like Sean Connery lol. I've only played the re-released version from MGS3 Subsistence and they all had different faces.

[@CptJistuce]

As I recall it, the Snake's Revenge art was (probably literally) tracing Kyle Reese off a Terminator poster.

[@Jzx1103]

@@CptJistuce no that was Metal Gear 1 NES cover. Snakes Revenge Snake cover looks like Tom Berenger lol

[@CptJistuce]

@@Jzx1103 My mistake. Appreciate the correction.

[@MachFiveFalcon]

You're narration and editing skills are at a level of quality I've seen in veteran KZbin channels - can't wait to see more from you. Great work!

[@LuisVega-so3tt]

Love the metal gear playlist you have here, can't wait til you get to snake eater, ground zeros and phantom pain

[@samuele4001]

Ooh boy, it will take them a lot of time to just explain how Big Boss survived after MG1

[@astreakaito5625]

Happy new year man! Always love it when your vids pops up. I admit I skipped the original metal gears..

[@blackhawk65589]

This is one of those must play on Christmas Day. I really enjoyed my playthroughs with MG2. I was surprised how many small unorthodox puzzles Kojima made for players to think.

[@mauryciojauregui7317]

Your reviews are super high quality my guy, hope your channel gets the recognition it deserves. Keep it up! It’s also refreshing to hear a reviewer not have an ego and admit when games do need walkthroughs to progress.

[@mooganify]

Bro just read the plot summary for 20 minutes

[@Resimaster]

One of saddest moments in the series is when Gray Fox is dying and says he's going to be alone again. Snake, wanting to comfort his friend, tells him that he won't be alone because "Natasha's waiting for you on the other side". He does a similar thing when he tells Naomi about what Fox said in MGS too.

[@1celess]

Just finished this now and hoo boy! I shouldn't have slept on this one. Honestly really good when using a guide. It's fascinating seeing how many of the things MG2 was carried into Metal Gear Solid 1

[@Johnnybomb1]

I first played this game with a fan translation back on an MSX-2 emulator, between Metal Gear Solid 2, but right befoe Snake Eater came out. My mind was blown at not only how good it was, but also how much of thr formula was carried over to Metal Gear Solid on the PlayStation. Having said that, there are many things about thisbgame that are incredibly frustrating (mainly the backtracking). Looking back on it now, this game is also responsible for some of the bad an overused design choices of the MGS1 ans MGS2, mainly the bad fixed camera perspectives of those games. When you go back and play Metal Gar Solid on PlayStation, you quickly realize that it's essentially designed like MG2 but in 3D.

[@TrazynTheKleptomanichad]

Morning Chole, happy new year!

[@StylishYeoman]

Would be really interested in a short video explaining how you go about giving your ranking at the end of each game!

[@dzmcroy]

If you got softlocked during the Red Blaster fight, you may have just missed that you can get right back on the elevator! lol It also feels like you missed the fact that there is a directory of Codec numbers if you press down on the Codec screen?

[@notcole]

yeah I definitely missed both of those 😅 Good to know about the Codec so I can correct it later though!

[@Enderson5040]

I'm agree with you, this game deserves more attention. Reminds me of the first 2 prince of Persia, I was surprised in both cases. Great video and greetings from Venezuela

[@krono5el]

Honestly metal gear 2 msx was my favorite mg game till 5 rolled around. they both play and feel like actual video games.

[@Sleygar]

Backtracking didn't bother me as much because I used a bunch of shortcuts every time, like using the current on the sewers or a number of trucks to get transported around.

[@joshhunt4146]

You just press down on the codec and it brings up all the codec channels you have acquired - unless this is a new feature that they installed for the re release

[@CucasNerdyCorner]

Again, just like with MG1, you can press down to get list of codec numbers that you already called before. But since you're playing the MSX2 original with a fan translation. Maybe that feature isn't there. But definitely is there on the PS3/later versions of the game.

[@danielpayne1597]

Such an ambitious 1990 game. I'm super confused about Gray Fox killing his own lover... for helping the enemy, perhaps?

[@2yoyoyo1Unplugged]

Wait if you started this because of the master collection coming out? Why didn’t you just play the updated port with the lore accurate sprites and slight retcons for consistency? Plus the localization work is essentially spotless on the HD/master collection version. Probably easier to get working than fiddling with an msx2 emulator and a fan patch

[@maskednil]

Nah, he should play the fan translated MSX version, AND the Subsistence version. More power 💪

[@2yoyoyo1Unplugged]

@@maskednil i get the sentiment, but the fan-translated version is NOT accurate nor consistent with the entries that canonically follow it. It's like setting yourself up for an entirely different plotline going forward that will never come.

[@maskednil]

@@2yoyoyo1Unplugged That shouldn't be a problem. It's just an exercising in expanding knowledge and having fun looking at the differences. I've played the fan translated version, MG1 the NES version, and Snake's Revenge, and Portable Ops. All non canon, alongside Ac!d and Ghost Babel and Twin Snakes. Are we supposed to stay away from them all?

[@8butt]

​@2yoyoyo1Unplugged its definitely more accurate then the new version, what are you on about.

[@2yoyoyo1Unplugged]

@@8butt Because the old version was written and the sprites made before any of the now canon stuff that MGS1 added. The rewritten version with more stylized, MGS consistent sprites was changed to fit in better with the whole series. Hence, LORE accurate.

[@DarkapostlesASMR]

I think the first Metal Gear needs a remake. It did not age very good. But the second is amazing in every aspect

[@chefaku]

10:09, 11:00 I don't know if it is like that in that version, but in the master collection vol. 1 if you ask about in the transmitter they will give you quite obvious clues without telling you the solution

[@BasedProletarianJacob420]

This is the only mainline Metal Gear i’ve never beaten cuz when I was younger I never knew how to get past the very beginning and didnt want to look it up.

[@mushuwu]

Chloe: "Hows Big Boss still alive after the events of MG1?" MGS Fans: "...ahem, uh, yes. Quite the mystery. Yes "

[@legomania2427]

Another great Chole video.

[@christianxfb]

7 out of 10 in 2024. If it were 1994 this game is a solid 10!

[@muratonuryilmaz5385]

I wish to play this game as I have it on my steam (as part of mgs packet vol1) but I have no time now

[@MeitsMSX]

Nice to see you play the MSX version in stead of the "MSX" version from the playstation. :) Which previous two games are you talking about? There was only one before this one, if you're talking about Kojima Metal Gear games.

[@notcole]

oh we're doing ALL the Metal Gear games, canon or otherwise 😎 (it's Snake's Revenge)

[@ThunderRod]

Just beat Metal Gear 2 tonight, and it was far and away a more enjoyable experience than Metal Gear 1, both in story and gameplay. Everything is expanded on, the characters feel more relatable. The gameplay is more engaging. I found myself excited to come back to MG2 after I hopped of it, rather than MG1 where I just felt an obligation to finish it since I bought the Master Collection. I feel as though I have another playthrough in me with MG2. For MG1, I do not. As far as backtracking goes, I actually didn't feel it was that bad with MG2. As long you use the underground river to go between the tower and zanzibar buildings, and the trucks for the tower and prison, its pretty easy to get to where you need to go. Seems that was a conscious decision by the devs to alleviate that frustration from MG1. Overall I'd give it an easy 9/10. Super enjoyable and charming, and I can't freaking wait to see what Metal Gear Solid has in store for me.

[@apukami3643]

This was the most slept on hit of its era fr

[@jierenzheng7670]

I am wondering if there's some kind of ROM Hack for the MGS series on PSP or PSX as a 3D remake to MG2

[@Jouzou87]

This is truly an amazing game considering the hardware limitations of the time.

[@RacerC45]

Why did you look at the re-release in MGS3: Subsistence?

[@iker900]

i think you have the msx one in english on hd collection inside 3 snake eater

[@thegreatnamelessone4675]

For someone with less than 10k subs, your production quality and content is insanely good and i cant wait to see you move forward. Keep it up man!

[@treesurgeon2441]

"Killing him for good this time" Well...

[@angb36th]

Dude i honestly cant wait to see you play metal gear solid 2 sons of liberty. Oh dear help me lord 🙏

[@Beeyo176]

I forget what actor Snake is copied after (Mel Gibson?) in this game, but boy oh boy is he constipated

[@justinslife8898]

Can I play these older MG 1 & MG2 solidsnake on playstation?

[@ryancentnarowicz]

Yes buy the metal gear solid master collection volume 1.

[@Shoutatclouds]

That plot?!?!

[@darkmega97]

that's all good and all but why is Big Boss just Sean Connery?

[@plixplux]

Ah yes, Big Boss.... or as I like to call him, the Big Daddy himself, Sean Connery

[@drewstar8611]

Metal Gear 2 - a link to the past Metal Gear Solid - Ocarina of Time

[@blackhawk65589]

MG2-A Snake To The Past MGS1-Genes of Time

[@Pullaka]

Good analysis, but making a review of this game (and any Metal Gear) without dedicating a few minutes to the music, should be considered a crime!

[@ElimGarakSpoonHead]

140.85

[@mojokharma]

Everyone talks shit about MGS2 for being a "simulation" like MGS1 wasn't just MG2 with a facelift

[@subtegral]

MG2 takes place in 1999, not 1998.

[@notcole]

This is one of the MANY retcons of MGS1! MG2 originally took place in 1998, but when MGS1 came around, Kojima changed it to have taken place in 1999 instead (no idea why). I believe they also carried this change across to the official English translation of MG2 that's available in MGS3 Subsistence and the Master Collection 🙂

[@subtegral]

It's always been 1999. And the Subsistence versions are the superior versions (that you should have played but didn't)

[@type.silver]

play SNATCHER

[@maskednil]

You actually kinda play MG2 3 times. MG2, MGS,1 which is kind of like a remake of MG2, and then MGS2, which also copies things from MGS1and by extension MG2.

[@grantstafford-renard9095]

5 minutes of opening cutscenes? In a metal gear game? Wow, metal gear really has progressed over the years. Have fun with, oh, I don’t know, half hour opening cutscenes. And brace yourself, because those will be on the short end, depending on which game you are playing.

[@kfcmusicfitness]

The game was awesome .. still better than MG5 lol

[@Desmaad]

The story comes off as too convoluted and pulpy for my taste.

[@attackofthecopyrightbots]

kojima hates it