Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

 PlayStation 2
  • Publisher: Konami
  • Release Date: Nov 12, 2001
User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1893 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,653 out of 1893
  2. Mixed: 140 out of 1893
  3. Negative: 100 out of 1893
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  1. Breegullbeak
    Aug 26, 2012
    4
    This game was never good. This game still isn't good. The camera is your worst enemy. Guards constantly spot you when you can't even see them and this get's worse once you need to turn on your radar in the rest of the rooms in the game. The Story is just plain un-interesting. Hideo Kojima may be a master writer of stories, but this one doesn't deliver until the last hour or so of gameThis game was never good. This game still isn't good. The camera is your worst enemy. Guards constantly spot you when you can't even see them and this get's worse once you need to turn on your radar in the rest of the rooms in the game. The Story is just plain un-interesting. Hideo Kojima may be a master writer of stories, but this one doesn't deliver until the last hour or so of game play and cut scenes, and even at that point I find myself not caring about some of the things, while the parts while interesting feel more like they belong in a film or some documentary. This is not a good game and it's a boring movie.… Expand
  2. ZombiesTT
    Apr 9, 2012
    1
    Standards for video games must have been really low when this game first came out. I didn't play the original but I picked up MGS2 in the HD collection for the PS3. The problem with the game isn't the graphics (as some might say the graphics look dated on the PS3). No, the problem is the same as it was back when the game first came out - the gameplay. MGS2 has the worst gameplay of anyStandards for video games must have been really low when this game first came out. I didn't play the original but I picked up MGS2 in the HD collection for the PS3. The problem with the game isn't the graphics (as some might say the graphics look dated on the PS3). No, the problem is the same as it was back when the game first came out - the gameplay. MGS2 has the worst gameplay of any console game I have ever played. How could reviewers possibly give this game a perfect score? MGS and MGS4 are great games (still have to play MGS3) but MGS2 just doesn't compare. The camera is terrible, the shooting is terrible, your character handles terribly. But the Metal Gear series isn't known for gameplay as much as it is for story, right? You could totally skip this installment. I bought the HD collection to fill in the gap between MGS and MGS4 and what have I gained? Pretty much nothing. The problem isn't Raiden either - I actually like Raiden. Snake controls even worse than Raiden if that is even possible. Why did I give this game a 1 instead of a 0? The cutscenes were the best part of the game, even though they were mindless and nowhere near as good as in the other games. I couldn't wait to put down my controller from playing this horrible game just to watch a cutscene. The only reason I am putting this review here and not in the HD collection is because I don't want to judge the entire collection after only playing one game. I hope the other 2 games are better. Extremely disappointed with MGS2.… Expand
  3. Wolfmother
    Apr 3, 2011
    0
    No, I still dont get this, WHO CALLS A VIDEO GAME BAD BASED OFF PLOT? It makes no sense, are you really going to hate this game just because you play as Raiden? Are you high? Not only is his involvment in the game necessary to the plot, but its not that big of a deal, snake and raiden's controls are the same, how big of a baby are you to complain who you are playing as? Plot are youNo, I still dont get this, WHO CALLS A VIDEO GAME BAD BASED OFF PLOT? It makes no sense, are you really going to hate this game just because you play as Raiden? Are you high? Not only is his involvment in the game necessary to the plot, but its not that big of a deal, snake and raiden's controls are the same, how big of a baby are you to complain who you are playing as? Plot are you serious? "Screw the incredible graphic,s and gameplay, the plot was stupid" maybe you people forgot but this ISNT a movie, its a game, if you hate the cutscenes than just skip them, is it really that hard? How can functioning humans review like this, it is the epitome of illogical reviwing, thats like saying the food sucked because it wasnt on a good plate, who cares about the plate???? The food is the main focus. You cant just call food bad because of the plate it is served on.… Expand
  4. GaryJ.
    Jan 6, 2005
    3
    Plot is HORRIBLE. Totally ruins the franchise. Gameplay is good, but with a plot so awful, why bother?
  5. Yoheyyo
    Jan 16, 2003
    3
    zzzzzz.....oh, is that cut scene over? has excellent graphics, with some nice subtleties, and makes great use of the controller, but the unending cut scenes, cheeseball story, lame-ass villians bring the score way down. it really seems like the creator ran out of ideas. a mad bomber on roller blades? please, that's just stupid. most over-rated game ever.
  6. Korn
    Feb 13, 2008
    0
    Why Is this Game Have a Higher Score than the Original MGS? What A Joke
  7. CarlosFromPeru
    Aug 4, 2007
    1
    This game is a big disappointment. I was waiting for something better. The story is ridiculous.
  8. AaronP.
    Mar 23, 2007
    0
    This game sucks. It sucks because it has lousy gameplay and it has a plot that would make a little kid cry. This game is the pimple on the franchises a**. Trust me save your hard earned money.
  9. ZackL
    Nov 6, 2009
    0
    This is my absolute least favorite game of all time simply because everyone thinks it's the greatest thing to ever be played when it's garbage if there was a lower rating than 0 than you better believe that's what this would be getting
  10. JasonL.
    Jun 9, 2002
    1
    The plot and interaction with supporting characters are both pathetically corny. Unlike many others I will not be fooled into thinking this is a great game just because of some pretty cutscenes (which happened to be way too long).
  11. Bander
    Oct 7, 2003
    4
    It was a remake of MGS:1 dont u people listen to the game line and think about the storyline SAME ONE.
  12. SolidSnake
    Mar 30, 2008
    0
    To be honest, I hated working on this game.

    Working conditions sucked, salary was even lower than it was in MGS1, and the script was complete bullshit. Except for my parts, of course.

    Hm... here's my advice. Just play through the Tanker Chapter and move on to MGS3. It'll save you a lot of hours of drudging through boring missions and a ridiculously asinine storyline.
  13. ShaneS
    Aug 21, 2010
    0
    You don't play as Solid Snake through most of the game. Instead you play as an emotionally challenged J-pop wimp named Raiden. The bosses in this game are a rollerblading bomber, a bisexual pseudo vampire (like Twilight), and an old man who is being controlled by a dead guy's arm. The gameplay consists of wandering around being spotted and then hiding for 20 minutes while the enemies goYou don't play as Solid Snake through most of the game. Instead you play as an emotionally challenged J-pop wimp named Raiden. The bosses in this game are a rollerblading bomber, a bisexual pseudo vampire (like Twilight), and an old man who is being controlled by a dead guy's arm. The gameplay consists of wandering around being spotted and then hiding for 20 minutes while the enemies go quiet. The enemies are infinite once you've been spotted and you're bound to be spotted since the smallest disturbence sets them off. As a result you spend most of the game hiding from enemies and not doing any combat whatsoever. Normally a stealth game doesn't focus on combat but this is a whole other story. In most stealth games you can occasionally take out a soldier or two without being spotted, but this game demands that you don't do any combat other than the boss battles. Add to all this a terrible plot and you've got one of the most overrated games of all time.… Expand
  14. AnonymousMC
    Mar 3, 2005
    0
    I hated this game and I'm going with the rest of the other brutally honest people here and tell you straight up this game sucks. I wanted to write the people responsible for this game and tell them exactly how gay the end was. I'm currently running around naked on this game that never seems to end. Where am I supposed to go now, wait you know what I don't care because II hated this game and I'm going with the rest of the other brutally honest people here and tell you straight up this game sucks. I wanted to write the people responsible for this game and tell them exactly how gay the end was. I'm currently running around naked on this game that never seems to end. Where am I supposed to go now, wait you know what I don't care because I hate this game and I'm tired of hearing how the colonel was a north american fireworm in his past life. My only last wish is that there were numbers lower than 0 so I could give this one a lower score.… Expand
  15. MichealJ.
    Feb 23, 2003
    3
    Ditto to Yo hey yo's opinion.
  16. KyleB.
    Nov 14, 2002
    3
    Why do they call this metal gear SOLID!. The game has no snake what so ever. For the first 15-20 minutes you're snake, after that you take control of a very womanly character named raiden. This character slaps people instead of punching and has a huge emotional attachment to Rose, one of the most annoying female love interests I have ever seen in a game. Raiden never once cracked a Why do they call this metal gear SOLID!. The game has no snake what so ever. For the first 15-20 minutes you're snake, after that you take control of a very womanly character named raiden. This character slaps people instead of punching and has a huge emotional attachment to Rose, one of the most annoying female love interests I have ever seen in a game. Raiden never once cracked a joke, he has some of the most ugly hair ever and instead of using a bandana he uses wigs! He sounds like he has a cold, Has almost no physicial definition looking like a ten year old boy. Raiden truly destroys this game, if you can't like the main character, how can you really enjoy the game? It gets a three because those few precious seconds as snake and the witty banter Snake and Ottacon pass back and forth makes the game at least some what humerous. The game should have no Raiden what so ever. They actually called him Snake at the start of the game. DISGRACEFUL!… Expand
  17. PaulF.
    Jan 14, 2003
    0
    OK, you guys are fans of the series, solid snake is a decently cool character, but this game is trash, absolute utter total trash. the storyline is so ridiculously convoluted and just plain silly that any and all redeeming features of the gameplay (and there are a few, but really not that many) are flooded with bad feelings. the cut scenes drag on for ages, explaining, and re-explaining OK, you guys are fans of the series, solid snake is a decently cool character, but this game is trash, absolute utter total trash. the storyline is so ridiculously convoluted and just plain silly that any and all redeeming features of the gameplay (and there are a few, but really not that many) are flooded with bad feelings. the cut scenes drag on for ages, explaining, and re-explaining the most ridiculous justifications for the most non-sensical twists. i should probably give it a one because the first section with snake is ok, though not great, and the second character is crap, but even if he had been cool it wouldn't have mattered. Please people, stop giving this game a 10, and stop buyng it, if you keep believing the hype and continue to pretend this game is good just because you liked its predecessor (which wasnt as good as the original Syphon Filter by a longshot by the way) then the game will never improve, the next version will have just as lame a story, with another crappy character, and they'll lazily put in another torture sequence, and stinger fight with an aircraft (how lame was that?) and you'll have paid another $50 for a pile of crap that you can give 10's to again.… Expand
  18. AliciaD.
    Dec 16, 2003
    0
    This is violent and teaches children it is ok to play with guns and killing people.
  19. JasonW.
    Aug 26, 2006
    1
    it was weak, no snake except in the tanker part, yet they promte snake as being the main theme on the back of the game box, its really awful how the chatter just goes on an on an on an on an on...no serioulsy thats how it is , (when coming to the end it really gets bad)... the game was short, the highest level card u achieve is 5 an u dont even use it, all in all this Game deserves to be it was weak, no snake except in the tanker part, yet they promte snake as being the main theme on the back of the game box, its really awful how the chatter just goes on an on an on an on an on...no serioulsy thats how it is , (when coming to the end it really gets bad)... the game was short, the highest level card u achieve is 5 an u dont even use it, all in all this Game deserves to be given away for free, i gave it a 1.… Expand
  20. BoraC.
    Mar 26, 2008
    4
    Is it a game or a movie? It's not supposed to be both. It starts as a game, and ends up as a movie. No matter how good or bad the storyline is, a game is not supposed to have a cutscene that is longer than a tv sit-com. Before the battle with Solidus I checked the time and it was more than 20 minutes, so I quit playin.
  21. DanielE
    Dec 2, 2009
    3
    The gameplay enhancements and overall graphical improvements over the first game are a welcome addition. However the contrived plot and lame characters send this one to the bottom. The whole time i was playing this i keep getting a sense of deja vu, and in the end i found out why. I really wanted to like this game, but after the prequel on the ship in the beginning, this thing just tanks. The gameplay enhancements and overall graphical improvements over the first game are a welcome addition. However the contrived plot and lame characters send this one to the bottom. The whole time i was playing this i keep getting a sense of deja vu, and in the end i found out why. I really wanted to like this game, but after the prequel on the ship in the beginning, this thing just tanks. If you enjoy philosophical ramblings shoved down your throat while being treated to a recycled plot that is much harder to believe than its source material being presented as a "game". Then this is for you.… Expand
  22. DeanR
    Dec 29, 2008
    0
    Metal Gear Solid 2 was the worst game in the series. Hideo Kojima deceived gamers by making them believe you played as Solid Snake only to find out that you play a new, young (and by all accounts) bisexual character named Raiden. If Raiden was similar to Snake in any way - it might have been okay - but he moved like a ballerina and pranced like a pony. How would you expect Batman fans to Metal Gear Solid 2 was the worst game in the series. Hideo Kojima deceived gamers by making them believe you played as Solid Snake only to find out that you play a new, young (and by all accounts) bisexual character named Raiden. If Raiden was similar to Snake in any way - it might have been okay - but he moved like a ballerina and pranced like a pony. How would you expect Batman fans to buy a Batman game and then have to play as some new character the whole game? It would be an outrage. The games plot was confusing and the only reason it was a success was because cool-aid drinking fanboys forced themselves to like the game. It was a mess. LUCKILY though, Hideo learned from his mistake and produced 2 awesome follow-ups - MGS3 (my second fav of the series) and MGS4. So I can forgive the crap that was MGS2, but don't try to tell me that it was some kind of masterpiece - because it was stupid.… Expand
  23. wtftakemyemail
    Jan 18, 2017
    1
    The worst Metal Gear Solid game yet. The game is just flaw after flaw after flaw. The story is lacking, the game mechanics are completely broken and the viewing angles are made by a child.
  24. daManne
    Mar 31, 2017
    3
    I love MGS. That's why I hate MGS2. It just falls flat by comparison in any category.
    Except for Fatman, all new characters fall flat. Olga as the Ninja can't hold a candle to Gray Fox. Emma is just female Otacon. And then there is Vampire!? The second dumbest decision ever.
    The dumbest would be to make a whiny whimp like Raiden the main hero. I know that Kojima did that to show how    I love MGS. That's why I hate MGS2. It just falls flat by comparison in any category.
    Except for Fatman, all new characters fall flat. Olga as the Ninja can't hold a candle to Gray Fox. Emma is just female Otacon. And then there is Vampire!? The second dumbest decision ever.
    The dumbest would be to make a whiny whimp like Raiden the main hero. I know that Kojima did that to show how badass Solid Snake is in comparison, but it just made me wish, I could play Solid Snake instead.
    The location is very steril and boring.
    The story is trying to do too much. It's like Matrix Reloaded. Everybody was confused when they played the first time.
    The boss fights were ok, but none stood out like Psycho Mantis. A few are just rehashings from MGS (MGS: you fight a Helicopter - MGS2: you fight a Harrier ; MGS: Psycho Mantis reads your mind, so you can't hit him - MGS2: Vamp sees your muscle movements or something, so you can't hit him).

    What MGS2 did better than MGS is the graphics and the music. Very good music and the cutscenes are great.

    But other than that MGS2 just did what MGS did, but worse. And when it tried to up the ante, it failed.
    I know that, MGS did many things, that the original Metal Gear already did, but on the one hand was Metal Gear not that well known and on the other hand did they improve it with MGS.

    MGS2 will always be my biggest video game disappointment. But the standard MGS set, was maybe just too high for MGS2.    … Expand
  25. egoBorder
    Oct 11, 2019
    3
    This game has some of the greatest ideas ever to come to the medium, yes, but fir every success there are two failures in execution. The result is a game that relies too heavily on nostalgia to earn good will.

    Even the usually reliable Kojima presentation fails here, as even a simple character interaction will jump from a cutscene, to CODEC dialogue, back to cutscene, etc. Almost    This game has some of the greatest ideas ever to come to the medium, yes, but fir every success there are two failures in execution. The result is a game that relies too heavily on nostalgia to earn good will.

    Even the usually reliable Kojima presentation fails here, as even a simple character interaction will jump from a cutscene, to CODEC dialogue, back to cutscene, etc. Almost everything in this game feels overly complicated, and unfortunately this extends to the boss encounters, which again are usually a reliable Kojima factor. As it is, this game's ambition is a huge obstacle to player enjoyment.    … Expand
  26. Faxthtax
    Oct 16, 2022
    3
    Never understood the Kojima fandom. The first Metal Gear Solid was good. But somewhere during the making, or between MGS and this one, he must have fallen and slipped, or eaten tons of shrooms.
    His games has since then been goofy as heck. Weird story plots, over the top and comical, downright hilarious villains. (This one has a vampire special soldier.. LOL right?) Twists you giggle at    Never understood the Kojima fandom. The first Metal Gear Solid was good. But somewhere during the making, or between MGS and this one, he must have fallen and slipped, or eaten tons of shrooms.
    His games has since then been goofy as heck. Weird story plots, over the top and comical, downright hilarious villains. (This one has a vampire special soldier.. LOL right?) Twists you giggle at and lots of non-sense.
    Ever since MGS his games have been downright weird. All the way up to that DHL Simulator.
    This game though is just a slog to play trough. Controls are the same, gameplay likewise.
    But the most annoying part is the endless loooong cutscenes and the codec going off every 2 min with equally looooong conversations.    … Expand
  27. Zetastein
    Feb 10, 2020
    4
    Usually enjoyable when you adapt the controls with good story but way too many glitches with weird gameplay mechanics.
    Some of the bosses are extremely stretched out and have some undodgeable attacks as well
  28. Gamepro3093
    Apr 12, 2020
    3
    Terrible sequel to Metal Gear Solid. It didn’t really contribute much to the series and plays like ass. It wouldn’t be until 7 years later that Metal Gear Solid 4 fixed the mess this game created. Only good parts were the Tanker chapter and Arsenal Gear. Everything else is nonsensical garbage. Ypu would be better off playing the first Metal Gear Solid or Snake Eater and Gujs Of TheTerrible sequel to Metal Gear Solid. It didn’t really contribute much to the series and plays like ass. It wouldn’t be until 7 years later that Metal Gear Solid 4 fixed the mess this game created. Only good parts were the Tanker chapter and Arsenal Gear. Everything else is nonsensical garbage. Ypu would be better off playing the first Metal Gear Solid or Snake Eater and Gujs Of The Patriots than this load of rubbish.… Expand
  29. TekkenKing73
    May 18, 2023
    0
    Potentially the greatest game of all time.
    Graphics are great for a game released in 2001, the story is incredibly deep and complex yet has aged like a fine wine, the controls are a bit weird but work really well once you have the hang of them and the gameplay itself is stealth at its arguable finest. This was the most detailed game of all time till red dead 2 came out. The characters are    Potentially the greatest game of all time.
    Graphics are great for a game released in 2001, the story is incredibly deep and complex yet has aged like a fine wine, the controls are a bit weird but work really well once you have the hang of them and the gameplay itself is stealth at its arguable finest. This was the most detailed game of all time till red dead 2 came out. The characters are great and the enemy AI is insanely smart, especially for 2001 standards. Not to mention the would you kindly level plot twist that is more relevant today than ever. Do yourself a favor and play the original metal gear solid, then Metal Gear Solid 2, 3, 4 the peace walker and 5. You won't regret it.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PS2 Game of 2001
1
#1 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2001
3
#3 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2001

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
96

Universal acclaim - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. Cloudchaser
    100
    The environments are amazing, when on the deck of the tank the rain effects are extremely lifelike, along with rain drops hitting the ship and characters.
    Read full review
  2. Eurogamer
    90
    As stunning and enjoyable as ever. You may feel foolish gripping the controller throughout a 40-minute cut scene, but MGS2 is something which must be experienced.
    Read full review
  3. G4 TV
    80
    MGS2 suffers in its story. I can't spoil it for you, but I can at least warn you to be prepared for a plot that frequently reaches levels of sheer absurdity.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »