MGS2 Sons of Liberty

Changes to the Formula

By this point the Metal Gear series was well established and had a proven formula for game design. However, looking at the first three installments it was clear that the pattern was downright identical; Solid Snake sneaks into an enemy stronghold to rescue hostages and destroy a Metal Gear tank. With "Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty" Hideo Kojima wanted to tackle a new approach and make big changes to the set layout using the newly released Sony PlayStation 2 game console.

First of all, MGS2 is a 2-part game with the two chapters set two years apart. The first part is relatively short and is considered to be more of a prologue. Solid Snake infiltrates a transport tanker in order to obtain photo evidence of the new Metal Gear tank. Naturally there are complications that all lead into the main chapter of the game. The second, and main, part of the game sees a brand new character Raiden as the controlled protagonist infiltrating an offshore cleanup facility. This was a massive shock to the fans of the series as Solid Snake was "demoted" to Codec Support.

The unifying theme of MGS2 is MEME. While "Metal Gear Solid" focused on what is passed on to the next generation via genes, this installment dove deep into non-genetic concepts. How does one make the decision what to pass on? Knowledge, beliefs, skills... the game aims to tackle such philosophical dilemmas.

Gameplay Features

As with each new installment, the player has gained new abilities in addition to the ones from the previous game; same controls apply to both Snake and Raiden, though their movements and body language are completely different. Due to the pressure-sensitive control pad of the PlayStation 2, the player can run or walk depending on the level of pressure applied to the button. Same applies to crawling. Several brand new abilities are introduced; aiming all weapons in the First Person View Mode (which allows to use weapons without having to stand), climbing up on objects (waist-high), running summersault (Snake rolls forward while Raiden flips) that can be used to knockdown enemies, and leaning around a corner. Using a weapon while leaning around a corner will allow the player to shoot and then pull back behind the wall. Empty ammo clips are now stored in the weapon menu and can be thrown to create a distraction for the enemies. Climbing over a railing will put the player into a Hanging Mode with the Grip bar lowering. Doing a set number of pushups will up the bar to a level 2 or 3 (max) allowing the character to hang longer. While in hanging mode the player can crawl along the edge or drop down. During the second part of the game, Raiden has the added ability to swim. Both characters have the ability to hide them selves or knocked-out (or killed) enemies inside lockers. While hidden in a locker that has a woman model poster on the inside, the player has the ability to kiss it. On a related note, tapping on the breast or crotch area of a poster will sound an Alarm. Another strange feature was the Streaking Mode that saw Raiden sneaking through an enemy area in the nude. At one point Raiden has to safely guide a young girl, holding her hand, past the guards and other obstacles.

A Dogtag campaign was issued by Konami prior to the game's release in which fans submitted their names. A set number was chosen and all the soldiers in the game would now wear dogtags with the fans' names. This leads into the new ability to hold up guards at gunpoint. Aiming at their head or crotch will cause them to shake and give up items, including their dogtags. Collecting all the tags will unlock secret items such as Stealth Cammo and the Infinite Ammo Bandanna for the Tanker Chapter and 3 wigs (with comparable abilities) in the Plant Chapter.

The enemy AI has been greatly improved over "Metal Gear Solid". Working closely with SWAT and Military Advisors the development team was able to achieve accuracy in the interaction with enemy patrols. If a guard is shot or hit, he immediately runs off to a safer point and radios for backup. Shooting him or the radio is vital at that point. Failure to do so will bring in the reinforcements, heavily armed soldiers with riot gear. They work as team, methodically checking every part of the alerted area. They peak behind items and will even search lockers if a noise is made. If involved in a firefight with them the player can use the First Person Aim to shoot the unprotected feet instead of trying to break through the riot shield. Unlike in previous games, the bodies of the downed guards do not disappear unless an alarm is set off (due to the processing power of the PlayStation 2). If a solider comes across an unhidden body, or if it is spotted by a security camera, the Level 2 Evasion Alert will be sound. The Alert system has the same 3 levels as before.

The Codec radio works the same way, but with major graphical improvements to the face screens. Instead of a drawn portrait, faces of the full 3D models are used. The player even has the ability to make Snake and Raiden issue sarcastic responses. The Radar system works the same way, with the added ability of being turned off at the main menu for greater difficulty. During the Plant Chapter Raiden has to find a remote node station in order to activate his radar. This is done in every new area that he enters.

Weapons and Equipment

The weaponry and its use remain relatively similar to "Metal Gear Solid" with the added ability to aim and shoot in the First Person View Mode. Weapon icons in the menu are colored red (lethal) and blue (non-lethal). A new weapon is introduced in the form of the MK22 Tranquilizer gun. Now guards can be taken down non-lethally. The effect will vary depending on the body part shot. A shot to the head, crotch, or heart would put them to sleep immediately (one-shot kills with lethal weapons), while a limb shot would take longer. Sleeping guards do not alert others when found. The guard making the discovery will merely kick the sleeping soldier to wake him up. This applies to the boss battles as well with the option to use the tranquilizer to drain their stamina instead of the health bar. As such it is the first action video game that can be cleared without killing a single person, including boss characters. In addition to the PSG-1 Sniper rifle, a PSG-T Tranquilizer Sniper rifle is introduced. Both can now be fired while standing. Pentazinum pills are needed to keep the sniper rifles steady. A grenade launcher returns, not seen since "Metal Gear".

During the plant chapter Raiden has two new weapons, a sword and a freeze spray. The sword can be turned sideways (changing the icon from red to blue) to knockout instead of slicing the enemies. The freeze spray is non-lethal and is used to disarm bombs or wake up knocked out guards. In the Tanker Chapter Snake picks up a USP handgun that has a flashlight equipped. When in a dark area, pointing the gun will turn on the light and illuminate the surroundings. The AK-47 Assault Rifle now has an option to be equipped with a silencer. Most of the equipment remains the same. There is a wide range of sensors introduced, from sensing approaching guards to bomb-detection. A directional microphone can be found and is frequently used to listen in on enemy conversations. At one point it is used to detect a pacemaker to identify a contact agent. The cardboard box returns and in a greater number. Several are available, including a wet version. Different boxes can be used on a conveyer belt to be transported to different locations. (Feature introduced in "Metal Gear Ghost Babel")

Interactive Environments

"Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty" was a revolutionary title in regards to the level of interaction the player has with the environment. Shooting glass bottles will not only shatter them (in some cases more than once) but it will show the liquid leaking out. Firing at a magazine rack will tear through pages, scattering the paper all over. Creating a mess will alert guards. Knocking over an ice cube bucket will cause individual cubes to scatter and melt. On top of that, bigger pieces or the ones close together will melt slower than the others. Shooting a bag of flower or a fire extinguisher will spew out the contents revealing infrared beams. Standing to close to the fire extinguisher while shooting it will cause coughing that can alert guards. Cameras can be shot out with regular guns, not just missile launchers. Looking up at the Seagulls will lead to having bird droppings on your face. In fact, running over droppings already on the ground will make the player slip and fall. Steam pipes can be shot at to scold guards and lights shot out to darken hallways for concealment.

The weather effects featured in the game are amazing. The Tanker Chapter features great rain effects. Water drops can be seen bouncing off Snake's shoulders and splashes when he walks in puddles. The Plant Chapter shows a daylight transition from early dawn to sunset with very close attention paid to the difference in lighting in regards to the time of day. The Indoor areas are a lot less open than MGS1, forcing the player to be more cautions sneaking in narrow hallways.

Game Development

Motion capture technology allowed for a realistic depiction of all human movements in the game. Coupled with strict instruction from military advisors, MGS2 contains some of the most realistic military sequences in all video games. The superior graphic power of the PlayStation 2 allowed a clear view of the character faces and the range of emotions they undergo with various situations. Yoji Shinkawa once again created all the character and mecha designs.

Hideo Kojima's choice of composer for MGS2 was highly publicized in the follow-up to the game's release. Kojima decided upon Harry Gregson-Williams, a Hollywood film composer from Hans Zimmer's studio with sound director Kazuki Muraoka. In order to bypass the language barrier and allow the score to be developed before the cut-scenes were finalized, Gregson-Williams was sent short phrases and descriptions of the intended action. The resultant themes then shaped the action sequences in return. Gregson-Williams also remixed the original "Metal Gear Solid Main Theme" for use in the game's opening title sequence. Norihiko Hibino, who had worked on previous Konami games such as "Metal Gear Ghost Babel", was responsible for all of the in-game music. He also worked on the majority of the game's cut scenes, re-orchestrating Gregson-Williams' "Main Theme" remix for use in several sequences.

As with "Metal Gear Solid", the cut scene music includes orchestral and choir pieces, while the in-game soundtrack is scored with ambient electronic music. However, the score as a whole incorporates more electronic elements (particularly breakbeat) than its predecessor, in order to reflect the plot's thematic thrust of a machine-dominated society. Rika Muranaka again provided a vocal ending theme, a jazz track entitled "Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday", sung by Carla White. The game's music was released via several soundtracks.

In an interview Hideo Kojima revealed that the early plans for "Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty" had it set in the Middle East with the theme of nuclear weapons inspections. Snake would go to find a new Metal Gear tank being concealed from the U.N. inspectors and confront Liquid Snake and his new team who are trying to steal it. At the time, however, the Middle East situation was starting to heat up and Kojima made the decision not to use it. The Tanker in the released game is based off of this original plot. In addition, due to the September 11th attack on New York in 2001(just 2 months prior to the game's release) a cutscene of the mobile fortress Arsenal Gear crashing into Manhattan was removed along with a breaking newscast showing the Statue of Liberty's new resting place, Ellis Island. At the point where Solidus dies, Raiden was supposed to have cut the rope on Federal Hall's flagpole, causing an American flag to fall over Solidus' body. American flags which were placed on all the flagpoles in New York were removed from the title.

Kojima reported that when they were using focus groups to determine what to do with MGS2, a little girl expressed a strong dislike towards playing as "old men". The creation of the young and feminine looking character Raiden was a direct result of that. The game was also intended to reference the novel "City of Glass", notably in the naming of its characters. Raiden's support team would originally feature a field commander named Daniel Quinn (who would've been simply referred as the "Colonel" in-game); Maxine "Max" Work, an Asian woman who saves game data and quotes Shakespeare, and William "Doc" Wilson, the creator of GW. All take their names from key characters in the book, and all three would turn out to be AIs. None of these characters survived to the final edition, their roles being absorbed by other characters, namely the "Colonel Campbell" simulation, Rose, and Emma Emmerich. Peter Stillman, however, does take his name from another "City of Glass" character.

The U.S. version came out first but lacked several Extras like the Boss Survival and the Demo Theater which were included in the Japanese. Having to wait for the game until 2002, Europe received a new European Extreme difficulty setting. A silencer for the USP handgun was added into the Tanker Chapter. All these were later included in the updated "Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance".

Pop Culture References and Reception

Snake's landing on the Tanker with the Stealth Cammo shorting out is made to model the appearance of the Terminator from the movie. There are many posters through out the game featuring Kojima's early games, American movies, and Japanese models. Peter Stillman takes his name from novel "City of Glass". During the Plant Chapter Snake calls himself Iroquois Pliskin. Snake Pliskin is the name of the character played by Kurt Russell in the movie "Escape From New York". The film was the original inspiration for Kojima to create the first Metal Gear game. Being set in New York, the game makes numerous references to American history and icons.

It was the most anticipated game of the time and truly the first ever video game that actually "looked real". The gaming world was in an uproar after every new trailer, and at one point even causing the Konami servers to crash after the insane number of downloads. It should be noted, however, that all trailers only showed the Tanker Chapter with Raiden and the Plant Chapter being left as a surprise. While critics praised the game's level of graphical detail, in particular the use of in-game graphics to render plot-driving cut scenes, the title's storyline was the source of mixed opinions. The storyline explores many philosophical and cyberpunk themes in great detail, including MEME (what ideologies to pass on to the future generations) theory, artificial intelligence, information control, conspiracy theories, political and military maneuvering, evolution, existentialism, censorship, the manipulation of free will and the nature of reality. While some have praised Hideo Kojima's ambitious script, some even calling it the first example of a postmodern video game, others considered the plot to be "incomprehensible" and overly heavy for an action game. Some also felt that the lengthy dialogue sections heavily disrupted the gameplay, and that the dialogue itself was overly disjointed and convoluted.

MGS2 marked the high point of the series with the biggest sales (7.6 million copies) and the most amount of related merchandise. There were several toylines in both U.S. and Japan produced over the course of the next several years based on this game. The number of rare collectibles was a record high for the franchise.

Characters (In the cast of the returning characters, the voice actors remained the same though some used different pseudonyms)

Solid Snake Former FOX-HOUND operative and a product of the "Les Enfants Terribles" project, a clone of Big Boss. After the Shadow Moses incident he and Hal Emmerich established "Philanthropy", and anti-Metal Gear organization, officially recognized by the U.N. Official records list him as "deceased". (Voiced by Akio tsuka in Japanese and by David Hayter in English)

Otacon Former employee of ArmsTech and the creator of Metal Gear REX. After the Shadow Moses he worked with Solid Snake to establish the anti-Metal Gear organization "Philanthropy". His real name is Hal Emmerich. (Voiced by Hideyuki Tanaka in Japanese and by Christopher Randolph in English)

Revolver Ocelot A double agent that sold the Metal Gear REX plans on the black market. He lost his right arm in the Shadow Moses incident and had Liquid Snake's arm surgically attached in its place. Being in close proximity to Solid Snake triggers Liquid's mind to take over Ocelot's body. (Voiced by Kji Totani in Japanese and by Patric Zimmerman in English)

Olga Gurlukovich Member of the Russian renegade military unit that seeks the revival of "Mother Russia". After her father's death she became the unit leader. She has a child that was taken away from her by the Patriots organization. (Voiced by Kyoko Terase in Japanese and by Vanessa Marshall in English)

Colonel Sergei Gurlkovich The original leader of the Russian unit that was to purchase Metal Gear REX from Liquid Snake. He is an old friend of Revolver Ocelot from the Cold War days. (Voiced by Osamu Saka in Japanese and by Earl Boen in English)

Commander Scott Dolph Marine Commander in charge of the Metal Gear RAY project. (Voiced by Daisuke Gori in Japanese and by Kevin Michael Richardson in English)

Raiden Rookie member of Unit FOX-HOUND how has been vigorously trained in VR simulations. He was a child soldier in the 80's involved and was taken in and trained by Solidus Snake. His real name is Jack. (Voiced by Keny Horiuchi in Japanese and by Quinton Flynn in English)

The Colonel An AI simulation of Roy Campbell. (Voiced by Kaneto Shiozawa in Japanese and by Greg Eagles in English)

Rosemary Raiden's girlfriend who he met April 30th, 2007 in front of Federal Hall. She was originally placed by the Patriots as a spy to monitor his activities but ended up falling in love with him. She is pregnant with his child. (Voiced by Kikuko Inoue in Japanese and by Lara Cody in English)

Peter Stillman A retired bomb disposal expert and a former teacher of Fatman. In 2004 he accidentally caused a bomb to destroy a church while trying to defuse it. He pretended to loose his leg in the process to avoid facing the families of the victims. (Voiced by Shz Iizuka in Japanese and by Greg Eagles in English)

Iroquois Pliskin Upon infiltration the Big Shell, Solid Snake disguises as Navy Seal and uses this name to conceal his true identity. (Voiced by Akio tsuka in Japanese and by David Hayter in English)

Mr. X A mysterious Ninja with similar mannerisms to Gray Fox at Shadow Moses. (Voiced by Kyoko Terase in Japanese and by Vanessa Marshall in English)

Fortune The leader of what remains of the Navy Special Forces Unit Dead Cell and the daughter of Scott Dolph. Her husband, Commander Jackson, died in jail after the unit was "set up" and devastated. She has a unique ability where no bullet can touch her. Real name is Helena Dolph Jackson. (Voiced by Yumi Toma in Japanese and by Maula Gale in English)

Vamp A Romanian knife expert that seems to have vampire-like physical abilities. He lost his family as a child in a bombing. Trapped and pierced by a crucifix for 2 days he survived by drinking the blood of his parents. He is rumored to be Scott Dolph's gay lover. (Voiced by Ryotaro Okiayu in Japanese and by Phil LaMarr in English)

Fatman A bomb expert member of Dead Cell that calls himself the"Emperor of Explosives". A genius who was able to built an Atom bomb when he was only 10. He tends to leave traces of his cologne on each bomb he makes. He is obsessed with surpassing his former teacher Peter Stillman. (Voiced by Kozo Shioya in Japanese and by Barry Dennen in English)

Solidus Snake Former President of the United States under the name George Sears and the third clone of the "Les Enfants Terribles". He set up the Shadow Moses incident and since then went underground to challenge the Patriots. (Voiced by Akio Otsuka in Japanese and by John Cygan in English)

Emma Emmerich Otacon's step sister and the genius behind the new GW system. (Voiced by Maria Yamamoto in Japanese and by Jennifer Hale in English) While escaping she encounters Johnny Sasaki, the diahria-striken guard from Shadow Moses. He allows her to pass shortly before rushing to the bathroom. (Voiced by Naoki Imamura in Japanese and Dean Scofield in English)

President James Johnson The 44th President of the United States. He originally wanted to work with the Solidus to become a member of the Patriots but was betrayed. He is kept alive to activate the nuclear warhead. (Voiced by Yuzuru Fujimoto in Japanese and by Paul Lukather in English)

Richard Ames Head of the President's security detail and a sleeper agent of the Patriots. He used to be married to Nastasha Romanenko and worked with her during Shadow Moses. It was under his orders that Solid Snake was injected with FOX-DIE and Jim Houseman placed under arrest. (Voiced by Masaharu Sato in Japanese and by Peter Renaday in English)

Mei Ling Makes a brief cameo when Otacon continuously misinterprets quotes. She currently works with Snake and Otacon as part of Philanthropy. (Voiced by Houko Kuwashima in Japanese and by Kim Mai Guest in English)

Liquid Snake Even though only his arm remains after the Shadow Moses incident he still lives on in Ocelot's body. He leaked the Tanker information to Otacon and now plans to take on the Patriots. (Voiced by Banjo Ginga in Japanese and by Cam Clarke in English)