Its hard to believe that its been 25 years since Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty appeared on the PlayStation 2. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty came out the back in 2001 which was arguably one of the best years ever for high profile game releases on the PlayStation 2. Metal Gear Solid 2 came out the same year as titles like Grand Theft Auto III, Final Fantasy X, Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec and Devil May Cry. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was also one of the most highly anticipated video games of the PS2 era due to how successful its prequel was on the PS1 back in 1998. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was a game that has been praised by many over the years for its complex yet intriguing storyline. Not only did the story for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty blur the lines between fantasy and reality it predicted what the world would become post-9/11. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty touched on a few topics that are common nowadays including fake news, government surveillance and even foreshadowed the war or terror prior to the start of the Iraq War in 2003.

Metal Gear Solid 2 even predicted the rise of the dystopian digital age that we currently live in which in some ways feels like unintentional predictive programming. The story for Metal Gear Solid 2 revolved around a FOXHOUND Agent named Raiden who attempts to rescue the U.S. President from terrorists by infiltrating an offshore facility known as “Big Shell.” The setting of the game took place following the events of the Metal Gear Solid game from ’98 after the Shadow Moses incident which was took place in 2005. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty takes place between 2007-2009 and is divided into two chapters where players controls Solid Snake and Raiden. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was full of unexpected twists and turns which added depth to the game’s story. In MGS2 players learn the dark truth behind the Manhattan Tanker Incident and how it was staged by the overarching antagonists the Patriots to frame Solid Snake. The Patriots main goal was gain access to the Metal Gear RAY through the Tanker Incident to further their agenda.

While George Sears aka Solidus Snake is considered to a primary antagonist in the MGS2 he was merely just a pawn used by the Patriots who are basically a shadow government organization. Players also learn that George Sears is a third clone of Big Boss and that the Sons of Liberty were trying to destroy the Patriots the same secret organization that once controlled Sears himself. George Sears believed that the Patriots agenda of trying to control information and American society threatened the liberties of citizens making them more dangerous to the public. In terms of gameplay almost everything looked and felt like a step up from what Konami had in the Metal Gear Solid title on the PS1. There are some who would argue that Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty set the bar for action-adventure stealth games during the 2000’s.

The cinematic cutscenes along with challenging AI and more realistic gameplay made MGS2 one of the biggest attractions for the PS2 during the early 00’s. Since its release Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty sold more than seven million copies worldwide on the PlayStation 2. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was arguably the most popular entry within its series during the 00’s decade despite some gamers having more preference for Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was special because it felt like a product of its time in relation to Y2K early 00’s era of gaming . Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty felt like it was ahead of its time because of how much was predicted in relation to the modern world we live in. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was definitely one of the best video games of the 00’s period and its something that still holds up more than two decades later.