The Metal Gear Solid 2 Prophecy 

This is by far the most convoluted, philosophically aware, mind twisting game ever made. Easily my favorite game of all time

Thank you for making my background videos whenever I'm playing a game

>sees runtime yeah, I've got wood.

The 'Tanker-Plant' menu wasn't the first thing you saw in the original PS2 release of the game. Instead, you were asked to state if you'd played MGS1 before and the level of 'action' you're comfortable with. Depending on the answer, the game started either on the Tanker or Plant chapter (in the latter case, Tanker became available via NG+.) This wasn't explained in-game at the time, at all. A day after the game came out, a friend was talking about her playthrough so far and describing a totally different experience to the one I was having. Kind of mind-blowing. And definitely ties in to the notion that the Tanker chapter may be a VR recreation of the 'actual' event.

As a long haul truck driver and a hardcore metal gear fan I see this as an absolute win. Good work man.

Honestly "we've managed to avoid drowning!" Is one of my favorite silly lines. There's something about it that I just kinda love

7 hours, can’t wait for video essays to be 5 days long

Thank you in advance for this long-ass retrospective of a classic video game, which is my favorite genre on RU-vid, by the way. So I'm always really thankful, when someone uploads such a work ❤️

Watching the whole video, just now, in a second, I can definitely say, thank you for your hard work!

my heart just skipped like 10 beats seeing the video title and the length of it. This is what I live for. Much love, a big fan.

Babe wake up, new Sons of Liberty video essay dropped

Man, watching this video in the wake of a looming tiktok ban being rushed through because the US government cant control what content is allowed on it...

Look... I get that Solidus' actions are ultimately sympathetic, but I really have a problem with calling a guy who ran a child soldier army "noble." There's not a noble bone in that psycho's body, he just barely skirts by being the lesser evil compared to the Patriots.

5:23:00 you make a good point about Snake not being real in the end, but could be there aiding Raiden. For those that believe the VR theory, I think the game jumps between real and VR after listening to your theory about the S3 Plan, but Snake did manage to infiltrate “The S3”, because the A.I Colonel kept saying who that Plissken man is, and he wasn’t part of the simulation. Think of it like the original “Tron” movie, with Raiden being Flynn, and Snake being Tron. The real question is, where exactly is the VR S3 experiment taking place?? So did Raiden and Snake actually meet in MGS 2 or did they finally meet in MGS 4?? But that is questionable because in MGS 4, Snake and Raiden all ready know each other and he even knows Otacon too, there are scenes of them talking about their past battles together and of course Olga’s daughter Sunny knows Raiden and Snake, whom she thanks because they both saved her from a hidden Patriot location. So many things start to pull apart the VR theory as the story progresses in MGS 4. It is a cool theory though, similar to the Squall is 💀 theory in FF VIII, or the Link is 💀in Majora’s Mask too.

Hope you'll upload the other half of the video soon too 😘 Thanks for this! An hour in and it's a joy to watch!

Im surprised you dont have more subs at this point, this work is honestly amazing in quality and length, thank you for giving us a retrospective on our favourite games

When Pliskin took off his mask for the first time i almost jumped for joy

Also, incredible Fight Club theory, I can’t believe I’ve never considered that before (that Raiden thought up Snake to motivate him and help him along). Love all these theories!

I was 12 when I played the demo for the first time. Gba allowed for ps1-like experiences on a handheld. It can't be understated what a leap there was between like 96-01. What a time to be a kid.

*_Maybe the real MGS2 Prophecy is all the friends we made along the way._*

Bricked up looking at the runtime

Maaaan, your videos are insanely good quality. A little luck from the algorithm and you’ll be one of the top retrospective channels on RU-vid. Thank you for the videos and keep up the incredible work.

This was an enjoyable watch. One thing it didn't go over is the beta content. For example the Vamp fight wasn't supposed to be Vamp, it was supposed to be Chinaman, who was removed presumably because that's not the preferred nomenclature. His fight was replaced by that Vamp fight which is why Vamp just dumps info on you out of character, it was supposed to be a different character. Beta content even involved the real life PS2 microphone and webcam which didn't come out until years after MGS2. That's why there's those awkward "watch a cutscene through the directional mic" scenes. They were shoehorned ontop of that cut content. Another place where this is relevant is the cut tanker escape sequence, which follows the pattern of teaching the player intuitively with Snake, then teaching in a over-verbose handholdy way with Raiden, who experiences his swimming mission in the bombed Big Shell Strut B. Snake's was cut, but Raiden's awkwardness remains. Also the cell phone goes with the surveillance theme. Raiden's codec was being monitored after all. along with the CYPHER. not sure if there was anything more to that but it all ties into the surveillance and censorship theme. A lot of this comes from The Document of MGS2, but there's also other materials online such as the very early "Metal Gear Solid III" (actually MGS2) script from around 1999.

This video is fucking incredible. I listened to it today throughout my whole shift at work, lol.

The Munt lad should have double his current subs! Amazingly detailed body of work and the MGS2 video is put together perfectly. Thanks again Munt Chunk!

This dropped just before bedtime, perfect.

I was hoping you would come back with the rest of this retrospective and I’m super glad you were able to release this video. I hope things are going well and that you keep bringing videos like this, and of course I hope all your hard work gets recognized fully!

Vamps name isn't because he's a vampire!

6 minutes in, i really like this review more than any other i've seen online. thank you dear creator. quite the serviceable voice and truly on-point with details that i did notice but didn't, if you catch my drift.

"we dont need the information about the suit about the toxic substance is useless" u have litterally to swim in toxic water in shell 2, that's why that information was needed, after all the game tells you that the water in that area is contaminated

5:14:32 I was a teenager when this came out and I can remember being freaked out during the arsenal gear part. The colonels voice was unsettling as a kid.

Absolutely incredible video. MGS2 is one of my all-time favorites, but I haven’t been able to play it in a few years for lack of working system and money. But this was such a fun revisit. Made me realize this is my favorite game. ♥️

The EE conversation with Raiden is one of the most chilling moments I've ever witnessed. I think we ALL have to admit that we were Raiden at some point (or still are)--- dismissing the possibility, doubting her ideas....and then being humbled when we spend just 20seconds pondering it... *OOoooF*

This is incredibly in-depth, a game like this deserves this kind of appreciation, fair play dude

Stoked for another amazing video! I love that you make your videos so long!

I love how many people are just NOW discovering the series. The Master Collection was a great thing.

That intro *definitively* shows that David Hayter's style is part of the charm, not a detriment.

I thought this essay was gonna be more on predicating the misinformation age and late stage capitalism

Painting my house to this. 💪

just decided to rewatch your inside video and wow, just a few hours later you put this out! love to see ya

Thank you for the long videos i sandbast all day and i dont have time to take off all my equipment to change videos all the time

Even tho I agree about Vamp being balanced, funnily enough his fight could easily be cheesed by hanging onto the railing, waiting for him to approach and then pulling yourself up in time with his attack to make you invincible. Then before his animation ends you simply punch him in a sequence. Rinse and repeat. He becomes the easiest boss on repeat playthroughs simply on account of ignoring his vampire bs lol

MGS2 wasn't just hyped; it was, at the time, probably the single most anticipated console game of all time - it would be impossible to understate just how excited people were for this, back when magazines just with new MGS2 _trailers_ would totally sell out within a week of issue - and would run 4 page spreads on rumours, screenshots and clues about the game People forget just how divisive MGS2 was, as well - probably the first time I remember there being a *big* hoo-haa about shady advertising practices in gaming and whether we were conned

With a couple of channels I'm subscribed to doing videos on this game I've just picked up on MGS5's twist being foreshadowed really effectively at the end of that hospital sequence. Not elaborating because you'd need to know about the end of both games to see how the two line up. It's not necessarily super obscure, but it's a genuinely good bit of writing and one of the examples where Kojima manages to employ subtlety and implication instead of being super excited to tell you all about a book he just read or a film he likes. I think that Kojima is genuinely good at that type of storytelling, it's just that it can be easy to miss it when he also writes his personal blog into the script.

Maybe its just me, and living in modern times, but i hear some ai artifacts in the voice acting of this game. If its real, its amazing how kojima and the voice cast were able to forsee how ais would talk. Like aside from static, they dont convey emotions right. They rush and pause at odd times. The VAs really captured it

About Raiden and the sword: Raiden and the player receive it because it differentiates him from Solid Snake, a player character who never uses a sword; and it simultaneously puts him closer to Solidus Snake, who uses two swords and taught Raiden/Jack how to use them as a child soldier. And what weapon would be more fitting for "Jack the *Ripper*" than a blade?

I love the storytelling of the entire Metal Gear franchise, in MGS 2 Raiden is a very green scared Rookie, but he manages to pull through, and even though Vamp kinda toys with him in MGS 2, Raiden manages to survive their encounter, and years later during MGS 4, Raiden has gotten more experienced, skilled and kinda bad ass, then he manages to cross paths with Vamp again, and by then Raiden is close to even footing with Vamp, and finally he even puts an end to Vamp for good at the abandoned Shadow Moses Base.

I was looking to replay this game recently as it was a huge part of my childhood and my introduction to the Metal Gear Solid series. But this video has temporarily relieved that itch. And being 7 hours is probably similar to how long it would take me for another playthrough. Thanks for the great video!

7 HOURS? This is gonna be good!

This really put a whole new spin on a game I thought I knew very well. Awesome shit

Im playing metroid prime remastered and sometimes the soundtrack reminds me of the music of MGS2

If I recall the demo for MGS 2 was the Tanker chapter. So you could just choose PLANT if you'd played the demo so you didn't have to go through 2 hours of tutorial.

7 hours on my favorite game story? Lets GOOOOOOOOOO

Great video! Also you can fire non tranq rounds over the heads of the guards and that scares them without needing to shoot them

Brilliant video! You got a new sub.

Okay, i like this sort of video, but you gotta provide time stamps. Even if i'm watching the video in full, they help to show where i'm at currently.

Keep the legacy of this masterpiece alive

the tanker etc option was included because there was a widely distributed demo at the time that was the entire tanker intro scene, it serves to not make probably most players at the time (myself included) not play it again. nice vid. thx!

As a New England football fan, a lot of the lines in this just hit differently.

I was just playing *Snake Eater,* Metal Gear has been on the mind. Look forward to the video, cheers 🍻

Never knew you could level up grip strength. Wild.

1984 and MGS2. 2 lores that never bores me.

Excellent video cant wait if u do this for part 3rd of the series

Can’t wait to see the mgs3 video like this

Life is just a solid snake simulation. War is a video game.

...I didn't know you could blow up the grates in the vent with the Nikita. I always just took the empty path.

Wait... Is Mr. X pronounced the same as "misdirects"?

I really loved Twin Snakes. Never really understood the hatred for it.

" And this is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper "

Wow very well thought out video great job!

Honestly, a great review with a good deal if insight that I appreciate. I, like yourself have been playing this game for over 20 years and am a huge fan of this still of storytelling. I will say that there is a few points I'd like to touch on a little over halfway through the video. 1. Ames does have different locations and the videos do move to where he is. Factors that change this are the difficulty primarily. But the Devs did have the scene depicting his interactions with Raiden are variable. 2. Why are you wasting ammo blowing up the grates with the Nikita? I don't think I've ever needed to do that on any difficulty. Extreme still has a pathway open depending on where you launch from. Admittedly it's tight with the fuel usage but never so difficult that you cannot get there in 1 or 2 missiles. Looking forward to the rest and great job thus far.

Raiden was definitely meant to be more androgynous, but ive never heard kojima or anyone involved in the development of the game say that his more feminine features were meant to be percieved as "worse" than Snake. You can find interviews where Kojima says the whole idea behind Raiden was making the most beautiful man possible. Im not sure where you got that idea.

As far as vamp, just hang off the ledge into the pool, he will jump out immediately, pull up and wait for him to swing with knife, dodge then fuck him up. It takes about 30 seconds

Excellent video. Took me 2 days but got it done at work

Oh man I hoped you would do more MGS. Cant wait for MGS3 and MGSV video ❤

“his name is vamp, and yes his name refers to the fact that hes an actual vampire” Well…..actually……

My whole work day right here

Yay!!!! I've been waiting for another upload!

Funny thing is I just Finished the game

2:59:54 - Ames' location actually _does_ vary on subsequent playthroughs, apparently depending on the system's internal clock. The cutscene always remains identical though.

3:23:43 NO! That is NOT Solid Snake!

In some magnificent irony, I’m finding that the “memes” of Metal Gear had profoundly impacted my life. I played these games as a child. Revisiting them now I’m realizing that.

@1:15:00 the reason why they made Raiden was because the developers wanted more young women to play the game and he was designed like a pretty boy was literally to appeal to female gamers.

I see 7 hour video about Metal Gear Solid 2 I click right away everytime.

7 hours of MGS2? I slept on this channel untl now.

Great video. Excellent breakdown of each segment and the mechanics. They only part id disagree with is the simulation theory. As it will known, Kojima did not intend to make a sequel to this game, and so in a vacuum the simulation theory has merit and I'd probably agree it's all VR. However with the creation of MGS4 that all goes out the window, as they reference MGS2 throughout the game, which confirms it wasn't VR.

I didn't get it at all as an 11 year old in 2001. Played it again around 2013 and thought it made sense. Now it is scary accurate.

Amazing. Now we wait for The Twin Snakes video

A 7 hour MGS2 Documentary, for free?

love a good 7 hour video to occupy the literal entirety of the rest of my shift

Video is so good I watched it twice. That's 14 hours, I could have just replayed the game myself. :D

Actually you don't have to shoot resistant guards in a limb in order to intimidate them, you can also just shoot past their head to scare them. This still only works with lethal weapons though.

You can blow up the vent grids. I did not know that. Awesome.

the finest wine in video games.

i like how the video ends mid sentence, like he had to cut himself off before the video became 10 hours.

49:00 I've played this game literally hundreds of times and i found out this even existed like a week ago.

I did choose Plant on my first playthrough. I remember feeling like, Well if they're giving me the option to choose....

3:10 That’s not how it was presented in the original PS2 release. It was much more vague. I forget exactly what it was but I think it was three statements and you had to pick one. The one I chose, started me in the Plant. I had no idea the Tanker was even in the game for weeks until someone told me at work. I had no internet access back then so informative wasn’t as easy to find. We didn’t get an internet connection in our house until 2003.

Over 7 hours? Oh i'm in for it!!!!

Dam munt chunk went hard on this joint