10 Intense Video Game Thrillers That Will Melt Your Brain

10. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty

Metal Gear Solid 2 Ending
Konami

A game that's aged like a fine wine, back in 2001 when MGS2 tried to warn us about the dangers of influential figureheads being entirely digitised and manipulated, we didn't listen. In fact, we laughed.

Cut to today, and not only is the phrase "Fake news!" a thing, but Donald Trump got all the way to President.

Back to Sons of Liberty though, as it's closing cutscene is one of the most complex and intricately woven in gaming history. Sure, it's weighty and overwrought with Hideo Kojima essentially reading out some dissertation-esque thesis on American psychology, but the takeaways were manyfold:

The ramifications of blind patriotism, the machinations of a world teetering on faster access to the internet, and the removal of the individual in the face of larger group or nationwide mentalities that even themselves, could be massaged, mediated and controlled.

Watching Metal Gear Solid 2's closing cutscene now feels like a warning sign nobody heeded, but boy if it doesn't really hit home in hindsight.

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Gaming Editor
Gaming Editor

WhatCulture's Head of Gaming.