10 Best Next-Gen Reveals In Gaming History

6. Metal Gear Solid 2's Tanker

The first Metal Gear Solid wowed a lot of people, but many gamers knew that it was punching above its weight, an ambitious project held back by the Playstation's capabilities, after stretching them to their absolute limit. With the sequel on the Playstation 2 though, players were able to see just what Hideo Kojima could do with a game when the hardware completely and totally enables him.

Few first levels have the energy that the tanker brings. Players reprise the role of Solid Snake the legendary Foxhound agent, experiencing a level of detail that could never have been achieved with just the PS1.

Guards could see shadows and search for bodies, but they could also be held up at gunpoint. Lights could be shot out to darken a room. Players could even go into a first person mode for some precision shooting.

With the PS2 having a rather lackluster lineup as far as launch titles go, it needed something more than just The Matrix on DVD to bolster its sales. Once Metal Gear Solid 2 dropped, players finally had an idea of what the PS2 was capable of, from a gameplay standpoint. Everyone that got to play MGS2 at launch would understand that gaming could never go back to the way it was.

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A former NCAA runner turned writer, and an ardent aficionado of all things academic, aesthetic and athletic.