10 Underrated Video Games Nobody Appreciated In Their Time
2. MGS 2 Was Incredibly Meta In A Generation That Didn't Understand It
Still considered one of the worst entries in the Metal Gear Solid franchise depending on who you ask, MGS 2 became instantly notorious for pulling off one of the greatest bait and switches in video game history.
Replacing series star Solid Snake with a rookie newcomer, the title constantly subverted fan expectations by essentially being a meta commentary on the first game. Adopting that title's structure, mimicking its villains and outright repeating certain lines of dialogue, the sequel attempted to deconstruct what virtual reality and simulations meant in the modern world.
However, that style of self-aware commentary was completely lost on players back in 2002, and it's taken until now for MGS 2 to finally be recognised as an intelligent and intriguing game that wasn't just a retread of prior glories.
With a whole sub-genre of games being released these days that happily acknowledge when you're playing a video game, MGS 2 set the bar for this self-aware style of storytelling almost a decade before it became popular.