8 Great Games That Said F**k You To The Player

3. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Raiden One of the most notorious f**k you€™s in modern gaming, we all played Metal Gear Solid 2 in the hope that we€™d get to step back into the boots of Solid Snake, the gravelly-voiced protagonist beacon of awesome that made the first game a joy to play. And for the prologue, Kojima Productions didn€™t disappoint, as you took on a Tanker full of American soldiers which had been subtly taken over by terrorists. There were big playable set-pieces, a boss fight and some great story introduction, culminating in everything falling apart when Revolver Ocelot tears the whole tanker apart, causing a huge environmental disaster for which Snake takes the fall. So far, so Metal Gear Solid. But then, the main game fires up and we€™re introduced to a new character, who takes off his helmet and is revealed to be Raiden, possibly the wimpiest replacement in the history of gaming. People were naturally furious €“ though the Metal Gear series had been going a long time before the Playstation era, many people€™s introduction to Solid Snake had come during his adventures in Shadow Moses. They€™d grown attached to him as a well-drawn character, even if he was prone to monologue-ing and hanging out with people who do the same. So when they got this effeminate, whiny acrobat as a replacement, they were understandably furious. Really, we all knew that the devious Hideo Kojima had done this on purpose to wrong-foot us, but it didn€™t stop us from all being pissed as hell. The game effectively swapped out its title character, its unique selling point at a stroke, and demanded you praise it for its audacity. The fact Snake turns up later in a supporting role and continues to be awesome just somehow made things worse.
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Contributor

Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League. You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.