5. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Ah Raiden, what fond memories we all have of the first time we met you. Or not. Metal Gear Solid 2 started out so great. I still remember the first time I saw the opening video of the stealth jump onto the tanker; the amazing effects of the rain falling onto Snake and the rest of the environment, the amazing animations, and the new gameplay mechanics we were given. I fought my way down into the bowels of the tanker, only to bear witness to a possessed Revolver Ocelot stealing the new Metal Gear Ray model, and seemingly drowning our beloved Solid Snake in the process. As the second act opens, we were greeted by the familiar voice of good old Colonel Campbell over the CODEC. However, the voice of our protagonist sure didn't sound like the Snake that we had grown accustomed to. The full reveal of Raiden wasn't made until he ascended up the supply elevator and removed his mask, but when it happened I think all MGS fans received a punch right to the gut. We just couldn't process what we were seeing on screen. For me, the sting lessened as the game went on, as we ended up working side-by-side with Snake, but it still wasn't the same. MGS2 is easily the most divisive of the entire series. From the protagonist switch, to the whining of Raiden throughout the many CODEC calls, as well as the incredibly intricate and sometimes very confusing plot, this game usually either tops someone's list when it comes to MGS, or falls to the bottom. There really is no in-between, it seems. I have found that MGS2 got more enjoyable with each play-through, and I really do appreciate what Kojima was doing with his engrossing story, but for me this comes in at #5 on my list.