Gamers are just realising that Metal Gear Solid 2 was way ahead of its time

Video games today may seem like a world away from where they were at the start of the century, but it's easy to forget just how impressive some old games were back in the day. One example that's currently seeing a bit of a rediscovery is Metal Gear Solid 2.

Perhaps inspired by Konami's upcoming Unreal Engine 5 MGS Snake Eater remake, gamers have been reappraising the developer's PS2 game. And they're noticing just how impressive it was for its time (see our pick of the best retro consoles if you want to relive more classic games).

"Playing Metal Gear Solid 2 right after MGS1 is making me appreciate how seismic the leap was from PS1 to PS2," the gaming YouTuber Radec comments on X. "Having each bottle be breakable and even seeing individual ice cubes slowly melt over time is an insane level of detail. This must've been mind blowing back then in 2001."

And it was. Metal Gear series always paid a lot of attention to detail, and Konami made the most of the PS2's improved capabilities and fidelity to fully develop characters and the game's world, making it a landmark release for the console.

Gamers describe having spent days just shooting ice and bottles in the first part of the game on the ship. Others recall that video game stores would have this on as a demo because it was such a good display of the PS2's capabilities. "This and Final Fantasy X were mind blowing coming off of the PS1," one person recalls. "Impossible to explain nowadays how impactful it was."

Some argue that the level of interactivity remains impressive today. "That’s honestly more environmental interactivity than you see in many modern AAA titles," one person suggests. "Sometimes it feels like devs stopped giving a shit about adding little flourishes like this."

While today's graphics continue to evolve, with best game development software like Unreal Engine 5 unlocking new possibilities for developers, perhaps we've become overly used to photorealistic graphics while missing smaller details that add a touch of delight.

Some suspect we'll never see a leap as big as from PS1 to PS2. "The gap between PS2 and PS3 was smaller, the gap between PS3 and PS4 even smaller, and I can't even tell the difference between the PS4 and PS5," one person writes.

Now I can't wait for the MGS Snake Eater remake, which will be released in August (see the trailer above). In the meantime, see below for today's best deals on games consoles.