Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty vs Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is an action-adventure game from Konami (2001) while Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is an action-adventure FPS game (2008).
Quick answer: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty has the higher Metacritic, 96 to 94.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
What each one is
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is filed under Action-Adventure. In contrast, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots under Action-Adventure and FPS.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is a 2001 action-adventure stealth game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. Directed, produced, designed, and written by Hideo Kojima, it is the fourth mainline game in the Metal Gear series, the eighth chronologically, and the sequel to Metal Gear Solid (1998). The game was originally released in November 2001 for North America and Japan and March 2002 for Europe, while an expanded edition, titled Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance was released the following year for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Windows. A high-definition remaster, titled Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - HD Edition, was first released in 2011 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as part of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection compilation, with a PlayStation Vita port releasing the following year, and versions for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S following in 2023 as part of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a 2008 action-adventure stealth game developed by Kojima Productions and published by Konami for the PlayStation 3. It is the sixth Metal Gear game directed by Hideo Kojima. Set five years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, the story centers around a prematurely aged Solid Snake, now known as Old Snake, as he goes on one last mission to assassinate his nemesis Liquid Snake, who now inhabits the body of his former henchman Revolver Ocelot under the guise of Liquid Ocelot, before he takes control of the Sons of the Patriots, an A.I. system that controls the activities of PMCs worldwide. The game was released on June 12, 2008.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Setting Sons of Liberty takes place within an alternate history of events, in which the Cold War ended during the late 1990s. The game's story focuses on two narratives that occur around and near New York City the first in 2007, two years after the events of Metal Gear Solid ; and the second in 2009. The game's plot is the fourth chapter of an overarching plot concerning the character of Solid Snake. (Wikipedia)
Characters
Main article: List of characters in the Metal Gear series The main protagonist of Metal Gear Solid 2 is a young rookie agent named Raiden . He is supported by his commanding officer, the Colonel , and Rosemary , his girlfriend. Allies formed on the mission include Lt. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Critical reception Metal Gear Solid 2 received "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator website Metacritic , where it is one of the highest-rated games on the website, and remains the highest-rated exclusive on the PlayStation 2. Game Informer gave the game a score of 10/10, while GameSpot gave the game a 9. 6 rating, stating, "It boils down to this: You must play Metal Gear Solid 2 . (Wikipedia)
Plot
Setting See also: Metal Gear § Storyline Guns of the Patriots is set within an alternate history timeline in which the Cold War continued into the 1990s, ending before the turn of the century. The events themselves take place in 2014, and form the final chapter in the storyline covering the character of Solid Snake, providing conclusions to the events that led up to Guns of the Patriots . The world's economy relies on continuous civil wars fought by… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical reception Reception Metal Gear Solid 4 received universal acclaim, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . The first review was a 10/10 from PlayStation Official Magazine – UK , commenting " MGS4 shifts gears constantly, innovating again and again". The game has been awarded 10/10 from Game Informer , as well as a perfect score in all categories (graphics, control, sound, and fun factor) from GamePro , Famitsu (40/40), and Empire . (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty | Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | — |
| Steam rating | — | — |
| Critic aggregate | 96/100 | 94/100 |
| Price | Unknown | Unknown |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | Untested | Untested |
| Released | 2001 | 2008 |
| Developer | Konami | — |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty vs Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyAction-adventure gameMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the PatriotsAction-adventure FPS gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyNo descriptive tagsMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the PatriotsNo descriptive tagsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty ✓Metacritic 96Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the PatriotsMetacritic 94Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Price
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyUnknownMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the PatriotsUnknownRead live from Steam and subject to change.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (Metacritic 96)
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
Common questions
How different are Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots in scope?
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty lists little scope data. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots lists little scope data.
Is Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty or Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty or Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty or Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots?
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty has the higher Metacritic, 96 to 94. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.