Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty vs Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is an action-adventure game from Konami (2001) while Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is an FPS open-world game (2015).
Quick answer: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty has the higher Metacritic, 96 to 91.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
What each one is
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is filed under Action-Adventure. In contrast, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain under FPS and Open-World.
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.
Ushering in a new era for the METAL GEAR franchise with cutting-edge technology powered by the Fox Engine, METAL GEAR SOLID V: The Phantom Pain, will provide players a first-rate gaming experience as they are offered tactical freedom to carry out open-world missions.
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 In the aftermath of the events of Ground Zeroes and the destruction of Militaires Sans Frontières (MSF), Big Boss ( Kiefer Sutherland / Akio Ōtsuka ) falls into a coma. Nine years later, he awakens and helps lead a new mercenary group, Diamond Dogs . Adopting the codename " Venom Snake ", he ventures into Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War and the Angola Zaire border region during the Angolan Civil War to track down the people responsible… (Wikipedia)
Characters
See also: List of characters in the Metal Gear series In contrast to previous Metal Gear installments, Kojima Productions conducted the voice acting and motion capture with English-speaking actors and stuntmen first. While facial motion capture was used before for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots , it was done separately from the actual voice acting. The Japanese voice acting was dubbed over the English cast's performance afterward, in contrast… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical reception Reception Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic . Reviewers considered it to be one of the best Metal Gear games. It has also been cited as one of the greatest stealth games, and one of the greatest video games of all time . (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty | Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | 8.2/10 |
| Steam rating | — | Very Positive (92%, 107,873) |
| Critic aggregate | 96/100 | 91/100 |
| Price | Unknown | $19.99 |
| Install size | — | 28 GB |
| Steam Deck | Untested | playable |
| Released | 2001 | 2015 |
| Developer | Konami | — |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty vs Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, 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 V: The Phantom PainFPS open-world 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 V: The Phantom PainStealth, Open World, ActionThe 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 V: The Phantom PainMetacritic 91Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Content and scale
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty—Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain107,873 reviews · 13 add-ons · 28 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyUnknownMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain$19.99Read 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)
Where they differ
StealthOpen WorldActionStory RichTacticalCinematic
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
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 V: The Phantom Pain is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty | Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 (2GB) |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel Core i5-4460 (3.40 GHz) |
| Minimum RAM | — | 4 GB |
| Install size | — | 28 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty · Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and 1 for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain in scope?
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty lists little scope data. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has drawn 107,873 Steam reviews, ships 13 add-ons and installs in 28 GB.
Is Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty or Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain 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 V: The Phantom Pain?
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 V: The Phantom Pain?
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty has the higher Metacritic, 96 to 91. 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.