Metal Gear Solid vs Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid is an action-adventure game from Konami (1998) while Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is an action-adventure game from Konami (2001).
Quick answer: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty has the higher Metacritic, 96 to 94.
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
What each one is
Metal Gear Solid is filed under Action-Adventure. In contrast, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty under Action-Adventure.
Metal Gear Solid is a 1998 action-adventure stealth game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation. Directed, produced, and written by Hideo Kojima, the game is the third mainline installment in the Metal Gear series, the seventh chronologically, and serves as a sequel to the MSX2 game Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990). The game's story follows Solid Snake, a former Special Forces operative who is pulled out of retirement by the U.S. government to infiltrate Shadow Moses, a nuclear weapons facility that has been taken over by rogue unit FOXHOUND, led by Liquid Snake. Solid Snake must liberate hostages and prevent FOXHOUND from using Metal Gear REX, a mecha capable of delivering a nuclear warhead anywhere in the world, while confronting his own origins.
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.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Setting Metal Gear Solid takes place in an alternate history in which the Cold War continued into the 1990s, ending at some point near the end of the 20th century. The game takes place in 2005, six years after the events of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake , and form the third chapter in an overarching plot concerning the character of Solid Snake. Characters Main article: List of Metal Gear characters § Introduced in Metal Gear Solid The protagonist is Solid… (Wikipedia)
Characters
Main article: List of Metal Gear characters § Introduced in Metal Gear Solid The protagonist is Solid Snake ( Akio Otsuka / David Hayter ), a legendary infiltrator and saboteur. During the mission, Snake receives support and advice via codec radio. Colonel Roy Campbell , Solid Snake's former commanding officer , supports Snake with information and tactics. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Prior to release, the game's demonstrations at several trade shows between 1996 and 1998 had received a positive response. This had generated significant worldwide interest in the game prior to its release in 1998. Critical reception Metal Gear Solid received "universal acclaim", according to review aggregator website Metacritic . (Wikipedia)
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)
At a glance
| Metal Gear Solid | Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | — |
| Steam rating | — | — |
| Critic aggregate | 94/100 | 96/100 |
| Price | Unknown | Unknown |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | Untested | Untested |
| Released | 1998 | 2001 |
| Developer | Konami | Konami |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Metal Gear Solid vs Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, 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 SolidAction-adventure gameMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyAction-adventure gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Metal Gear SolidNo descriptive tagsMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyNo descriptive tagsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Metal Gear SolidMetacritic 94Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty ✓Metacritic 96Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Price
Metal Gear SolidUnknownMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyUnknownRead 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 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
Common questions
How different are Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty in scope?
Metal Gear Solid lists little scope data. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty lists little scope data.
Is Metal Gear Solid or Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty 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 or Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty?
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 or Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty?
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.