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Comment by axblount | Hacker News Reader

I played through my copy of Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance on PCSX2. It ran great.

You don't have to suffer through wonky PC ports.

I enjoyed MGS2 while playing it but I’m not 100% convinced that anyone actually knows what the hell happened at the last ~15%.

Hm? A cabal of AIs named after dead presidents gets infected by a virus written by Otacon's sister, and call you repeating corrupted nonsense (I need scissors! 61!) while you sneak naked through Arsenal Gear. Snake shows up and gives you your gear and a katana. You then fight 100 dudes, then have to fight 30 Metal Gear Rays on the deck of Arsenal Gear. AG crashes into Wall Street (they removed that cutscene because of 9/11), then you fight Snake's long-lost brother/clone who happens to be the former President of the United States and attacks you with mechanical octopus arms. The AIs call you and tell you that you performed perfectly, because the whole game was a simulation they devised to find the perfect Solid Snake alternative to infiltrate and kill the President, because the President was going to kill their plans to control the Internet and selectively bias information dispersal to control humanity and promote order, and Snake wasn't going along with their plans. Then you find your girlfriend in lower Manhattan where everyone is just walking around like a 3000-ton mechanized warship didn't just take out the entire neighborhood.

What's hard to understand?

This is such a beautiful summary. I love Kojima games. I don’t even try to explain to people what the gist is there.

You’re right. I’m an idiot, when you explain it like that it’s so obvious.

If nobody tells me this is exaggerated, I will be obligated to finally play this.

This is all pretty much accurate.

It's true, truly a ridiculous but poignant game.

If you haven't played the first (and can withstand PS1 era visuals), I'd recommend it as well. It really sets the stage for what the series is about

Don't forget the character who has magic powers that are revealed to be fake and generated by technology then revealed to be actual magic powers

There's no such thing as magic or the supernatural, just cutting edge technology!

This is a great 6 hour video that explains the complete Metal Gear timeline. From the old MSX games to the final game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRnrSlL-Oug

Grab some popcorn because its a hell of a ride.

Only six hours?! I can't afford NOT to watch it!

Experiencing the late game plot is like riding on a train that derails with all the cars suddenly separating only to reconnect forming a giant unicorn which dives into the water and swims away.

If anything, the synopsis was toned down a bit.

Without exaggeration, it is the most coherent retelling of the games ending that I have ever read.

I view the MGS games as glorified soap operas. They’re a lot of fun and the plots are addicting, just don’t think about them too hard.

Did you get pressure-sensitive face buttons working? I couldn't get dog tags and lost interest.

I played the HD collection through RPCS3, worked well and was upscaled in some parts so looked even better.

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