MAJOR SPOILERS for MGS2 below, you've been warned.

So... we play as Raiden? Not Snake? For the majority of the game? I honestly felt betrayed at first but the more I think about it, the more brilliant it is. Kojima is playing with our expectations deliberately.

The ending though — the meta-commentary about information control and censorship — is this the most ambitious video game story ever told?

I was genuinely angry for the first hour as Raiden. Then the story sucked me in completely. By the ending I was completely onboard with Kojima's vision. It's art.

The gameplay is incredible regardless of who you play as. The improvements over MGS1 are massive. Best stealth game ever made.

The ending went completely over my head the first time. Then I read analysis online and my brain exploded. This game is operating on multiple levels.