Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (メタルギア ソリッド2 サンズ・オブ・リバティ, Metaru Gia Soriddo 2 Sanzu obu Ribati?) (commonly abbreviated as MGS2) is a stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 in 2001. It is the sixth canonical game in the Metal Gear series and the sequel to Metal Gear Solid.
The story revolves around a massive offshore clean-up facility that has been seized by terrorists calling themselves the "Sons of Liberty." They demand a massive ransom in exchange for the life of the President of the United States, and threaten to destroy the facility and create a cataclysmic environmental disaster if their demands are not met. The motives and identities of many of the antagonists and allies change rapidly, as the heroes discover a world-shaking conspiracy constructed by a powerful organization known as the Patriots.
The game was well-received, shipping over 7 million copies worldwide and scoring an average of 95% in Game Rankings' aggregate. The philosophical nature of its storyline, which explores the themes of memes, social engineering, political conspiracies, and artificial intelligence and the script in which that story is developed divided both game reviewers and the public, though the gameplay itself was almost universally acclaimed.
Its release was followed by an expanded edition, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Windows. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, a prequel to the entire Metal Gear series, followed in 2004. In 2008, a direct sequel, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was released...
