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In the design document for Metal Gear Solid 2, written in the months following MGS's success, there is a section explaining the concept of 'Absolute Evil in MGS2.' "Evil in Hollywood films," writes Hideo Kojima, "has always changed depending on the time in which the film's story takes place. In the American market, where audiences like to see good triumph over evil, the absolute enemy - be it a race, country or setting - has always changed with the values of the times."Kojima notes that MGS2 will be aimed at this American market, and goes on to list some examples - Native Americans in Westerns, China in post-Cold War films - before writing that for the 1990s (i.e. now) this bogeyman is terrorism. As impressive as such prescience is, where Kojima's reasoning leads him can still take your breath away. "The evil in MGS2 is the American government."
Metal Gear Solid's enormous sales and critical acclaim are what every developer dreams of, but Kojima instinctively understood it came with a cost. His previous games had flitted between worlds and genres, but now he was duty-bound to make Metal Gear Solid 2. And this was an acute problem, because MGS was in part known for tricks and twists - Mantis, unique boss battles, breakaway sections like rappelling or imprisonment - that couldn't be repeated. Repetition is inherent to the concept of a sequel, so is that what people want from MGS2? Another Shadow Moses?
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