An MSX2, an enemy base seen from above, and Kojima inventing stealth almost single-handedly.

On gut feeling, the community puts Metal Gear 2 ahead of 29% of games. The criterion profile is oddly even, no peak, no chasm. Attachment at 44%, controller feel at 38%, fun at 34%: the game sits in the lower half without ever collapsing. Two extremes do stand out. Art style drops to 19%, which is hardly shocking for a 1990 title measured against games built for today's screens. And on the other side, rediscovery climbs ahead of 66% of titles: people would love to experience this one again for the first time. That's the truest signal in the set, even if it rests on just three votes.

Such is the paradox of the founders. Metal Gear 2 laid down the rules its descendants perfected, and it gets overtaken by its own heirs on emotion and aesthetics.

So, who's it for? For you if you like going back to the source and feeling a raw new idea under your fingers. Much less so if you expect modern comfort and a visual knockout.