Konami he can only re-enter the public sphere with hard hits like them Silent Hill 2 remake a Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eaterbut there was once a time when a publisher-developer was almost unstoppable. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Konami was a driving force in the gaming industry, setting bold trends and breaking new ground with innovative projects.
If one were to look at this era of Konami year by year, it stands out as the glaring exception. 2001 saw the release of three games that unexpectedly defined the PlayStation 2 and the gaming medium more broadly. Looking at the long-term cultural impact of these releases, it's hard to believe they all launched in the same year, but that's just the level Konami was operating at back then.
- Metal Gear Solid 2 MetaCritic score: 96
- Metal Gear Solid 2 honors and awards: Game Informer Game of the Year 2001, PSM Game of the Year 2001, Japan Game Awards Excellence Award 2001, Edge Innovation of the Year 2001
Hailed by many as the best post in Metal Gear series, Metal Gear Solid 2 is a landmark for the gaming medium. It represented an almost unbelievable leap in performance between the PS1 and the PS2, making it the first Metal Gearwhich was considered high-end a few years ago, looks outdated. Graphics and scale were far from the only way MGS2 innovated: not only was its storytelling risky and experimental, but its biting sociopolitical commentary was uncharacteristic of its era. She even correctly predicted many of the current problems of modern society, such as the spread of misinformation enabled by the Internet. These strengths have been packed into a cutting-edge stealth-action sandbox that's still great to play and help immortalize Metal Gear in the annals of gaming history.
Silent Hill 2
- Silent Hill 2 MetaCritic score: 89
- Silent Hill 2 honors and awards: IGN Editor's Choice Award
Although it was not as critically reviewed as MGS2 upon release, many current players would probably lay down Silent Hill 2 on a similar level to Kojima's opus. Again, the game was a significant technological improvement over its PS1 predecessor and its story, though not as cerebral as MGS2's, was remarkably arresting and uniquely disturbing. even today Silent Hill 2The story of love, lust and guilt is remembered as compelling in a way that many video game stories fail to be. The quality of the narration was underlined by last year's Silent Hill 2 a remake that kept the original plot and script virtually intact despite major changes in all other design elements.
Zone of the Enders
- Zone of the Enders MetaCritic score: 78
- Zone of the Enders honors and awards: Japan Game Awards Excellence Award 2003 (Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner)
Zone of the Enders not nearly as famous and genre-defining games as Metal Gear or Silent Hillbut it's an undeniable cult classic with yet another unexpectedly deep story – a theme that seems to define Konami's 2001 output. Its compelling sci-fi plot of Earth's battle against colonists on Mars is meaty but compelling, with plenty of talk about war, existentialism and destiny, giving the game a subtle edge. Zone of the Enders it would later receive a sequel that was even better received and won an Excellence Award at the 2003 Japan Game Awards.
Looking back at Konami's run in 2001, you can chalk some of it up to luck, but it looks more like the result of smart investing. More specifically, investing in talented creators and producers like Hideo Kojima, Masashi Tsuboyama, Noriaki Okamura and Yoji Shinikawa. It's bittersweet because Konami has had quite a few rough years since 2001, especially after its widely publicized split between it and Kojima in 2015. But after recent successes such as Metal Gear Solid Delta and Silent Hill fthere is hope that another 2001 could be in Konami's future.
