Back in the early days of PlayStation, Konami shocked fans with an all-time classic in Metal Gear Solid which was followed up by one of the most highly regarded games of all time with Metal Gear Solid 2. For the intervening years between these two classics, fans had only the trailer for Metal Gear Solid 2 to tide them over, but luckily, as with the game, the trailer is widely considered as one of the best of all time. In a fitting tribute to one of the best teasers ever made, the trailer has been redone in 4K quality.
While Metal Gear Solid 2 may show signs of aging now when it was released over 20 years ago it was lightyears ahead of its time, and its trailer was the perfect representation of that. It showed off the now-iconic blend of third-person and first-person perspectives, as well as hinted at the unique narrative that awaited players.
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Now, YouTube channel Digital Foundry has remastered the trailer in 4K quality by using AI upscaling to substantially improve the video quality. Earlier this year, a strange Twitter post accidentally hinted at and excited fans into expecting a potential Metal Gear Solid 2 remake. This redone trailer at least gives fans a glimpse at what a remastered version would potentially look like.
As Metal Gear Solid 2 celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, the AI upscaling of its trailer reminds fans what made the game so special. While the AI struggles at times to render a consistent improvement, the vast majority of the trailer provides an impressive improvement on the old teaser. Specifically, the AI upscaling seems to shine when it comes to simplistic details like the game's HUD, or when it comes to static shots of the interior of the USS Discovery. Still, the entire trailer takes on a level of clarity that serves to present the aging footage with a more modern polish.
While Metal Gear Solid 2 may not rank highly for every fan of the series, it's mostly docked points for its unexpected twist of putting players in control of Raiden rather than Solid Snake. Beyond that single polarizing detail, Metal Gear Solid 2 has always been praised for its eerily accurate predictions about the present day as well as its exceptional enemy AI. While it may be quite a while before a true remaster of Metal Gear Solid 2, the AI upscaled trailer can act as a reminder for fans to go back and revisit an all-time classic.
Metal Gear Solid 2 is out now for PC, PS2, and Xbox.
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