Metal Gear Solid 2 is the world-class stealth action-adventure game created by one of the world’s greatest gaming genius’ – Hideo Kojima (under the umbrella of Konami). The game clearly needed a Metal Gear Solid 2 soundtrack that would be able to live up to and match the gaming experience, and it seems like that feat has been achieved due to some excellent compositions from Harry Gregson-Williams, who has worked on such films as Antz, Armageddon, Shrek, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare video game. Such a reputation and resume cannot be scoffed at, and Harry Gregson-Williams is responsible for producing the game’s epic and uplifting main theme, that wouldn’t be out of place in a blockbuster movie. This is quite fitting perhaps, as Hideo Kojima likes to create games that are like interactive movies, and MGS2 certainly lives up to that billing.
Also featuring heavily on the Metal Gear Solid 2 soundtrack is Norihiko Hibino, who had worked with Kojima on previous projects before given a role on MGS2. While Harry Gregson-Williams was given the task of creating the main theme that everyone will remember, Norihiko was given the job of creating most of the in-game music – the ambient music that is scarcely remembered but is oh-so crucial to building tension, suspense and excitement within the game. This kind of background music also provides a perfect backdrop for the game, and makes the world that the gamer is playing in feel as realistic as possible. It’s a shame that so much of this kind of music (what you would call ‘ambient’) goes unappreciated, and that it is down to the game’s developers to realise the benefit it has on their games. It can be said that the Metal Gear Solid 2 soundtrack is one of the finest in history, and has truly set the benchmark for other soundtracks to live up to.
