Sunday May 25 1992
After fully playing Duck Hunt yesterday, Kumogi sat cross-legged in front of his ZEPS, controller in hand, his expression serious. It was a new day, and his mission was clear — to infiltrate Zanzibar Land and complete Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Ever since he picked up the May release, he'd been itching to dive into it.
He cracked open the cartridge box and, as expected, found the familiar four items: the game, manual, ZEPS Wow! booklet, and the iconic Zabo-man card. This one read, "Use my item, and I will appear." Kumogi grinned. "Heh, so this will be similar to Zabo-man in Metal Gear 1, huh?" With a flick of the wrist, he inserted the cartridge into the console. The opening music played — tense, dramatic, cinematic. He instantly knew this wasn't just a sequel. It was something entirely next level.
The game wasted no time dropping him into enemy territory. Solid Snake, grizzled and stoic, was back on a new mission: rescue Dr. Kio Marv and stop the development of Metal Gear D, the next evolution of the nuclear-equipped walking tank. But unlike other ZEPS games, Metal Gear 2 wasn't about brute force. It was about patience, calculation, and survival.
"Okay... I can't just punch everything. I gotta think," Kumogi muttered. He crouched Snake behind a wall, watching the radar beep softly as guards moved in and out of patrol routes. "This is some real ninja stuff."
From the very start, Kumogi was impressed. The game world responded like nothing he'd ever seen. Guards reacted to the sound. Their vision cones weren't just decoration — they were deadly. Run too fast over metal grates, and they'd hear it. Stay in their shadow path, and they'd spot you. Kumogi was learning fast. He started crawling through vents, peeking around corners, memorizing movement patterns. The Zabo-man item came in handy — whenever used, Zabo-man would appear in his goofy modern ninja gear, drawing guards away with weird antics or nonsense phrases like "I saw a fox over there!" or "Snack time, guys!" But sometimes, as expected, Zabo-man's chaos would backfire — like when he attracted guards straight into Kumogi's position. Thankfully, Kumogi had already planted mines, because he already expected that to happen.
The gadgets blew his mind. Remote-controlled missiles let him scout and destroy enemies from afar. The cardboard box — oh, the cardboard box — was stupidly effective. Kumogi laughed. "It actually works?! These soldiers are blind!" He used it constantly, hopping between floors like a courier. Infrared goggles helped him see tripwires. Rations kept him alive during gunfights. Every new item opened more paths, more strategies.
The codec system pulled him deeper. Snake received calls from Colonel Campbell, offering advice and updates, while Holly White dropped hints about enemy plans and locations. It wasn't just game progression — it felt like a war room. A network of allies guiding one man through hell. Kumogi scribbled down frequencies in a notebook. He wanted to call everyone. Hear every line. Metal Gear 2 didn't just tell a story — it let you live it.
Then came the bosses.
Running Man was his first real challenge. The guy sprinted non-stop, laying mines and laughing. Kumogi tried chasing him, but got blown up. After a few tries, he had a thought: "What if I just... trap him?" He reversed the strategy — planting mines in Running Man's path. Boom. Boss down. Simple. Brilliant.
Each boss pushed Kumogi to adapt. Black Ninja teleported and launched plasma blades. Red Blaster turned corridors into traps. Jungle Evil disappeared in the tall grass, forcing Kumogi to follow footprints. It wasn't about button mashing. It was about psychology. Anticipation. Counterplay.
And the story? The deeper Kumogi went, the heavier it hit. Betrayals. Political sabotage. Dr. Marv's tragic fate. The reappearance of Dr. Madnar, who once helped Snake, now revealed as a twisted accomplice. Metal Gear 2 didn't pull punches. It wasn't afraid to get dark.
The twist that shattered everything: Gray Fox. Snake's old comrade. Now piloting Metal Gear D. Kumogi stared at the screen in disbelief. "No way... it's him?"
The battle was intense. Snake had to outmaneuver the towering bipedal mech while dodging missiles, machine guns, and plasma blasts. Remote missiles became his lifeline. Kumogi died four times before he figured out the perfect angles. He barely scraped by — his rations down to zero.
And then... the final twist.
Gray Fox, now unarmed, faced Snake in a brutal fistfight. No weapons. Just two legends, trapped in a minefield, punching each other into the dirt. Kumogi's hands trembled. He could barely keep up. The fight was raw. Personal. "You're not walking away this time," Kumogi growled, pushing through every punch, every mine explosion And finally he was able to beat Gray fox.
Unfortunately, Snake discovers Dr. Marv has already been killed. However, Marv had hidden the OILIX data on an MSX cartridge. Snake secures the OILIX formula, preventing its misuse and The final confrontation pits Snake against Big Boss. Without conventional weapons, Snake improvises, defeating Big Boss with makeshift items including aerosol spray and a lighter, ultimately escaping as Zanzibar Land collapses.
When Snake landed the final hit to big boss, the screen faded.
The final cutscene unfolded. Snake walking away. A man who completed his mission, but lost too much. The snow fell silently. The credits rolled with a quiet, haunting tune.
Kumogi didn't move.
That wasn't just a game.
That was an experience.
He stared at the box in front of him. Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.
"As expected... Zaboru-sama," Kumogi whispered. "I'm yours."
It wasn't just the story, or the gameplay. It was how everything came together. The mechanics. The characters. The choices. Even the Zabo-man integration added flavor like something made by someone who truly understood what fans wanted.
He leaned back, arms behind his head. He'd spent hours with the game, and he didn't even care about the time. Tomorrow, he'll try again. This time? A no-kill run. He wanted to test if the game reacted to stealthier approaches. He wanted to experiment with new tactics, memorize every guard path, test Zabo-man distraction builds, and even see if there was a secret interaction with Holly if he called her at the right frequency during certain scenes.
The possibilities felt endless.
And he loved that.
Kumogi turned off the ZEPS with a satisfied sigh. His room was silent, but in his mind, Snake's theme still echoed. This wasn't just another game in the ZAGE library.
This was a masterpiece.
To be continued...
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