Thanks to a visit by Hideo Kojima to Valve HQ, the internet is reminiscing about a note from the Metal Gear Solid 2 developer diary in which he recalls playing the original Half-Life.
There's a multitude of reasons many still cite 1998 as the greatest year ever for video game releases, and two of the reasons were Metal Gear Solid and Half-Life – two industry defining games that released months apart (there were also some other games you may have heard of like, Tekken 3, Resident Evil 2, Crash Bandicoot Warped, Baldur's Gate… I could fill out my entire wordcount with bangers). But when it came to Game of the Year, our friends at Edge picked… The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but for some reason, Kojima singled out Half-Life.
Fun fact: When Kojima played half life for the first time he allegedly was so mad at himself for not making metal gear solid's gameplay as good as half life that it inspired a lot of features in MGS2 https://t.co/KjZbbkXUtp pic.twitter.com/9alb3BXyFMApril 22, 2026
In the January 12, 1999, entry, Kojima notes, "I asked Kume-chan to buy Half-Life for reference for MGS2," as it was selected as a nominee in Edge's Game of the Year awards. He explains, "While the graphics are somewhat underwhelming, the gameplay and attention to detail are astounding. Once again, I felt that sense of 'We’ve been outdone by the Americans!' Most of all, the atmosphere is incredible. The real-time direction is superb, and you can feel the soul of the creators in the game."
Kojima also says "Japanese blockbuster games lack this kind of soul" and that "While it's not an especially groundbreaking game, its careful attention to detail, direction, and mechanics is more than enough to build a compelling game world. Everything in the game can be destroyed, bullet holes appear, and when you throw wooden crates or barrels into the river, they float." Metal Gear Solid 2 is known for its level of interactivity – most famously, the bottles and realistically melting ice cubes on the Tanker area – so it wouldn't be a stretch to say Half-Life could have inspired this.
He also pretty much confirms that Half-Life is to thank for VR Missions returning in the Metal Gear sequel, saying, "Half-Life has a training mode called 'Hazard Course.' This was originally introduced by Tomb Raider, but it seems to have become standard in modern PC games. I had been thinking about removing VR mode from MGS2, but now I’m reconsidering."
