MGS 2 - started on Plant Chapter. What gives?

[Curlypaul]

So I started playing MSG2 and was presented with a baffling choice of difficulty options. I chose 'I never played the original game but bring on the action' which seems to have translated to the normal difficulty setting.

I always like to check my progress against walkthru guides, just because I like to see how far I am thru a game. I notice that the first chapter is set on a tanker yet the game skipped me all the way to the start of the plant chapter. Cant find any web site that says the tanker is only for the harder difficulties or anything that needs to be done to unlock it, so what am I missing?

Dont normally go for stealth games, tried a couple of versions of Splinter Cell a few years ago and found them frustrating but lately I'm trying out genres that I dont normally like so I went for this and found it rather enjoyable, althougth the characters and the dialog are absurd.

[Riqz85]

If you say you have played the first game it starts at the tanker level if you say you haven't you start at the plant level .

It's not a difficulty level... its a legitimate question.

[Curlypaul]

Oh right cool, thanks for that.

Next time round I'll tell it I have played the first one then, as I want to experience the whole damn game.

[Anubis]

That's really strange.

I mean, it fits with the motif of the game, but I had no idea the Tanker Chapter could be skipped.

[crux]

That is odd. But, uh, have you really not played the first game? Metal Gear Solid is one of my favorite games of all time, which for a game of that genre is a VERY rare thing for a person like me to say. (I've yet to play a single other MGS game in the series. Boo to 3D.)

[Riqz85]

That is odd. But, uh, have you really not played the first game? Metal Gear Solid is one of my favorite games of all time, which for a game of that genre is a VERY rare thing for a person like me to say. (I've yet to play a single other MGS game in the series. Boo to 3D.)

You really should though. Great games all of them

[Curlypaul]

Nah couldnt stand stealth games but MSG has changed my mind. When I'm finished I'm gonna get the first game rectify that.

[crux]

You really should though. Great games all of them

I own all but the fourth and portable titles, I've just yet to give 'em a go. I tried the second game when it came out and couldn't stand the shift of perspectives (especially the first-person mode).

[Riqz85]

The ps1 game is amazing. If the graphics make it unplayable (it shouldnt that much) try the GameCube remake Twin Snakes.

[JordanPlayer]

I am actually playing through MGS 2 right now; very close to the end of the game. Not too long ago I made it a "quest" to play through all of the games in the main story so that I could play MGS 4 that I bought at Christmas because it was on sale I have played/beaten Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2 (both on the Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence extras/bonus disc), Metal Gear Solid (and the Gamecube remake), and am now nearing the end of MGS 2 Substance.

I will say that this game has quite a few references to the earlier games so some things might seem confusing. I would advise to play Metal Gear Solid first (you can skip the oldest 2 games and not miss out on too much) as you get to know the characters quite well through the first game. That is also odd that it starts you out on the plant chapter... the tanker chapter is actually pretty cool and takes a few hours to go through.