>>14267522
>Can we talk about how much MGS4 fucked with MGS2's plot and message?
I don't think it did; Raiden and Snake both come to the conclusion at the end of MGS2 that they need to live the lives they want to live and find something that they want to pass along to the next generation. Their answer to this is found on the battlefield where they secure a better future by taking down the SOP system.
>instead he comes back as a fucking cyborg (which is admittedly cool) but this decision flies in the face of his original logic of war being a horrible thing to be involved in and this is never explained satisfactorily
I think MGR ties up Raiden's arc pretty well, even though it's not canon.It's explained in MGR that Raiden can't get employed for any regular job due to his PTSD and social stigmas against emerging cyborgs, and that he really only feels at home on the battlefield. He also can't seem to live a normal life as a civilian with his family, so he joins up with the PMC Maverick that aims to bring peace (and military security) to destabilized regions. Raiden believes that his "sword is a tool of justice", and his path in life, what he will pass on to the next generation, is to protect the weak from the strong. During his work with Maverick he is confronted with his past, and realizes that his ideals are just a cover for his past which he still hasn't gotten over. It's at this point where he loses sight of his "something to pass on", and instead embraces his true nature as someone who genuinely enjoys killing. In the final act of the game, Raiden fights Senator Armstrong. Armstrong's methods are kind of vague, but his goal is to end the war economy and rebuild the American nation so that every man can choose his own destiny and fight his own wars. Raiden stops Armstrong's plot, but not before Armstrong passes on his own ideals to Raiden and names him his successor. The final scene in the game is Raiden repeating Armstrong's words about how "men will keep fighting in wars they don't understand.", hinting that Raiden has accepted Armstrong's message and now has something to pass on. This is at least how I would interpret MGR as to have it make sense in regards to MGS2 and MGS4, although I'm probably giving the game too much credit. Beneath all the cheesy dialogue and bouts of edginess I do think that MGR does make several attempts to utilize the themes in 2 though. Monsoons talk of memes and passing things on as well as Armstrong's bossfight, for example.