Unlike the first game, which had an English version produced for the European market, the MSX2 version of Metal Gear 2 was never officially released outside Japan (a fan translation was produced though). In Metal Gear Solid, plot summaries of the first two MSX2 games are accessible via the Special mode.
A version of Metal Gear 2 for mobile phones was released in Japan on October 1, 2004 for the i-mode, EZweb and Vodafone services prior to the release of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. This was the first time the game was ported to another platform since its original release for the MSX2 in 1990. In 2005, Konami released an expanded edition of Metal Gear Solid 3 subtitled Subsistence, which included, among other extras, the original MSX2 versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2. The release of Subsistence in North America and the PAL region marked the first time Metal Gear 2 received official English and other languages localizations for the international market.
Both re-releases feature several subtle differences between them and the original MSX2 version. The biggest change was in the game's artistic presentation. The character portraits used in the re-releases features an art style similar to Yoji Shinkawa's character designs in the later Metal Gear Solid games (instead of the realistic style used in the MSX2 version). Numerous characters were renamed as well, notably Natasha Marcova became Gustava Heffner and Dr. Petrovich Madnar became Dr. Drago Pettrovich Madnar. Nearly all the bosses were renamed as well. The re-releases also feature two selectable difficulty settings ("Original" and "Easy"), a bonus Boss Survival mode and an infinite bandana that provides Snake with unlimited ammo when equipped.
The PlayStation 2 version of the game, much like the MSX2 original, requires the player to use the instruction manual for reference to solve certain puzzles (such as deciphering Tap Codes or learning a certain frequency number). Because the North American version only came with a condensed manual that did not include the information the game asks for, Konami posted the solutions to those puzzles in a FAQ page on their official website.
