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Metal Gear Solid


SuperStingray

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The Metal Gear franchise is something I've mostly appreciated from afar- It's had my eye for a while, but I never even played MGS 1 until a few years ago. But with the new Metal Gear Solid HD collection, I've found an opening to play through this unique franchise.

I use the word "unique" with a strange stigma. I've played through both the first and second games and (part of Portable Ops) and frankly, I don't know what it is I like about this series. I'm either thrown off by or dislike the individual elements of the games, but Hideo Kojima's style just has this je ne sais quoi that makes it all so memorable and able to leave a good taste in your mouth.

First, you really can't talk about this series without bringing up what it contributed to the stealth genre. Outside of creating it. I've never really gotten used to the controls (though I still think they're incredibly unintuitive to begin with) but there's a real satisfying feeling to sneaking by a group of blissfully unaware soldiers without a trace. And sometimes making "a trace" just to mess with them and circumvent their paths, i.e., tapping on metal. But above all, the games don't make it easy- it's extremely difficult to escape after getting caught, and it only gets harder once more troops get sent in to look for you.

But above anything else, I'm really just amazed by the writing in this series. And I mean that in many ways. Amazed at how you could write a war drama and somehow work in a fucking vampire. Amazed at how characters will spend a half hour explaining their life story and philosophies of war, life and human nature at the slightest provocation (sometimes without any at all.) And amazed at the occasional out-of-nowhere fourth wall breaking moments that COMPLETELY FUCK WITH YOUR MIND. By most standards, most literary critics would say it's a thought provoking message told extremely poorly and full of needless expositional dialogue. Indeed, there are times the writing is just freaking idiotic but other times it blows my mind. To that end, I really can't call it good or bad- it's just idiosyncratic. Or rather Hideosyncratic.

I recently started Snake Eater and so far I'm enjoying this Bear Grylls-ish survival dynamic. And I feel like God's answered my prayers with the introduction an actually decent camera.

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I got into MGS very late, around november 2009 when I downloaded MGS1 on my PSP from the playstation store. I enjoyed it so much that I jumped on Portable Ops, and later on, Peace Walker and MGS2 and 3. I still need to play 4, but with me getting a PS3 soon, that could change.

Anyways, I'm still working on 3 and from what my friend says, I'm almost done, but in terms of the best out of the ones I played thus far, I gotta say 2 was the best. I can't say anything on 3 just yet in terms of which one is overall better, but I am definitely enjoying it. I swear, sneaking up on someone and either strangling them or cutting their throat is just satisfying in that game.

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The Metal Gear series is one of my favorite gaming series.

MGS lives to its iconic status. Its fun but I actually like its remake a bit more. MGS2 was also great, its gameplay is great, but its only downer is that Snake is only playable for 1/3 of the game.

MGS3 gotta be its high point. MGS3 introduces more stuff like camouflage and stamina. But what's really great about it is that its not only fun but there's many ways to tackle the situation. Hiding and sneaking around is the basics, but you can also tranquilize the enemy to get by. And if your really feeling like a dick you can blow up their food cabinet and give them rotten/poisoned food or you can throw poisonous animals at them, spiders and scorpions are usually the best for that. The only downer is that its frame rate is much slower than MGS2 but hey its still fun. :P

MGS4 while fun feels mostly like a disaster. The gameplay is good, improving on the series' general gameplay. But the thing that really kills it is that they're trying to explain a lot to the point it gets confusing. Otherwise its good. :P

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MGS2 was also great, its gameplay is great, but its only downer is that Snake is only playable for 1/3 of the game.

That's kind of the whole point. I read a proper literary analysis of MGS2, and it basically came to the conclusion that everything the game does is to deny the player the power fantasy of being Solid Snake. Haven't been able to find it again. =(

I've only played MGS1 and 2, as well as Twin Snakes. Loved them all, even if the cutscenes in Twin Snakes were completely ridiculous in places. The ending cutscenes for the tank fight, the second sniper wolf fight and Snake eavesdropping on Liquid and Ocelot in the Metal Gear control room being three egregious examples.

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Been playing MGS since it came out on the PsX. Kinda wish I picked up Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid on the Nes when they were released but had Subsistence so I was able to play them and man were they hard. I haven't played Metal Gear I didn't like as of yet, Snake Eater and 4 being my favorite (mainly due to MGO).

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One big disappointment in MGS4 for me were the Codec calls. After 3, where I'd like to just stand around calling everyone for a while, I wanted to do that in 4, but I couldn't here, firstly because of having so few people to call and second due to having so few different conversations.

Also, I never understood why 4 has no cutscene viewer.

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Just completed MGS 3. That. Was. AMAZING. They really nailed the emotional element in this one- I prefer Big Boss to Solid Snake as a character because while he had the same war-minded soldier mentality, he still showed his feelings when the situation was appropriate where Snake was never really substantially tested in the same way and seems cold in comparison. But no less badass, don't get me wrong. But the characters were incredibly well handled- the COBRA members (particularly The End and The Sorrow) were interesting despite their short screentime and the main characters were rounded and relatable, not to mention a much lower dependence on exposition than in MGS 2. Also, the Shagohod Bossfight was probably the highlight of the series so far.

Edited by SuperStingray
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  • 2 months later...

I'm listening to the intro cutscene of Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance HD as I write this. I've beaten the game twice before, and I know the story backwards and forwards, but I won't skip the cutscenes just because I love the dialogue and writing so much.

Metal Gear is one of my favorite game series, but it's a recent favorite. I didn't play the NES port of Metal Gear, and Metal Gear Solid came out when I was still young. My first memory of the series comes from reading a strategy guide for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of the Patriots that was in an issue of the now-defunct "Tips and Tricks" magazine. It remember being very interested in it, without knowing anything about it but the words on the page and the screenshots provided.

In my first year of college, my roomate had Metal Gear Solid 4, and he played it all the time. It looked really fun, but if I was going to get into the series, I knew I had to do it from the start. So I downloaded Metal Gear Solid on PSN, and tried to see what everyone liked about the series so much.

After some initial frustration, being unable to even get through the first two rooms in the game, I started to really enjoy myself. I think what I found so interesting was how much of a video game it was. I know that sounds silly, but I was expecting something like a stealth simulation game. Instead, Solid was very clearly rooted in old timey videogame logic; if you were spotted by enemies, you just had to go to a different screen and they'd forget you ever existed. If you got spotted and couldn't get away fast enough, you could just let the enemies kill you, and then respawn in the same area, with no one looking for you anymore, and with no negative consequences. And that's not even getting into how dumb the guards could be some times.

I also really loved Solid Snake's characterization, and the story that unfolded. I basically knew nothing about the series besides a few things I'd seen in Metal Gear Solid 4 and Egoraptor's "Awesome Gear" series, so this was all new to me. Even though its not a particularly hard game, it took me 12 hours to beat, and I'd already concluded by credit's end that I had played one of the best videogames of all time. And from that point on, I knew I had to play the rest of the games in the series.

I purchased Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance and Metal Gear Solid 4 on the same day, both used; there were no copies of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, only the original Snake Eater edition which lacked camera control and other extra features that the re-release had. I played through Metal Gear Solid 2, and I loved it even more than the first. The gameplay had been polished to a sheen, and I loved both Raiden and the increasingly complicated storyline. After beating it, I wanted to get right into Metal Gear Solid 4, so I read the plot to Metal Gear Solid 3 online to prepare myself. Metal Gear Solid 4 was another great game, though with less emphasis on stealth, and far too focused on cutscenes; the game's saving grace is that the storyline it presented were amazing, and the shooting was actually fun enough to carry the game for me.

I got Metal Gear Solid 3 used as well, and was enraged when I opened the box that Snake Eater was inside, instead of the Subsistence version the box had advertised. But since I had gotten the game in a town I didn't live in, I couldn't return it. When I played it, I was severly disappointed. This is the game everyone says is the best in the series? I can't even see anything, and the radar is balls! Also, none of the cast of characters were as interesting as those in the previous games, so I was given very little reason to care about the events that were transpiring. I think I quite the game after completing the virtuous mission.

Cut to a few years later, and the Metal Gear Solid HD collection was out. I knew I needed to get it, because I'd wanted to play Peace Walker for a long time, and I wanted to see if the improvements to Metal Gear Solid 3 made it a better game or not. It certainly did. Once given full camera control, I fell in love with Metal Gear Solid 3's gameplay, and if it isn't the best in the series, then it certainly ties with Metal Gear Solid 2. The storyline and characters were still bland, but Ocelot and Volgin were good enough highlights that I didn't ever wanted to skip the cutscenes. I finally saw what everyone else loved about the game, and I was glad I gave it a second chance.

Also, I played Peace Walker. Eh, it was fine. It had two very good endings, at the least. The gameplay and middle section of the story really dragged down the experience though. After that I finished things up by completing Metal Gear for the MSX using a walkthrough, and then completed Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake mostly without internet help; and let me tell you, that's an underated gem of a game if there ever was one.

I've yet to play either of the ACiD games, nor Portable Ops, and I've yet to complete Ghost Bable (aka Metal Gear Solid GBC). I eagerly look forward to both Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Metal Gear Solid 5. Metal Gear is an amazing series, with very few misteps. My personal favorite might still be Metal Gear Solid 2, but Metal Gear Solid 3 could overtake it on subsequent playthroughs.

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When I played it, I was severly disappointed. This is the game everyone says is the best in the series?

Snake Eater? No.

Subsistence? Yes.

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Snake Eater was fine without the new camera already. It just made it better. And the radar isn't even needed. The characters had more to them than before through the more diverse radio talks.

No idea how someone can say MGS2 is better..

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Snake Eater was fine without the new camera already. It just made it better. And the radar isn't even needed. The characters had more to them than before through the more diverse radio talks.

No idea how someone can say MGS2 is better..

Snake Eater's original camera was very unsuited to the game's environment. It was hard to tell what everything was from the top down perspective, and you could barely adjust it to see around you. Considering the enemies were much more intelligent and able to spot you easier, it made the game unnecessarily difficult. But once given full camera control, it was much easier to see everything around you, and act accordingly.

And yes, the radar isn't really needed. I didn't know that at the time though, since I'd played three games in a row in which you relied on it quite a bit. By the time I completed the virtuous mission in the subsistence version, I hardly ever bothered using the radar again, because I had gotten good at just looking around with the camera to spot enemies. I only brought up the radar because it was something that annoyed me when I first played the game.

As for the characters of Metal Gear Solid 3... I don't know, I just couldn't get into them. Naked Snake lacked the charisma of his son, Zero was just a british guy with nearly no personality who liked James Bond, Sigint may as well have been named Token for all he did, and Para Medic had a stupid name. Okay, actually Para Medic was the only one of the support crew I liked, though I got tired of hearing movie references by near the game's end. I just never felt the desire to call Zero of my own accord because he wasn't actually helpful like Cambell had been in Metal Gear Solid (or batshit crazy like in Metal Gear Solid 2), and Sigint was just a weapons expert; nothing puts me to sleep like hearing details about weaponry. Maybe their characters would have been developed more if I'd called them more often, but I didn't ever feel the need to put in the effort to get to know them any better.

Also, I said before that Ocelot and Volgin were awesome. Volgin especially, because he was a villain who wasn't very intelligent for once; he just had a lot of money and a power thirst, and tried to justify it through flimsy words. But sometimes that's all you need for a good villain. I never really cared for EVA, because she just seemed to be a lot of unnecessary sex appeal with a dark past; not my cup of tea, though she had a few good moments. The Boss... well, she was written as a very interesting character. But her voice actor is terrible, unable to pronounce most lines without sounding like a complete amatuer.

I prefer the storyline and characters of Metal Gear Solid 2 for plenty of reasons. It brought back the two best characters from Metal Gear Solid, Otacon and Solid Snake, and developed them further. You got to see Snake through the eyes of a new character, Raiden, and that new character was very interesting in his own right. I even liked his bickering relationship with Rose, which may very well have been out of place in the game, but that's what made it interesting to me. I also loved how the game tackled themes of censorship and human conditioning; people say the story is confusing, but I say its only as confusing as you make it. Solidus was another great villain, with a badass design and a highly memorable final boss fight. The gameplay, while top-down, worked because the environments were so geometric, and the radar stopped you from bumbling into enemy sights. Also, I'll take the only slightly difficult task of escorting Emma through a submerged hallway over escorting a trigger-happy EVA through a forest swarming with enemies any day.

Both games are amazing though, in their own ways. Metal Gear Solid 3 has a lot more variety in its environments and gameplay than 2, and features more hidden opportunities to sequence break or find hidden weapons and camoflage. It also has a better soundtrack, and better graphics. I just prefer Metal Gear Solid 2's storyline and characters, and I like the Big Shell environment alot for how it gives the game an almost Metroid Fusion style progression.

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Is Hideo Kojima bisexual?

It is entirely possible. All I can read from these games is that he's very sexually confused.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Uh oh Chongo!

zavvimgs.jpg

So you know how Konami are re-releasing MGS in HD? Well Zavvi managed to bag the exclusive limited edition version, and it's one hell of a package, you get well all this...

155895_detail_v3.jpg

The price is £70, now the artbook is very impressive, to give you an idea as to what it's like, it's upto the same standard as the Bioshock 2 limited edition artbook, very thick and a hardback cover.

Just one little problem...

Zavvi have totally borked up the shipping!

Zavvi are sending them out in boxes that are not large enough, so they're arriving either damaged or totally destroyed in some cases.

Thats one of the most extreme cases of damage, but according to loads of youtube comments on the official unboxing video, loads have arrived badly damaged and in some cases the box has been nearly totally destoryed.

So what happened?

Well... the box that Zavvi are sending them out in is not big enough, so Zavvi are raming them into the box on a side meaning any padding thats in there isn't working, which is resulting in huge damage to the game.

This video gives you an idea as to the angle the product is put in the box.

You can also see from that one just how little bubble wrap there is in there... not that it would do any good anyway. Now Konami don't have official forums, but they do have an official youtube channel and video showing an official unboxing, there are loads of people on there complaining about how their limited edition has arrived either damaged or destroyed.

Nearly ordered one of these myself since the artbook looked so stunning. Quite glad I didn't now.

lol did anyone here order one?

Edit: If the youtube videos are not working. I've reported the issue but to find them yourself. First one is called

MGS HD LTD ED Arriving damaged from Zavvi!

Second one is... Metal Gear Solid HD Collection PS3 (Zavvi Worldwide Exclusive Limited Edition) Unboxing Part 1

Edited by Hogfather
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I did not know about Snake until Brawl, but ever since then, I've had my eye on this series. I've even read a novel version of metal gear solid. When I get my next paycheck, I'll be getting this collection.

I've been waiting a long time to play a metal gear game, and now I'll be able to. smile.png

Actually, first I'll be getting metal gear solid: twin snakes for the gamecube. I should have done this a long time ago.

Edited by DarkDefeater
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Actually, first I'll be getting metal gear solid: twin snakes for the gamecube. I should have done this a long time ago.

I hear the original version was better.

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twin snakes is merely a re-make of Metal Gear Solid for the psx. The original is better. Given, Twin Snakes isn't bad, it uses MGS2's system (first person shooting option, rolling, better graphics, etc.)

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I can't imagine how the PS1 Metal Gear Solid could be better than the Twin Snakes in anything but translation and voice acting (since both had some changes). Metal Gear Solid 2's (which was adapted for Twin Snakes) gameplay system was lightyears ahead of MGS1's, and the simple ability to aim in first person would go far towards giving the player many more options when playing through the game. MGS1 can really only be played one way (avoiding enemies whenever possible and never using weapons unless the enemy is already alerted), whereas you are given a lot more leeway in its various sequels.

MGS1 isn't a bad game by any stretch, but it is extremely dated in regards to its gameplay.

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I haven't played it, but I have heard very negative comments about it, like how MGS2's physics and camera doesn't interact well with MGS1's level design, the Gamecube controller is awkward to use with Snake, the remastered cutscenes were out of character for the series and that there were no bonus missions.

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I got into this series merely a couple of months ago after picking up a copy of 2 preowned. Played through that and enjoyed it quite a bit so went on the hunt for the first one and picking it up along with the Special Missions and 3 during December. Played through 1 twice to get both endings, and am now going through 3. So far, I think I've enjoyed the second one more than the first, and am not really that far through 3...

Would it be worth me picking up 4 and/or the HD collection? Which PSP ones are better to pick up? Also, would it be worth picking up Snake Eater 3D(whether I complete 3 or not)?

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Would it be worth me picking up 4 and/or the HD collection?

Definitely

Which PSP ones are better to pick up?

Peace Walker...but if you get the HD collection, you don't need to bother since Peace Walker is included in the collection.

Also, would it be worth picking up Snake Eater 3D(whether I complete 3 or not)?

Dunno. I wouldn't bother myself.

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I can't imagine how the PS1 Metal Gear Solid could be better than the Twin Snakes in anything but translation and voice acting (since both had some changes). Metal Gear Solid 2's (which was adapted for Twin Snakes) gameplay system was lightyears ahead of MGS1's, and the simple ability to aim in first person would go far towards giving the player many more options when playing through the game. MGS1 can really only be played one way (avoiding enemies whenever possible and never using weapons unless the enemy is already alerted), whereas you are given a lot more leeway in its various sequels.

MGS1 isn't a bad game by any stretch, but it is extremely dated in regards to its gameplay.

The thing with Twin Snakes is that as a whole it's a perfect example of a game where you can't just take an old game and automatically add new things onto it, expecting it will work. Especially when what Twin Snakes added and changed was things that were in the core formula, and was intending on fixing something that wasn't even broken to begin with.

Old games, and especially MGS, were all designed and built around technical limitations. The maps, the controls, the game play, it was all formed and structured around what was possible at the time. Metal Gear Solid's main reason for being so timeless isn't because of it's game play, but because of it's design being built around said game play, which to this date is still pretty much timeless, insanely memorable and pretty much perfect. While I won't say MGS as a game is perfect, there's practically no need for improvement on it's design.

Twin Snakes however, thinks it can get away with adapting every game play element from MGS2 and stockpile it onto the game, which just isn't possible. MGS2 was a conventional evolution to the formula, but had to as such design everything around those improvements, essentially creating a game that while same in premise and style, is vastly different in design.

At the same time, Twin Snakes violates voice acting (Snake sounds vaguely able to relate to), has a worse translation, is bloated with unnecessary upgrades making it way too easy and as a result cripples so many things in the design, especially bosses, which are pretty much the best parts of the game.

Or to put it in another way,

because it's basically the same principle.
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I'm not sure if that's the best example since SCIV changed the formula a lot by giving more control with your character and whip, but it wasn't just tossed onto the original Castlevania levels, the game had entirely new ones, unlike Twin Snakes just slapping MGS2 gameplay on MGS1.

EDIT: Actually watched the video and I see what you mean.

Edited by Ekaje
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I can't be the only one that ADORED VR missions. It is probably the reason why MGS 2:SUB > Snake Eater.

MetalGearSolidVR1--article_image.jpg

(OK! This is MGS:Integral but who cares?)

I loved how MGS2 Sub had so much content pushed into it. The VR missions were really fun to play and it extended the longevity/replay-ability of the MGS games. You can only replay a game so many times, so the VR was a nice change from just beating the game again.

I was really disappointed when they couldn't get VR missions on Twin Snakes. Twin Snakes was supposed to, but it just got cut. It would of helped its reputations as the main game is quite short. There isn't much to do besides replaying it. After playing it a second time, it just isn't that fun anymore.

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