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Metal Gear Community Thread: Made you wait, didn't I?

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Joey Ravn

Banned
Uh. Sorry. Sorry, uh, sorry.

I don't mean to barge in... Sorry. I'm a newbie, I... uh, sorry. Ehem. Hey, eh, I don't want to sound too obnoxious, since this is probably a question that has been asked around one million times before, but...

I just got the HD Collection for my Vita, but I have never played a MG game in my life. Yes, I know. Why would I buy not one, but two games that I don't know if I'll like. I'm sure I will, though. I just don't know where to start.

I assume that, logically, I'll have to start with Metal Gear Solid... but which version? I have access to the PSN PSX version through my Vita, the PC version and the GameCube version on my Wii. Should I even bother with the remake for a first playthrough? I don't mind the "dated" graphics, but I'm mainly coming to these games for the story and the characters, so if the gameplay mechanics of the first one get in the way of me enjoying the plot, I'll go with the remake.
 

Palpable

Member
Do we know if Kaz can speak Spanish? Because if so then he should have written that song in Spanish. Even though most of what we hear, we don't know which language it is in unless said explicitly, because if he can't speak Spanish his only options were to get Paz to sing in Japanese or English, and at that point it didn't matter because Paz knows neither English or Japanese.

English is more of a worldwide language than Japanese. It wouldn't surprise me if she was indeed speaking English when talking to Boss and Miller.

Uh. Sorry. Sorry, uh, sorry.

I don't mean to barge in... Sorry. I'm a newbie, I... uh, sorry. Ehem. Hey, eh, I don't want to sound too obnoxious, since this is probably a question that has been asked around one million times before, but...

I just got the HD Collection for my Vita, but I have never played a MG game in my life. Yes, I know. Why would I buy not one, but two games that I don't know if I'll like. I'm sure I will, though. I just don't know where to start.

I assume that, logically, I'll have to start with Metal Gear Solid... but which version? I have access to the PSN PSX version through my Vita, the PC version and the GameCube version on my Wii. Should I even bother with the remake for a first playthrough? I don't mind the "dated" graphics, but I'm mainly coming to these games for the story and the characters, so if the gameplay mechanics of the first one get in the way of me enjoying the plot, I'll go with the remake.

Start with Metal Gear Solid for the PSX, not the remake. The remake doesn't come close to the awesomeness that is MGS1. The only improvement is gameplay/graphics, that's all. VO, cutscenes, etc are all bad. Don't be too put off if you don't understand MGS2 the first time around. It's deep and complicated if you try and soak it all in the first time. I'm not sure how they play on the Vita, but I'd recommend playing them all on the PS3 as I know they control well on there. I've heard mixed reviews about Vita controls for MGS.
 

Jindrax

Member
Uh. Sorry. Sorry, uh, sorry.

I don't mean to barge in... Sorry. I'm a newbie, I... uh, sorry. Ehem. Hey, eh, I don't want to sound too obnoxious, since this is probably a question that has been asked around one million times before, but...

I just got the HD Collection for my Vita, but I have never played a MG game in my life. Yes, I know. Why would I buy not one, but two games that I don't know if I'll like. I'm sure I will, though. I just don't know where to start.

I assume that, logically, I'll have to start with Metal Gear Solid... but which version? I have access to the PSN PSX version through my Vita, the PC version and the GameCube version on my Wii. Should I even bother with the remake for a first playthrough? I don't mind the "dated" graphics, but I'm mainly coming to these games for the story and the characters, so if the gameplay mechanics of the first one get in the way of me enjoying the plot, I'll go with the remake.


I played both. The remake alters the story a tiny bit.
But you can play it, lots of guys here claim it to be a horrible POS but I think it's fine :p
 

Tekku

Member
Uh. Sorry. Sorry, uh, sorry.

I don't mean to barge in... Sorry. I'm a newbie, I... uh, sorry. Ehem. Hey, eh, I don't want to sound too obnoxious, since this is probably a question that has been asked around one million times before, but...

I just got the HD Collection for my Vita, but I have never played a MG game in my life. Yes, I know. Why would I buy not one, but two games that I don't know if I'll like. I'm sure I will, though. I just don't know where to start.

I assume that, logically, I'll have to start with Metal Gear Solid... but which version? I have access to the PSN PSX version through my Vita, the PC version and the GameCube version on my Wii. Should I even bother with the remake for a first playthrough? I don't mind the "dated" graphics, but I'm mainly coming to these games for the story and the characters, so if the gameplay mechanics of the first one get in the way of me enjoying the plot, I'll go with the remake.

The original on PSX of course. If you want to experience the roots to a great series you would want to focus on the version made by the main creator. It is the one version that people came to love in the first place, and the sequels expand upon the ideas set by it.

And are there autosaves in the PC version? It could be worth it to play with autosaves since modern games teach us that we don't have to save manually. The original MGS have manual saves via Codec, but they are easy to forget as a modern gamer.
 

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
The cutscenes turn Snake into Neo from the Matrix. Flipping onto missles and dodging bullets. I somehow doubt Kojima intended Solid Snake to be Neo.

You say that, but the cutscenes were done in-house at Konami/Koji-Pro, not at SK. Plus, Kojima brought in Ryuhei Kitamura to direct them in his own signature style. When Kojima reviewed the cutscenes and saw they were faithful to the original game he specifically told Kitamura to not worry about that and do them however he wanted to, hence the bullet-time, jumpy jumpy shenanigans.
 

Palpable

Member
You say that, but the cutscenes were done in-house at Konami/Koji-Pro, not at SK. Plus, Kojima brought in Ryuhei Kitamura to direct them in his own signature style. When Kojima reviewed the cutscenes and saw they were faithful to the original game he specifically told Kitamura to not worry about that and do them however he wanted to, hence the bullet-time, jumpy jumpy shenanigans.

Yeah, I know. I loved playing through TTS and regardless of the craziness of the cutscenes, I still enjoy watching them. I just like thinking of the original as the canonical way of things.

Another PW annoyance: LA-LALALA-LA-LA-LALALALA. Ugh.

Oh lord... don't get me started...
 

Joey Ravn

Banned
Thanks for the replies! I think it's settled: I'll get the PSX version of MGS on PSN for the Vita. I don't have access to a real PSX or a PS3, so my options are rather limited.

... I could emulate the PSX/PS2 games, but, hey. If I can play them on my Vita, at least I'm giving the handheld some love.
 

Palpable

Member
Thanks for the replies! I think it's settled: I'll get the PSX version of MGS on PSN for the Vita. I don't have access to a real PSX or a PS3, so my options are rather limited.

... I could emulate the PSX/PS2 games, but, hey. If I can play them on my Vita, at least I'm giving the handheld some love.

Good choice. Let me know how you like the games and if the controls are okay on the Vita.
 
HD collection is fantastic on vita. i had no control issues. i mean, with the smaller sticks and item controls being on-screen, it's an adjustment. but if you're playing on 'normal' difficulty or something where the game is not all that hard, it shouldn't be a problem at all
 

Sn4ke_911

If I ever post something in Japanese which I don't understand, please BAN me.
uw2Q040.gif
 

PorllM

Banned
Great thread. I've only ever played a bit of MGS1 on PS1, then ended up buying Twin Snakes for the Gamecube, completing it and loving every second of it. I haven't played any other Metal Gear games, but I was recently so excited by the Phantom Pain video that I decided to play them all through. I noticed you said this:

I would start with Metal Gear Solid (If you want the best looking version of MGS1 go with Twin Snakes on the Gamecube)

Is there a particular reason it's just the best looking version, and not the best version? I've heard people take issue with the inclusion of the 1st person shooting in the Twin Snakes, but I fail to see how that could be bad? It barely changes anything except the viewpoint.

Here is what I was planning to do :

Play MGS1: Twin Snakes on my Gamecube
Download MGS2 & 3 on my PS3 and play through them.
Download & Play Peace Walker on my Vita.
Play MGS4 on PS3 (already own it but never played.

My question is, is the original PS1 MGS1 that much better than Twin Snakes that it would be worth buying on PS3 when I already have Twin Snakes? I remember implying in another thread that Twin Snakes was the definitive edition and being scoffed at! As far as I knew at the time of release though, the first person viewpoint, updated graphics and a few Nintendo references were the only differences, right? I'll buy the PS1 version if it's unanimously better as I'm sure it's cheap, but of course I'd rather not if it's unecessary.
 

Skele7on

Banned
I completed ground zeros last night it was dope.

Cannot wait for the full game.

although helicopter stuff.... damnnn son BRUTAL.
 

Ishida

Banned
My question is, is the original PS1 MGS1 that much better than Twin Snakes that it would be worth buying on PS3 when I already have Twin Snakes?

The original has:

*Better cutscenes.
*Is harder in normal difficulty.
*Better Soundtrack (A LOT better)
*Better voice acting (Again, A LOT better)
*Gameplay balanced to the level design.
 

WITHE1982

Member
Just finished a 3 rerun. Fucking sadness and tears every time.

I finished it for the first time yesterday and dayum I was welling up at the end. I also spent the next few hours making Ocelot hand gestures to everyone.

ocelot.gif


What an amazing game it was. Onto MGS4 for the first time now. I don't think it'll live up to it's predecessor.
 

Skele7on

Banned
I finished it for the first time yesterday and dayum I was welling up at the end. I also spent the next few hours making Ocelot hand gestures to everyone.

ocelot.gif


What an amazing game it was. Onto MGS4 for the first time now. I don't think it'll live up to it's predecessor.

number 3 is the best one of all the games.

Try not to mention 4 around here, people get real fired up....

It did win game of the year on GAF TWICE though, so it's still really good! ;)
 

Palpable

Member
I finished it for the first time yesterday and dayum I was welling up at the end. I also spent the next few hours making Ocelot hand gestures to everyone.

ocelot.gif


What an amazing game it was. Onto MGS4 for the first time now. I don't think it'll live up to it's predecessor.

By most all accounts, 4 is a great game. What most people take issue with is that it retconned a lot of the canon, which is total bullcock. Otherwise, amazing. If 3 made you tear up at the end, I'm quite sure 4 will do the same. I know I did. Manly tears...

The original has:

*Better cutscenes.
*Is harder in normal difficulty.
*Better Soundtrack (A LOT better)
*Better voice acting (Again, A LOT better)
*Gameplay balanced to the level design.

This. Don't worry about Twin Snakes until you've played the original first.
 

Arttemis

Member
By most all accounts, 4 is a great game. What most people take issue with is that it retconned a lot of the canon, which is total bullcock. Otherwise, amazing. If 3 made you tear up at the end, I'm quite sure 4 will do the same. I know I did. Manly tears...

The ending of 4 made me tear up... because of how absolutely
stupid
it was. I actually thought the gameplay was a step back, too, so I really didn't enjoy the game at all.

The open nature of Ground Zeroes really nails the feeling that Kojima had to be going for, though, so I'm pretty excited. Also, there's no way the plot is going to be as disappointing again... I hope.
 

Mature

Member
Another PW annoyance: LA-LALALA-LA-LA-LALALALA. Ugh.
This was one of the best parts about the actual AIs. Especially Chrysalis. Seeing just the red glow appearing and disappearing through fog with that faint, haunting tune made for a remarkable atmosphere.
 

thejpfin

Member
I think this thread is the right place to ask MGS questions...

I finished MGS3 just now for the first time. It was a fun game, though I was really bad at it, "DSP bad".

I didn't really understand The Boss story. I mean she was evil, right? (tried to kill snake) Then why snake was so emotional?

What was The Boss truth that only the snake knows?
 

Ishida

Banned
I think this thread is the right place to ask MGS questions...

I finished MGS3 just now for the first time. It was a fun game, though I was really bad at it, "DSP bad".

I didn't really understand The Boss story. I mean she was evil, right? (tried to kill snake) Then why snake was so emotional?

What was The Boss truth that only the snake knows?

The Boss was on a secret mission for the United States. Her top secret mission was to pretend to defect to Russia and steal the Philosopher's Legacy. However, Colonel Volgin altered the mission by launching an American-made missile to a Russian development center.

The United States government had no choice but to kill The Boss, in order to prove their innocence. The Boss was ordered to sacrifice herself in order to make America look inocent. Her final mission was to die as a "traitor" (As the public would never be allowed to know the truth behind her REAL mission).

The person who was tasked to kill The Boss was her student: Naked Snake.

I hope I was clear enough.
 

Frolow

Banned
I think this thread is the right place to ask MGS questions...

I finished MGS3 just now for the first time. It was a fun game, though I was really bad at it, "DSP bad".

I didn't really understand The Boss story. I mean she was evil, right? (tried to kill snake) Then why snake was so emotional?

What was The Boss truth that only the snake knows?
The Boss's original mission was to defect to the Soviet Union and steal the Philosopher's Legacy (shitton of cash the world powers/the philosophers amassed during WW2) from Volgin. To prove that she was fully committed, she gave two miniature nuclear warheads to Volgin, which he unexpectedly used to nuke a research facility.

Khrushchev is fucking pissed off since he thinks the US launched the nuke. Wanting to prevent WW3, the US has to prove it's innocence by killing The Boss (who's seen as a traitor) and Volgin's faction, who were planning to oust Khrushchev.

So they send in Naked Snake (Big Boss) to do the job. He kills Volgin, stops the Shagohod, and then finally kills The Boss. Mission successful.

In the end, The Boss succeeds in her missions and gives her life to the US, only to be seen as a traitor and monster by the world. The only people who know the truth are Big Boss and EVA, hence why the ending is so great.
 

Mature

Member
By most all accounts, 4 is a great game. What most people take issue with is that it retconned a lot of the canon, which is total bullcock. Otherwise, amazing. If 3 made you tear up at the end, I'm quite sure 4 will do the same. I know I did. Manly tears...
I don't think the majority of people who hate on MGS4 care much for the canon being retconned, which is the very reason they don't like MGS4 in the first place— it's an extremely story driven game with a lot of very, very long cutscenes. If you're gobbling up every piece of lore and dialogue as a crazy MGS fan (like myself and probably a handful of people in here) then that stuff probably didn't bug you one bit, even if it muddied the pace and direction of the game.

It always seemed to me that, for Kojima, MGS4 was a way to tie everything together and make an entirely clean slate. Which he pretty much did
(even if it meant using Nanomachines as a response to many of those answers)
. But as a result, the game had a lot of baggage in making that happen. I think the game still has a proper identity of it's own, but there's a lot of shared space with characters and ideas that might have made for a slimmer, smoother pace if omitted.
 

CassSept

Member
Hey guys, what is a good source to refresh oneself on the story of the series? I might be able to finally play MGS4 this summer and I honestly simply don't feel like replaying MGS1-3 in the coming months. I remember the general strokes of the story and some of the finer details (dang these games are memorable!) but the last time I played through them was 6-7 years ago so a quick refresh would be in order.

Also, Portable Ops - yay or nay?
 

Ishida

Banned
I don't think the majority of people who hate on MGS4 care much for the canon being retconned, which is the very reason they don't like MGS4 in the first place— it's an extremely story driven game with a lot of very, very long cutscenes. If you're gobbling up every piece of lore and dialogue as a crazy MGS fan (like myself and probably a handful of people in here) then that stuff probably didn't bug you one bit, even if it muddied the pace and direction of the game.

It always seemed to me that, for Kojima, MGS4 was a way to tie everything together and make an entirely clean slate. Which he pretty much did
(even if it meant using Nanomachines as a response to many of those answers)
. But as a result, the game had a lot of baggage in making that happen. I think the game still has a proper identity of it's own, but there's a lot of shared space with characters and ideas that might have made for a slimmer, smoother pace if omitted.

To be honest, I've still yet to find all those retcons that MGS4 supposedly brought.
 

Palpable

Member
To be honest, I've still yet to find all those retcons that MGS4 supposedly brought.

Perhaps what I meant to say was that it tied up loose ends that weren't ever meant to have answers. It made things in MGS2 seem insanely stupid. I'd recommend reading MGS4 Sold Out if you haven't already. Kojima threw a lot of stupid shit in 4 to tie up things that shouldn't have been because of stupid fans demanding answers Kojima never meant to answer about 2.

Hey guys, I was browsing the Metal Gear Wiki and I found this:


The wiki names him: "British Snake".

So, umm... who is this "British Snake"? is he a new clone of Big Boss? an alias of Solid Snake? or maybe an art with no purpose?

The only British Snake out there would be Liquid Snake, as he was raised there and served in the SAS. That artwork isn't official is it? His left hand looks grossly large.
 

Sn4ke_911

If I ever post something in Japanese which I don't understand, please BAN me.
Hey guys, I was browsing the Metal Gear Wiki and I found this:

The wiki names him: "British Snake".

So, umm... who is this "British Snake"? is he a new clone of Big Boss? an alias of Solid Snake? or maybe an art with no purpose?

Shinkawa made it at some event in england. It's most definitely Solid Snake.
for me another hint that adult Solid Snake is in MGSV.

Perhaps what I meant to say was that it tied up loose ends that weren't ever meant to have answers. It made things in MGS2 seem insanely stupid. I'd recommend reading MGS4 Sold Out if you haven't already. Kojima threw a lot of stupid shit in 4 to tie up things that shouldn't have been because of stupid fans demanding answers Kojima never meant to answer about 2.

The only British Snake out there would be Liquid Snake, as he was raised there and served in the SAS. That artwork isn't official is it? His left hand looks grossly large.

Artwork is made by Shinkawa.

Shinkawa-Gets-Started.jpg


http://www.vg247.com/2013/04/23/the-art-of-metal-gear-yoji-shinkawas-visual-legacy/
 

Ishida

Banned
Perhaps what I meant to say was that it tied up loose ends that weren't ever meant to have answers..

Weren't meant to have answers? How do you know that? MGS2 ended on a cliffhanger, of course it needed answers.

Otherwise the series would have just ended on: "Some shadowy organization rules the United States and is trying to control the entire population through filtering of digital information. THE END".

Really? Who would want the Metal Gear series end on that note?
 
i'm pretty sure the original character bio for solid snake back in the 80s/MSX metal gear days was that he was half british, half japanese
 

Ishida

Banned
Italian Job?

The Thing?

Army of Darkness?

Just sayin'. :)

Huh... I never said "Such thing has never happened before".

But you seriously believe the Metal Gear series should've ended like that?

"The Patriots rule everything. The adventures of Solid Snake end here. Goodbye!"

I don't think so. In fact, Metal Gear Solid 3 was created to kickstart the whole "origin of The Patriots".
 

CHEEZMO™

Obsidian fan
Weren't meant to have answers? How do you know that? MGS2 ended on a cliffhanger, of course it needed answers.

Otherwise the series would have just ended on: "Some shadowy organization rules the United States and is trying to control the entire population through filtering of digital information. THE END".

Really? Who would want the Metal Gear series end on that note?

I would. Cliffhangers and spooky conspiracy/intrigue stuff can be a lot of fun, whereas answering it can sour everything retroactively. See the first half of LOST and the second.
 

Ishida

Banned
CHEEZMO™;118956773 said:
I would. Cliffhangers and spooky conspiracy/intrigue stuff can be a lot of fun, whereas answering it can sour everything retroactively. See the first half of LOST and the second.

If Metal Gear was a one-game series, perhaps I would agree. But it is not.
 

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
Huh... I never said "Such thing has never happened before".

Huh. You said:

MGS2 ended on a cliffhanger, of course it needed answers.

I'm just saying that cliffhangers don't necessarily need answers. A cliffhanger can be a very effective device if left unanswered.

But you seriously believe the Metal Gear series should've ended like that?

"The Patriots rule everything. The adventures of Solid Snake end here. Goodbye!"

Yeah, why not? Beautifully bleak, isn't it? :)
 

Ishida

Banned
Yeah, why not? Beautifully bleak, isn't it? :)

Disagree. But it's clear that the game was intended to have a sequel. If I recall correctly, the first Metal Gear ended with a message from Big Boss saying that he survived, hinting at the next game. Then Metal Gear Solid had the call between Ocelot and Solidus, hinting at the next game. Then MGS2 had the "The Patriots are already dead" call, which hints at the events of the next game, MGS3, which is set in the past.

MGS3 was designed from the very beginning to kickstart the origin of The Patriots.
 

NateDog

Member
The problem wasn't just the desire to tie-up everything (although that obviously was a big one), it was the fact that the basis for tying-up almost everything and completing most of the storylines that had been created was found in MGS3 while much of what was said and what happened in MGS2 was ignored. Since then the endless prequels has just made things worse.
 

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
Disagree. But it's clear that the game was intended to have a sequel. If I recall correctly, the first Metal Gear ended with a message from Big Boss saying that he survived, hinting at the next game. Then Metal Gear Solid had the call between Ocelot and Solidus, hinting at the next game. Then MGS2 had the "The Patriots are already dead" call, which hints at the events of the next game, MGS3, which is set in the past.

MGS3 was designed from the very beginning to kickstart the origin of The Patriots.

Fair enough. Do you think the entire series was planned out then? That whole "The Patriots are already dead" is a bad example, mind. It's completely and utterly backtracked upon in the sequels, so it hints at nothing other than the fact that he may not have actually planned that far ahead XD

There's a difference between leaving yourself enough wiggle room to make a sequel if you decide to (like the end of most cheap as chips horror movies) and actually setting up a planned sequel. Which category MGS falls under is moot.
 

Palpable

Member
Weren't meant to have answers? How do you know that? MGS2 ended on a cliffhanger, of course it needed answers.

Otherwise the series would have just ended on: "Some shadowy organization rules the United States and is trying to control the entire population through filtering of digital information. THE END".

Really? Who would want the Metal Gear series end on that note?

Read that article I linked. There's a quote saying so. Sure, it needed some answers, but most of what Kojima gave was stupid as shit. Everyone makes fun of MGS4's nanomachines answer for everything for a reason.
 

Ishida

Banned
Fair enough. Do you think the entire series was planned out then? That whole "The Patriots are already dead" is a bad example, mind. It's completely and utterly backtracked upon in the sequels, so it hints at nothing other than the fact that he may not have actually planned that far ahead XD

There's a difference between leaving yourself enough wiggle room to make a sequel if you decide to (like the end of most cheap as chips horror movies) and actually setting up a planned sequel. Which category MGS falls under is moot.

No, the series is not completely laid out, but Kojima has some basic ideas about the next game before development even begins. Maybe not the whole plot, but some characters (Like Solidus, even called by name on the original MGS).

Details are created as they go.

Read that article I linked. There's a quote saying so. Sure, it needed some answers, but most of what Kojima gave was stupid as shit. Everyone makes fun of MGS4's nanomachines answer for everything for a reason.

Everyone? That's just a vocal minority that didn't understand the context of the game. Complaining about nanomachines is like complaining about "Cyborgs" in Metal Gear Rising.
 
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