Support NeoGAF

[Sephzilla]

? You mean his Dhalsim limbs? If you perfect parry those, you just chop off the sai. You do get a free Zandatsu if you perfect parry his sai combo.

I perfect parried his Dhalsim strike and I got a free Zandatsu on him too.

 

[Papercuts]

Funny thing was even when I did break the armor of the head, the game can still focus on it; so the camera can still fuck with you when you're trying to attack its legs and Ray is moving back.

The camera is at its worst at this fight in my opinion. Constantly sticking to his head, in many sequences where it's completely out of reach.

I beat him on very hard pretty much exclusively hitting the legs, so that got damn annoying.

 

[GuardianE]

I perfect parried his Dhalsim strike and I got a free Zandatsu on him too.

Huh. Weird. Is there a Perfecter Parry or something?

 

[RapidCancel]

Huh. Weird. Is there a Perfecter Parry or something?

I'm thinking perfect parry = counter parry?

 

[TheSeks]

Does S-ranking R-00 count in the Revengence trophy? Because good lord, I have no clue how some of you S-ranked that going by the Very Hard ass-kicking I got simply trying to get to R-01 to start my Very Hard run.

 

[GuardianE]

I'm thinking perfect parry = counter parry?

Yeah, a perfect parry results in a counter. In my experience, and I've fought Monsoon a LOT, every time Raiden performs the counter on Monsoon's stretchy sai attack, it doesn't result in a Zandatsu... so I'm wondering if there's an even stronger parry or something.

Does S-ranking R-00 count in the Revengence trophy? Because good lord, I have no clue how some of you S-ranked that going by the Very Hard ass-kicking I got simply trying to get to R-01 to start my Very Hard run.

Yes, it does. There are only two "Ranked" fights in R-00, though. Both are the

Spoiler

Ray fights.

 

[GolazoDan]

I barely get a chance to play games during the week so I've only just done the Monsoon battle. God damn. GOD DAMN. I loved that so much and apparently there are even better boss battles. I got my parrying down at last and felt like such a BAD ASS.

 

[Carbonox]

Yeah, a perfect parry results in a counter. In my experience, and I've fought Monsoon a LOT, every time Raiden performs the counter on Monsoon's stretchy sai attack, it doesn't result in a Zandatsu... so I'm wondering if there's an even stronger parry or something.

I perfect parry'd Monsoon's stretch attack and didn't stun him either. I had to Sai the fucker myself straight after to make sure he's stunned (otherwise if you don't stun him quick enough he'll throw his twattish hand at you again).

 

[Catalix]

Regarding beating the bosses without taking damage (for the achievements):

Monsoon needs to GTFO. I beat Mistral without taking a hit but that cunt Monsoon cheaps out on you in the last segment of the fight. I get him down to like 18% health and then one of two things happen:

1. His final vehicle throw attack involves 5 vehicles and despite knowing full well that I cut them all to the point of blackness (showing that they won't hurt you now), some random explosion appears and hits me.
2. Every time you stun him and then do a charged Pincer attack, he gets thrown back (and naturally taking a shit ton of damage). However, after the final vehicle throw, you stun him, do a charged Pincer attack but somehow despite taking damage he still STANDSl, glows purple and throws in an unblockable cheap attack whilst you're finishing the Pincer animation.

Fucking bullshit.

Must have restarted like 20 times now. He's a cunt.

Oh god, I know exactly what you are talking about with both those examples. Trying to get a No Damage bonus on Monsoon (revengeance mode) was driving me CRAZY.

For some reason, using Blade Mode on those final vehicle toss sequences was so goddamn unreliable. I was able to slice up the first 3 or 4 objects, then like you said, a random explosion out of nowhere fucks it all up. Next I tried just running away from the debris, but the patterns weren't consistent enough for my taste. I'd sometimes lose track of where stuff was coming from and get hit by the last helicopter or something.

Eventually, I figured out that just straight up using the sideways dodge was the best strategy for me. Not only does it make you invincible to the incoming debris and explosions for a few frames, but the thrown objects also get cut open at the same time. That means you instantly get to retrieve the free grenade/nanopaste that pops out of it, since you're already in close proximity. It's a win/win strategy imo.

 

[Hypron]

I perfect parry'd Monsoon's stretch attack and didn't stun him either. I had to Sai the fucker myself straight after to make sure he's stunned (otherwise if you don't stun him quick enough he'll throw his twattish hand at you again).

Perfect parrying him during his stretch attack will only stun the limb he's currently using. That only prevents him from further attacking with that limb for a short while, so like you said you'll still need to Sai him after you've stunned both his hands and his legs.

 

[Mike M]

I've largely ignored individual weapon upgrades, focusing on skills, fuel cells, etc.

Now I'm farming BP before tackling R07, and I'm tearing things apart with a full strength sword.

I have been making this game much harder than it needed to be : (

 

[Carbonox]

Perfect parrying him during his stretch attack will only stun the limb he's currently using. That only prevents him from further attacking with that limb for a short while, so like you said you'll still need to Sai him after you've stunned both his hands and his legs.

Ah OK, I understand. I thought what others were talking about was that Monsoon himself was supposed to get stunned.

I'm not looking forward to taking him on in Revengeance mode.

 

[mattp]

I've largely ignored individual weapon upgrades, focusing on skills, fuel cells, etc.

Now I'm farming BP before tackling R07, and I'm tearing things apart with a full strength sword.

I have been making this game much harder than it needed to be : (

haha yeah, that sounds like a bad idea
i basically put health and sword damage at priority, evreything else secondary

 

[Astral]

The only part of the fight where it was troublesome for me blocking-wise was when he throws his hand at you and it fights for him towards the end of the fight. Cos of its size, it can be a pain to judge when to block.

You can completely avoid Monsoon's hand by jumping and attacking the air to hover. Do it twice and then he'll send his legs, which are much easier to parry.

 

[Carbonox]

Speaking of skills, I use pretty much none of the purchasable skills outside of SlashDodge, aerial block and the Pincer charge. :lol Might use a couple of others without really realizing but you can get by perfectly with just a handful of abilities, even for S rank runs.

 

[LiK]

Aw yea, they're all here finally.

 

[Hypron]

Ugh I hate this game. I took monsoon down to 10% on a no damage run, and this motherfucker went purple and started attacking me straight after my last hit, I did not even see the wind up for his animation because of the visual effects made by the pincer blades when you hit him.

 

[Carbonox]

Ugh I hate this game. I took monsoon down to 10% on a no damage run, and this motherfucker went purple and started attacking me straight after my last hit, I did not even see the wind up for his animation because of the visual effects made by the pincer blades when you hit him.

The EXACT same thing happened to me earlier. :lol Every other time prior to the final segment, he gets floored. For some reason this time he doesn't and instantly hits you back whilst the Pincer animation is finishing up.

When I tried again, this time I didn't equip the Pincers and just used the sword so I could easily tell (and not get caught in animations) when he will strike. Worked wonders.

 

[NIN90]

Eh, just don't use pincer blades then if the animation fucks you over. He's pretty easy with the Murasama.
On Very Hard atleast.

 

[Hypron]

Eh, just don't use pincer blades then if the animation fucks you over. He's pretty easy with the Murasama.
On Very Hard atleast.

We must have a different definition of pretty easy then, because for me he's the hardest boss in the game by far...

 

[JoeFu]

Beat the game today, was awesome. Really really enjoyed it, too bad the camera sucked at times though.

Took me forever to get used to the blocking, I kept wanting to roll away from enemies. Once I got used to it, the boss fights got so much more fun. Game might have been a bit too short, but still have all those VR stuff to play and I guess try the game at harder difficulties.



Bought the OST after I beat the game, the music in the game is amazing.

 

[Catalix]

The EXACT same thing happened to me earlier. :lol Every other time prior to the final segment, he gets floored. For some reason this time he doesn't and instantly hits you back whilst the Pincer animation is finishing up.

When I tried again, this time I didn't equip the Pincers and just used the sword so I could easily tell (and not get caught in animations) when he will strike. Worked wonders.

Yeah, that's what I ended up doing. No way in hell I was making that mistake again.

 

[Pie and Beans]

The EXACT same thing happened to me earlier. :lol Every other time prior to the final segment, he gets floored. For some reason this time he doesn't and instantly hits you back whilst the Pincer animation is finishing up.

When I tried again, this time I didn't equip the Pincers and just used the sword so I could easily tell (and not get caught in animations) when he will strike. Worked wonders.

WELL THIS WOULD EXPLAIN THAT. Shit was driving me insane. This is a challenge beyond madness. Dunno why I'm trying to do it on Very Hard rather than just Hard. I guess I live for the pain...

 

[Astral]

Guys, you can still block even before the pincer animation is over. But yeah, it's bullshit. I don't think that's even supposed to happen. In one of my S rank tries, I somehow got him to 38% and he immediately went into the phase where he splits his body apart and hit me. Every other time it just locked at 40% until he changed phases.

 

[Hypron]

FINALLY.

I don't know why, but this game pisses me off like no other game ever did before.

 

[Neiteio]

I'm slowly working through a Very Hard playthrough, and when I say "slowly" I mean it, because I'm trying to listen to ALL of the codec conversations, and holy hell, are there a lot -- each character seems to have five or six PER SCENE.

By this, I mean you can pull them up and get a fresh batch when you're fighting a Gekko, then again when you're walking down the street, then again during the Bladewolf battle, then again AFTER the Bladewolf battle, then again as you cross the bridge, then again while you fight choppers, then again AFTER you fight the choppers, and so on, and so forth.

Politics, geography, science, technology, industry, ethics, philosophy, local cuisine, stripping hostages (ninja run and slice at a fleeing civilian for a funny Easter egg) -- EVERYTHING is discussed, in tremendous detail, to the point it's dizzying.

And yet... It's very well-written, and acted, with a good ear for pacing, even if they're throwing a lot at you. It's the enriching sort of informative, not the monotonous lectures some (including the in-game characters!) make them out to be.

 

[Hot Coldman]

Hahaha Very Hard is ridiculous. Jesus. Fucking Fenrirs.

 

[Neiteio]

Is there anything I should know about the codecs? Ever since I enter the first building in Ch. 1 (after I leave the beach and clear the first fight), I've been checking in with each character, listening to everything they have to say until they start repeating their terse phrase (I.E. "Get back to the mission, Raiden").

I then check back in with them again every time the checkpoint/saving icon appears on the screen. I did the civvie-stripping trick and checked in with them, as well. I even check with them in the middle of battle -- it's surprising how much they'll talk while Raiden is presumably busy.

Is there anything to watch out for? What they had to say after I first saw Mistral was especially entertaining...

 

[Astral]

Hahaha Very Hard is ridiculous. Jesus. Fucking Fenrirs.

They're actually really easy. Just mash the light attack till you get the button prompt. They stagger after almost every hit.

 

[demidar]

I'm slowly working through a Very Hard playthrough, and when I say "slowly" I mean it, because I'm trying to listen to ALL of the codec conversations, and holy hell, are there a lot -- each character seems to have five or six PER SCENE.

By this, I mean you can pull them up and get a fresh batch when you're fighting a Gekko, then again when you're walking down the street, then again during the Bladewolf battle, then again AFTER the Bladewolf battle, then again as you cross the bridge, then again while you fight choppers, then again AFTER you fight the choppers, and so on, and so forth.

Politics, geography, science, technology, industry, ethics, philosophy, local cuisine, stripping hostages (ninja run and slice at a fleeing civilian for a funny Easter egg) -- EVERYTHING is discussed, in tremendous detail, to the point it's dizzying.

And yet... It's very well-written, and acted, with a good ear for pacing, even if they're throwing a lot at you. It's the enriching sort of informative, not the monotonous lectures some (including the in-game characters!) make them out to be.

A Metal Gear staple if there ever was one. I enjoy the scientific tangents Doktor goes on because he explains things in the game that don't really need explanation, yet it is fascinating that the developers/writers of the game thought this stuff up even if it's pseudo-science fiction.

 

[Neiteio]

A Metal Gear staple if there ever was one. I enjoy the scientific tangents Doktor goes on because he explains things in the game that don't really need explanation, yet it is fascinating that the developers/writers of the game thought this stuff up even if it's pseudo-science fiction.

Yes, wholeheartedly agree. As you said, explaining the science of everything is a nice touch. CNT muscle fibers, electrolyte absorption and compatibility, brain-jacking, neuro-optic AIs, partial vs. whole body cyborg-ification, civilian cyborgs, white paste, holographic storage, remote-piloting UGs, soliton radar, AR mode, high-frequency blades, pain inhibitors, emotion control, etc.

Those last two, btw, have a codec conversation where Doktor makes a couple points explicitly clear:

• Enemy cyborgs have pain inhibitors that keep them from feeling pain.
• Enemy cyborgs have emotion control that keeps them from feeling afraid.

Doktor even says to Raiden, "This must reduce the guilt you feel" (I paraphrase). So yeah, it was debated earlier in this thread whether the soldiers are "screaming on the inside," but no, they're not -- they never even feel fear in the first place.

Doktor then goes on this fascinating tangent about why we feel pain in the first place, how sometimes it stops self-destructive behavior, but in other cases where it's so great as to be debilitating and perhaps LOWER one's chance of survival, it may function this way because on a social level, one's expression of pain clues others into their plight and gets them help.

These codecs, man. I hope someone uploads them all to YouTube -- would love to revisit them on a moment's notice.

 

[demidar]

Yes, wholeheartedly agree. As you said, explaining the science of everything is a nice touch. CNT muscle fibers, electrolyte absorption and compatibility, brain-jacking, neuro-optic AIs, partial vs. whole body cyborg-ification, remote-piloting UGs, soliton radar, AR mode, high-frequency blades, pain inhibitors, emotion control, etc.

Those last two, btw, have a codec conversation where Doktor makes a couple points explicitly clear:

• Enemy cyborgs have pain inhibitors that keep them from feeling pain.
• Enemy cyborgs have emotion control that keeps them from feeling afraid.

Doktor even says to Raiden, "This must reduce the guilt you feel" (I paraphrase). So yeah, it was debated earlier in this thread whether the soldiers are "screaming on the inside," but no, they're not -- they never even feel fear in the first place.

Doktor then goes on this fascinating tangent about why we feel pain in the first place, how sometimes it stops self-destructive behavior, but in other cases where it's so great as to be debilitating and perhaps LOWER one's chance of survival, it may function this way because on a social level, one's expression of pain clues others into their plight and gets them help.

These codecs, man. I hope someone uploads them all to YouTube -- would love to revisit them on a moment's notice.

I thought cyborgs were screaming on the inside which

Spoiler

triggered Raiden's Ripper persona (that part where he "mind reads" the other cyborgs), it's just surpressed.

Doktor also talks a lot about the VR environment with regards to the rescuees.

Pretty sure they're all up on Youtube, cut into 17 videos.

 

[Appollowexx]

Whew, just finished. That final boss was insane, so annoyingly difficult compared to everything that came before.

Excellent game, I think it may be Platinums best, maybe even edging out Bayonetta.

Need to start on the VR missions now.

 

[Neiteio]

I thought cyborgs were screaming on the inside which

Spoiler

triggered Raiden's Ripper persona (that part where he "mind reads" the other cyborgs), it's just surpressed.

Doktor also talks a lot about the VR environment with regards to the rescuees.

No, after Doktor's codec on the subject, it seems clear to me now that whole sequence you spoiler-tagged is really just

Spoiler

Raiden imagining what led each cyborg to join the PMC, and what they would be thinking and feeling, IF NOT for nanomachines.

In other words, in that moment, they're not -actually- thinking or feeling those things -- they're thinking and feeling nothing other than "Destroy the target, destroy Raiden." There's no pain, no screaming on the inside.

Doktor notes this, and then poses the question: So, should this relieve you of guilt? Does the absence of physical and mental pain you inflict in the moment, excuse you from knowing full well the context of your actions, namely the fact this is still a thinking human being?

Pretty sure they're all up on Youtube, cut into 17 videos.

Good to hear. If you have link, do share!

 

[petethepanda]

Best use of

Spoiler

"bat-shit insane"

in a video game? Or only.

 

[Hot Coldman]

They're actually really easy. Just mash the light attack till you get the button prompt. They stagger after almost every hit.

Yeah, it shouldn't be too hard, I was slightly distracted. They just took me off guard. I knew the enemy patterns would change but I didn't realise the changes would be that drastic. It's fucking cool as hell.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Not going to lie. Not really a spoiler but people are weird about this kind of thing.

Spoiler

I wanted Snake to pop out in that post credits scene.

 

[toastyToast]

I'm disappointed that the Muramasa doesn't have

Spoiler

the flame attack that Sam uses at the beginning

 

[Mitochondrion]

Is it just me or what? Specifically on the PlayStation 3 version I occasionally get some kind of slow down, or animation stuttering. I don't know what exactly it is or the correct technical term. This problem also occur on the demo too. It bugs me as I can't ignore it. It's not game breaking though. Another annoying thing is the camera. Sometimes it goes where you don't it to be or occasionally it get "stuck" and you can't see what's going on.

 

[mickcenary]

Buying this shit tonight. The talk in this thread is scaring me; these games really aren't my forte.

Give me some seminal tips, yo!

 

[petethepanda]

What the hell? Final boss was awesome, but wow, such a weird, lame ending cutscene (unless there's something else coming after the credits, which I guess being Metal Gear is likely).

 

[Scythian Empire]

Just did my first double spine take.

I love this game.

 

[Mitochondrion]

Not going to lie. Not really a spoiler but people are weird about this kind of thing.

Spoiler

I wanted Snake to pop out in that post credits scene.

I'm also surprised no Rose or Raiden's son appearance. I think Rose was mentioned one or twice. Shame really as she is an important character.

 

[Roto13]

I'm also surprised no Rose or Raiden's son appearance. I think Rose was mentioned one or twice. Shame really as she is an important character.

Yeah, she and the kid were mentioned in like one cutscene. I don't even remember if they were mentioned by name.

 

[Neiteio]

Buying this shit tonight. The talk in this thread is scaring me; these games really aren't my forte.

Give me some seminal tips, yo!

Remember you can lock onto a target with the right trigger. And whenever an enemy flashes in color, meaning they're about to attack, push in the direction of that enemy and hit attack yourself. This is how you parry, and it can be done even while taking damage or in the air (with upgrade). There is a VERY generous window of timing, where you'll go into a blocking stance, deflecting their blow, and if you time it right, doing so at the exact moment they strike, you'll even stagger them, perfect for a counter-attack.

Also remember that when you go into Blade Mode, with L1, you aim with the left stick and adjust the cutting angle with the right stick, and then release the right stick (or hit Triangle) to cut. Alternatively, simply mash X for horizontal strikes, and Y for vertical strikes. You can get through most of the game doing so. (Technically ALL of the game.)

Another cool trick -- you run with R1, so hold R1 and run at an enemy. Then, right before you hit the enemy, hit Triangle (heavy attack) to sliiiiiiiiiiide into them. This will launch them in the air, sending them flying over you as you slide under them. Hit L1 to initiate Blade Mode at this time -- you can then freely slice them as they soar overhead in slow-mo! A lot of horizontal strikes will likely hit the target containing their fuel cell, which you can then extract by hitting Circle when prompted. Fuel cells juice you up for more Blade Time! (So does simply hitting enemies.)

Those are just some starter tips, the basics that will make the game a lot of fun right from the start.

 

[demidar]

No, after Doktor's codec on the subject, it seems clear to me now that whole sequence you spoiler-tagged is really just

Spoiler

Raiden imagining what led each cyborg to join the PMC, and what they would be thinking and feeling, IF NOT for nanomachines.

In other words, in that moment, they're not -actually- thinking or feeling those things -- they're thinking and feeling nothing other than "Destroy the target, destroy Raiden." There's no pain, no screaming on the inside.

Doktor notes this, and then poses the question: So, should this relieve you of guilt? Does the absence of physical and mental pain you inflict in the moment, excuse you from knowing full well the context of your actions, namely the fact this is still a thinking human being?

Hmm I'll check it when I get to that place again, was skipping all the codecs/cutscenes when playing through on very hard.

Good to hear. If you have link, do share!

Nevermind, I was mistaken.

 

[Captain_Spanky]

Holy shit you guys were not wrong about the CODEC stuff. At the start of File 02 and just been talking to Kevin for 10 minutes on various topics. Some real corkers in there, including a great quip from Raiden. If this stuff was mandatory the game would be as long as a mainline MGS title!-

 

[Neiteio]

Holy shit you guys were not wrong about the CODEC stuff. At the start of File 02 and just been talking to Kevin for 10 minutes on various topics. Some real corkers in there, including a great quip from Raiden. If this stuff was mandatory the game would be as long as a mainline MGS title!-

Yeah, how they handled explaining the game world in Rising is how they should've handled it in MGS4. Rather than forcing you to listen to Drebin drone on and on in a cutscene, Rising lets you -choose- to listen to characters -- and fast-forward, if desired -- for details on the particulars of the game world.

The cutscenes, meanwhile, stick to the main plot points, and so they never overstay their welcome, instead moving along at a brisk clip. This is FAR preferable to how MGS4 handled it.

Hopefully similar restraint, with world-building saved for optional codec calls, will be implemented in Ground Zeroes/Phantom Pain, as well.

 

[demidar]

Raiden fangasming over Snake with Kevin giving him shit for it is hilarious.

 

[RoboPlato]

Question for the no damage trophy on the final boss:

Spoiler

Does it count the segments before the real fight? I've done the actual fight twice now with no damage and haven't gotten the trophy.