CrushDance said:
My views as a Metal Gear newcomer upon completion of this awe-inspiring "game". Kojima's thoughts, the controls for those not used to the series, the meaning of Snakes existence as a soldier and more. In a nutshell, Metal Gear as defined by one not used to the series.
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Beautiful post.
I'm pretty much in the same position as you were, insofar as my experience with the MGS series is quite limited. I played MGS2 partway through the first scenario on the ship, and though I enjoyed the game's setting, presentation and sense of humor, I found the stealth-oriented gameplay very difficult to get into. It it simply didn't engage me, and to make matters worse the controls didn't feel intuitive at all. I ended up watching a friend play through part of the game, then viewed a speed run of the remaining portion. Experienced passively, MGS2 was very entertaining to me.
MGS2's story intrigued me enough that I eventually read several in-depth plot analyses to make up for my lack of firsthand experience with the series. By that time, MGS3's release was close at hand. It seemed an excellent opportunity to give MGS a second stab. In short order I picked up a copy and started playing, only to set down my controller in disgust after being killed for the tenth time at the enemy compound just past the bridge in the first mission. Thus concluded my experience with MGS3. I felt a little guilty for giving up so quickly (more so now, after I've heard so many positive things about it), but when a game punishes me over and over again at the same juncture, regardless of how measured or varied my attempts are, my patience tends to evaporate before long--especially when the gameplay doesn't really appeal to me to begin with.
Finally we come to MGS4. For the last few months preceding the game's release, I'd been keeping tabs on MGS4 with a sort of detached interest, knowing full well that I wouldn't be able to play it even if I decided I wanted to (owing to the fact that I don't yet have a PS3--I'm holding out for Tekken 6 and FFXIII). For better or worse, since the game came out I've been making no attempt to avoid plot details. The things I've read and seen have convinced me to give the MGS series a third chance, even though I'll be missing out on the pure experience of playing MGS4 unspoiled. Raiden's fight
, which I caught on YouTube, was absolutely amazing. That alone piqued my interest in a major way. But it was Raiden's ending that clinched it; a scene that is, without a doubt, the most emotional I've ever witnessed in a video game. The voice acting and animation...just incredible. I was shocked to find myself deeply moved by characters I didn't even realize I cared about. Even if MGS4's barrier to entry turns out to be worse than past MGS titles, I will play this game all the way through the very first chance I get.
One small point of uncertainty: with all the talk in this thread about MGS4's references to the rest of the series, I wonder whether I should force myself to complete MGS2 and 3 so I'll be able to appreciate those subtleties myself.