• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Metal Gear Solid V SPOILER THREAD| [EXTR3ME] Such a lust for conclusion, T-WHHOOOO

Robot Pants

Member
ugh...Thanks Kojima.

Is there anything he didn't fuck up in the story? Everything is shallow, serves really no point in the story, and without many of the bits the story would still not work or have any major impact. He must've had someone overlooking his story, no?

Seriously... this game.... the phantom pain is all about feeling loss... i am just angry at it.
Youd be better off forgetting it exists.
To me only 1-3 exist
 

brau

Member
It's almost like you are Kojima.

I KNEW IT! The jig is up, brau.

Did you guys rike it?
18c1f74231ebded8f7eacf8b9fbfeaecb17230da.jpg__620x729_q85_crop_upscale.jpg

Youd be better off forgetting it exists.
To me only 1-3 exist

Yea... it'll take a while before i can do that.
 
Has anyone discussed the significance of Venom's code name: Punished Snake? We know what his punishment is and it's pretty extensive. He had his identity taken away from him without his consent, suffered numerous physical injuries from the explosion, became sterile to survive the parasites, etc...the list goes on. But what did he do to deserve it all? Besides risk his life to save Big Boss. At this point, Abused Snake would seem like a more fitting title.

Punished Snake made sense to me when I thought it was in reference to Big Boss. His army grew too big and influential and was a threat to the major powers of the world, so it had to be destroyed. I understood that when "Here's to You" played in Ground Zeroes. But now that we know Punished Snake is just a body double and a fall guy for Big Boss, the only thing he really did wrong was to put his faith in the legend
(a phantom)
to begin with.
 

kotor22

Member
I like how the Ground Zeroes teaser slogan of "From Fox, two phantoms were born." originally sounded like it was talking about Liquid and Solid. When it's actually talking about Skullface and Venom Snake.
Yeah that was actually awesome, and the fact that when they announced it/advertised it they had the same poster of BB up twice, only one was reversed. Now we know what that meant lol
 

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
Anyone notice when Venom punches the mirror with his robotic hand, the reflection is his own arm? Interesting.

This defense doesn't hold up when the 'shell' in question is rescuing child soldiers to live on his oil rig, letting men bleed to death after being crushed by falling machinery, executing 25+ soldiers in his army to prevent the spread of infection and rubbing the ashes of his fallen comrades on his face as some bizarre ritual of respect.

Apart from the Skull Face bit and the very last one, didn't another character tell him to do each of those things?

These are fairly extreme actions, and I've never come close to doing any of them. I'm certainly not that Big Boss.

I don't think saying "The Player is Big Boss" was quite the point of the ending, although that may be quite an unpopular opinion since, y'know, Kiefer pretty much says that outright. :D

I think the ending was explicitly acknowledging the player's complicity in perpetuating the myth (via having played MGS3, PW and GZ), of having played the role of Big Boss and his story. Big Boss isn't just two people - the character AND the player - but the myth they/we constructed together.

We, the players, can either 'be' Big Boss- legendary soldier and fulton-extraordinaire or Big Boss can be the guy who shows a hint of personality that never really goes anywhere because he's virtually silent and THEN goes on to do exactly what we all thought Big Boss did anyway, which is ACTUALLY what defines him in the MGS canon.

I only finished it 18 hours ago but this is my take away so far:

Venom is a shell filled with (for want of a better word) the player's 'will'. The player's 'will' going in is to play the game, to 'be' Big Boss and to live up to the myth (the first thing you're told to do outside of the tutorial). Actions outside of the player's control that reinforce the fantasy aren't really out of place, it is what is expected - if not desired - by both the player and the NPCs (in a narrative sense). We're essentially complicate with the game in telling the myth, but it is just that: a myth. Neither character fully encompasses it without the other and, more importantly, without the player.

So I guess what I'm failing to say is, it's both (?).
 

Ashura_MX

Member
Na... has nothing to do with the pacing tbh. I am playing through Mad Max, and all the implied story and layout of the world itself are super interesting for those people that pay attention. I know more about the story behind the wasteland. I have glimpses of how it came to be, leaving me to imagine how it went down. Finding things that make sense, but surprise you when you find them. Not only that.. but every outpost in Mad Max, even when its reusing the same assets, is built so differently in a way that makes sense for the people inhabiting that area. Its so well done, that when you get missions, that are few btw. the story feels a lot more cohesive. Max doesn't really talk much, but does make comment on things that help add context.

All of this never happens in TPP.

ALL major events in TPP that have an impact on its outcome is never experiences. Everything is on tapes.
ALL major character traits or actions don't happen during the game. They happen outside of the game.
Dialogue is a hit or miss in the game. SO its hard to pin point which cutscenes are moving the story, and which are just there for fluff to make things look "cool". Like it was said before... VS puts ashes on his face as ritual for impact on the scene, not the story. Because that whole scene ends up in you having a small diamond on your shoulder. Thats it.

See what i am getting at? Pacing is not the issue. I actually thought chapter 1 had a coherent pacing that made sense for the format of the game. I like that through gameplay you create your own stories. But that doesn't help you move the main story arch forward does it?

I do want to state that i love MGSV... the gameplay is just so good. I still have reservations and think that a lot of things got cut down from their original scope, and would like the game to engage you more, specially for the target of hours you have to play the game. But its a new take, with new ideas that are very welcomed.

Its just a terrible MGS game.



This!!

Holy cow... i feel like Kojima. You guys say what i want to say smartly and in a compact paragraph. I go on and on and on with no sense of direction.

Ditto for the last part, agree with the rest.
 

Edzi

Member
MGSV's meta-narrative works for players who, like Kojima, really like Big Boss, and not really for anyone else.

I love Big Boss as he was portrayed in MGS3, but Kojima has been ruining his story from PW onward. I don't even think Kojima likes BB, he's just too in love with the idea of creating some stupid meta narrative that he willingly sacrifices his characters and stories to create one.
 

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
Na... has nothing to do with the pacing tbh. I am playing through Mad Max, and all the implied story and layout of the world itself are super interesting for those people that pay attention. I know more about the story behind the wasteland. I have glimpses of how it came to be, leaving me to imagine how it went down. Finding things that make sense, but surprise you when you find them. Not only that.. but every outpost in Mad Max, even when its reusing the same assets, is built so differently in a way that makes sense for the people inhabiting that area. Its so well done, that when you get missions, that are few btw. the story feels a lot more cohesive. Max doesn't really talk much, but does make comment on things that help add context.

All of this never happens in TPP.

You mean using the environment to tell the story? I love that! Dark Souls, Fallout: New Vegas etc. all nailed that kind of thing. I don't think video games that don't use it are inherently bad. It's a technique that works on some games and not on others. I can't recall any MGS that really makes extensive use of that.

ALL major events in TPP that have an impact on its outcome is never experiences. Everything is on tapes.

Yeah, there is a heavy reliance on tapes and the order they're released could've been better thought out for more impact...

...but some of those tapes are actually pretty fucking awesome: Paz and Zero (actually anything with Zero), Skull Face and Codetalker, the Hamburger ones, Back to Life etc.

ALL major character traits or actions don't happen during the game. They happen outside of the game.

Not sure I follow.

Dialogue is a hit or miss in the game. SO its hard to pin point which cutscenes are moving the story, and which are just there for fluff to make things look "cool". Like it was said before... VS puts ashes on his face as ritual for impact on the scene, not the story. Because that whole scene ends up in you having a small diamond on your shoulder. Thats it.

Occasions of style over substance are hardly new to the series, but I take your point. :)

See what i am getting at? Pacing is not the issue. I actually thought chapter 1 had a coherent pacing that made sense for the format of the game. I like that through gameplay you create your own stories. But that doesn't help you move the main story arch forward does it?

I agree. I liked the pacing of Ch.1 (but prefer the story of Ch.2 where everyone is turning on everyone else). The former is partially down to the missions I chose. It accounts for the disparity between players regarding the pacing.

I do want to state that i love MGSV... the gameplay is just so good. I still have reservations and think that a lot of things got cut down from their original scope, and would like the game to engage you more, specially for the target of hours you have to play the game. But its a new take, with new ideas that are very welcomed.

Its just a terrible MGS game.

I've learned over the last month that what makes an MGS game is different for each person. :)
 

Neiteio

Member
Finally, some free time. I've been itching to get back to this thread.

I think some people may be taking the meta-narrative element (player = "Big Boss") a bit too literally.

The meta-narrative begins and ends with the idea that you, the player, with your own skill and ingenuity, overcame the challenges crafted for you by the designers, advancing the story from beginning to end. You were "writing" the battlefield narrative, and only the battlefield narrative. And you must "write" that narrative in order to advance the rest of the story.

But the story still exists separate from you. In real life, you are probably not a star soldier specializing in field surgery who took a bomb blast for your CO and was reworked in his image and put in harm's way so you could perpetuate his legend after a nine-year absence, drawing out his enemies while he works on building his military nation in secret. In real life, you may not be a haunted introvert who submitted to your assertive sub-commanders and pursued their quest for revenge, only to feel unfulfilled once you had it and become more benevolent toward your enemies after the fact. In real life, you may not be able to empathize with monsters like Quiet; you may not make well-meaning but ill-informed decisions about how to handle child soldiers; you may not think that putting down your terminally ill men is an act of mercy or the only way to prevent an outbreak. Heck, in real life, you might not even be a man.

But that's fine because that's not your story. That story is the story of Venom, a.k.a. Punished Snake, a.k.a. Ahab, a.k.a. The Medic, a.k.a. Big Boss' Phantom.

Only the battlefield narrative is yours, and that narrative is the act of turning the pages. The game allows you to define several in-story elements of The Medic — his name, his face, his birthday — but beyond that his personality and premise is fixed, many of his decisions are already decided by the plot, and at that point you're experiencing his story. Again, it's you turning the pages, your skills carrying you from the beginning to the end. This is true of every MGS game. It's just that for the last MGS game, Kojima allowed you to add a personal touch and take superficial ownership of the character as a sort of "thank you" for all your years of playing his games. It's recognizing that he wrote a story but you had to overcome challenges to see it through. You had to earn it. It's fitting, then, that this nod to the player comes at the end of the game.

And like I said, the value of the twist from a story standpoint is not whether Venom will be remembered (even though his actions undeniably shaped the world, preventing the fall of Western civilization, for starters), but rather, seeing how the real BB "broke bad." To quote myself from earlier in the thread: Instead of seeing a dramatic Darth Vader story where BB shoots up kids and commits other heinous acts, we see a story from the viewpoint of his victims. BB went along with a plan that robbed his best soldier of his identity and put him in harm's way; he went along with a plan that put -all- of the Diamond Dogs in harm's way; and he agreed to a plan where they would put the hospital in harm's way. We're seeing BB go against the values of the Boss because he is a hypocrite and a coward. He is now treating people like a means to an end, rather than the end itself. Venom might not be able to see this -- not until it's too late, anyways -- but from the player's standpoint it's clear we're looking at a different BB, post-GZ, and the one that needed to be established for the events to come.
 

Crypt

Member
What gets me is the lazy writing to try to explain things with science. Parasites do not explain pulling a gun out of your hand. Nor does magnetic fields explain how mantis lifts a 50 ton robot. Just say it's supernatural. That's all you have to do.
 

Reebot

Member
Any
Venom is a shell filled with (for want of a better word) the player's 'will'. The player's 'will' going in is to play the game, to 'be' Big Boss and to live up to the myth (the first thing you're told to do outside of the tutorial). Acti

Problem with that analysis is its applicable to every video game character ever. The player's "will" or physical manipulation of the controller always drives the game. But it's now recursive and absurd; in Snake Eater, is Big Boss a shell of Big Boss? Is Joel a shell of Joel? Gordon of Gordon? We have no agency other than this small, universal control. There's no particular manifestation of the player's will in MGS V, and so nothing distinguishes it in this framework.

The only unique aspect here is "living up to the myth," completely undercut by the in game actions. Nothing Venom does in game ever comes up again. Each part of the Big Boss myth is still directly attributable to the man himself. For all the other games except slightly MG 1, Venom makes no difference.
 
What gets me is the lazy writing to try to explain things with science. Parasites do not explain pulling a gun out of your hand. Nor does magnetic fields explain how mantis lifts a 50 ton robot. Just say it's supernatural. That's all you have to do.

Does this ever actually happen? As far as I know, Mantis is still magic.
 

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
Problem with that analysis is its applicable to every video game character ever. The player's "will" or physical manipulation of the controller always drives the game. But it's now recursive and absurd; in Snake Eater, is Big Boss a shell of Big Boss? Is Joel a shell of Joel? Gordon of Gordon? We have no agency other than this small, universal control. There's no particular manifestation of the player's will in MGS V, and so nothing distinguishes it in this framework.

Yeah, but not all games acknowledge that collaboration, that's what makes it interesting. The game highlights it, scrutinises it (somewhat) and our relationship to it, and integrates it into the narrative. The others you mention don't really do that. Bioshock does, MGS2 does, MGSV does.

The only unique aspect here is "living up to the myth," completely undercut by the in game actions. Nothing Venom does in game ever comes up again. Each part of the Big Boss myth is still directly attributable to the man himself. For all the other games except slightly MG 1, Venom makes no difference.

I'm talking about the "myth" outside of the narrative. I think the game is talking to the player and their part in perpetuating it, of playing MGS3, PW, and GZ. You both aren't and are the character (I know, I know). It's a calabaration between the character and you to perpetrate the it.

Neiteio put it far better than I could.
 

Neiteio

Member
I don't think I'd describe Venom as a "shell" for the player's will, although I get what Screaming Meat is saying. Like I said above, Venom's story is his own. We get to sign off on certain details, but those details are superficial in the story — a name, a birthday, a face. They're a nice gesture, but what's really being recognized is the way we write the battlefield narrative. Not the story narrative — that would be Kojima's half. Our half is how we approach each level and how we overcome the challenges along the way. Only by completing the battlefield narrative do we complete the journey in the story narrative.

I just see the meta-narrative element as a touching "thank you" to the fans from Kojima that celebrates the fact "this is an interactive medium." It applies not only to this game but to the series as a whole. Every time you played a level, you played it your way and made the experience your own. Meanwhile, the real takeaway from the twist itself is the character contrast I touched on in my last post. But that's another subject entirely.
 

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
Psychic powers are the only thing Kojima seems okay with leaving alone. He ruins all other supernatural events with Parasites or Nanomachines.

...what about ghosts?

I don't think I'd describe Venom as a "shell" for the player's will, although I get what Screaming Meat is saying. Like I said above, Venom's story is his own. We get to sign off on certain details, but those details are superficial in the story — a name, a birthday, a face.

We also decide whether to let Quiet live or not, but I'm still pondering what that really means. The contrast with the scene with The Boss in MGS3, where you have to pull the trigger or the game stops, is interesting.

They're a nice gesture, but what's really being recognized is the way we write the battlefield narrative. Not the story narrative — that would be Kojima's half. Our half is how we approach each level and how we overcome the challenges along the way. Only by completing the battlefield narrative do we complete the journey in the story narrative.

I just see the meta-narrative element as a touching "thank you" to the fans from Kojima that celebrates the fact "this is an interactive medium." It applies not only to this game but to the series as a whole. Every time you played a level, you played it your way and made the experience your own. Meanwhile, the real takeaway from the twist itself is the character contrast I touched on in my last post. But that's another subject entirely.

Yeah, I can definitely subscribe to all of that.

I think Kojima's control of the actual story and ours of the gameplay is the collaboration referred to when Big Boss says he and Venom together are what make that "myth".
 

brau

Member
You mean using the environment to tell the story? I love that! Dark Souls, Fallout: New Vegas etc. all nailed that kind of thing. I don't think video games that don't use it are inherently bad. It's a technique that works on some games and not on others. I can't recall any MGS that really makes extensive use of that.

Well.. what i mean is that the game is trying to imply all the awesome things that the world and area you are playing is full off. War, Control, Parties overtaking, etc etc. Most of them just happened and thats it. There is no narrative within the world to justify this. No outpost under construction. No over time development. Or when revisiting areas things are perhaps more fleshed out. The world is static for the most part and it remains so through the whole game. It never changes.

IMO... this is a big missed opportunity. Specially because 70% of the game you spend in the world. Not even with story, just playing. This kind of touches would make the world rich, and you get a sense of where you are. Right now i see Desert and Jungle, and most people refer to missions instead of locations. When people do that, it means your world has no character to it.

Yeah, there is a heavy reliance on tapes and the order they're released could've been better thought out for more impact...

...but some of those tapes are actually pretty fucking awesome: Paz and Zero (actually anything with Zero), Skull Face and Codetalker, the Hamburger ones, Back to Life etc.

I am not saying the tapes are bad. In GZ they were used to expand and give exposition of things if you wanted to know more. But the core of the game had its story told in the beats of the game. As simple as it was, it was very very effective.

Having all major events happen, outside of the game through tapes just takes away from your involvement in the story. So whats the point?

Not sure I follow.

What i mean is that the characters are never defined by their actions. Because they just stay out of the game and all of their actions, reactions are told through tapes or cutscenes, and even the cutscenes are sometimes not enough to really flesh out the ideas of a character. There are a few of them that do really well tho> Huey is an asshole.... i don't think you need more of him to understand him. Kaz is just upset, and Ocellit is just a source of data.

In the prologue, Ishmael is so effective because he is in there with you. You see him react to the world, and the connection, as brief as it is, is pretty cool. You don't see that enough in the game.

Kaz is angry because he says he is angry.. not many actions in real time to show that. Even in the cutscenes. Codetalked has no personality. He is just a dude that likes to rant about parasites. Ocellot just sides with you... because... his reasons are on the tapes... but not in the game...its hard to explain i guess. I hope that makes more sense.


Occasions of style over substance are hardly new to the series, but I take your point. :)

Yea... Kojima is certainly known for his cringe worthy dialogue at times, or repetition of lines. But that doesn't make it acceptable. I rather have substance over style... since substance gives style inherently when done properly.

I agree. I liked the pacing of Ch.1 (but prefer the story of Ch.2 where everyone is turning on everyone else). The former is partially down to the missions I chose. It accounts for the disparity between players regarding the pacing.

I like the trailers for TPP better. They tell a better story, they have a start, middle and end, and they make sense. TPP doesn't. Even the short trailer for things to come in Chapter 2.

I've learned over the last month that what makes an MGS game is different for each person. :)

I am sure this is true. Maybe what i should say is that the game is awesome in terms of gameplay... but the story is incomplete, and what there is is fragmented, doesn't have a natural flow, and falls short in relation to other MGS games. Not to mention that he goes for the MGS2 twist for the sake of it being there with no justification at all.

See... the thing is... EVERYTHING you do in TPP is discarded when you realize you are not BB. It has no point.. no purpose. Sure people make the justification that is a phantom that leads MG1 events... but that is BS. Also, saw videos where people say that there is no more point in BB story being expanded since it was already told in full in the events of MGS3 and PW. But i disagree.... sure you see a side to BB that is terrifying in PW... but its not his downfall... or him spiral into being the devil he is supposed to be. Sure, this might be Kojimas way of telling there is no absolutes in BB... but that goes against most of the story that MGS has told in the beginning. At least imo. What do you guys think?

The only feel of loss i have atm... after all this. Is that Silent Hills will not be a thing. That game is the true Phantom Pain.
 

Reebot

Member
Yeah, but not all games acknowledge that collaboration, that's what makes it interesting. The game highlights it, scrutinises it (somewhat) and our relationship to it, and integrates it into the narrative. The others you mention don't really do that. Bioshock does, MGS2 does, MGSV does.

There's not much interesting in a blanket mentioning of the idea. Since, as I pointed out, MGS V goes no further it offers nothing on the subject.

As an aside, Bioshock and MGS 2 are actually the opposite idea, a total rejection of player will.
 

Neiteio

Member
Kojima isn't saying the player shaped the story.

Kojima is saying the player shaped the battlefield narrative, which earned them the right to see the story to its end.
 

Reebot

Member
Kojima isn't saying the player shaped the story.

Kojima is saying the player shaped the battlefield narrative, which earned them the right to see the story to its end.

Which, since it applies to every game ever, is a pretty hollow and uninteresting massage.
 

Hopeford

Member
By the way, small aside...I said this the first time I played through the game, but I feel like I need to say it every once in a while. Fuck Huey. One thing I really liked about this game is the whole thing about the sins of the father thing.

Snake and Otacon being really loyal to each other and all-around not dicks becomes way more impressive once you look at their fathers haha. Like seriously, Otacon is a damn hero for not turning out like Huey.
 

Neiteio

Member
Which, since it applies to every game ever, is a pretty hollow and uninteresting massage.
You're free to feel however you want about it, but I just see it as a touching "thank you" from the man on his last MGS game, and possibly the last MGS game ever (unless the pachinko game is canon...)
 

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
I can't keep up. :D

There's not much interesting in a blanket mentioning of the idea. Since, as I pointed out, MGS V goes no further it offers nothing on the subject.

I don't think it did just do that.

I asked you earlier how you would dig deeper into the language theme to make it more satisfying but this thread is moving pretty quickly.

As an aside, Bioshock and MGS 2 are actually the opposite idea, a total rejection of player will.

Yeah, they are post-modern. The acknowledgement (as in the highlighting of the existence of the relationship) is part and parcel of it. You can't reject it until you've pointed it out.
 

brau

Member
You're free to feel however you want about it, but I just see it as a touching "thank you" from the man on his last MGS game, and possibly the last MGS game ever (unless the pachinko game is canon...)

But he didn't know this was gonna be his last MGS.... 7 years to make that excuse of a story and is justified by saying "I just see it as a touching "thank you"" Sorry.. but that is not good enough.
 

Neiteio

Member
But he didn't know this was gonna be his last MGS.... 7 years to make that excuse of a story and is justified by saying "I just see it as a touching "thank you"" Sorry.. but that is not good enough.
Kojima always thinks each MGS is his last. It's entirely possible he thought this really -was- the last one when he started it, since it slots right between the two timelines and leads straight into MG1.
 

Ashura_MX

Member
Kojima isn't saying the player shaped the story.

Kojima is saying the player shaped the battlefield narrative, which earned them the right to see the story to its end.

I hate to be rude here but Kojima isn't saying jack-shit (in favor or against your idea), he is literally watching Mad Max and posting hotdog pictures.

Worse you don't shape anything, not a single MGS has you in actual control of anything beyond "time paradox", Snake, Boss, Venom are all fiddles swimming in the ruse at the time.
 
Kojima always thinks each MGS is his last. It's entirely possible he thought this really -was- the last one when he started it, since it slots right between the two timelines and leads straight into MG1.

But it doesn't (apart from that tiny scene at the end). We don't know what happens to Diamond Dogs, how Big Boss and Miller join Foxhound, what role Venom plays between MGS5 and MG1, etc
 

Neiteio

Member
I hate to be rude here but Kojima isn't saying jack-shit (in favor or against your idea), he is literally watching Mad Max and posting hotdog pictures.

Worse you don't shape anything, not a single MGS has you in actual control of anything beyond "time paradox", Snake, Boss, Venom are all fiddles swimming in the ruse at the time.
I'm not sure what you're saying. If anything it sounds like you're going along with my idea that the Kojima-controlled narrative (the story) exists separate from the player-controlled battlefield narrative (how the player beats each level, i.e. sneaking, combat, etc). Two halves of the coin that is MGS. Only Kojima controls the story, but the player decides how the challenges are overcome in the gameplay.
 

Neiteio

Member
But it doesn't (apart from that tiny scene at the end). We don't know what happens to Diamond Dogs, how Big Boss and Miller join Foxhound, what role Venom plays between MGS5 and MG1, etc
We can be reductionist and say that MGS2 doesn't lead into MGS4 since we don't see every story beat of Snake aging into an old man between MGS2 and MGS4. But that would be reductionist. The fact is that the closing scenes of TPP overlap with the final moments of MG1. Kojima not only bridged the timelines, he overlapped them. Whether you find this satisfying is entirely up to you, but the point is that Kojima went into this story with intent to end in Outer Heaven, and he did. It's easy to see how he could really, truly believe this was the last MGS, and thus put in his "thank you" gesture accordingly.
 
But it doesn't (apart from that tiny scene at the end). We don't know what happens to Diamond Dogs, how Big Boss and Miller join Foxhound, what role Venom plays between MGS5 and MG1, etc

I have a question. What by-the-numbers prequel story has EVER been good? Did the Star Wars prequels really improve that story? Did seeing the future war and Kyle Rees' origin in Terminator Salvation add to that franchise?

Kohima is smart enough to know that filling in the blanks is not what makes a compelling story, you can argue that the story in MGSV isn't compelling (I think it is) but I can assure you that a story focused on filling in the blanks wouldn't be any more interesting. Time and time again has shown us that's not how good stories are written.
 

brau

Member
I have a question. What by-the-numbers prequel story has EVER been good? Did the Star Wars prequels really improve that story? Did seeing the future war and Kyle Rees' origin in Terminator Salvation add to that franchise?

Kohima is smart enough to know that filling in the blanks is not what makes a compelling story, you can argue that the story in MGSV isn't compelling (I think it is) but I can assure you that a story focused on filling in the blanks wouldn't be any more interesting. Time and time again has shown us that's not how good stories are written.

MGS3 is a prequel and is considered by a lot of people to be the best MGS so far. Even if its not the best by some, its still a very good prequel.
 

Neiteio

Member
MGS3 is a prequel and is considered by a lot of people to be the best MGS so far. Even if its not the best by some, its still a very good prequel.
To be fair, MGS3 has the advantage of being the genesis title. It is the first chronologically and effectively had a blank slate where it only needed to conform to future titles in the series. It is comparatively devoid of baggage. TPP, meanwhile, was in the unenviable position of trying to be interesting while bridging two full-fledged timelines, and by "trying to be interesting" I mean not simply showing the stuff you expect.

Again, the fanbase is obviously split on whether we love or hate what we got it. I love it, you don't. And that's fine. These spoiler threads will be never-ending, but the discussion is vibrant and good.
 

Ashura_MX

Member
You're free to feel however you want about it, but I just see it as a touching "thank you" from the man on his last MGS game, and possibly the last MGS game ever (unless the pachinko game is canon...)

Funny, "thank you" works for me if he knew he was done with Konami (he can still fuck off for the marketing misdirection)
 

tariniel

Member
Why does Skull Face want revenge on Big Boss? I'm still fuzzy about this. They explained that his lust for revenge overpowered Volgin's so his will took over, but I don't understand what Big Boss did to get him so pissed in the first place.

Why does Quiet want revenge on Big Boss? Is it because she got burned in the hospital? Or something before that?
 

Roni

Member
Why does Skull Face want revenge on Big Boss? I'm still fuzzy about this. They explained that his lust for revenge overpowered Volgin's so his will took over, but I don't understand what Big Boss did to get him so pissed in the first place.

Why does Quiet want revenge on Big Boss? Is it because she got burned in the hospital? Or something before that?

Big Boss is just a stepping stone to get to Zero, who represents what Skull Face truly hates. Attacking Big Boss leads to Zero.

As for Quiet, it's the target that got away. But she never expected falling in love with the damn target.
 

Roni

Member
Not really? He got the Zero intel from Paz already. Why go after MSF after that?

It was just another thread that could lead him to Zero in case Paz lied.
In 1984? Loose end. Look at what happened to him because he didn't tend to it in time.
 
Miller left Big Boss and went back to working for Cipher/Patriots, Big Boss builds Outer Heaven, development of TX-55, Big Boss infiltrates the US government while evading Patriot oversight, Solid Snake early military years, Liquid Snake is off doing his own thing with Mantis. There are things. But I'm not sure how this question leads us anywhere, it's clear things happened between those games.



The parasites killed Zero, Skull Face locked Big Boss in a revenge loop for 30 years, Diamong Dogs has about much effect as MSF. Sahelanthropus was an incomplete piece of technology that didn't come to pass. It only worked because of Mantis. Hence why Rex couldn't stand on its own legs without reverse knee joints. Otacon, as brilliant as he was, couldn't solve that problem. You're making brittle criticism that could be easily aimed at Peace Walker and MGS3.



Why? Venom Snake had a horn and prosthetic hand in 1984. By 1995 we have no idea how far technology has advanced. In 2009, Ocelot has an organic hand implanted into his right arm and we have no idea how common that technology is by then.
Could have easily been venom commanding foxhound too. I dunno. Other than the twist most of it is pretty easy to comprehend. No more or less than other games. Especially 2
 

Roni

Member
Could have easily been venom commanding foxhound too. I dunno. Other than the twist most of it is pretty easy to comprehend. No more or less than other games. Especially 2

Could be, just another interpretation in a sea of possibilities. Right now I'm torn between Venom working with BB to the very end and Solid Snake being an extremely effective fall guy and Big Boss turning out to be a good guy all along while Venom became the villain we all heard Big Boss was. There are cases for both, but I tend to believe in the first one for now... Second one is still cooking in my head.

How so? Big Boss was set up to just die in that chopper, right?

If Big Boss survived, he would go after Cipher - who is Zero. Skull Face wins.
If Big Boss was injured/died, he could catch Zero while he made a move to help/avenge his old friend. Skull Face wins.

Turns out both weren't needed/didn't happen. Paz spilled her guts after being raped and beaten.
 
Could be, just another interpretation in a sea of possibilities. Right now I'm torn between Venom working with BB to the very end and Solid Snake being an extremely effective fall guy and Big Boss turning out to be a good guy all along while Venom became the villain we all heard Big Boss was. There are cases for both, but I tend to believe in the first one for now... Second one is still cooking in my head.



If Big Boss survived, he would go after Cipher - who is Zero. Skull Face wins.
If Big Boss was injured/died, he could catch Zero while he made a move to help/avenge his old friend. Skull Face wins.

Turns out both weren't needed/didn't happen. Paz spilled her guts after being raped and beaten.
The "villain we all heard Big Boss was" comes out of MG2, i.e the real one.

MG1 Big Boss wasn't even doing anything, the world got wind of Metal Gear and so they wanted OH shut down.
 

Roni

Member
The "villain we all heard Big Boss was" comes out of MG2, i.e the real one.

MG1 Big Boss wasn't even doing anything, the world got wind of Metal Gear and so they wanted OH shut down.

You mean the Big Boss that went out of his way to rescue the resistance members that opposed the original Outer Heaven after it was bombed back to the stone age? Yeah, well, excuse me if I haven't made my mind up on that count.
 

Nerrel

Member
Finally finished the game today. I assumed chapter two would have a well formed "fake" ending with a big climactic boss fight, just like ch. 1- maybe it wasn't the ending Kojima wanted- the ending of the whole game- but still a clean break to go out on. I was not prepared to replay the first mission and get an extra cutscene.

It's temping to blame Konami, but I have to question why Kojima didn't put more priority on key sequences... like the ending of the entire game. The thought that they recorded days worth of audio cassette dialog to slog through and dedicated several different cutscenes specifically to Quiet's tits is kind of frustrating when the final mission was left half finished. It's not as if they had an entire chapter to go, it was just one more mission.


I was actually fine with the story otherwise. Sure, it's paced oddly, and it doesn't always tie into the narrative of the series with much impact, but it's nice to get a break from intensely complicated 20 minute dialog scenes.


Not really? He got the Zero intel from Paz already. Why go after MSF after that?

I assumed that Big Boss and MSF were the biggest (and only) threat to his plan for nuclear proliferation and world domination. Obviously, seeing how Snake and DD did successfully stop his plan, it would have only been natural for Skullface to foresee some form of threat coming from them.
 

Palpable

Member
The more I think about it the more it seems this game is a big slap in the face to all the fans. Parasites, lack of pace, lack of cutscenes, pulling an MGS2 twist (but horribly executed), Mantis being Superman, etc. It's like Kojima didn't really want this to be an MGS game. It sure as shit didn't feel like one. He clearly didn't take into account all the criticism he got from MGS4 & using nanomachines to explain every damn thing. We didn't need parasites to explain the Cobra's abilities nor did we need Skull Face & the XOF to have been behind the scenes helping Big Boss in MGS3! XOF as Cipher's strike force was a cool enough concept alone, they just added shit to it & cheapened MGS3.

Take me back to the glory days of MGS 1, 2, and 3.

Anyone notice when Venom punches the mirror with his robotic hand, the reflection is his own arm? Interesting.

I don't think anyone else noticed that at all.
 
Top Bottom