The Metal Gear Solid Series

[LithiumFox]

Originally Posted by [R-DEV]OkitaMakoto

Ohhh man. I love me some MGS. Its seriously the only reason I continue to play consoles. And one of the only reasons Id lean towards the playstation.

I dont think I have much time now, but Ill write some more later and see where discussion is going.

A ranking, in my opinion-
MGS3
MGS1
MGS2
MGS4

MGS3 was absolutely amazing. They added such great new concepts like the camo index and stamina bar and yet they didnt overdo it. Sometimes it was a tad annoying to have to switch camo all the time, but I seriously got a LOT of enjoyment out of that. The biggest downside to MGS3 was the bosses imo. Not that they werent entertaining, but except for The End and The Boss, I didnt feel connected to them at all.

I get chills every time I watch this video...


MGS1, the Solid game that started it all[im not going to talk about the older NES/MSX versions] MGS1 I played when I was in 5th or 6th grade, maybe early middle school. Simply amazing. Great story, straightforward except for the typical MGS plot twists at the end. Great gameplay, great voice acting for a game of its time. I really cant point out anything bad about it. The only reason MGS3 rates above it imo is because three had the graphical/technological advantage to allow more things to be possible. MGS1 had amazing boss battles like Raven in the tank, PSYCHO MANTIS!?!?! Sh*t was bananas. Sniper Wolf... Ocelot. I think MGS1 had the best boss battles and best "cast" of bosses in any of the games.

[SPOILER MGS2, HIGHLIGHT INVISIBLE AREA]
MGS2. What can I say, for some reason Im a HUGE fan of this one. Most people I know hate it. It was my first game for the PS2 and I played it from start to finish probably 20-30 times. Got all the dogtags, all difficulties. I wasnt a big fan of the characters you had to fight. Fortune was a bit meh to me, fatman was...interesting. And the whole thing smelled of MGS1, **spoiler**but once you get to the end and get the whole "simulation" spiel it settles a lot easier. **/spoiler** MGS2 just holds a special place in my heart as it was the first I really played over and over and had the most experiences with.

MGS4, by NO means a bad game, or even a subpar game. I feel bad placing it in 4th on my list because in all honesty, none of the games in the series deserve to be ranked "last" MGS4 just stands out in my mind as the amazing final MOVIE for the series. It's replay value is pretty low, the lowest out of all the series. You honestly DO spend more time watching [or skipping] cutscenes on follow up playthroughs than you do playing. The world is amazingly detailed but I still feel it was far too small for a game of its size. The areas you go to are all unique but at the same time, the available places to explore are very limited. You go to a forested area.....and still have to follow a small winding path, or you go to a middle eastern city....and have to take "this" road. Ten steps later youre watching a long cutscene. Now, I dont mind the cutscenes, in fact, they are what makes MGS4 worth playing[watching] As the 4th game in the series, it had its own work cut out for it. It had to sum up 20 years of complex plot twists and crazy human interaction. Because of that, Im not too sure it could have been made any other way. So, it wasnt bad, the plot and summing up of all the other games was AMAZING. But, I still feel like it could have had more play time, especially being on the PS3, installing onto your system, and having so much memory to work with... could have had some bigger environments and REALLY let us get our sneak on.

I got all teary eyed at the end of MGS3, I cant believe that they **spoiler** MAKE YOU PULL THE TRIGGER AND KILL THE BOSS! **spoiler** MGS4 ripped my heart out during the [IF YOU HAVENT BEATEN IT DO NOT, REPEAT DO NOT READ THIS IT WILL RUIN IT FOR YOU, IM TALKING TO YOU SAWYER]**spoiler** crawling through the microwave emitter scene. And the whole god damn end. Bawwww, Jesus, that was too much. Meeting Big Boss? Man, I lost it... thought snake killed himself then the credits start...then stop, then big boss... Killing off Zero by cutting off his oxygen? Whew... That whole last cutscene was killer! But so amazing **spoiler**

By far my absolute favorite game series of all time. As a Japanese studies major with a film minor I love the gaming AND film aspect of the series. For my senior thesis I plan on writing a sort of cultural study and film analysis of the series. Highlighting very "Japanese" aspects, showing its very strong Japanese roots [Hibakusha(atomic bomb victims), anti-war sentiment, ninjas, honor] and even some stronger connections I am working on filling out while in Japan related to MGS4 and the "War Economy" it portrays as a "beast". How the Japanese youth are raised in a society that expects them to simply work for the economic good of the nation. How originally a plan was set in motion to create a strong Japan, but the fact that it never slowed, never settled, and instead continues to press on to this day resulting in overwork, underpay, underpayed or non-payed overtime, etc. It probably sounds like a big stretch and very confusing but trust me, there are more than enough strong connections to write about, I just need to get it all down on paper and then into an understandable form

Still needs putting in a readable form, but Im hoping to really get something good out of it. And Ill be sure to post it when Im done[wont be until 2010 though


Every year, 2 friends and I play through all the games in the Solid series during our Metal Gear Solid Weekend. But now I fear its grown too long and we will have to do the MGS Week, not weekend

Looking forward to seeing them experience MGS4, as neither has played it yet!


Also got the MGS Philanthropy Movie coming out in February. Fan made, amazing effects and really good locations. TONS of work put into this and I cant wait to see where they go with it.
Two trailers:
Voice acting in the irst one is hard to follow, but might just have to use Subs, theyre italian. I think it also will be dubbed better for final release. We'll see. Only a minor setback



And the website, though not much is on the site yet, its really well put together.
MGS Philanthropy - HOME

in a non-gay way.... i love you... like a brother...

o.o that.. was amazing

^_^ MGS FTW!!!1

(mgs3 is the greatest.... i'm tied between the other 3... i don't know why... mgs2 is my least fav because of raiden... then he turns all ninja in 4 which is bull****)

[LithiumFox]

OH and for Metal Gear Online add me... once i remember what my name on it was XD

[0celot]

that film looks terrible, I love the series but the film is just weak

[Viki]

Well, ever since back in the days when I was at a friend and saw him play MGS1, I've always been a fan, even though I have only played MGS3 through myself and merely tested MGS2.
In my defence, I've watched the entire time when my friend has played through MGS1, MGS2 and MGS4. Yes. I enjoyed the plot. Don't you dare to judge me!

All the best,
Viki

[[R-DEV]OkitaMakoto]

So no one has anything I should ask the freaking director????? :P


Hmm.... I gotta have an amazing question. Ill still go, but having an awesome question would be freaking awesome :P

[A.J.Sawyer]

I don't knoooooooooooow Okita, he's like, too smart, so anything I could come up with would seem stupid!

[[R-DEV]Deadfast]

Lithium, is it really necessary to have a quote bigger then your reply?

It's eating up half of the page!



Anyways, I wish MGS4 would come for PC one day...

Very unlikely, but a man can dream.


As much as I love MSG I can't be arsed to buy PS3 just for one game

[[R-DEV]OkitaMakoto]

Originally Posted by A.J.Sawyer

I don't knoooooooooooow Okita, he's like, too smart, so anything I could come up with would seem stupid!

Hmmmmmm I got one more day. Try to think! :P

Im looking for something about how video games are continuing to advance technologically into an area as advanced as movies. Motion capture, professional voice actors, professional music, etc. And something about how that relates to video games and movies... if thats a good thing in his opinion, if more should follow suit[being a video game director instead of a movie director, etc]


man...... I dont know :P

Help me get ideas!!

[LithiumFox]

Originally Posted by Deadfast

Lithium, is it really necessary to have a quote bigger then your reply?

It's eating up half of the page!



Anyways, I wish MGS4 would come for PC one day...

Very unlikely, but a man can dream.


As much as I love MSG I can't be arsed to buy PS3 just for one game

yes... yes it is....
Oh come on... I went out and BOUGHT the freakin game and i STILL don't have a ps3...
it's a w.i.p..... that i'm failing at... i'm actually in debt... and i just turned 18... o.O
(i even got the limited edition copy that cost me 80 sum dollars)
another quote bigger than my reply XD

[[R-DEV]OkitaMakoto]

So, Im back at school and starting work on my senior thesis. A thirty page research paper related somehow to my major and minor [Japanese Studies and Film Studies]

Here's what Im turning in for my one page proposal tomorrow(sorry for wall of text internet reformatting):

Tom Wilson
8/30/2009
Gary DeCoker

Japanese Game Auteur: the Advent of Game as Cinema

The thesis for this paper will revolve around the concept that as video games continue to become progressively more technologically advanced, and as game designers begin to utilize the new tools to their full potential, video games will become the new medium to convey cinematic masterpieces that up til now where limited to recorded film. My paper will research, conceptualize, and discuss the fundamental differences between film and game as cinema, and what these differences result in. For example, a film is shown in a precise order and at the exact pace of the director/editors. Along with this, you are only shown what the director wants you to see within the given frame. Conversely, in a game it is the player who most commonly dictates the pace of progression and depending on the game, has great freedom in where and when to progress when outside of built in cut-scenes.

Following this, I will introduce what I and many others consider to be the forerunner of game directors who grasps this potential in games. Kojima Hideo, the director of the Metal Gear series, has been creating/directing games since the mid eighties and each of his games is anticipated with certain expectations, being the next of his works. This expectation that the game will include Kojima-esque themes mirrors that of fans of Kurosawa Akira films. More importantly, in addition to classifying Kojima as an example of a director with the foresight to see such possibilities in games, I will explore the idea that he is one of the first, if not the first Japanese Game Auteurs[The idea that a video game director's ideals and fingerprint is seen through his works. I also plan on mentioning others whom I believe to be considered Game Auteurs]. And as an extension from classifying Game Auteurs I will be discussing Kojima Hideo as a maker of National Games, the next evolutionary step from National Cinematography which states that films are a product of their nation and convey the ideals and values of their society.

The research I plan to do will mainly consist of using scholarly works concerning Film Studies and Japanese culture and society, and using these works as a means to explore their pertinence to Games. Concepts such as Film Auteur and National Cinema will need to be explained using definitions and brief examples[namely Ozu Yasujiro and Kurosawa Akira] Perhaps even more essential will be the Metal Gear Solid games themselves. Due to their rich dialogue concerning various themes strongly found in Japanese culture/society, these games will be invaluable to my thesis. These themes include but are not limited to hikikomori[shut-ins who close themselves off from society and rely on games, the internet, or other alternative means of interaction found wtihin their room], hibakusha [discriminated victims of the atomic bombings], otaku, ninja and mecha themes, Article 9 and the desire for complete nuclear disarmament. Along with this I will rely on various commercial websites for their reviews and information concerning these games. Lastly, I have a few internet and personal interviews and quotes from Kojima Hideo about his childhood making films, writing scripts, and about his feelings towards the internet age and upcoming video game designers. I had the privilege of attending an interview with Kojima at the Apple Store in Ginza, Japan on April 16 of 2009.

Most of what I will be exploring for my senior thesis will lie in the realm of Film Studies and Japanese Studies. I will be making good use of what I have learned in my various Film Studies courses to bring to light the fact that video game directors can now achieve similar products. In addition to Film Studies, a considerable amount of my paper will rest in cultural studies, seeing as it will run the gamut of social issues and matters of historical importance related to Japan. Finally, I would hope that through this paper, that it will be possible to give a breath of fresh air to the gaming world and perhaps spark new interest in their study as the latest extension of “cinema.”

Hahah... this is gonna be great...