How is Metal Gear like a writing desk? - December 11th, 2001 - Andrew Vestal
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this column are those of the participants and the moderator, and do not neccessarily reflect those of the GIA. There is coarse language and potentially offensive material afoot. Sing a song - no music, no life. Don't say we didn't warn you.
A word before we begin: this column contains serious-ass spoilers for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. If you have yet to complete the game, then for God's sake, don't read any further. Go away. It's for your own good.
I'd like to give a shout out to Thor Antrim, RPG-community personality and friend to the GIA. Thor's in a bit of a situation right now, and he wants to know if the RPG community can lend him a hand. If you've followed Thor's work in the past, then you should check out what he has to say.
So: first, tie up a few loose ends from yesterday's column. Then, submerge ourselves in the world of Metal Gear Solid 2. Don't expect much in the way of witty commentary; I'll mostly be posting other people's thoughts as-is, and save my own feelings for my conclusion.
| This is nice and non-confrontational |
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AV,
I've got a real question I was wondering if you knew. Do Famicoms play NES games or do you need a converter like you do to play Famicom games on a NES? thanks.
Paul
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The pin count on NES and Famicom systems is different (i.e., the cartridges have physically different shapes), so yes! You do need a converter. Make sure you get the right type; Famicom to NES and NES to Famicom are each their own separate set of problems, and each has its own set of possible adapters.
| Stimulus, response |
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Andrew, you poor poor fool. I thought you would have noticed by now that
people who still think Aeris can be revived are immune to and DO NOT
understand sarcasm. I have little doubt that by now you've received several
requests from people to purchase copies from you. Oh well.
-another guy named Chris
Ok, I need to know for sure if you are serious about the FFVII save Aeris thing. If you are, I will gladly send you $60(us) for a copy. Hell, to me thats a bargain! I'm serious about this too, I would have to wait untill after Christmas though.
Anyways, I am willing to pay 60 bucks for that, if it is true. But if its not, and you send me one anyways, I will sue your ass so hard. :)
Thanks,
Cloud-VII
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I feel kind of sorry for Cloud-VII. Seriously. Guys, you can't bring Aeris back to life. I was just kidding! Who knew that my little jest would lead to the shattering of children's dreams? Sob.
| Driving in your car |
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Andrew,
While I agree with the thrust of yesterday's letter, even I can't deny that GTA3 is, at its heart, a driving game. Sure, you can run around and blow enemies away with a pared-down version of Ocarina Of Time's Z-trigger targeting, but you still spend a good 90% of your time cruising around in some stolen vehicle or another.
-Drew
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Point taken. But I think it says something about the state of the game industry that we're even have this discussion about what is ostensibly a driving game. If a "mere" driving game now offers interesting characters and a compelling narrative, then what sets RPGs, as a genre, apart? A clunky, turn-based battle system? Whiny, poorly-handled philosophical musings? An ungodly number of gameplay hours?
A lot of people wrote in wondering why we cover game X but not Y, etc. Godel's Incompleteness Theorem proves that any explanation of the system the GIA chooses games to cover would necessarily be more complicated and larger than the GIA itself. It's probably easiest to just accept that the GIA chooses what games it covers nigh-anarchically. Or try a tautology; the GIA covers games that are on the GIA. The GIA does not cover games that are not on the GIA. Q.E.D.
| A popular opinion |
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Everyone seems to hate this Raiden fellow.
I"ve no problem with him really.
In fact I would gladly play another metal gear game with Raiden as the staring character if the first thing I see when I press the power button is ROSEMARY SHOT DEAD. That crazy neurotic bitch must not be in the next game! She drives me insane! I am shocked that I haven't heard anyone bashing her! Poor Raiden. I swear to god, 99% of there conversations play this tune:
RAIDEN: Well, I'm doing very well on my mission to stop these terrorists and save the President while avoiding getting shot at/killed/preventing others from being killed, fight superhuman enemies, and generaly complete an impossible task all on my own.
ROSEMARY: But we never spend any time together!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, maybe I'm overeacting.
-Eugene T. Wimbley, now starring in "THE ROSEMARY CHAINSAW MASSACRE"
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No, you're not overreacting. In fact, to judge from many of today's letters, your reaction is quite normal.
| Snake! This is how you chew your food! |
Hey there tall vest,
You know, I think the true irony of Kojima's increased focus on "cinematic style" is that, besides some neato camera work, he's a pretty piss poor director. Where the man shines is gameplay. It's pretty sad, but I keep telling people "it's much better the second time through when you're not paying attention to the story."
Now I'm sure that the gameplay being bogged down by the ludicris
story: "how about, every time you save you have a fight with your girlfriend? How about a minimum of 20 minutes of melodrama for each dialouge moment?" great gameplay ideas there, Kojima. Did we REALLY need that extended bit about Stillman's leg? Was I the only one that just found himself saying "just shut the hell up" constantly?
But I have another gripe with this game. You simply do not get enough time to enjoy the gameplay. If Vagrant Story had a bit too few cutscenes for all of the gameplay, MGS2 had WAY too many. As a side not of this, did anyone else feel like they were playing a tutorial the entire time? They lead you by the hand through each objective, when often all you probably need is a little jab of a hint and you could probably figure it out. Once again, they just need to talk less. How about, just tell me that I need to get to that point, or save this person, and then if I need more help on how to do it, that's what the Colonel's codec channel is for. It drove me nuts listening to all that babble when I know exactly what I should be doing, but I don't want to skip it because I might miss an important plot point in the process.
Which brings me to my final point, I actually felt like I had fewer uses for each item per mission. Sure I could use Nikitas and C4 on random gaurds, but I would have enjoyed a few more puzzles that made use of more random items, puzzles where I could have used different items to achieve the same objective, etc. This did happen occasionally, which was nice (did anyone else tranquilize an entire row of guards during the tanker speach and then push right past them?), but all in all, I felt like I was continually hand-held through one weapon tutorial after another, just to get to the next increasingly asinine plot point.
But still, it was more enjoyable the second time through, just playing it for the fun of it. Kojima has to learn to tell a good story. If he wants to get more mature with conspiracy theories and the like, fine, but do it well. His grade school exestentialism and X-files mumbo jumbo ain't cutting it. You don't think the Patriots could have tested human nature in a slightly less cost effective way? Jesus.
-Ted Copulate
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I also have been enjoying MGS2 even more on the replay; without having to wonder what plot twists are just around the corner, I can play for the sheer exuberant joy of the game itself. And the game engine and gameplay are really, really good.
I also found the handholding of the player to be a bit overbearing at times in both games; personally, I find the nadir to be in the original MGS, when the Colonel calls Snake to tell him to "use the action button to climb the ladder!" As if a grizzled battle veteran, survivor of the original Outer Heaven and a subsequent skirmish in Zanzibarland, needed to be told how to climb a ladder.
| Bait and switch |
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The big secret in MG2 worked. I never saw it coming. There I was in complete awe while playing the game the whole "tanker" level. "This," I thought to myself, "is what I've waited so long for". Then came the movie that ended the tanker level. What could possibly happen next?
Raiden happened next. It was uncomfortable at first. I didnt care for the character too much, but figured Snake has to return sometime, right? So, I waited, and waited, and waited. Uh-oh, this twerp is the lead character.......damn.
Dont get me wrong. MG2 is an exelent videogame. Visuals, sound, controls, ect. Very well done, but I hate Raiden! For a while, I tried to be mature about it. I tried to accept it. Denial didnt work for long. A huge part of the Metal Gear "experience" is the attitude of Snake himself & that was completely lost with Raiden.
I remember being so immersed in Metal Gear Solid that I could practically feel the cold air as Snake's breath showed outside while running through the snow. With Raiden, it was more like going through the motions. I felt disconnected as hell. Could he be anymore Snake's opposite? Not only was this guy an idiot, but a sissy-looking one as well.
I realise the pretty-boy look is a popular Japanese theme, but this is Metal Gear! If they believed so much in this character, fine, give him his own game, but dont dare call it MG2. Ugg.
Anyway, once again, it is a great video game. It's just that there was a "mood" that was lost this time around.
Zombie
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The changes to Raiden's character and the Plant section of the game are certainly drastic, to say the least. Your comments on Raiden's character being a "popular Japanese theme" bring up a curious point. In America, Raiden's existence was a closely guarded secret up until the moment of release. In Japan, on the other hand, the two weeks between the U.S. release and the Japanese release were absolutely flush with Raiden information. Our bishounen hero made it onto no less than three magazine covers and appeared in any number of informative features. He even shares the Japanese box art with Snake and appears in screenshots on the box's back.
One has to wonder if the level of Raiden's publicity was raised and lowered by territory according to his expected reception. That is, was he secret in the U.S. because, deep down, Konami knew that U.S. gamers would reject a white-haired, pretty boy avatar? And was he pushed hard in Japan for exactly the opposite reason?
| Do something about your long, filthy hair |
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Dear Andrew:
Considering that Japan is faster than America (and most of the world), I'm still wondering why Monday's column is only up on Tuesday.
1. What I'd like to see in MGS3 is a mulletless Snake. I don't care what they do to the story, I don't care how preachy it becomes, give Snake a better haircut dammit!
2. Are all Japanese people really natural-born anime artists?
3. Just what exactly do you *do* in Japan?
Despite what everyone says about your Moogle cosplaying, that was definitely a very very very brave thing to do, wing or no. I salute you!
DMJ
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As visionary poet Wesley Willis said in his classic "Cut the Mullet": "Take your ass to the barber shop / Tell the barber that you're sick of looking like an asshole." I don't find Snake's hair to be the point of contention it is with many gamers, but I think it would be a good career move to change his 'do.
My job in Japan is teaching English to high school students. And to judge from their notebook covers, people in Japan have no more or less natural artistic talent than anyone else in the world. "Super-deformed," indeed.
| An embarassment of riches |
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Sons Of Liberty. Mmm....I will admit to being impressed as all hell. It's a great thing. Really.
Great things, oddly, open themselves up to a different kind of criticism, usually in the form of backlash (see FFVII). Most of the time that backlash is just a bunch of people not wanting to go with the crowd, in my opinion, however, there are often nuggets, and sometimes big chunks, of truth in that criticism.
I don't think the gameplay, graphics or sound effects will come under fire in Sons of Liberty. People complaining about this are nitpicking-looking for flaws instead of enjoying themselves.
The but starts here:
The talking. So much talking. The story gets too convoluted for its own good, and the complaint that you watch the game almost as much as you play it is a valid one, for me.
Hideo-you need an editor. I'm sorry. The ideas he attempted to convey were interesting, and the way it meshed with Metal Gear Solid was done very well, I thought. Using Raiden as a story device I have no troubles with whatsoever. But if I have to watch the cutscenes over and over just to understand what the hell's going on, then there's a problem.
Hell, I still don't quite get it."le-la-li-lo-lu"? Or somesuch crap? That was never satisfactorily explained for me, and it pisses me off. I read books! Big ones, damnit! I should be able to follow this, shouldn't I?
So-Metal Gear 3?
1) I wouldn't mind if it was longer. Sons of Liberty was plenty long for me, but things seemed too compacted at the end, and that buried it.
2) Clarity. Know what is excess (Raiden's love story) and what needs to be there. Do what you do well, ditch the rest. I don't mind a love story, but this wasn't done very well.
3) Better music. The sound was great, but the music in MGS was so much better than SoL. Hire someone who at least knows what Metal Gear Solid is, next time. I can't remember when a musical score has been more lifeless.
4) Keep the sense of humor. For me, the in-jokes and goofy stuff, this is what kept SoL from being a lethally serious endeavor.
5) Next time, take the time you need to get it right.
DIM-probably too wordy for his own good
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A friend of mine who had a chance to play Metal Gear Solid 2 before its official release confided to me: "Hideo Kojima is completely unchecked." I think that's the major problem with the story's narrative; not that it's BAD, per se, but that it's so completely unfocused. It seems like Kojima put every idea he had into the game; the result is a lot of great ideas overshadowed by a few glaringly awful ones. Every time Metal Gear Solid 2's story flirted with greatness, the unexplained "La-li-lu-le-lo," Ocelot's magical talking head, or Otacon's stepmother *shudder* raised their ugly, mood-destroying heads.
I hate to bring up Star Wars, but cf. George Lucas and The Phantom Menace. A fabulous production with a lot of strong points and good ideas. Unfortunately, no one remembers the movie's great aspects; instead, they remember Jar Jar Binks, midochlorians, and the pod race announcer. The audience is groaning so hard at the narrative missteps that the quality bits are all-but-ignored. On a brighter note, The Empire Strikes Back, widely considered the best and most mature of the Star Wars series, was the result of Lucas taking a step back in involvement and turning directing duties over to another. Perhaps Kojima's reduced involvement in Metal Gear Solid 3 is exactly what the series needs to find its way again.
Though "La-li-lu-le-lo" still makes no sense, I feel compelled to point out that these are five adjacent members of the Japanese syllabary, and slightly more coherent than it might sound to English-speaking ears. A spiritual English equivalent for the name might be something along the lines of the "LMNOP." And I must concur on the music; Harry Gregson-Williams may be a professional film composer and have received top billing, but that doesn't make the soundtrack any more lackluster.
| Meryl? Never heard of 'er. |
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Am I the only one wondering what the heck happened to Meryl? One of the main reasons I wanted to play the game (besides the gripping plot, unparalleled graphics, good soundtrack, etc.) was to find out whether or not she really died at the end of MGS. Imagine my surprise when I finish the game without hearing a single mention of her. Not one. At first I thought the Ninja might be revealed to be her but I ended up being sorely dissapointed. And if she did die, why didn't Snake ever mention it? Thanks a lot, Kojima!
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I certainly wondered about Meryl's fate pre-release, but after playing Metal Gear Solid 2. ultimately decided it just wasn't that important. Chalk it up to "Bond girl" syndrome - Snake's too cool to stay with a single girl for more than one game. Dead or dumped, Meryl's 15 minutes of fame are up.
| The Fabulous Destiny of Solid Snake |
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Yo AV,
You really shouldn't have said that about the Japanese FFVII...people did reply asking for a copy, didn't they?
Anyway, MGS2 is, overall, a great game. I think the GIA's review covered it pretty well. The story itself was good, but it clearly began to break down during the final act. It seems like it was trying to create an all-encompassing philosophy about life, while many players just want to go break a few more necks. The first MGS played more like an action movie. This one seems like a foreign film.
I don't really know what to expect. Since Kojima won't be working on the next one, it will be interesting where the next game goes. I think that Kojima will develop the basic story, but try to resist doing much more. I hope the bosses in the next game are a little more developed, as well. Vamp and Fortune were all well and good, but there was no explanation for their powers, which seemed too hokey. And the complete lack of extras (outside dogtags and a camera) is a shame, too. If only Emma could be saved...
--The Steve
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I think this is most gamers' biggest problem with Metal Gear Solid 2: it's very, very different from the first game. If you go into Metal Gear Solid 2 expecting "the first, only more," then you're going to come away disappointed. In some respects, Konami themselves are to blame for the sudden backlash. By keeping the major narrative and gameplay changes under wraps, the advertising campaign created expectations contrary to what the final game delivered. More on this phenomenon later.
| Brief. To the point. |
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Jack sucks.
MGS2 is cool.
MGS2 has too much story in too short of a game.
That's all.
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Nice to get at least one letter complaining about narrative overflow that actually follows its own advice.
| "Ignore the sound of helicopter rotors in the background, ha ha." |
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Hey AV,
I've had enough time to play through MGS2, even so far as to get the cloaking device for both missions. During those playthroughs, each of the problems with the story become more magnified. Yet I still stick with my original comment: MGS2 is one of the best games I have ever played.
Every time I look at a game element in MGS2 and think it could have been done so much better, I simply need to load up the original (blessed backwards-compatibility) and see how far we have come. Metal Gear Solid is utterly barbaric by comparison, whether its the control scheme, graphics, or Master Miller's annoying turncoat dialogue.
Yeah, Otacon's latest story twist was not worth leaving in. Rose's banter is really out of place for a top-secret rescue mission (and what the hell, Jack & Rose, is this Titanic all over again?). But compare that to the other side: the Otacon codec messages in the Tanker get better and better, Snake maintains his mental prowess even when Raiden does not (the false side-turning to board Arsenal was brilliant), and, on the far reaches: Kojima actually legitimized the existence of Nastasha Romanenko! Huzzah!
KZ
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Your point about Master Miller is well taken. In the rush to bash Metal Gear Solid 2, gamers seem eager to forget that the first Metal Gear Solid was also an overly-dramatic game steeped in cheesy melodrama, overly-complicated plot twists, seat-of-your-pants plotting, too much time on the codec screen, etc. Many of Metal Gear Solid 2's most egregious flaws have always been with us. I replayed MGS two weeks before MGS2's release, in preparation, and was shocked at how corny some--no, most--of the dialogue was. Try saying "Super Baby Method" outloud without snickering.
Well, time heals all wounds. In the meantime, your stance is a good, even-minded approach to take towards the game; it acknowledges the title's flaws without letting them overshadow its towering achievements.
Closing comments:
So, how do I feel about Metal Gear Solid 2? Well, I like it. A lot. I'll keep this short and say that, though many parts of the plot bothered me, I simply shook my head, rolled my eyes, and moved on to the next impeccable set piece. Overall, however, I enjoyed the story greatly. I like Raiden, though he could stand to lose his girlfriend. I liked the S3 project, both in the sense of Solid Snake Simulation and Selection for Societal Sanity. I liked the way the theme of being shaped by your environment dovetailed with the original game's theme of being shaped by your heritage. And I was absolutely thrilled by the game post-interrogation sequences with Raiden; wordiness aside, I considered the endgame to be one of the title's strongest points.
Love or hate what Kojima did to the series, the man had a radical vision and he saw it through to the end. Not everything may have worked as well he hoped, but the title's sheer amount of experimentation and numerous ballsy risks ultimately won my heart. Konami could have asked Kojima to play it safe and satisfy fans the world over; instead, they let him take some major risks with their marquee series. That willingness to take unnecessary risks is why, despite its flaws, I love and respect the game. Falling on your face is the price of trying to fly.
Arpad Korossy, the GIA's military wing, is filling in for Erin tomorrow. Feel free to continue the Metal Gear Solid 2 discussion; there's a lot to be said here, and we've only scratched the surface. If like a more concrete topic for discussion, try this one: what videogame twist surprised you the most? How did the twist make you feel at the time - and how do you feel about it now? Spoilers are sure to abound; please mark them carefully.
- Andrew Vestal, unapologetic.
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