I need scissors! 61! - December 12th, 2001 - Arpad Korossy
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. Am I the only one who thinks Rose has an uncanny resemblence to Aki? Don't say we didn't warn you.
So. I guess the deal is that I'm supposed to answer your letters now, or something like that, so I guess we should get started. First off, the topic is still almost all MGS2, so if you haven't finished Metal Gear Solid 2 yet, read no further. You have been warned.
I apologize if today's column comes off as a bit rushed, but at the moment my life is crumbling around me thanks to finals, so I hope you'll be somewhat forgiving. In any case, by tomorrow I should have a lot more time on my hands which hopefully means a better column. That being said, let's take a look at these so-called "letters" of yours.
| No white-haired bishounen is complete without a cool sword |
|
Sure, Raiden had that annoying, needy wench for a girlfriend.
Sure, he looked like a he-she and the President fondled his junk.
And he had to replace one of the greatest badasses of all time in Solid Snake.
But come on guys, he had a sword. For the five minutes before you fought the Metal Gear Ray army, Raiden was a hardass. You could slice up anything that had bodily functions and not care! In fact, my biggest complaint with the game (aside from Jack not shooting Rose in the face when she shows up in the ending…) was that the sword wasn’t offered as a special item for the Plant by collecting Dog Tags. Wigs my ass. Who the hell needs infinite grip or oxygen? I couldn’t think of anything more fun to do than sneak through the big shell gut those bastards like salmon! I mean, that’s the next best thing to playing as the ninja, right? I think we can all agree that smearing terrorist blood on the walls with a big ass sword = pure fun.
- El Coucho
|
The sword was, indeed, one of the coolest gimmicks in MGS2. One of the big selling points of the VR Missions had been the ability to play as the Ninja, sword and all, and getting to use his sword again in MGS2 made my day. Not to mention the controls for the sword, which could scarcely have been more intuitive.
Unfortunately, the sword, as well as Raiden's presence, was thoroughly spoiled for me by the manual well before I got to that point, which was more than a little annoying. Kojima had been extremely careful about not leaking any information on Raiden to the press, even going so far as to replace Raiden with Snake in certain scenes for the sake of the E3 2001 trailer, and then spoiled everything in the first dozen pages of the manual itself. Not a smart move.
| He's not really the main character, you just play as him for the vast majority of the game |
|
Arpad. First things first.
I hate Rose.
I really, really do. She's about as hot as 100 polygons can be, but if I
hear her talk to Raiden just ONE MORE TIME about their relationship as
he's trying to rescue the President and save the world, I'm going to
break her and the damn disc in two.
ROSE: "Jack, why can't you relax when you're with me?"
RAIDEN: ".... What?"
ROSE: "You never sleep next to me! Why, Jack? I need to know why!"
RAIDEN: "Listen, honey, do you have any idea how many people I've killed
in the past three hours?"
ROSE: "Talk to me, Jack!"
RAIDEN: "That's it. Colonel, could you take those scissors you were
wanting and jam them in Rose's ear?"
COLONEL: "You are Mister Jelly! Vroop! Vroop!"
RAIDEN: ".... Screw you guys."
Raiden himself was a bad move by Kojima. I don't know where he got the
idea that a 'younger, more handsome' character was what the public
wanted. And the fact that Jack didn't know a thing about his situation
and came across as sounding like a ninja turtle didn't help matters.
I read and enjoyed Gamespot's 'Final Hours of MGS2' feature--which was about as complete as any I've read on the subject--so I know the
rationale behind the inclusion of a new PC. After all, as Kojima pointed
out, the player would have to be instructed as to the game's mechanics,
and there's no reason that Solid Snake wouldn't know all that stuff
already.
That doesn't mean that Raiden wasn't an irritating little dipshit,
though. And there's no reason that they should have to explain to HIM
how to aim guns or hang off railings either ... that's what those '300
VR missions' he was always talking about were for.
Frankly, everything related to MGS 2 is kinda pissing me off these days.
I feel, well, TRICKED: all available evidence up to release day,
including the GIA's own review, pointed to this being a great
installment to a great franchise. Instead, I ended up laying down just
short of $90 (I'm Canadian) for ... what? A highly experimental treatise
on the nature of government and humanity, written at an eighth-grade
level. Brief bouts of terrific gameplay interspersed with rambling
cutscenes so long they would make you doubt the creator's sanity if the
nonsensical plot twists hadn't done so already. And antagonists having
degenerated from cold-eyed military specialists into cartoonish
supervillains.
Ocelot had even had an EVIL HAND, for crying out loud. When Kojima
starts getting his dramatic ideas from Evil Dead 2, it's time for him to
cut back on the Sudafed.
I fully realize that I'm being hard on the game, and it may sound like
I'm exaggerating its faults while overlooking its good points. That may
be. But for the game to start out so right and then go so tragically
wrong ... well ... that's a hard thing for a man to stomach. As Vestal
touched on yesterday, you could call it the 'Episode I' effect---that
gnawing tension in your gut as you slowly begin to realize that this
movie/game you've been anticipating is not only a disappointment, but
some sort of cruel deception.
- Sepp Dietrich
(P.S. Arpad -- say hi for me to Seb (Allan Milligan) if you see him in
IRC at some point.)
|
Well. Ultimately of course, I suppose anyone is perfectly justified in not liking Sons of Liberty, especially considering the departures it took from the style and tone of the first game, and with the trailers and hype making it out to be a bigger and better version of the original. However, I'd have to stand by those who continue to praise the game, as well as our review. The whole issue with Raiden is a major sticking point for many, of course, and was certainly something of a bait and switch.
In my personal opinion however, most of the risks Kojima took ultimately paid off, including Raiden, and the more I play the game the more I feel that's the case. Like many people, I didn't care for Raiden a great deal, and tolerated his presence more than enjoying it, but I think if you simply present him as replacing Solid Snake you miss the whole point. While Raiden was partially there to give the game an excuse to give you a bit of a tutorial, I think he was most effective because of the totally fresh perspective he gave on Snake. Up through the first three Metal Gear games, Snake's charcter has been mostly static: he's a loner with few real friends but incredible skill in battle, the "man who makes the impossible, possible." His character went through a major metamorphosis following Metal Gear Solid, however, and I think the changes are most clearly seen when you're not playing as Snake but seeing him through someone else's eyes.
In fact, I can say almost every scene in Metal Gear Solid 2 with Snake in it was extremely effective. As you grow less and less trusting of the Colonel (and I don't think anyone grew very attatched to Rose), Snake's role as a mentor for Raiden becomes all the more important, a role which he would have been completely unsuited for in the first Metal Gear Solid and earlier. The result was me coming to appreciate Snake a whole lot more than I think I would have had he been the player controlled character throughout the entire game. After all, as Kojima said, Snake definitely remains the main character, he's simply no longer the main narrator, and if you view Raiden as a foil for Snake rather than the main focus himself, he suddenly becomes a lot less offensive and even likable.
And if that doesn't do it for you, cheer up. Kojima has said it's unlikely that Raiden will return in future titles unless audience response to him is overwhelmingly positive, so the inevitable Metal Gear Solid 3 should hopefully satisfy your need for more Solid Snake.
| A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y |
|
Andrew,
First of all, the "La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo" is not just a string of the Japanese
alphabet. One character, I can't remember who, mentions an emperor who
banned and suppressed 5 syllables from being used in the alphabet (like
having a few more letters in ours). Those syllables are none other than
la-le-lu-le-lo, as Japanese only has ra-ri-ru-re-ro. So it's not just some
baby talk or alphabet string, there is a real meaning to that group's name.
Also, in all the Metal Gear discussions I see, it seems that the Emmerich
family always gets the shaft or a bad rap. In Metal Gear Solid 2
especially, the family members have an important part! Otacon is great
comic relief, with his horrible sayings and proverbs- so bad, in fact that
if you hear enough of them, Mei Lin will call and correct him! And why
doesn't anyone ever talk about E.E.? She was my favorite character in the
game (though it sucks that my second favorite character stabbed her in the
stomach). She's cute, smart, and funny. Granted, she pissed her pants and
has issues like her brother, but it's all part of the charm, in some odd
way. And I don't see how Otacon's final revelation is so bad- I found it
shocking, but in now way a story-destroying, uneeded device. I thought it
was well integrated. Same with all other plot points, I thought they were
great. The only thing I wish is that you had a story diversion part where
you could choose to keep Emma alive and get rid of that whiny fake Rose, but
I guess we can't have it all...
-Jefferson Q
|
Finally, a real explanation for the "La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo" thing, and one that actually makes quite a bit of senese. When I first heard them mentioned in the game it sounded extremely familiar for some reason, but I couldn't remember from where for the life of me.
And I'd basically have to agree with you about Otacon and Emma. Much like Snake, Otacon's character has also developed enormously since the last game, and seeing him and Snake interacting like old friends was one of the game's highlights for me. Almost definitely the scene that moved me most was Snake comforting him after Emma's death. And while, like Raiden, I mostly found Emma to be a foil for Otacon and Snake, I did get to like her character a lot and was quite shocked when she died so abruptly. Of course, next to Rose, almost any romantic interest for Raiden seems great. We can only hope for Raiden's sake that she's better in person than her GW simulated self.
| It depends on what your definition of 'hold' is |
|
Hello, Mr. Agent,
The MGS2 twist that surprised me the most was the fact that apparently the
President of the United States grabs guy's packages. It was like some crazy
reverse Bill Clinton thing. We all saw the President get a 'hold' of
aiden -- I hope we can all just admit it and move on.
-- Ur
|
I wasn't quite sure what to make of that myself. Apparently the President expected Raiden, or whoever the Patriots would send to kill him, to be female, but I honestly have no idea why. Of course you could assume that he's just a dirty old man who likes to grope total strangers as a conversation starter, and I guess that works too.
| You didn't do the required reading first, did you? |
|
“I hear it’s amazing when the famous purple stuffed worm in flap-jaw space with the tuning fork does a raw-blink on Hara-Kiri Rock. I need scissors! 61!”
That is absolutely the best quote to come out of a videogame, ever.
Beyond that, I guess I should say I really enjoyed MGS2. I like getting every little bit of dialogue a lot more than most of my friends (I’m never ready to leave a town until I’ve talked to every single generic townsperson), so the lengthy conversations didn’t really bother me so much. What did bother me was the abruptness of it all. When I first found myself in Arsenal Gear, I was aggravated that I hadn’t really taken the time to completely explore the Big Shell. And then, Arsenal Gear turned out to be all of two hallways, two rooms, and a huge Metal Gear Ray room. While the story made it clear that this was all that was needed, I still felt a bit cheated. Speaking of the story: perhaps this was only because I hadn’t slept for two days, but I had no problem with the numerous sub-plots, like Stillman’s leg and Otacon’s step-mother.
You know when the Colonel is acting weird, and tells you to turn off the game? The game’s over? Just pull the plug? Don’t you have anything better to do? That was the single most unexpected twist I have ever had in any videogame, ever. For all of Final Fantasy’s brilliance, it never had any moment so surreal as this one was.
Finally, two clarifications: Meryl doesn’t die; this is explained in the enormously-long Extras section, and the La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo ARE the Patriots, dang it.
Abundantly Obsequious,
Jason Love
"..."
Hey Arparadiddle,
Just a quick little comment to help out our Meryl-curious fellow.
After you take out Olga on the tanker, if you stare at her in first person
view and then call Otacon, you get a short dialouge (imagine that) to the
extent of:
[Otacon] "You still thinking about her?"
[Snake] "Nah, I'm through with Tomboys."
So there, at least a reference about Meryl, albeit an ambiguous
one. I tend to see this as a reference that Meryl lived, judging by the
tone of it, but it could go either way. Also, he does have the "Limitless"
bandana that you get from the Meryl ending. Of course, you also have the
Stealth Camo, but Otacon had that anyway. So I guess the answer is
"whatever ending you received is correct," but I'd say it leans towards
Meryl by a hair. Hell, if for no other reason than the fact that "Snake
never gives up! He would never submit to Ocelot's torture," or something
-Ted Copulate
P.S. Maybe the Konami just figured that with the US game already out, the
wouldn't be able to keep the Raiden secret in the closet anyway, so why not
revel in it. Still, I question a culture that accepts Raiden as a god...
er, that Raiden, not the real one.
Chris Alfano
|
A lot of people wrote in with various theories about Meryl, which means that a lot of people didn't read the excellent "Previous Story" section in the extras menu. If you have not done so, I suggest you do before playing any further. The second story is an absolutely hilarious bit of comic relief, but the 300 page (don't worry, they're really short pages) novella by Nastasha is extremely informative. It provides a useful bit of backstory as to the role of the Patriots in the events of the first Metal Gear Solid, gives a very large amount of background on Ames, and also confirms that Meryl survives and escapes with Snake.
Until I read this, however, I didn't think that Meryl was mentioned in the game proper. So I did a little research. The full exchange is:
Otacon: She's not dead, is she?
Snake: No, just knocked out. Looks like a little angel, doesn't she?
Otacon: What's gotten into you?
Snake: Nothing.
Otacon: Sleeping Beauty may have been awakened by Prince Charming's kiss, but you'd better not try it here.
Snake: I'm with you. Besides, I've had enough of tomboys.
I'm not quite sure what to make of this; it certainly seems to imply that Meryl survived but her and Snake are no longer together. While certainly possible, there doesn't seem to be a good reason for it, especially given the new, kinder, gentler Solid Snake. Of course that's not the only possible explanation; it wouldn't be stretching too much to assume that Snake merely means he's already spoken for. Ultimately it just depends on your personal feelings about Meryl and what you want to read into it.
| I agree with this letter by my right arm doesn't |
|
Hey,
One thing that I am wondering about that no one mentioned yet is how
people feel about the main antagonist of the game, Solidus.
The game basically sets you up in the beginning to ultimately defeat
Solidus and Dead Cell, but near the end of the story it seems like the
'Patriots' have become the true enemy. They play this huge mind game with
all of the characters, resulting in the death of most of the them, and they
ultimately use the world as their plaything. What Solidus wanted to do was
put an end to the Patriots and restore the power of the USA to the people,
as it was originally intended. When he got to that part in his speech about
the Sons of Liberty, I was totally behind him. Yet instead of joining him,
you are forced to kill him for the Patriots. It seems to me that Raiden is
the villain in that situation.
Solidus is definately the coolest of the new characters. How can anyone
deny the awesomeness of the scene where he leaps onto that malfunctioning
Ray and blasts the hell out of it with his p90? And what about the Doctor
Octopus-esque tentacles, and the dual blades? I think what I would most
like to see in a future sequel is Solidus in some sort of heroic role, and a
lot less of that wussy Raiden.
Servbot32
|
I grew to like Solidus by the end of the game as well, and I was happy he didn't turn out to be just another Liquid Snake. Ultimately he wanted little more than to overthrow the Patriots and actually be remembered in history. However, you have to remember that this is the same guy who trained child soldiers to fight and kill in civil wars, and who blew Olga away in cold blood; not a nice guy by any means. Also, he's the one who forces Raiden to fight him, not the other way around. And while he really doesn't have much potential to return in future sequels considering he's dead at the end of the game, Ocelot still has another arm left, right?
| Who Dares, Wins |
|
I hope that Konami, and hell, every game developer, continues to take
risks on the level that Sons of Liberty took. SoL took a hell of a lot,
and while there are criticisms, I don't know how anyone could not admire
the pure guts it took to pull it off. And there were a hell of a lot of
successes.
Biggest surprise;
Spoiler begin
6, count 'em 6 fucking Metal Gears to defeat.
I still haven't gotten over the shock.
Spoiler End.
DIM-SIX! OH MY GOD!
|
I think this is really the bottom line, so far as Metal Gear Solid 2 is concerned. Kojima could have given us a rehash of the first MGS, but I honestly think that I wouldn't have been happy with just another action movie plot, even a fairly good one as in MGS. The result is something I find far more ambitious. Certainly, it stumbles sometimes, and I won't deny that they could have hired a better editor. But I found that it's triumphs the more than make up for its failings. In fact, the final dialogue between the Patriots and Raiden, via the avatars of the Colonel and Rose, is really the first time I can recall playing a videogame and actually thinking "That's really profound."
Now, if only they'd hurry up and release Metal Gear Solid 3...
Closing comments:
Wow. There were a lot of good letters today, and I must say I'm very sorry to all those who didn't make the cut based on my very intense and totally arbitrary selection process. Truly a lot of good opinions, which invariably gives me the feeling that I mostly just used your letters to support and annotate my preformulated opinions. I guess that's the perk of being the letters host though.
In any case, there was actually another topic for today which I essentailly ignored due to the volume of MGS2 email, which is: what videogame plot twist surprised you the most, and how have your feelings about it changed since? So, let me know. I still have all the letters on the topic I got for today's column, so don't feel the need to resend.
- Arpad Korossy, who was a North American Fall Webworm in his past life.
|
|
|
|
