Metal Gear

[Spark Of Spirit]

I'd also like to mention that the Tanker portion, which everyone liked, contains one of the dumbest moments in the whole game, which is the reveal of a dead person mind controlling someone else by having their arm attach to that person.

I once had an argument on TZ with Tetrisdork who called the arm twist in Bionic Commando stupid which negatively impacts the game, to which I said it's no stupider than anything Kojima ever wrote and yet he gets a pass for it because his gameplay is fun. But he couldn't explain why it negatively impacted one game and not the other. Either the story matters or doesn't. Besides, if you're playing Bionic Commando with the retro costume, it's radical the whole way through.

To stay on topic, I'm not going to defend that because I hated everything about MGS2's story.

[talonmalon333]

I wouldn't say I hated everything about MGS2's story. Some of the themes in it, when looked at on their own, are fine and could have been handled very well. The problem is that the game as a whole is convoluted and incomprehensible, and full of other ideas that are just nonsense. I don't think Kojima's vision worked but I also don't disrespect him trying. It's like a piece of art that tried to be groundbreaking and ambitious but its point was lost somewhere along the way.

[Foggle]

When it comes to storytelling, every Metal Gear game has great ideas, themes, and concepts, but only MGS3 and Ghost Babel have particularly good writing IMO. I think Phantom Pain could be great since it's scaling back on the cutscenes and telling a more personal tale, though.

[talonmalon333]

I think MGS1 and 3 have the best stories because they are more character driven tales than the other games. I also like the human drama in 4, even though everything around it is nonsensical.

[Foggle]

I think MGS1 and 3 have the best stories because they are more character driven tales than the other games.

This is very true. Hopefully MGS5 will continue the reverse Star Trek trend.

[gunswordfist]

The hell does that mean?

[Foggle]

The even-numbered Star Trek movies are the good ones. The odd-numbered Metal Gear Solid games are the ones with good stories.

[talonmalon333]

I think MGS1 and 3 have the best stories because they are more character driven tales than the other games.

This is very true. Hopefully MGS5 will continue the reverse Star Trek trend.

I notice you left out the part about MGS4.

[Avaitor]

I just watched the Fatman fight scene again. Classic.

[Foggle]

I notice you left out the part about MGS4.

I need to play it again. I haven't touched the game outside of MGO (which was actually really good; RIP) since maybe 2009. All I remember about the story is that I thought the revelations about the Patriots were stupid, the ending cutscenes were sad, and Laughing Octopus was creepy.

[talonmalon333]

All I remember about the story is that I thought the revelations about the Patriots were stupid

You referring to how they are computers, or how said computers were established by the characters from MGS3?

and Laughing Octopus was creepy.

Agreed. But that shtick got old when every boss after Laughing Octopus repeated the same formula (none of which even did it as well).

[Foggle]

Suggestion for those thinking of getting MGS5: Play the Prologue and Episode 1 of The Phantom Pain first, then play Ground Zeroes before continuing with TPP.

I believe I have figured out where GZ was supposed to go in terms of the game's pacing before Konami sliced it out to sell separately. The first 2-3 hours of TPP are basically a very long (and surprisingly exciting) tutorial, yet GZ tells you nothing and expects you to figure everything out on your own, meaning there's no way it could have been intended to be the first level. Also, GZ only contains features present in the Prologue and Episode 1 levels of TPP, before Episode 2 teaches you how to manage Mother Base and recruit soldiers. Furthermore, Episode 2 is unusually short for an MGS5 level (it's literally just a dry five-minute tutorial stage), and it opens with a cutscene featuring flashbacks to the events of GZ. This leads me to believe that Ground Zeroes was originally supposed to be Episode 2 (or the third level) of MGS5. Doing it this way would have greatly improved both the gameplay and story pacing of the game's opening hours, screwing with people's heads via the supernatural Prologue, teaching them how to tackle the new stealth mechanics with Episode 1, and finally showing them what caused Big Boss' coma while letting them test their skills through an epic 90-minute infiltration mission.

Ground Zeroes is honestly one of the greatest slices of stealth gaming I've ever experienced, and I can only imagine how much better it would have been properly integrated into the full release. I highly recommend playing the game this way; it will improve your experience by both tightening up the gameplay/story pacing and preventing potential frustration at GZ's difficulty & lack of instruction.

[Peanutbutter]

Do I have to play Portable Ops and Peace Walker to get the story? Because I don't have a PSP. 

[talonmalon333]

From what I hear, Portable Ops doesn't actually contribute anything to the overarching story, and that's if it's even canon.

Peace Walker can actually be played on the PS3.

[Daikun]

Portable Ops shows how FOXHOUND was founded, and the events of the game get a passing mention in MGS4. It's not really necessary to play.