Metal Gear (Series)

[Forsaken Lover]

"!"

Come here to discuss everything to do with Hideo Kojima's masterpiece. And those other non-MGS2 games too!

So yes, just say whatever you want as long as it's Metal Gear-relatd. I'll kick things off with a list of random MGS opinions I have.

1. Metal Gear Solid for the Playstation is still the best in the series.
2. MGS1 has the best soundtrack in the series.
3. Metal Gear Solid 2 has the best story in the series.
4. "Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rITfkp_XMTI) is the best ending theme and more emotional than "Way To Fall."
5. My favorite characters are Solid Snake, Raiden, Solidus and Gray Fox.
6. The saddest death in the series is Emma's.
7. My favorite vocal performances are David Hayter's Solid Snake, John Cygan's Solidus, Paul Eiding's Colonel, Patric Zimmermans' Ocelot, Cam Clarke's Liquid Snake and Quinton Flynn's Raiden. Oh and Volgin from MGS3. I think it was...Neil Ross who did him?
8. My MG canon include Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3. MGS4, MGSPW, MGR - none of that happened. The story ended with Raiden reunited with Rose.
9. I like Jack and Rose's interactions in MGS2. I never hated either of them.
10. FOXHOUND will always be the best "Boss Squad."

[Ayen]

I was introduced to the series through Metal Gear Solid on the Sony PlayStation and has been a fan ever since. I agree with most of what you said, except, I don't get the Metal Gear Solid 4 hate. They tied up everything perfectly and I can't wait when I'm able to play it now that I own it. I own Metal Gear Solid 1 - 4, The Twin Snakes on GameCube and thanks to the MGS3 game I have I was able to play the first two Metal Gear games. Only ones I haven't played yet other than 4 are the ones for the PSP and what Scotty mentioned below.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I was introduced to the series with Metal Gear Solid 1 back in second grade or so, and I was obsessed back then. I've enjoyed every game I've played in the series so far. The only games I haven't played are Portable Ops, Rising, the Gameboy ones, and Snake's Revenge. I've been curious about Portable Ops for a long time and should try to play it one of these days. Honestly, I want to play Snake's Revenge someday as well despite it not being canon whatsoever.

I enjoy Metal Gear Solid 4 a lot, but it does have a lot of issues too. It's definitely my least favorite of the Solid series, next to Peacewalker. Both of those are still great games, but I didn't enjoy them as much as the rest of the series.

Metal Gear is a fun game for it's time (granted, I never played the American NES release which apparently had a lot more issues than the MSX version). Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is just fantastic, though. Definitely one of my favorite old school games, and I almost enjoy it as much as I do the post-PS1 games.

[Forsaken Lover]

I'm thinking I'll make a Top 5/Top 10 Songs Per Game List if anyone is interested. There are tons of "Top 10 Final Fantasy VI/VII/VIII/IX/etc." vids on YT so why not have a Top 10 Metal Gear Solid 1/2/3 Tracks?

If I do, this will be on my MGS3 list:
SE-o4I1Dxgs

[Edge7]

The original Metal Gear Solid still stands as one of, if not my favorite game ever. As for your points forsaken, I agree with your first 4 points, but I actually love Peace Walker (although I will admit it definitely had its silly moments).

MGS4 was pandering to the max; you didn't like Raiden, a well written character with actual fears and insecurities? Ta-daa! He's now a cyborg ninja who spends the entire game angsting, and despite the hype, he only has 3 fight scenes in the entire 5 hour movie. Don't feel comfortable with the lovable Naked Snake becoming a hated war criminal who profited off of starting wars and using orphans to fan new ones? He's been the hero this whole time and he's not actually dead!. Like the tragic backstory of characters like Sniper Wolf and [the admittedly melodramatic] Fortune? Here's 4 buxom ladies all with identical backstories (and no other defining character traits). Remember how Otacon's heart is constantly broken he hooks up with Naomi, who then kills herself because she put nanomachines in Vamp or w/e. Liked the cast of MGS3? Apparently Kojima didn't because he killed them all off in horrible ways. Also, why the smurf does Zero think he's more qualified to interpret the Boss's will than the Boss's OWN APPRENTICE? Doesn't matter, Kojima didn't really feel like developing the main villain outside of 2 monologues OTHER PEOPLE GIVE.

There is a theory out there though that the reason MGS4 is so overblown is actually because Kojima wanted to give the "fans" who sent him death threats for a conclusion (he originally didn't want to make one) an overblown action blockbuster that didn't have the substance of the previous games in the series. I personally believe this sentiment, because the only game that canonically takes place after MGS4 is Rising, and that game's more battrout insane than MGS4. The only reason I can think of that Kojima would keep a[n awesome] game with such a silly story canon and still make MGSV be a game that's aiming towards such controversial themes is that Kojima feels like he can't keep making the types of games he wants to make in a post-MGS2 universe, and that the Big Boss games are the happy medium he's found between himself and his fans; where he can write a good story, but still have a main character everyone likes.

Regardless, these are just the ramblings of a Metal Gear fan who's spent a lot of time on fansites.

[Ayen]

Okay, I'm starting to see the reason for the hate. I never liked the changes done to Raiden in 4.

[Edge7]

I've literally had sessions with my friends IRL trying to explain to them why I thought MGS4 was a mess.

By its own merits, it's a good game, and if I didn't know the standard that was set in previous games, I'd even go so far as to say that the story was brilliant... but maybe I just love the first game too much to be wooed by MGS4's nice graphics and spoon fed answers.

Also, I forgot to mention this earlier, but on a more positive note, MG2 Solid Snake is a brilliant game. Some of the puzzles are a little TOO old school for me, but its one of the few games in the series where I feel clever for evading an enemy after being caught rather than just punish myself for getting caught. I don't know there's something about the simplicity of evading pursuing soldiers in that game that still manages to be intense; it ends up remaining satisfying. In other games, I feel like I've done something wrong, and rather than continue playing, I just give up on the spot. I also think the old school graphics are kinda cool in a way; in my imagination, Young Snake looks like a cross between Kyle Reese and Mel Gibson, and Zanzibarland is reminiscent of a mixture of the movies "Under Fire" and Rambo First Blood Part 2. Moreso than any other old school game I've played, the setting comes to life in my mind.

[Forsaken Lover]

5 Worst Voice Performances iN MGS (http://whatculture.com/gaming/5-worst-performances-in-the-metal-gear-solid-franchise.php)

I was surprised how much i agreed with the list until I got to his #1.

Sigh.

[Ayen]

I disagree with 4, 2 and strongly disagree with 1. I haven't played MGS4 yet so can't comment on how 5 messed up that time around or 3, but getting rid of the British accent was incredibly stupid.

[Pike]

Related:

http://31.media.tumblr.com/792886335e84025aa1c7c479f864c7fa/tumblr_mw0td5a3Ei1qbcr9bo1_1280.png

Who remembers the MGS Twin Snakes remake for GameCube? That one was great. I played it a lot. (Unlike any other GameCube games which I hardly played haha)

[Ayen]

The remake was fun but some of the voice acting and the music bothered me. The music was nowhere near as epic as the one in the original game, Mei Ling had a different accent even though it's the same voice actress and the line Otacon has during the elevator scene where you're ambushed is said so casually and goes against everything you're seeing on the screen. It looks like he's yelling it out but is clearly not and has no emotion in it whatsoever. It was just terrible and frustrating to see since he nailed it the first time.

[Forsaken Lover]

Twin Snakes had a limited budget and by this time David Hayter was a big name. He had to actually agree to take a pay cut so the other VAs would return because then they'd get a good paycheck. Still, it feels like some of them (mainly your support crew) weren't really trying. This isn't even getting into the cutscenes. And no, I'm not talking about Snake jumping on a missile. This is the cutscene that kills TTS for me.
awaf5mnUwAA

In this scene, the part of Snake and Meryl will be played by two cats. Extremely retarded cats too.

The original scene was very dramatic and emotional and one of the most memorable bits in the game. Twin Snakes just makes it laughable.

And agreed about the music. Apart from one or two songs, it is a totally inferior soundtrack. There's no forgiving the lack of "Enclosure" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6TAZ_BsCXY) or "Rex's Lair." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQeFVERVYvI) I swear, wouldn't these songs be right at home in an epic JRPG? Great sad theme and final dungeon them.

I'll be posting my Top Songs List later today if anyone cares. Gonna start witH MGS2 because, far as I can tell, it gets the least attention in terms of Music.

[Bubba]

I recently started the Metal Gear Solid 2 HD Remake on the PS Vita. I played it on the PS2 but lost interest when I got to the Big Shell. I honestly didn't mind Raiden at all, it was more the environment that I wasn't convinced by, Plus, the introduction of the Vamp character put me off somewhat.

Now I've got them in HD though I'm determined to get through it. The PS1 Metal Gear Solid was the first one I played and I just thought it was incredible. I'd never played a stealth game before that and some of the touches were just genius. I remember the credits rolling whilst I was sneaking onto the elevator at the start and I just thought "Wow. This is awesome".

Other touches as well like finding Meryl's codec number from the back of the PS1 case and using controller 2 to defeat Pyscho Mantis just blew me away. Plus, I always wanted a voice like David Hayter... and unless I smoke about 60 cigarettes a day for the next ten years, it isn't going to happen.

[Ayen]

Twin Snakes had a limited budget and by this time David Hayter was a big name. He had to actually agree to take a pay cut so the other VAs would return because then they'd get a good paycheck. Still, it feels like some of them (mainly your support crew) weren't really trying. This isn't even getting into the cutscenes. And no, I'm not talking about Snake jumping on a missile. This is the cutscene that kills TTS for me.
awaf5mnUwAA

In this scene, the part of Snake and Meryl will be played by two cats. Extremely retarded cats too.

The original scene was very dramatic and emotional and one of the most memorable bits in the game. Twin Snakes just makes it laughable.

And agreed about the music. Apart from one or two songs, it is a totally inferior soundtrack. There's no forgiving the lack of "Enclosure" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6TAZ_BsCXY) or "Rex's Lair." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQeFVERVYvI) I swear, wouldn't these songs be right at home in an epic JRPG? Great sad theme and final dungeon them.

I'll be posting my Top Songs List later today if anyone cares. Gonna start witH MGS2 because, far as I can tell, it gets the least attention in terms of Music.

Yeah... That scene was really stupid. It's like they've never seen a laser pointer before, dude, your SOCOM has a laser pointer! Much better in the original. They could have done frigging jumping jacks and still have time to get out of the way with how drawn out that was. What are you waiting for, Wolf, permission to take the shot? And I hated all the stupid Matrix effects they inserted into the cut-scenes. It makes sense for Gray Fox to do that stuff, but Snake? Come on >.>

I've been hearing buzz of another Metal Gear Solid remake for the PS4 or something. If they go through with that I hope they don't repeat the mistakes they made with Twin Snakes >.>

[Psychotic]

Played Solid 1 to 3. 1 was the best non-Final Fantasy PS1 game. I liked 2, but 3 is something completely else, it was fantastic. Definitely the pinnacle of the series for me. I had no interest in 4 though, bizarrely.

[Pike]

Well you guys can bite me; I liked Twin Snakes a lot :jess: And you are not alone Psy, I lost interest in the series after MGS3 as well.

[Forsaken Lover]

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MGS2's soundtrack deserves more love and appreciation.

[Jowy]

I prefer Twin Snakes to the original solely because of the added tranquilizer guns; I dislike using lethal weapons when I play.

[blackmage_nuke]

Metal Gear for the MSX was ok but I much prefer Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.
Some of the best parts of Metal Gear series are the endless staircases/ladders which didnt feature in MGS2 (and to my memory 4)
Unoriginally I think Way To Fall and The Best is Yet to Come are the best ending themes
The Meryl Johnny wedding was the most awkward scene ever as well as the Raiden's kid scene. (Really everything before the first set of credits in MGS4 was off.
Gray Fox and Psycho Mantis are my favourite characters but I pretty much love everyone but Rose.
MGS1 had the best codec companions.
I was sceptical of Peace Walker at first because Im not a fan of Mission format games but I ended up loving it

[Forsaken Lover]

Great call on the MGS1 Codec. There's so much awesome information in there, and the support crew is the best and most fun. It would be no exaggeration to say i fell in love with MGS at least partly because of the Codec. I spent so much time just calling people up. Whether it was listening to the FOXHOUND member's backstories, or Nastasha's talks on the dangers of nuclear prliferation, it was something amazingly new and intriguing to my young mind which was just discovering a passion for history and politics. Even to this day I love just calling them all and hearing it all again.

[Ayen]

I dislike using lethal weapons when I play.

I think you're playing the wrong game if that's the case.


Great call on the MGS1 Codec. There's so much awesome information in there, and the support crew is the best and most fun. It would be no exaggeration to say i fell in love with MGS at least partly because of the Codec. I spent so much time just calling people up. Whether it was listening to the FOXHOUND member's backstories, or Nastasha's talks on the dangers of nuclear prliferation, it was something amazingly new and intriguing to my young mind which was just discovering a passion for history and politics. Even to this day I love just calling them all and hearing it all again.

I learned more about cancer, nuclear weapons, firearms and DNA from those Codec calls than any of my time spent in school.

[blackmage_nuke]

I wish Nastasha was my arms dealer in MGS4 instead of Drebin

[Scotty_ffgamer]

Metal Gear taught me that war has changed. But Fallout teaches me that war never changes. This has left me feeling conflicted and confused.

[Bolivar]

Peace Walker is criminally underrated, it was very easy but Co-op Metal Gear is just way too much fun and I hope it's in Ground Zeroes/Phantom Pain.

MGS4 is still an incredible game to me if only for the insane and imaginative art design and the most fun 0 kills 0 alerts play through. I also enjoy just how diverse each section is from start to finish. It still has that palpable "next gen ambition" that I feel a lot of developers lost as we got settled in to the cycle.

The great gameplay also birthed Metal Gear Online, which was way ahead of its time and one of the most unique multiplayer titles of last gen.

[Forsaken Lover]

What is everyone's favorite ending theme? How would you rank them from favorite to least?

MGS1 - "The Best Is Yet To Come" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyE0UabtLn0)
MGS2 - "Can't Say Goodbye To Yesterday" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-SRvG6NAFY)
MGS3 - "Way To Fall" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9hagVL-__c)
MGSPO - "Calling To The Night" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpPH7deyMRI)
MGS4 - "Here's To You" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpSVCL4vxOY)
MGSPW - "Heaven's Divide" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQzgI6xJEH0)

I really like the actual music in "Here's To You" but the singer sounds off to me.

I don't like the lyrics in "Heaven's Divide."

I have the same problem with the singer in "Way To Fall."

So for me it's up between MGS1, 2 and PO. They're so different that it's hard to compare. "Can't Say Goodbye" is the most beautiful and I love the lyrics, but "Calling" has the most epic feel to it. And "Best" is a classic.

[Bolivar]

Here's to You is my favorite right now if only because of how insane it was in the Ground Zeroes trailer.

[KentaRawr!]

I've played these games entirely too much. :jess:

The first one I played was MGS2, but at the time I didn't entirely understand the story. I couldn't find a copy of MGS1, so I played Twin Snakes first. I actually prefer a few aspects of Twin Snakes, and I think it's primarily because I played it first. Anywho, after playing Twin Snakes I went on to MGS3, and since I had the Subsistence version I played MG1 and MG2 after that. I still haven't beaten the original version of MGS1, sadly. I beat Portable Ops., but in some ways I really disliked it. I played Peace Walker on the PS3 and totally loved it, except I never did unlock the true ending. I ended up looking that up online, sadly. Quite tellingly, I nearly forgot to put MGS4 in this paragraph! I played it. It was neato.

I'm partway through Ghost Babel now, and I think it works well as an alternate sequel to MG1, but I find a lot of the dialogue really strange. The writing comes off as ignorant, I guess. I dislike that they made up a fictional African country with a sufficiently strange-sounding name that they could reliably pass it off as believable to the players (even though MG2 did the same thing.) Then there's Slasher Hawk claiming that the aboriginal name of a boomerang is a "Wilgi." And one other thing I found really strange is that Snake refers to Delta Force as being the "best of the best," and then tells its only survivor to hang back because he can take care of it. It seemed like Jenner (aforementioned survivor) was being used as a Meryl substitute, even though one can infer that she's not a "rookie," which was a big part of who Meryl was. Then there's Jenner's huge lack of confidence in herself, which seems weird if, again, she's the only survivor of the "best of the best." Blurmp.

Anywho,

I actually really like that MG1 and MG2 were packaged with MGS3 specifically, and I think it's somewhat telling that even in the newer collections, you have to go through MGS3 to get to them. I feel like MGS3 was a call-back to those games, at least in a couple of little ways. The NES version of MG1 had your character explore the jungle, for example. Plus, how all of the bosses exploded, and didn't really have very extensive backstories besides The Boss & Sorrow. And the floating guards from that one river in MGS3 make me think of the floating guards on the roof of Outer Heaven.

Regarding Mei Ling's accent though, I think it's worth mentioning that in her brief cameo in MGS2, and in MGS4, she speaks with the same accent she had in Twin Snakes. I think it makes more sense for her given that she grew up in the U.S., and knowing that her voice actress is faking a Chinese accent in MGS1 makes it sound somewhat corny to me.

[Ayen]

Wait, hold up. She had a cameo in MGS2?

[Forsaken Lover]

Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance - ! Mei Ling ! - YouTube (http://youtu.be/ro5X3iwJV-s?t=7m59s)

You have to keep calling Otacon and getting him to screw up the meaning of the proverbs.

[Ayen]

Sneaks Kojima is sneaky.

[Edge7]

The Endings are like this for me (of the games I've played)

5. Here's to You (nothing against it, though I do like Ennio Moricone's version better)
4. Way to Fall (really REALLY love this song, one of my favorites, but)
3. Heaven's Divide (is just really smurfing epic)
2. The Best is Yet to Come (Oh God, this song is so damn beautiful. The Celtic lyrics translate to a series of questions asking if you're ready to fully appreciate life, I love it)
1. Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday (MGS2 arguably has my favorite ending in the series. In the song, you get the feeling Raiden is still sorting out his problems while wandering the streets of New York. It's just such a PENSIVE song)

[Vyk]

Been watching Super Bunny Hop videos who are insanely in love with everything Metal Gear, and only just recently learned about the Legacy release of a Metal Gear collection, and I really really want it now. I've never played MGS3 :(