Metal Gear Thread 2016

[Wolf Kanno]

So we've all had some time to digest and reflect on MGSV, Kojima is gone, Hayter has said he wouldn't really work with Kojima again, Konami is still planning to make another MGS game despite fans hating them, and Solid Sanke has been reduced to doing car commercials:



So let us have a discussion about one of gamings major darlings whose future is uncertain.

What are your favorite entries, characters, game mechanics, and endings. Discuss.

[blackmage_nuke]

That was painful to watch.

MGS1 I think still remains my favorite, followed by MGS3 then MGS5 I wish there were more indoor sections in the recent mgs's I think I prefer when everything on the map was at 45 degree angles. I think I might have liked MGS4 a lot if I played it when it first came out but it took me forever to get a ps3 so when i finally did play it the anticipation had worn off. MGSV had the best mechanics I think, so many options on how to handle things and a buddy system I don't resent. I'd love to play MGS1 again with MGSV mechanics. It was a shame to see the codec system die at MGS4, I know the L1 for intel is a lot more streamlined but I liked having a large support group i could call and chat about every situation and every item i was holding. It wouldve been cool if you could choose from a variety of handlers from the IDroid and then use L1 to get them to talk to you or something.

Cyborg Ninja from MGS1 is probably my favourite character.

I also liked Nastasha Romanenko and im disappointed she didn't make any cameo appearances.

[Fox]

I quite liked that Ford commercial. They captured the Metal Gear-ness of it quite well.

Um, I kinda just want modern remakes of MG1, 2 and MGS1. All with David Hayter thank you very much. I'm kinda glad Kojima won't be working on Metal Gear anymore, as much as I respect him as a designer I really didn't like the direction that 5 took in particular, and even 4 wasn't exactly my favourite.

[Sephex]

Deep into break so I have to be brief. Here are some short thoughts.

MGS3 is my favorite game of the series by far.

Despite the BS behind MGSV and that it wasn't truly finished, I still loved the game mechanics tons.

I enjoyed MGS4 mainly for the gameplay, but I really wish it didn't get so linear at the end.

MGS2 gets dumped on way too much. That game has brilliant level design and the Big Shell is fun. Sorry guys, ALL MGS games have cornball dialogue and ridiculous cut scenes. Stop pretending like this is the only one that took it too far just because Raiden's codec stuff with Rose was awkward.

The original MGS is still a masterpiece. I wish they would do a proper remake of it. Just up the visuals and don't include stuff like Snake kick flipping a missile as he punched Big Bird to death.

Overall I love the series despite the faults and have fun playing through the saga and some side games to this day!

[Pumpkin]

I have never played an MGS game but I would like to watch sharky play one some day. I did try like 5 minutes of one but I am gosh awful at sneaking games

[Slothy]

I haven't played MGSV (aside from their expensive little demo they released first which was kind of cool but didn't blow me away) so keep that in mind.

MGS3 is definitely the most impressive game out of the others on a lot of levels, and probably the best technically, but MGS1 is still the best in the series for me. It's got enough interesting little tricks and easter eggs in it to be interesting without suffering the bloat the series started to feel later. It also just plays beautifully and doesn't weigh itself down with so many game mechanics that can make parts of the later games an annoying mess sometimes. MGS3 was just teetering on the edge of that when it came out but I feel like after that it was just downhill into a mess of cumbersome controls and gameplay mechanics that occasionally get in the way more than they add to anything. MGS1 is simpler, it's streamlined, and it's an utter joy to just sit down and play it. Honestly, I think the simpler mechanics serve it well by letting you just slip into the proverbial zone and enjoy things. In fact, I'd probably even rate VR Missions higher than things like MGS4 because of that.

[Del Murder]

I'm going to start MGS5 soon and I'm excited because I hear it's great.

My favorite to play is MGS3. The eating part of it is somehow really fun. It also has the second best story. MGS1 has the best story and one of the best of any video game. MGS2 is probably my least favorite just because the story takes a turn for the bizarre, even for this series. MGS4 does a decent job trying to tie all this nonsense together but I didn't really like the focus on getting a bunch of weapons since I usually just rely on the tranq gun and sneaking.

[Psychotic]

Hmm... my rankings would be MGS3 > MGS5 > MGS > MGS2 > MGS PW > MGS4. I don't know what to expect with Kojima gone.

[Forsaken Lover]

Metal Gear Solid - The best of both worlds. It has a very intriguing plot like 2 with deep themes while also possessing the emotional weight of 3.
Metal Gear Solid 2 - Sags a bit under the weight of its own ambition, 9/11 and being rushed. Still amazing and one of the most profound gaming experiences of my life.
Metal Gear Solid 3 - A fun, but not very deep, game. Has a lot of funny moments.


Metal Gear Solid 4: My s;worn enemy and what; ended; my interest in the franchise. Laughing Octopus and Screaming Mantis are hot.

Honorable Mention: Portable Ops for Genes Theme and Calling to the Night.

[Wolf Kanno]

MGSV is a really cool if a bit trippy game. While I was a bit taken back by the lack of the usual cutscene heavy story, lack of a quirky backup squad, the usual brilliant boss battles of the series; the core gameplay changes really make it one of the most fun entries for me. The ending was also pretty cool, even if it did come out of nowhere. It certainly has the best opening sequence in the series and I would argue it was a great swan song for the franchise, much better than MGS4 despite having a few similar issues with overusing a certain piece of tech to hand wave all the supernatural stuff in the game.

I have a feeling this will be one of those entries where we'll still be digging up easter eggs and other elements for years to come. It's incomplete nature almost feels intentional and I've read some pretty convincing arguments supporting this theory.

In terms of overall quality, MGS3 is still my favorite. I feel MGS2 is more relevant now than it was when it was released, MGS1's gameplay hasn't aged as well for me but it's easily my number 2, though it's story and characters may be the best in the franchise.

MGS4 has joined FFX as one of those games I learn to dislike a little bit more with each new playthrough. It just tries to do too much with the story when it really didn't have to, and the gameplay changes never set well with me.

I've been warming up to Peace Walker a bit more, thanks to MGSV I feel. Ground Zeroes was still innovative and provocative but I stand by my belief that it should not have been released the way it was.

[Mirage]

I'm going to start MGS5 soon and I'm excited because I hear it's great.

My favorite to play is MGS3. The eating part of it is somehow really fun. It also has the second best story. MGS1 has the best story and one of the best of any video game. MGS2 is probably my least favorite just because the story takes a turn for the bizarre, even for this series. MGS4 does a decent job trying to tie all this nonsense together but I didn't really like the focus on getting a bunch of weapons since I usually just rely on the tranq gun and sneaking.

The bizarre story is what i like the most about it. In fact, it's one of the reasons I rate it my second favourite MGS.

And uh... I guess this is one of those unusual cases where I agree with FL again. When I first played it, it blew me utterly away. The experience i got during the first playthrough rivals most RPG experiences I've had.

MGS3 probably made me more emotional, but it didn't have a lot of really bizarre trout, and i really like bizarre trout. I really enjoy mindsmurfs.

[Wolf Kanno]

MGS2 does have an interesting story, I just wish I didn't have to put up with Rose and Raiden's crappy relationship when neither of them have any chemistry together. I also could have done without the whole "this is what is going on","NO! this is what is really going on" story fatigue at the end. I feel it's largely responsible for why people feel the plot is confusing since it has so many damn red herrings revealed in rapid succession.

On the brightside, I do feel that MGS2's themes have gotten more relevant as time has moved forward, which makes replays quite a treat. It's been received better in the last few years, probably because MGS4 has kind of taken it's place as the black sheep entry, though some may argue MGSV is more deserving of that title.

[Pete for President]

I'm with Vivi22, MGS is still my favourite followed up by mgs3. The pacing in 1 is phenomenal, it does an amazing job breaking the fourth wall and it still plays smoothly to this day. With every entry after that controls became more cluttered and i really dont see why the series went away from the auto-aim to first person mode aiming to take someone out. 3 was fairly balanced in terms of having complicated controls but still making me feel like a really skilled soldier, but 2 and 4 just make me feel like a clumsy one.

4 really blew me away when it came out but like WK i enjoyed it less and less with each plahthrough. I respect some of the ballsy choices they made though; making Snake old is an awesome idea, and letting us fight RAY with REX blew all my expectations at the time.

However the biggest problems i have with this entry is that all "good" characters get a happy ending. I think Snake killing himself would have made a much bigger impact, Raiden should have died or lost both his arms permanently, Johnny and Meryl should have given their lives defending the corridor. There is no sense of loss and therefor no sense of threat. Mgs had meryl potentially dying, Grey Fox sacrificing himself, mgs3 had the boss and sokolov meeting their ends, i felt like 4 played too nice in this department.

Gotta give 3 lots of props for the amount of freedom to take on any situation. Right now i am playing through this game and i basically run a maniac playthrough using only the knife, 'nades and snakes to stealth kill everybody. Its so much fun! There's so many secret things too from interrogating guards to throwing snakes at Sokolov. It's great! Also the
End is one of my favourite boss battles ever.

Edit: forgot to mention 2. I like it more now than when it first came out. The whole conspiracy about information control i find very plausible. The soundtrack is also great. The tanker part is fantastic. The boss squad is the weakest in the series imo. Mind that i have not played peace walker nor V.

[Slothy]

Raiden should have died or lost both his arms permanently

I disagree but only because metal great rising is awesome and he needs to be alive and have both arms for 98% of that game to work.

[Sephex]

Raiden should have died or lost both his arms permanently

I disagree but only because metal great rising is awesome and he needs to be alive and have both arms for 98% of that game to work.

I suddenly want a heavy action game where you play as a dude with no arms.