So I have been playing MGSS now and...

[josemlopes]

Isnt it a bit overrated?


I played it when I was younger but at the time I didnt managed to advance much, my father beated the game so I still remember some things, and because of the trailer for the new MGS I thought of playing the first one again. I know that before that game there werent many games that tried the cinematic storytelling but still, the game just feels like an anime.

Sure, there are some cool parts about it but they are somewhere in the middle of long scenes of EXPOSITIOOOOOOOONNNNnnnn because that is what occupies most of the cutscenes, they talk about something and a character mentions something new, Snake repeats the name of that thing and the guy starts a lecture on what that thing is (even on why the doors automaticly open when Snake holds a keycard).

And it seems that I am advancing incredibly fast since what I actually do is so small compared to the cutscenes, if I skipped all of them the game would be really short.

I will not judge the gameplay since its outdated (just avoid the guards cones or finished the puzzle-ish boss fight) and the series have moved on (although its still playable, just a bit simple due to the narrow sights of the guards) and because the game was praised for its storytelling and not gameplay (the game came out the same year as Thief, I think)


For all means it isnt bad, but it isnt necessaly good either, it just seems different, I dont know how much the recents games change the pace and style of the storytelling (I know that MGS2 is somewhat of a mess and that MGS4 has some interactive cutscenes in the mix) but overall I am just not that impressed for the MASTERPIECE.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

I feel bad that I am such a big MGS fan and yet I still haven't played MGS1.

I wouldn't say it's overrated, I mean it did many innovative things back in the 90s, guards following footprints, sneezing, etc.

 

[Shadowstar38]

People use overrated for so many different things I'm not even sure what the definition is anymore.

A lot of people just really enjoy the series. You're one of the rare exceptions that dont. I dont know if it's because the story didnt click with you or what. But, yeah.

 

[josemlopes]

People use overrated for so many different things I'm not even sure what the definition is anymore.

A lot of people just really enjoy the series. You're one of the rare exceptions that dont. I dont know if it's because the story didnt click with you or what. But, yeah.

Its not that I dont like the game (its actually kind of fun although I cant judge on what the modern Metal Gear gameplay is now since there was a big change from 2 to 3), or the story. I just dont like the storytelling, way too much exposition, and in the end I think that it seriously gets in the way of the game. The dialogs feels like I´m playing Mass Effect and choosing all the options (mainly those that are just questions about the backstory of a character/place/situation

 

[BoredAussieGamer]

People use overrated for so many different things I'm not even sure what the definition is anymore.

A lot of people just really enjoy the series. You're one of the rare exceptions that dont. I dont know if it's because the story didnt click with you or what. But, yeah.

Its not that I dont like the game (its actually kind of fun although I cant judge on what the modern Metal Gear gameplay is now since there was a big change from 2 to 3), or the story. I just dont like the storytelling, way too much exposition, and in the end I think that it seriously gets in the way of the game. The dialogs feels like I´m playing Mass Effect and choosing all the options (mainly those that are just questions about the backstory of a character/place/situation

That's a fair enough point. It's the reason I couldn't slog through MGS4 and I almost gave up on MGS2. You won't get any argument from me that the story telling methods could use a bit of re-examination.

3 was my favorite because despite being a bit heavy with cutscenes, it was possible to avoid alot of the side things (Weapon descriptions, medical details, ect, ect). That, and the ending...

 

[userwhoquitthesite]

Isnt it a bit overrated?

No, you're just playing it wrong
When played correctly, Metal Gear Solid is a brilliant piece of art that not only entertains like nothing else out there, but teaches us how to be better people, and ultimately save mankind from itself
Clearly, the problem has to be you. Or, maybe you're playing it on a modern tv, instead of an old standard-definition one. That really affects the message

 

[Woodsey]

People defend that dreadful storytelling to the death, so I hope you've got your flame-retardants on. Conceptually the series is not uninteresting, but Kojima simply cannot write - and let's face it, with cutscenes like that, he's not too hot on game design either.

 

[userwhoquitthesite]

By the time I reached the second last sentence I had left teeth mark in my keyboard and my partner thought there was an animal in the house. Nicely done. Very nice.

*takes a bow* thank you, thank you. it's all thanks to my intimate knowledge of how the human mind works, which I gained from playing MGS4

 

[Baldry]

SNIP

Just buy it on PSN or play an emulator of it!

Anyway on topic, the first metal, at the time was amazingly original and innovative. It was one of the few games that centred around story, had compelling characters and new game play like the stuff Sean said, the main problem with all the Metal Gear games, for me anyway, is the exposition, in two I can accept it because Raiden's meant to be an idiot, it gets less noticeable in later games thankfully, the exposition that is. The game's just overrated by today's standards.

 

[userwhoquitthesite]

I still haven't played MGS1

You make Big Boss cry. the only games you are allowed to skip in the series are the original metal gears, and then only if you don't own subsistence. Now go to the corner and think about how you can make it up to Big Boss and put a smile on his face again

 

[CharrHearted]

It's called having your own opinion, everyone has one, if you didn't think it was AMAZING, then that's fine, you're entitled to your own opinion.

 

[Something Amyss]

Kojima is terrible when it comes to making games.

 

[scorptatious]

As big of a MGS fan I am, I'd be lying to myself if I said that the games weren't mostly cutscenes.

Still though, I love the games, with MGS3 being my favorite.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

I still haven't played MGS1

You make Big Boss cry. the only games you are allowed to skip in the series are the original metal gears, and then only if you don't own subsistence. Now go to the corner and think about how you can make it up to Big Boss and put a smile on his face again

Ok, I guess I'll just go get it on the PSN store...

 

[daveman247]

Like many games, MGS is divisive. You will either love it for its quirks, or hate it. I think the problem is you're coming from the modern day, where the things MGS did that was new and special, has been done many times now and improved in some ways.
A deep story was still quite new then, and the AI was the most advanced at the time (IE not just see you, and charge you)

Enemies followed footprints, investigated sounds and hunted you when you alerted them.

Groundbreaking at the time.


you won't like any of the other MGS's then. If you can't handle the short cutscenes (in comparison) you have no chance XD

 

[userwhoquitthesite]

I still haven't played MGS1

You make Big Boss cry. the only games you are allowed to skip in the series are the original metal gears, and then only if you don't own subsistence. Now go to the corner and think about how you can make it up to Big Boss and put a smile on his face again

Ok, I guess I'll just go get it on the PSN store...

good lad. Now you finally get to experience the vaguely racist original voice of mei ling. and the original, better voice of Naomi Hunter.
Seriously, what the hell english dub people? I get making the american-born chinese character spouting chinese proverbs every other sentence not SOUND chinese. But why change naomi hunter?

 

[Tohuvabohu]

Like many games, MGS is divisive. You will either love it for its quirks, or hate it. I think the problem is you're coming from the modern day, where the things MGS did that was new and special, has been done many times now and improved in some ways.
A deep story was still quite new then, and the AI was the most advanced at the time (IE not just see you, and charge you)

Enemies followed footprints, investigated sounds and hunted you when you alerted them.

Groundbreaking at the time.

Pretty much this. MGS blew my mind when it first came out, I never played anything like it at the time when it was released.

Not just in the way of advanced enemy AI, but also in how the game presented itself. Sure you can criticize it now for having too many cutscenes. But at the time, I don't remember there being many games that had this sort of cinematic experience, with lots of dialogue and good voice acting. Actually conveying a serious story through 100% voice acted cutscenes, and not through floating text-boxes.
Before MGS, I had games like Marvel Super Heroes, Crash Bandicoot, Jumping Flash (jeez I wonder how many of you remember this game), Raiden Project, etc. lots of games still experimenting with the tech offered at the time, not many that were entirely concerned with delivering a story, at a time when the videogame industry hadn't even mastered 3-D platforming.

MGS came along and seemed to do something entirely different in that regard. It's dramatic cutscenes that take you into the game, it's characters and it's story, coupled with voice acting by real people. I used to ring up every Codec contact all the time until I heard absolutely everything they had to say (Otacon and Natascha were my favorites to hear from.) It was fascinating at the time.

But games have evolved beyond what methods MGS used, and it's storytelling methods don't compare to games like Half Life, which actually tell stories through the game itself. But even after MGS, it was quite some time for games to use this sort of method more widely and commonly - rather than relying entirely on cutscenes to puke story all over your face.

I think Kojima should've wisened up for MGS4 and caught wind of these new methods. Cause it seems like with MGS4, he's still stuck in the past. It doesn't seem like his way of conveying story changed at all from MGS1 to 4. And that's terrible.

I hope Ground Zeroes will be different.