Pretty good game, really. See, I’m that other person statistics are always talking about. I’m the one who loves games, loves movies, and loves to see movies and games try to merge. I’m not talking about a game based on a movie, but a game that wants to be a game/movie. A govie.
I loved Dragon’s Lair II: Time Warp. I fucking LOVED it. I dropped more quarters into that game and Time Traveler than pretty much anything at the arcade. Can you believe I actually passed TT, like, probably 10 times? I was in love with one of the actresses, I remember that. I loved Road Avenger on my Sega CD. Snatcher. I love ’em all. I say, bring on the Hollywood experience. It’s probably why I like RPGs so much. I’m the target demographic that most developers hate because of this reason.
Now, don’t get me wrong here. I don’t love shit like Night Trap and horrible titles like that. FMV is NOT the way to go. CG all the way, baby.
Anyway, my long-alluded-to point is that I love storytelling in my games. Bring on the cinematics! For this reason, I love Metal Gear Solid.
I remember playing through it at one point when I had a PS1. I played the entire fucker through, all the way to the end. To be honest, while replaying this one, I have absolutely no memory of almost all of the levels, save the end ones. Must’ve been stoned a lot. Wait, that’s right. I was stoned a lot. All the cinemas have been redone in this one, along with updated graphics and first-person targeting. All welcome additions in my book. And while a bunch of magazines and reviewers have cried about how sub of da boss bwattles are too easy and the AI is too hward! I think it’s spot-on. I love the first-person shit. I can think of only one time I wanted to stop playing: that would be the sequence where you lose your changing PAL key and have to go to the sewer to get it. Long story short: missed my mine detector, thought I had to have it, who the fucking hell would think of C4-ing a fucking mouse hole to get a key?!
Let’s start with the redone cutscenes, but first, I have to find the socks that just got blown the hell off my feet. Again, some cried foul at the over use of “bullet time” or said it made Snake too over the top. To that I say: what, fucker? This is a game where a ninja wears an invisible suit, a man has the ability to READ YOUR MIND, and the final boss is a three-story high nuclear-arms-spewing mech. I mean, C’MON here. I think we can safely throw any attempts at reality right out the window. It’s not like this was a simulation on how to properly balance the economy or run the Senate. Let Snake jump in the air and flip around while bullets zip by all around him. It looks sweet, doesn’t it? Oh, just admit it. It’s killer.
Next up are the redone graphics. Well, I don’t remember shit about the original, so I’ll just have to say that they’re good. Not the best my ‘Cube has to offer, but very well done. I love the artwork, and the in-game models are very appealing. Not so good: the CODEC scenes just blow ass. They look terrible and they go on for-fucking-ever.
Finally, the first-person mode. Don’t remember the original, don’t care if this was there or not. I like it and it helps immensely.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Silicon Knights kicks major fucking ass. The only development house that can even touch it is Retro Studios, and they have yet to prove themselves with a follow-up to the still amazing Metroid Prime. These Silicon Knights bastards are Canadians. Hmmm, no Japanese developers on my top two. Weird. But SK has now hit three straight outta the ballpark. We’ve got Legacy of Kain, Eternal Darkness, and now MGS. I humbly bow down to their collective genius and eagerly await their next masterpiece.
