Part VI (MGS2: A Complete Breakdown)

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“Them”

Solidus continues his speech:

“This conversation is over. I won’t give up the singularity. And I can’t let you restore the universes that I have corrected. So I’d like you to stay here… FOREVER!” He spat. “You’re going to regret forcing me to break the seal. ‘They’ will be here soon… a loathsome unit, infamous in uncountable universes, hated and feared by all. Their presence alone has the ability to destroy a world. They are children of darkness on whom is focused the combined hate of the entire universe. The princess of hell and the prince of chaos. Allow me to introduce… Rose and Jack!!”

A dazzling light enveloped everything.

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I’d like to remind you that “trolling” was not a mainstream term in 2003, although it was picking up steam.  Words don’t do justice, so here’s a clip:

 

This is an endless loop.  There are probably 6 different scenarios, but they’re all absurd, and directly reference the biggest annoyances critics had with Sons of Liberty.  The Colonel shows up as a waiter, mentions crop circles, and says he’ll need “scissors”; and here’s one where Rose interrupts you about nothing in the middle of a hellish battle:

 

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Another scenario describes Raiden and Rose having a beautiful stroll by a pond, when Vamp jumps out of a tree, throws a knife, and gets shot between the eyes.  He gets back up (of course) and runs across the water, shouting that your objective this time is to take out all the enemies.  But not before answering Rose’s shocked question of immortality with a simple, “I died once already.  I can’t die twice.”  What’s Rose’s response?  Nonchalant acceptance: “Well, I guess it can’t be helped, then.”

My favorite one of these audacious, blasphemous “jokes” is the scene with Raiden and Rose watching a movie.  The screen fills with static, and a voice comes through the TV.  “Raiden, are you receiving?  We’re still here.”  Rose instantly identifies the voice as the La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo, but… well… I’ll just show you…

 

lalilulelo

“The La-li-lu-le-lo”, “Ta-ti-tu-te-to”, and “I-ro-ha-ni-ho-he-to” talk with sinister tones about dried urine stains on toilets and how to clean them.

 

Here’s what this scene accomplishes:

  • If you hate Rose and Raiden, and wanted to play as Snake doing something important in Snake Tales, this is the opposite of your fantasy.
  • If you love Sons of Liberty and are dying to have those loose ends tied up, this serves as a cruel mockery of your devotion.
  • If you love to complete missions and feel obligated to always win, you will be trapped in this stupid VR loop infinitely.
  • The only way to win is to quit.  You literally have to press START, go to the EXIT button, and quit the game in order escape this loop.

That last point is particularly important.  One of the most troubling, unspoken themes of Sons of Liberty is that the only way to truly stop the Patriots would be to not complete your mission as Raiden.  If you defeat Solidus, you trigger the final phase of the S3 Plan, and the future of free society is doomed.  If you die, the result is the same.  Attempting to win — playing your role in the simulation — guarantees that the Patriots win.  And if the VR Theory were correct (meaning that the S3 Plan is still a real threat, but doesn’t need to be played out in the physical realm,) then this is exactly what you’d have to do in order to save the world: Exit the game.  Turn off the VR system.  Quit.

Here, the message is not implied.  You need to quit if you want to escape the trap.  It’s hard to appreciate the size of Kojima’s testicles in doing this, to people who purchased Substance.  Calling Rose and Raiden the “destroyers of worlds”, then forcing us to play as Raiden in VR, thus creating a second major bait-and-switch within the very Snake Tales’ that were supposed to relieve us from Raiden and allow us to enjoy Solid Snake!  And this constant reminder of the most hated aspects of MGS2’s plot, this is devilish and cruel.

 

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