I won’t embed the video here since there is a special page for it over at the SnakeSoup. It’s probably best to go there and see the introduction and follow-up material provided by Ravi Singh. On this page I’ll give my impressions of the video and reply to its arguments.
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SnakeSoup’s Revengeance editorial and response
I know most of you probably visit TheSnakeSoup already, but it’s worth linking to this new editorial by Ravi Singh, in which he methodically points out how stupid the backlash to Revengeance really is in context.
Rather than discussing the motive for the game’s revamped style, he thoroughly blows apart the whole misconception that the Metal Gear universe is somehow sacred and in danger of being ruined, exposing the inconsistency and ignorance of those who believe Revengeance is a new low that poses a threat to the franchise.
And while I wholeheartedly agree with Ravi’s points, I do want to acknowledge that the reputation of the Metal Gear name is in legitimate danger thanks to Revengeance. Yes, there are plenty of good reasons why the game is being made the way it is, and the backlash may be founded on ignorance, but the fact remains that the majority of gamers don’t know or care about these things — they only know that its a full-blown, high definition, multi-platform Metal Gear game, and it looks campy and ridiculous.
Richard George’s opinion is naive, but it’s popular enough to make a difference. Unless Kojima Productions does more to educate the game media and players about the fact that this isn’t a “canon” story and isn’t meant to be taken seriously, gamers will be confused and angry. On the other hand, once people find out that it’s not canon and not serious, there’s an equally big danger of destroying any interest that existed before; people won’t be mad, but instead they simply won’t care. This is why it’s so stupid to use the Metal Gear name in the first place. (Unless you’re Hideo Kojima, secretly allowing the series’ reputation to be ruined in order to give yourself freedom to pursue new projects, in which case it’s a sacrifice for the greater good.)
Watch “The Reality of Metal Gear Solid 2” now!
“The Reality of Metal Gear Solid 2” teaser
Ravi Singh, our friend and ally at The Snake Soup, has revealed a preview of some kind of steamy New York City street documentary he’s making?
Oh wait, acccording to the site:
Ten years ago today, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was released in North America. For those of you who don’t know, while I thought Metal Gear Solid was cool, it was not until Sons of Liberty that I actually became a fan of the series. Without Sons of Liberty, there probably would not have been The Snake Soup.
With that said I planned on releasing a video I’ve been slowly working on titled The Reality of Metal Gear Solid 2 today but it’s not finished. It should be finished by the 29th which is the 10th anniversary of Sons of Liberty in Japan. So that’s not too bad, right?
The 29th? Isn’t that… very soon? Well! I guess we’ll keep our eyes open for that!
Ravi Singh brags about playing Peace Walker HD
After keeping it a big fat secret from us all, he’s now basking in the glory of his E3 experience and bro status with Ryan Payton.
No one likes a bragger, Ravi. Also, thanks. Looks like PWHD (which is what I’m going to call it from now on) is going to be a pretty respectable cash-grab from Kojima Productions after all. Right thumb stick for the win, I say.
As for “MGS3DS”, here’s my initial thoughts: it makes me sick.
MGS3DS is the kind of soulless experiment that illustrates what happens when the Japanese get a taste of success. That’s not racist — that’s just the pattern, they admit it themselves. Oh shut up. Look at how the team developing MGS: Rising decided to not only make the game a prequel but also a new genre, instead of continuing the series properly. That’s game design cowardice. Everyone’s too scared to innovate or take a step in a new direction, wasting perfect opportunities to make new stuff by just remaking the same old stuff for new platforms. Can you imagine a brand new Metal Gear game on the 3DS?
I can. I can imagine it being cool too. My imagination works like that.
The reason why the HD Collection is tolerable is because Peace Walker was begging to be ported to consoles from before it was even released. It really is a major installment in the series, and it deserves a wider audience. Giving MGS2 & 3 to the Xbox crowd feels right as well. But remaking MGS3 for the 3DS? Nobody was asking for that.
EDIT: It may seem contradictory to say that the Rising team is scared to take a step in a new direction while simultaneously complaining that they picked a new genre — a new genre sounds like a new direction, right? — but the issue is a fear of being compared to the “actual” series, or push the story forward in a new direction.
Kojima set up the plot of MGS4 so that it would tie up loose ends and give his team freedom to continue the series with a new story, not so they could shit out a spinoff prequel that hides behind a new genre to avoid being comparable to the major installments.
Best April Fool’s Day Prank 2011
As you know, every year that we feel like it we honor the best April Fool’s Day prank, in recognition of those wily mischief makers in the Metal Gear community!
This year, the award goes to The Snake Soup for their bombastic and spastic “MGS Social Bros” prank, in which they replaced their main page with an astounding amount of low-brow fratboy homage and terrible pictures. Well done!
Contributing to the believability was the effort of username “JohnKillaz224” and others, who wrote a bunch of inane, hilarious satire. More than is necessary for a prank. Way more. Including YouTube videos! That’s going the extra mile.
Truly worthy stuff. And although I’m disappointed that you are back to normal, I am glad to see the short-lived burst of creativity you managed to squeeze out there. It goes to show that it’s possible!
Once again a reminder that my site redesign is NOT an April Fool’s prank, and will continue to develop as promised!