Here’s a thoughtful commentary on Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and action games that posture as “intellectual”. It’s an interesting take on the subtext of Revengeance (yes, apparently it has some!) in which the “true nature” of action games is explored.
Give credit to Chris Wagar from GatherYourParty for this.
What can I say about the work that Mr. Lázaro Martinez here? Aside from literally laughing out loud at the jokes and feeling inspired to think seriously about just how crazy the original Metal Gear really was, I just have to be insanely jealous. This is crazy, man. He’s even got lips synchronized, facial expressions, and so much other extra goodies which I happen to know were not in the original script (but which are hilarious) I feel lucky to have been part of the first “Cliff Notes” video series. That cameo of Ravi Singh is priceless too, this guy really knows how to do a likeness!!
Please do this guy a favor and share this with as many people as you can. Make the thing spread around the internet like you know it should!
Why do I continue to be fascinated by Ground Zeroes?
Kojima Productions keeps walking us through similar missions in the same Cuban black site that Ground Zeroes revolves around, and this time Sean Eyestone tries to rescue Chico from the POW section of the camp at night, in the rain. It’s extremely dry, boring commentary from somebody on the Kojima Production staff. But I still love what I’m seeing. Try watching the video on “mute” and imagine taking your time with the mission while doing the typical Metal Gear habits of a) systematically eliminating all guards after interrogating them, b) stealing as much equipment and supplies as possible. Then imagine turning off “Reflex Mode” and “Tagging” while playing on Hard, and trying to do it as quickly and efficiently as possible.
If you ask me, the real meat and bones of the game looks incredibly compelling. The most exciting feature I saw here? The ability to force guards to call out to their friends! This is actually a feature I’ve thought should be in the game since Metal Gear Solid 3, along with using the enemy’s radio to create false alarms and spread disinformation. I’m extremely glad to see a step in that direction. It’s the kind of depth that I want from the next-gen.
Just an introduction video, you can find it in the About page from now on.
Here’s a video you don’t want to miss.
If you enjoy my articles, you will certainly enjoy this deconstruction of Metal Gear Solid 2. Unlike me, he actually puts a hell of a lot of effort into production, going to locations and intricate editing to make it really watchable. I dare say it’s the best video analysis of MGS2 I’ve ever seen from a technical and analytical point of view.
Don’t just watch the video, however, do the guy a favor and spread it around! He deserves major attention from game news sites, forums like NeoGaf, etc. Think about how many shitty fluff pieces get promoted on Destructoid, and then think about how substantial and interesting this is. A true MGS fan will spread the word, just as (Raiden’s cobbled together idealized VR manifestation of) Snake taught us to!
My notes? I think the video could have been improved by having symmetry at the end. It starts off talking about postmodernism, but it ends with the digital age. Bringing up such powerful ideas without paying them off is a tiny bit of a shame. I respect that he doesn’t speculate too much on Kojima’s motivations for the postmodern themes. I love the fact that he deals with the VR theory, which is unforgivably neglected in most reviews and analysis, and I think it’s about time it gets a respectable presentation.
I’ve created a quick little survey. Go here and fill it out!
Update: Survey results have been pouring in already, so thank you. I’ll continue to read them as they come. A permanent link will be put in the sidebar for future reference, too!
Thankfully, results have been consistent with my expectations; which is encouraging because it means I’m not totally out of touch with what you guys are interested in. All your suggestions are great, it’s the kind of stuff I’d love to get around to as well, so we’ll see how many of them I can do yet!
For those who’d like to do news hunting:
I hereby demand that you USE THIS IMPORTANT LINK to submit your suggestions, which I will certainly read, probably keep in mind for future writings, and possibly even bring up in “News Roundup”-style posts. Basic instructions are on the page, and I look forward to having my own gang of snitches working nonstop in my service. The more the merrier, I say!
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For those who’d like to submit original content such as articles, comics and videos/animations:
Contact me at contribute@metagearsolid.org and let me know what you’d like to contribute, how you’d like your stuff to be published/linked, and who you are as a person. I’ll reply when I can, and we’ll go from there. Sorry it’s not more convenient but hopefully getting your stuff on the site is a worthwhile tradeoff! I look forward to seeing your cool shit and getting to know the talented, opinionated people who’ve been reading my own work for a while. There’s no hurry, so keep that email in mind for when you’re ready.
