Phantom Garbage!

[A.G.]

Finished the game... The real Mission 46 ending... Dear god! Way to f...ck the entire story in the ass!

Won't reveal spoilers but the big reveal takes a giant piss on Metal Gear 1. Like never before I stand by the notion that Peace Walker and MGS5 are a new series. They should not be anywhere near the original 6 titles.

Gameplay is fun though, very well done. Story... Pure garbage!

[The Mad Jackyl]

I think I gave up on the story a while ago and am trying to enjoy it for what it (whatever that might be) is. I don't know why Kojima feels he needs to muck with the story so much. I hear MGSV's ending doesn't really clear things up.

Given what you say, I thought PW was a great success (one of my very favorites in the series) and MGSV is shaping up to match the expectations. I think it's fair to consider them as a new type of series. So far in what I've played of MGSV, the story isn't as relevant and it's more about the experience of what you can do. THAT is some good, exciting, gameplay. The series' story is hard to defend and I often find myself agreeing with others who speak bad of it. It's a shame, but I'm enjoying MGSV regardless!

Now, back to Afghanistan...

[A.G.]

I never cared for the Missing Links. There was nothing missing. Big Boss saluting at the grave in tears at the end if MGS3... What more was needed?

At first the open world was fun but I found it got repetitive quick. And it's so barren! A bird here and there... A couple of wolves.... Some goats. But mostly empty landscape. Doesn't hold a candle to the full of life jungle in MGS3.

I think my biggest problem, besides the notion of creating a retcon to all the games, including MGS4, is the complete lack of heart. Peace Walker didn't have it and MGS5 doesn't either. There is no real emotion or attachment to the cast. Any of them. And Ocelot... How do you f...ck up Ocelot?! He is nice?! He is the good guy! The sympathetic guy! WTF! This is the same man who shot out Big Boss' eye, tortured Meryl, and sank a ship full of people! He is a dark character, not the MGS5 nice guy. Plus I can't get past the voice. Sorry, it's not Ocelot, just The Last Of Us Joel with a shave.

In any case, I could not be happier that Kojima is leaving. Before, just because he directed I was compelled to play the new MGS titles. But now I can easily disregard anything with the Metal Gear name attached to it. The series ended in 2008... For better or for worse... It ended there.

[solidelman]

Damn, it's been long since I last visited this site. Reading through my old posts made me cringe haha. But anyway, on to the topic!

Massive spoilers follow, so read at your own risk.

***************************

Very well. A.G., I came back to your site because, as soon as I beat the game, I just knew the reaction you would have. And it's a perfectly justified reaction. I think the thing that bothers me the most is the fact that a medic which we never really meet ends up playing such a pivotal role in the series as a whole. I know it's meant to be the player with the whole avatar business, but it just could have been executed in a better way, which leads me to say...

I actually liked the twist. I find it to be a very novel idea and one that makes some very harsh commentary on the constant begging for missing links in the series. This game was promoted as the ultimate bridge between the prequels and the original games, one that would finally "explain" what was supposedly in need of an explanation, something that, as you said, was sufficiently left clear with MGS3's ending. Instead of that, it sh*ts on the player who asked for this stupid explanation, because, if we are honest with ourselves, trying to justify the messy story that MGS4 created was just leading up to failure. All the "awesome and epic sh*t" you just pulled? It wasn't Big Boss, it was some unimportant medic with an induced Big Boss complex. It was YOU, the player, who created a Mother Base, listened to Miller's sh*tty advice, and killed some of your own men to prevent the most ridiculous disease in the history of everything from spreading. The real Big Boss? He f...cked off somewhere else. He USED you. You never learned his "true story", you just created your own to satisfy your Big Boss fetish. Now that you're Big Boss, are you happy? YOU are the new villain of the original Metal Gear. Is this what you wanted? Or are you rather ashamed of your words and deeds?

To me, this ending achieves two important things: it establishes the real dick that Big Boss is in the most unexpected way possible, and it simultaneously makes you feel bad about it. I find this a very risky move from Kojima, as the bulk of the fan base will only hate the game and insult him without end. Don't get me wrong; the execution was in no way perfect, and many story elements are just mediocre. But I totally get what Kojima was trying to say with this game, and I just f...cking love it. The story is sh*t, but to me, it was meant to be that way in order to make a point. If any of Kojima's claims about making a controversial move with this game are true, they're totally referring to this hidden message and the way he chose to convey it. MGS2 made a whole point about ignoring the problem of plot holes and actually giving a f...ck about what the game is trying to tell you. The Nietzsche quote at the end of MGSV reinforces this thought.

Now, you may say I'm overthinking the issue, but it's just too obvious for me. I won't remember this game as an addition to the every growing Metal Gear lore, but as one which chose to shut up about any "truth" the player feels entitled to know. One that closes the Hideo Kojima directed series with a strong message about how to approach the saga the right way.

I'm definitely looking forward to what Kojima has in store for his future games, hopefully outside of the Metal Gear saga, as it was meant to be a long, long time ago.

[A.G.]

What made MGS1 and MGS3 stand the test of time is good story and good characters. No BS or psycho analyzing the player's reality. No overthinking or tricking the player. Just a good story people cared about. And when it comes to ending the series, that's what I wanted.

How much more epic would the face off in mission 51 would be if it was Big Boss? Instead it meant absolutely nothing.

The ending left me completely empty. MGS4 had flaws, sure, but it had very emotional moments that had heart. MGS5 was a lie, start to finish. At least to me.

[solidelman]

I see your point. You're absolutely right. But maybe that's what Kojima wanted all along.

I don't love this game, but I guess I do respect Kojima's intent with it.

I'm pretty sure I won't even remember this game in a couple of years. At least not like MGS1-3

[A.G.]

What did you think of Sahelanthropus? Both the mech design and the actual boss battle?

[solidelman]

Ridiculous through and through. The mech design was REX on steroids. Also, a rail gun as a penis? Hahahahahahahahaha

The boss fight itself was the closest thing to an actual boss fight in the game, and it was... fine. Nothing new, though; shoot it until it dies (except perhaps for those small moments where you could shoot Mantis in the face to avoid being rail gunned).

I actually enjoyed the confrontation with the Man on Fire more than the fight with Sahelanthropus. At least the former involved some small amount of strategy. Which reminds me... reviving Volgin for the sake of a thrill? Really?

EDIT: For the record, I've been reading a lot about the cut content from the game. Everything seems to suggest MGSV was supposed to be much, much more. In my personal playthrough, it was evident as soon as Chapter 1 ended. Chapter 2 began with some promise but then went downwards completely. Being forced to replay old missions in a harder difficulty isn't a very smart decision for a video game. I honestly found myself "beating" Chapter 2 just to find out for myself what was the mass disappointment about. A very stark contrast to, say, MGS3, where I genuinely felt compelled to finish the story I'd started.

And now there's reports claiming there was supposed to be a whole other third chapter called PEACE. Really makes you wonder how much is Kojima's fault...

Here's an article that sums the whole incomplete game thing up: www.gamerevolution.com/features/an-incomplete-mgsv-the-phantom-pain-offers-clue-to-why-kojima-was-let-go-by-konami#/slide/1

The source to the 3rd chapter claim: facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1443449&page=10 (it's in post # 380)

I dunno what to think, really. An incomplete package brings an incomplete feeling... a phantom pain.

[A.G.]

Kojima is out of touch with the business of video games. Think back to MGS2. The whole point of the convoluted story was to mess with player expectations. You wanted Snake? You got Riden. You wanted answers? Your got questions. The whole thing may have been a clever experiment, but it cost Metal Gear its reputation. MGS2 remains to date the highest selling game in the series at 7 million units. With MGS3 he went back to normal storytelling. Great game, but the reputation of the series already fell. It never made it back up. As it stands, his games take a long time and a lot of money to develop, but compared to big sellers they are nothing special.

I look at a great recent story game, The Last of Us. Simple, pure, emotional. No strings, no experiments, just genuine care for the characters as they develop. An amazing experience. I think that was the last straw with Konami. His games cost a lot to make. They don't make that much money. And on top of it all the series is hardly an industry leader. There are better stories, more engaging gameplay, and more innovative technology than Metal Gear. This isn't the 90's. It's not leading the industry, it's been barely trying to keep up.

[Cerberus_0408]

Also, a rail gun as a penis? Hahahahahahahahaha

Why the f...ck does this remind me of the Xenomorph...

[solidelman]

Yeah, Kojima seems to have it all wrong. I just wonder how much the game's messy structure in Chapter 2 would have changed if there was indeed a Chapter 3. Some theorize the Truth ending was probably supposed to happen in the cut chapter. Perhaps a better presentation would have shifted general perception of the story slightly.

Agh, who knows. What a shame. Some still cling to the possibility of DLC, which seems highly unlikely.

[A.G.]

I don't think Chapter 3 would matter. The core of the story still boils down to a medic, not Big Boss. As if it wasn't enough that we have Solid Snake, Raiden, and Big Boss... Now a damn random medic.

[solidelman]

Bu-but the medic is YOU!!!111 XD

Damn, that definitely rings true for the rest of the playthroughs you make. You do something badass, and then it hits you... you're the sh*tty medic. LOL

[A.G.]

There is a flaw with the whole the medic is you so you become Big Boss concept. At first it sounds like a promising notion. What ruins it is Ground Zeroes. In Ground Zeroes you still control Big Boss and the medic is there as well, as his own character.

Additionally there is another gaping hole. How did Ahab (the medic) become as skilled as Big Boss, the greatest warrior of the 20th century, while sleeping for 9 years? And if they had the technology to do that, why bother with cloning?

I should point out that this idea would have worked if you ended up playing as Solidus the whole game. He was the perfect clone. Instead of Liquid you find young Raiden.

[solidelman]

Being Solidus was actually a fan theory during the pre-release hype. It would've been problematic to reconcile the story with Solidus' backstory though. (or maybe not; I don't really remember his whole background. Maybe you can correct me on this).

It was a good idea, just badly executed. One good thing I can say about this game is that it reignited my interest in the old games in the saga. I think I'll stick to enjoying MGSV's gameplay and replaying the classics

You know, since the existence of Portable Ops, you've been bent on treating the series post-MGS4 as Expanded Universe. I must admit, after years of greatly unfulfilled hope, I'm sold on that stance. I just definitely have to agree with it. Kudos to you for staying firm on what has now been proven to be the best way to approach the series.

And hey, at least Kojima hasn't messed with the numbered series ('cuz V can techically be just a letter haha XD).