Forum project.

[TheBrotherOfLight]

I feel sorry for Arsenal Gear and his forum, so in an effort to make this place more active, how about a project to work on for all of us who wants?

Untitled Metal Gear Project

Goal
To produce a Metal Gear bible, a book covering every single aspect of the Metal Gear phenomenon, from gameplay to graphics, from story to message, its makers, its history, its legacy, its evolution, how the game revolutionized the video-game industry, etc etc.

Purpose
To have fun and make the forum more active, to expand public knowledge on the series and its makers and also to reach out to a non-playing audience and show them how sophisticated video-games can be.

How to achieve this
Everyone who wants to be a part of this project just signs up by posting in this thread, then picks a subject - may it be story or characters to the technical areas of game-making, or perhaps Hideo Kojima - and writes about it.

We pick one or to fellas to compile everything and clean the text up, putting it in categories and so on. When we have our work of literature, we just send a synopsis and manuscript to a couple of editors and hope someone would want to publish it. I know it might sound far-fetched, but as long as we present to them a quality product and make it sound interesting, maybe they could say yes. But still, the point is to have fun and interact with each other, so who cares if we succeed in making a book or not?

General
I think this could be an opportunity for us to communicate with each other, like this great community was meant to have us do. We get a chance to discuss Metal Gear and at the same time, bring it to a broader audience and have fun at the same time.

I perfectly understand if everyone on this forum would consider this a dead call. But I think that if we pull ourselves together, we could actually pull this off.

Topics to write about:

Metal Gear
About the game
A new genre is born
Story
Characters
Analysis of the message
Versions of the game

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Why was MG2 made in the first place (referring to the Snake's Revenge affair on the train)
What was improved on from the first game?
Story
Characters
Analysis of the message

Metal Gear 2: Snake's Revenge
The black sheep, why was it made?
How was it remembered?
How did this game influence MG2: Solid Snake?

Metal Gear Solid
Kojima's vision, finally 3D!
Video-game history is written!
How the game changed the industry
Theories and essays (FoxDie, Naomi, etc)
Analysis of the plot
Message and symbolism
Genetic research and nuclear technology, the positive and negative aspects of it
Breaking the fourth wall (the game moving the controller, put the controller up your arm, input the controller in the second slot)
Story
Characters
Expansions, Integral, VR Missions and Special Missions
Gamecube remake The Twin Snakes
Metal Gear Solid comic
Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Disliking Raiden
How does the game stand up to other stealth-games on the market?
Why Raiden?
MGS2, direct copy of the movie The Rock?
Memes & Genes
Pop-cultural references (Escape from New York, King Kong & Godzilla, Titanic)
Message, theme and plot analysis
Story
Characters
The games influence on the game industry (i.e. how Kojima set the standard of game trailers on E3 and everyone followed)
The Substance-version

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Promoting the game (having people guess whether or not you'll play as Big Boss or Snake and stuff like that)
Survival theme (camouflage, hunting and eating)
Differences in the story-telling of SoL and SE
What players emotions is Kojima trying to touch upon
Patriotism, loyalty or stupidity?
Story
Characters
The Boss (the lady deserves her own chapter)
Message analysis
From Metal Gear to Snake Eater (what have evolved since the first game?)

Misc
Interactive movie or still a game?
Kojima breaking the fourth wall, how, when and where?
Everyone steals from Kojima, but who does he steal from (his sources of inspiration)
Who is Hideo Kojima?
The games themes (death, weapons of mass destruction, genes, relationships, etc)
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, revolution or evolution?
Kojima Production, who are they and why were they created?
The games fanbase, fansites and internet
Semi-realistic military-thrillers in futuristic settings, what could be possible in real life?
Metal Gear's legacy
Why we love Metal Gear
The technical aspects of Metal Gear, graphics and so on

P.S!
Everything that is written will be re-written by one single person in order to achieve a standard of quality. Nothing will be changed of what the original author is expressing, only the words used.

Even if you don't like this AG, I hope you don't get mad because of me taking this initiative.

[The Mad Jackyl]

Compelling post, TBOL, I'm offering my essay on MGS2's Special Options feature, so if you haven't read that, do so. I could write more on every other topic you presented here.

[Black Snake]

I could get an act together and make some compelling sum up of the story and what-not. I remember when a motley crue of us were working with Eco for the Kojima Productions website, and I gave all the Snatcher and Policenauts information in a sum of two posts.

[TheBrotherOfLight]

Whoa, thanks! Sounds good. I've read your essay, Jackyl and it's reallyy good, original too.

[bigsolidusboss]

Hey lol not a big talker more of a long time lurker


also if u guys were to make soime sigs or avatars im sure that we wouldnt mind putting them in i know i wouldnt mind supporting AG

Beause as you can see im not big on the avatars or sig making.

[The Mad Jackyl]

I was thinking about something just now that I'd like to do. I'd really like to write some sort of section pointing out common fallacies and false assumptions people make about the story, characters and the world of Metal Gear.

[TheBrotherOfLight]

madjackyl said:

I was thinking about something just now that I'd like to do. I'd really like to write some sort of section pointing out common fallacies and false assumptions people make about the story, characters and the world of Metal Gear.

That would be great. What things did you have in mind? Any examples perhaps?

I was wondering, does anyone have ideas on how to structure the contents of the book? Should we divide the book into sections and have chapters for each one? Like if one section is called Metal Gear, then its chapters are all about that game? It would be good to have some kind of red line to follow.

And how about the name? Any ideas? Please post them, and maybe we could vote later? How about Metal Gear Anthology?

It's nice to see people responding. Three different members in such a short time. Great start.

Oh, by the way, if you have something you would want to put in the book, please link to it or put it in this thread as to motivate everyone and show people that stuff is happening.

[The Mad Jackyl]

For one thing, I'd like to straighten out some of the easy to misunderstand parts about Metal Gear Solid 2, such as Snake's comment about disliking blades (he's referring to swords, not combat knives!), and some of the backstory on the characters from Metal Gear Solid that you could only get from the Millenium Official Mission Handbook. Another example would be the hair color thing, and Snake and Big Boss's ethnicity. Another good thing to set straight would be the medium powers that Ocelot inherited which explains the Liquid Ocelot bit, as well as who Ocelots parents are.

As for how the book could be split up, it could be follow each game's story, then go on to characters, then maybe a section on just the Metal Gears themselves, then Metal Gear sidestories (Portable Ops, Ac!d, Ghost Babel). Possibly after that, a chapter devoted to miscellaneous assortments of essays and analyses.

[TheBrotherOfLight]

magically said:

For one thing, I'd like to straighten out some of the easy to misunderstand parts about Metal Gear Solid 2, such as Snake's comment about disliking blades (he's referring to swords, not combat knives!), and some of the backstory on the characters from Metal Gear Solid that you could only get from the Millenium Official Mission Handbook. Another example would be the hair color thing, and Snake and Big Boss's ethnicity. Another good thing to set straight would be the medium powers that Ocelot inherited which explains the Liquid Ocelot bit, as well as who Ocelots parents are.

As for how the book could be split up, it could be follow each game's story, then go on to characters, then maybe a section on just the Metal Gears themselves, then Metal Gear sidestories (Portable Ops, Ac!d, Ghost Babel). Possibly after that, a chapter devoted to miscellaneous assortments of essays and analyses.

Oh, you had a lot of examples. About Snake not liking blades; I know what you mean.

Good ideas about the book's structure. Sounds as if it would work.

Is there someone who are willing to take on the role of re-writer? (sorry, don't know the proper word for it.) Preferably, it should be someone with English as his or hers native language, or someone with really good English. I'm not the best choice.