Ben-DutkaWe got the biggest week of the year coming up – with the exception of the Grand Theft Auto IV launch at the end of April – so maybe we should start with that.
MGS4 Rumors Clarified
I still think it took too long, but the clarification from Kojima Productions finally arrived this past week. Thanks to a full explanation from Ryan Payton, assistant producer on Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots , we now know the truth: Konami did in fact ask reviewers not to mention certain aspects of the game, but it's really nowhere near as underhanded as the media made it out to be. I can certainly understand Konami's interest in preserving the storyline for the fans, and I can also understand keeping particular details a secret just in case the press puts a hugely negative spin on them…which is what happened. I knew the cut-scenes wouldn't be 90 minutes long (Payton clarified that, too; he called it a "gross exaggeration"), and I also knew that what we'd get would be of the absolute highest quality. And best of all, now that we've got this whole mess out of the way, we can all look forward to the game. It comes out on Thursday, and we have no doubt whatsoever that it'll be one of the finest titles of this generation.
In fact, we're more than willing to bet it'll be one of the best games in history. I couldn't get into MGS or MGS2 when they first came out, for some strange reason, but after finishing and adoring every ounce of MGS3, I knew I had to go back and try again. And I still plan to; Arnold reminded me I had to pick up that Essential Collection , and I'm gonna do it. Can't be missing out on landmark achievements in this industry.
What exactly does "directionless" mean?
This is a question I have for Ubisoft, who recently called Sony's handheld "directionless." . I understand the basis of their overall argument, which is that if you do a direct comparison, the Nintendo DS does have a "direction;" a targeted audience and demographic. From what I could tell, Ubisoft was simply saying Sony wasn't doing enough to appeal to the casual gamer with the PSP, but I don't see that. Just because Sony isn't specifically targeting a particular group means the handheld is somehow lacking? …whatever happened to just being a gaming device ? Did the NES have a "direction?" Was it made for a certain type of gamers? No. It was just made for the gamer in general. Now, I can appreciate that this industry has changed a great deal in the past 20 years. And I can understand the fact that a product in an immensely competitive industry needs an established target audience in order to be successful, and in order for publishers to back it.
But at the very backbone of this industry is software: with the good software comes good hardware sales, and we're learning that. It helped that we had the hardware overhaul for the PSP last year, but it helps even more that games like God of War: Chains of Olympus and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII have already arrived. And as we see in Japan, Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G has put the PSP in the top sales position for the past month or so. It always has been, and always will be, about the games . Don't give me this "direction" stuff.
Personal gaming update
Well, yippee, I finally have all the characters in Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds , although I'm not overly impressed with the last one (Anya). It won't be much longer before all the events are done and I can put it away for now. It's one of those games I can always come back to for some fun, but I'll be moving on to finish up the last bit of Grand Theft Auto IV in an effort to prepare for MGS4. However, as Arnold is handling the review, I might do something unbelievably ridiculous… I kinda want a break from dramatic games like GTAIV, and in all honesty, I'm shifting into tennis mode for the summer (I'm a tennis player for those who don't know). This means I may actually pass on MGS4 – just for the time being – and get Top Spin 3 on June 23. Yeah, I know everyone's gonna be screaming at me, but please bear in mind that I most certainly will play MGS4. I'm just saying I might pass on it for a few weeks to take a break and play TS3. If the last two installments are any indication, it won't take me long to finish it, and then I'll be all set for MGS4.
Oh, and I'm bypassing Ninja Gaiden II for now. It's not getting the unbelievably high scores I thought it'd be getting, and like I just said, I want something a little simpler right now. 🙂
Ben, i decided to pass on MGS 4 for the time being…… cuz i dont get paid till thursday afternoon, so "the time being" = the midnight release i was planning on going to lol.
Damn, its gonna be hard, but it was either sell my GTA4 and get it 12 hours earlier, or wait till i get paid on thursday. It would be foolish to sell GTA4 even though im done with it, id just end up missing it
Yeah, don't sell GTAIV. I'm a collector, though, so I really don't get rid of anything if I think it's worthy of being in my collection (even if I might not ever play it again).
yea, great point, i originally bought my ps3 just for uncharted, then i ended up selling it a few months later for something else. weeks later, i hated my decision and was fortunate enough to buy it off my friend for a bit cheaper.
Lesson learned: Don't sell games, i will end up regretting it. Hell, im still looking for a good copy of FF7, dont ask how i let that one go…
I just got a great copy of FF7 from my friend, no scratches or anything on the discs. ;o
@aaron – Man… I let my friend's cousin use FF7, and he let me use a stupid Medal of Honor game (I believe MoH 2? On the PSX). Then some stuff happened between my friend and I, and we stopped talking. So I pretty much traded FF7 for a useless Medal of Honor game. I still have FF8 and FF9 though.
@Ben – Ubisoft is one to talk.
FF9!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you 'missed" out on MGS2? Damn bro, MGS2 is waaaay better than snake eater. Fuck Big Boss.
Ben, honestly, i cant imagine playing MGS4 without playing or at least knowing the story for MGS2, i see MGS4 as the only sequel to MGS2, since 3 was a prequel, a damn good prequel
Well, I'd like to think the story in MGS4 will be so amazing that I won't necessarily need the info from MGS2. At least, that's what I'm hoping. 🙂
I have just bought 2 of the Metal Gear Solid game. 2 and 3. I don't know weather to start with 2 or wait until i have 1 and play all the way through them. Got any suggestions?
i hav'n played any mgs and im still buying mgs4, i dont even know wat the hell iz going on i juz playin cuz it looks good LOL
well if you really wanna get caught up without playin the games, gametrailers has this nice retrospective of the whole series going on right now, the vids are like 20 minutes long each, but it goes into the story, of course there are spoilers involved
I got into the first MGS title and have been hooked since.
MGS2 was a little complex to be understood with one play through and the Rose thing was plain annoying. But it was still so gripping and fun. And even though most people complain about the philosophy, i loved it. There was a line in it that reminded me of Nietzsche's discussions of morality, "With out free will, there is no difference between submission and rebellion.".
Then MGS3. Wow. That game had James Bond mixed with Rambo and a hint of Snake Plissken. Even though the graphics look dated now, everything else about the game still beats many titles released today.
Anyone who has not yet played these, i urge you not to miss out on these very important gaming masterpieces.
I'm near the end of MGS and it pretty much covers the back story from Metal Gear and MG2. I would guess the other games have a significant amount of back story too.