Metal Gear Solid V

Originally written in 2015

Warning:Unpopular Opinion...

They should reboot Metal Gear Solid starting with Sons of Liberty (MGS2) give it a completely different story and stop the madness before it got out of control.

Why unpopular? Because I believe a lot of fans love the weirdness, the ridiculousness of the series but for me it just went one step too far.

Metal Gear Solid on the original PlayStation is my favourite game of all time, it’s just perfect but sadly after the follow up I gave up on the series only to return out of intrigue to play The Phantom Pain.

First of all let me clarify that I loved the narrative of the PS1 original. A great story (that would have made an amazing film) with a slight science fiction element that could be summed up in two characters, the Cyborg Ninja Grey Fox and Psycho Mantis. The cyborg was a man brought back from the brink of death by technology, Mantis had psychic abilities from birth and was a little more farfetched but not completely ridiculous.

I loved both characters especially Grey Fox, I also remember everyone’s mind being blown with the switching of the controller ports during the Mantis boss battle. It has to go down as one of the greatest moments in video game history.

The fact is that after MGS1, the series jumped the shark, nuked the fridge etc. I could handle a cyborg and a hovering psychic but a guy who can control bees with his hands, a vampire based character and the pinnacle… a hand transplant taking over the mind of its new owner with that of its old… it was too much. It became silly. The PS1 title was grounded in reality and then the series became even more absurd with subsequent installments.

The explanation (excuse) was nanomachines…everything that didn’t make sense was the cause of nanomachines…almost as if a shrug of the shoulders was simultaneous with speaking the word.

I admire Kojima for the huge creative decision to age Solid Snake considerably throughout the series but I can’t help that wish it wasn’t the case. It seems somewhere along the way myself and Kojima went along different paths and I just wish he’d stuck to reality.

So why am I writing this now? Well I picked up The Phantom Pain due to 10 out 10 reviews and the fact there’s not much else out on next gen. I had nostalgia digging at my heels so I decided to give it a go and found the opening 40 minute sequence (yes, 40 whole minutes!) to be best described as fucking stupid. My previous moans about realism where nothing compared to that opener, a seemingly indestructible man on fire, a giant whale, a freaking unicorn chasing after me, oh dear, it would make David Lynch blush. I’m sure it all gets explained along the way (although if Kojima just says Nanomachines and thinks it’s an acceptable answer I’ll throw the disk out of the window) but it was just too much for me.

However once that opener was complete and the game went back to what we know and love, I found myself enjoying the title immensely. I’m notoriously impatient with video games these days but I actually found myself being intensely stealth, taking my time and priding myself on my ninja like skills. I could actually see myself getting in to the title and regaining some of my love despite it’s over the top story.

My final moan was in regards to the character Quiet. At what point did they think her attire was a smart idea? I’m a 28 year old guy, I don’t need pervy down blouse camera angles. If I wanted that (and I don’t) I’d go and buy one of the Dead or Alive series, maybe If I was 13 I’d think it was cool, but I’m not. I’m really disappointed to see Kojima having a character that’s such a step back in how female roles are portrayed in video games. She’s dressed as such for the fan service, the action figures and to make money. I don’t need that in my video games. Apparently, she wears so little because she breathes through her skin…. it’s just a terrible plot device excuse to show some boobs and make some money out of it, it’s actually laughable. It’s completely unnecessary. No other character is sexualised, so why just her? I thought we were past this!

Don’t agree? Youtube the video of her rain dancing scene but done with a body swap of Revolver Ocelot. Yes it exists and only highlights the ridiculousness. For pointing this out my friend stated “oh there goes feminist Luke again”. This made me even more annoyed, why, just because I was questioning the attire of the only sexualised character in the game do I have be labelled as if it was a negative trait or that I’m on some sort of bandwagon? The latest reincarnation of Lara Croft has taken huge steps forward in female representation in video games and this is a colossal step back.

I just wish Metal Gear Solid had stuck with the realism, I understand some elements of what I now hate are evident in the original PS1 version but now it’s taken to extremes. Whilst the gameplay just keeps getting better, the story and liberties taken are just too much for me.

I know Kojima has a die hard fan base, and I'm in the minority in regards to his surrealism (I always be thankful of MGS1 and ZOE) but for me he’s a megalomaniac who lost his way a long, long time ago.