mangocoal01

[mangocoal01]

Ramblings I had on Metal Gear Rising and Metal Gear Solid's Differences in Gameplay & Storytelling Integration

Context: I wrote this all up while witnessing a conversation in a Discord server I'm in where two people are lamenting how Metal Gear Rising got panned and blamed it on fans of Metal Gear Solid for hating on it and that's why it'll never get a sequel. Or something to that degree. They never responded to this wall of text I made but I had fun writing it regardless just because it gave me a chance to reflect on my experience with the Metal Gear series. It's not very structured or cohesive but I just like talking about games I enjoy/enjoyed in the past that made me feel things (in a good way). Wall of Text commence: Gonna play a bit of devil's advocate as someone who enjoys the mainline Metal Gear games AND Metal Gear Rising while also sharing my own thoughts. Long messages and yapping ahead because I'm passionate.

TL;DR Alot of Metal Gear fans probably didn't enjoy the massive transition of gameplay-styles and the approach to MGRR's storytelling since it's pretty different from MGS1-4 in those aspects (and some others) esp. because of the legacy it was following up on.

Disclaimers: 

- I don't regularly interact with the Metal Gear fanbase in whatever form that may take like subreddits or speedrunning communities or whatnot. I just like Metal Gear in general and got into it around my later teenage years.

- I played MGS2, 3, 4, Peace Walker, Ground Zeroes, and Phantom Pain. I never got around to playing the entirety of Metal Gear 1 and 2 on the MSX OR Metal Gear Solid 1. I also haven't played any spin-offs like Metal Gear Ac!d or Portable Ops. 

- I don't regularly like interacting with haters or people complaining about games people enjoy anymore. It's just kind of tiring & repetitive for me at this point. So I don't see many of the interactions you're discussing but I can easily see it occurring. Still, discourse and hate in swaths of anonymous online non-faces is what I expect at this point so I try not to get caught up in complaining about other people's complaining, if I can catch myself beforehand. I don't like engaging with large groups or people not open to hearing out other arguments in good faith. I can enjoy engaging in discussion with an individual who actually wants to have a back-and-forth argument, not someone who wants me to be their pillow to scream in and tell me I'm wrong (often alongside some unflattering labels & name-calling), no matter what I say.

- I'd just like to say my piece here because I like adding wrinkles and contributing an additional perspective on the subject.

I like MGRR but I can easily see why it would rub some people the wrong way esp. if they were deeply invested in the mainline Metal Gear games' storylines.  The jump from stealth-action hybrid to high-octane character action combat can be jarring for many and holds different gameplay appeals in their pacing, APM, spectacle, & tone. Many people would've been used to the series being a stealth-action hybrid game for many years and would likely be in their mid to late 20s by the timing MGRR came out if they hopped on MGS1/MGS2 in their early teens, if we're being generous about how early they got into the series. Change and adaptation for new things gets harder & inconvenient for alot of people esp. as they get older and their brains get less malleable like impressionable, fast-learning kids/teens' are.

Not to mention, while Metal Gear as a franchise has always delved into some over-the-top goofy AF anime shit and melodramatic storytelling (it's part of why many love it), Rising definitely amps it up to 11 in at least the action sequences' intensity (which I like btw, don't get me wrong) & how it executes the story it wants to tell. The tone is in-line with the past games but it's a lot more intense and wild about it; plus, arguably, it's even more cartoony than the even hammiest moments of the MGS entries. Whether this is an improvement, just fine and make no difference, or downright irritating for some is dependent on the individual person, their tastes, and why they enjoyed the older games' storytelling. No accounting for taste. But either way, something was different and it didn't click with everyone the same way, for better or worse.

This also ties in with the story direction and the gameplay of MGRR, and how it goes about resolving the dissonance between the hyper-violent action & the series' common anti-war & killing and the action-heavy gameplay that often calls for it. MGS1 (not including the Twin Snakes Gamecube remake) didn't have a tranquilizer gun so you couldn't exactly do a no-kill run of that game but you could for the sequels afterwards. But even then, a large part of the story was about questioning & often condemning the violent killing of others and even taking a sadistic joy in it. The game's story was simultaneously talking about both Snake and the player (OooOoooOOooOOoH....meta commentary!). But anyway, even when the player/the main character kills even the most generic enemies, the game's framing, storytelling, and gameplay options make a point to emphasize there's a cost to killing, an inhumanity to it, a sort of dark stain on your record as the player, along with the character. You're often encouraged not to fight to begin with in modes like European Extreme difficulty, where it just says "Game Over" the moment you're detected, for example. Not to mention, the games often rewarded you for not killing the guards or non-essential NPCs, a lot of in-game tactics, rankings, item rewards, etc. tied into such things.

Anyway, I'm getting a bit off-topic from Metal Gear Rising Revengeance but I wanted to re-establish a bit of groundwork on the general tone & messaging of the franchise. In short, the Metal Gear franchise's story has always been rooted in anti-war sentiment & that killing is generally not a good thing you should do willy-nilly or be very proud about. I don't believe most people will find that reading highly disagreeable. And to its credit, MGRR also strongly attempts to adhere to this idea in its storytelling. However, the big thing that rubs some people the wrong way about it, is how it goes about addressing the dissonance between what is conveyed in the story and what is conveyed in the actual gameplay design. And believe me, a lot of people are deeply invested in the story of Metal Gear, esp. the Metal Gear Solid titles.

MGRR Story Context: Raiden repeatedly, in his dialogue in the first half of the game at least, makes a general point that he only kills because he has to in order to save innocent lives, stop bad guys, and all that. It's not something he's doing for fun or for its own pleasurable sake. His simplistic justification and viewpoint on his own violence is challenged by Sam when the latter essentially shows Raiden that the mercs he has been killing are also people too with reasonable motives, loving families, and very human struggles. Desperado, the source of villains and mooks in this story, essentially exploits poor & vulnerable people, esp. veterans, to be their "human shields", as Raiden snaps back at Monsoon later. Eventually, Raiden chooses to deal with this inner conflict by giving into his dormant sadistic joy of killing which seems to get him out of the brief depressive funk he was in after realizing he was killing soldiers who maybe weren't complete scumbags by fair choice. And for the rest of the game, he gets a power-up form out of it and he continues his mission to save child brains and stop the next big war.

ANYWAY, how does this work in tandem with the gameplay of Rising? And how does Metal Gear Rising's answer compare to how Metal Gear Solid games address the weight of killing? Well, to state the obvious, the game very much rewards and even encourages, to a degree, wanton violence & killing with the Zandatsu healing mechanic, the over-the-top QTE animations, the ranking system, Blade Mode finishers kinda prompting the player to just ham with the slicing & dicing for the final blow on many bosses, etc. 

Tangent: Yes, I'm aware of the wooden sword that you can use to potentially non-lethally defeat human enemies with but it's an optional unlockable weapon and even then, its use is not actively encouraged by the game's enemy/level design or mechanics within the actual battles themselves outside of a post-fight ranking bonus that congrats you for not killing people; it's kind of like the post-endgame ranking screens of the MGS games in that factor, at least. But regardless, I don't think most people would say playing the game using the low-damage wooden sword was the most fun way to play MGRR, let alone the most encouraged.

To oversimplify my main point here, there's an odd contrast between the story's "killing is cruel and bad" and the gameplay's self-indulgent "KILLING IS FUCKING AWESOME AND BADASS" (to oversimplify things) that probably rubs some people the wrong way esp. in the context of previous entries in the franchise's history. And there's more flattering interpretations of this dynamic that can put this juxtaposition in a more positive light, I'm sure, but it's usually not the kind of thing people bring up or explain in-depth. Most arguments just boil down to, "Ugh, the game is so hypocritical and confused on what it wants to be" followed by someone countering, "I DON'T CARE HE THREW A METAL GEAR!!!! YOU JUST CAN'T PULL THE STICK OUT OF YOUR ASS!" And then cue the name-calling, lack of media literacy accusations, and insults to each others' pretentiousness and/or simple-mindedness. Plus, sprinkle in some "Who cares about story, we skip the cutscenes on the second playthrough anyway"-sentiments and  "Metal Gear's story was never good to begin with and you're dumb for liking it"-type arguments ad-nauseam for years.

My personal thoughts on the matter is that MGGRR's story works well enough for me and I enjoy it, even if I personally feel Raiden's story should've ended with MGS4 (and the series in general tbh). A hopeful ending and cathartic resolution after so much strife & struggle for our characters. But I also understand companies like money and finished products so I understand why Konami & Kojima Productions hired Platinum Games & gave them more creative freedom to make it a sequel post-MGS4 instead of working a story within the confines of a prequel that takes place between 2 and 4. 

Also, I like the gameplay too. How it handles QTE animations, music, timing of said music tracks, fast-paced gameplay, is still some of the coolest shit I've seen in games. Plus, I know the mixed-messaging is weird but, I enjoy the game as a whole, regardless. I am kind of just used to videogame-storytelling compromises at this point so it rarely bothers me too much, even in the most egregious cases for many, e.g. "You utterly dominate the enemy in gameplay but you lose in the cutscene"-scenario. I just shrug my shoulders and think, "That's mildly eyebrow-raising but those are the kind of idiosyncrasies one should expect in the average game." I'm used to it and have accepted it.

[mangocoal01]

Random thoughts: As cool as traditional big beam clashes are, I am also a big fan of when a character stops a huge large swarm of projectiles with their own set of lasers to stop them in their tracks. I'm more used to seeing it in sci-fi settings with mechs or starships so seeing it in a fantasy setting is cool. I wish I could remember more specific examples but I know it's a cool visual I've seen in other media.

In the gacha game, I hear the Big Bad Evil Guy (BBEG), Lucillius, shooting the lasers downwards at the heroes uses "Paradise Lost" as a total party wipe super move at the first turn. And you gotta just be leveled up enough to be able to tank 30,000 damage before the fight even starts since it's a big climactic final fight apparently.

Anyway in the video clip above, the other angel guy shooting the lasers upwards is supposed to be a foil, of sorts, for this villain except he shoots the attacks upwards. A kind of opposing dynamic of two types of angels, "bring down the heavens" vs. "ascending to the heavens" kind of thing; One uses their ultimate attack to kill everyone he considers beneath him, the other uses the same attack to save everyone he's close to. Very cool stuff even without knowing all of the lore or context.

Timestamped videos of the fighting game incarnations of their "Paradise Lost" super move without them clashing:

[mangocoal01]

Introductions and the Purpose of this Side-Blog Part 2: The 2nd Coming (Director's Cut Extended 2.0 Electric Boogaloo Turbo Edition)

Plus, I am not very functional as a human being, let alone as a member of society; I still make sure to vote though, tedious as it is to do. Overthinking, over-anxiety esp. around large groups of people, fear of responsibility (but mostly in regards to failure and being shamed by others), and an overly-cynical perception of the world & humanity fueled by deeply ingrained habitual black-and-white thinking holds me back a lot.

I am approaching my mid-20s, I still live with my parents, I'm unemployed, haven't had a lasting proper job (part-time/internship/full-time or otherwise) in years, and the only education to my name is a high school diploma. Last time I tried to work was at a Macy's and I ended up quitting after the first day. This was because my anxiety was overwhelming me and I didn't have the capacity to fight back against the suicidal thoughts the stress of the job provoked. And maybe y'all have seen my editing, but in case you haven't, I don't exactly have industry-level skills for artistic talent developed within me.

Commitment and determination to become truly skilled at a craft is NOT one of my strengths. A good work ethic, hard-working attitude, great mental focus, confidence, and unwavering belief in my ideals are NOT in my possession anymore. You'll never meet a more inconsistent, sniveling, nonsensical, hypocritical, oxymoronic & regular moronic, theatrically hyperbolic coward with an over-inflated sense of self-importance than me.

To make matters worse, despite how much I type/write, I'm not actually very smart or a well-spoken individual. I just sound smart to some people but the actual quality or practicality of the "wisdom" in my excessive quantity of thoughts is very VERY low. By many people's standards, I am a big flunkin' loser in life and a dreg on society.

Anyway, that's all of the BIG red flags by the way. You can learn more about the smaller ones if we keep seeing each other. Nice to meet you, by the way! I'm Mango. You may know me from my main blog.

#shameless_self_promotion but tbh, I have no idea how you'd know about this side-blog if you didn't encounter my posts from the main one.

Anyway, I think that's all I wanted to say. If you read this far, thank you listening and for being patient with me. (2/2)

[mangocoal01]

Introductions and the Purpose of this Side-Blog Part 1

I like going on long tangents about trivial things and getting hyped over stuff without necessarily making some kind of edit/meme/creative work to show that. Sometimes I want to be even lazier and just say, "Hey, this show was pretty cool." and then I could make some comments or thoughts about a particular scene that I liked while linking a GIF I got from somewhere else, or somethin' like that.

Also, I'm a foolish man-child of an individual with a lot of nonsense in my head that I write about so I might bring up heavy topics regarding mental illness, my suicidal ideations, existential crises, and the like.

For context and some TMI (Too Much Information): I have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder and am on the autism spectrum. I've tried 17 different anti-depressant medications over the past 9-10 years since I've gotten depressed. I've seen multiple therapists, been hospitalized, been to group therapy/support groups for people with depression that emphasized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT, lol lmao even, good acronym), received various treatments like Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), yada yada yada.

Gone through alot of bullshit to try and get better with little to no progress. So don't go recommending me trite shit. I've done the whole song and dance of medications, treatments, diet, exercise, socializing, participating in voluntary community-focused efforts/greater pro-social causes, self-help, motivation, scheduling, journaling, mental reframing, doing all of these in "good faith", etc.

I've tried to do better. I'm still trying. It may not look like it to you but I've. Fucking. Tried.

However, I'm sick of people telling me what my best is supposed to look like and that I wasn't actually trying "for real", when they've never lived in my head, had my exact temperament, mental health issues, or life experiences. And hopefully, no one will ever have to. There's no one I hate more on this Earth than myself.

Anyway, back to "fixing" myself: After all of that, I'm still depressed and deal with suicidal ideations frequently to varying levels of severity. I have no plans to Alt+F4 myself. Don't worry I am relatively safe in that regard, if you were concerned. I am far from mentally or emotionally stable though. (1/2)