The Last Content Space Marine

For the last week I’ve been doing a play through of the Metal Gear Solid series (all the ones that were released on the Playstation platforms anyway, I’m not including the original Metal Gears and the PSP stuff). This is a series that I am an unashamed fanboy of. It has many flaws, but for the most part I can ignore them because there’s something in these games which just resonates with me, something I can’t quite articulate that blinds me to the flaws of the franchise and just leaves me lapping up every self indulgent moment of them. So this post is dedicated to the Metal Gear Solid series, to Solid, Liquid and Solidus Snake, Big Boss and their supporting cast. Grudgingly, it’s also dedicated to Raiden.

For the uninitiated, Metal Gear Solid is a series that spun out of the Metal Games on the NES and MSX2. The Solid suffix refers to all the games that were released after these two, all of them exclusive on Sony platforms. For the sake of simplicity though, I’m going to be referring to the Metal Gear Solid series as Metal Gear from here on out, just to avoid confusion. The first was simply titled ‘Metal Gear Solid: Tactical Espionage Action’, and was released on the PS1 many years ago in 1998. It’s a scary thought to think that I was still in primary school when this game came out. I lapped up every moment of it back then, and I drove my parents up the wall because I never shut up about it (More on that later).

To be fair though, it was unlike anything I’d played before. The degree of freedom and interactive gameplay was astounding, I used to spend ages on the codec, listening to what everyone had to say about anything and everything. I was absorbed into the game’s world, plot and characters and along with Command and Conquer: Red Alert and Tiberian Sun, it’s easily one of the games that defined my childhood, as well as my love of videogames in general.

Every Metal Gear game has had that effect on me, and while (as we will get to soon enough) they are far from perfect, there’s a passion and flare to them that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in any other videogame. It’s that previously mentioned intangible something that just hits keys I didn’t know I had.

The plot of the series is hopelessly complicated. Explaining it is, to say the least, time consuming- so I’m not going to do it here. Besides it’s got such a weaving narrative that any explanation invariably ends up needing spoilers, as the series references, retcons and rebuilds on itself so much as it progresses it’s almost unreal. Characters are usually working with at least two sides, and one character in particular (Revolver Ocelot) is probably best described as a quadruple agent.

The themes of the series though are far more direct- often the point of being rammed down your throat with all the subtlety of Bill Clinton’s dick- it’s anti war, anti nuclear weapons, and (sort of) anti genetic engineering. There’s also a healthy dose of cynicism in there with regard to nationalism, especially in the later games. When I say it’s anti war, I don’t mean it’s got a couple of people going “OMFG WAR IS BAD!” at the end, there’s some real emotional weight to the messages it conveys, and the ideas run deep in the characters and narrative.

The ending of Metal Gear Solid 3 in particular has me almost in tears each time I watch it- without giving away too much in the way of spoilers, one of the characters is basically abused, stitched up, stabbed in the back and in the front, and hung out to dry with their memory forever tainted as a traitor and murderer, all for things this character was essentially ordered to do, and all in the name of a political pro quo. The worst part? The character knew what was going on, but did it anyway out of loyalty. It’s that personal touch which makes the game so emotive. Themes of loyalty and betrayal, and specifically the abuse of loyalty are very personal to me, and so this scene and this character’s fate, always chime with me.

If Metal Gear is infamous for one thing, it’s the cutscenes. Hideo Kojima (the daddy and developer of the series) loves his cut scenes. They go on FOREVER. A friend of mine once suggested that no one will ever make a movie out of Metal Gear because they’d need to make a video game first. He has a point- some of these cut scenes last for over half an hour. You can watch a complete episode of the Simpsons in the time it takes you to sit through some of these. The worst part is though that the editing on them is just horrible. And this brings me to my first criticism of Metal Gear- the writing is often horrible. It’s common for characters to repeat the same thing several times in a conversation, and frequently, Snake and Raiden’s reply to a statement by another character is to repeat a word or two back at them, requesting clarification. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s a perfectly natural way to speak, but it happens ALL. THE. TIME. It really irks me, especially when the cut scenes can start to get annoying after a while and you just want to get back into the game. Yes! I know how the guns work! You’ve told me twice already! I know how they work! Let me go and use them on someone!

The Metal Gear series also brought about revolutions in gameplay. The original NES and MSX2 games pioneered the idea of stealth gameplay (Even if by all accounts MG1 on the NES did it very, VERY badly), and Metal Gear Solid One enshrined it, setting up many of the principles and mechanics that created the stealth genre. The idea was a simple one- rather than trying to kill everything between you and the goal, try sneaking past undetected. A simple notion that resulted in an (at the time) unique gameplay experience. Oh there had been stealth segments in other games, but they were typically simple things like ‘walk past the palace guard when he’s facing the other way’- little mini segments. Metal Gear of course carries this idea at its core, but in order to make a whole game out of it new elements and ideas were added, such as the noise you make while moving, dealing with security cameras, distracting guards and using the terrain to your advantage. Later games expanded on the idea even further, introducing concepts such as camouflage, and enemies who worked in groups. Throw in some action set pieces, and a big collection of guns to fight your way out of trouble if you’re spotted, and it’s a powerful, unique mixture that rewards intelligent gameplay more than twitch reflexes or brute force practise. Games like Splinter Cell and Tenchu owe a huge amount gratitude to the Metal Gear series- without it they may never have existed.

I’d like to round off this little love letter with a look at the four core games now that I’ve just played them all in turn. I’m going to talk about them in release order, as it’s interesting to see how the games evolved and changed over time, even though I played them in cannon chronological order. If I post all of these at once though, this post will be huge, so the other four will be uploaded over the next few days.

Metal Gear Solid: Tactical Espionage Action (Playstation one):
Ten years is a long time. It had been ten, long years since I played this game. I finished secondary school, I joined university, dropped out, got a job, re joined and lost my job in that time. I moved out of my parent’s house. I’ve lived in four different places since I last played this game. Popping this toy into my PS3 was like revisiting my childhood all over again. Three hours (and four bottles of booze) in, I was sitting on my beanbag, back in my folk’s house on a Saturday morning, ploughing my way through the game so I could talk about it with my friends on Monday.

Halfway through my playthough, I met my folks for lunch (I still live in the area), and mentioned I was playing through it again, the game having particular importance in my memory as I begged my mother to buy it for me after seeing a demo in the videogame shop (even that short piece, and at that age resonated with me). Sure enough, she remembered my begging, and remembered hearing about nothing from me but Metal Gear for six months. She even remembered the name of the game (a feat I don’t think she has ever accomplished with another title).

Why share this story? Because for one thing it shows the power that videogames, and the media in general have. Some people revisit their childhood by watching old cartoons. Some walk around the place they grew up. For me, Metal Gear is a game I shall always treasure as that sort of link to a simpler time in my past, and why I shall always defend it, despite its flaws.

Plus, it carries less chance of getting arrested than hanging around my old schools.

But even I have to admit that Metal Gear Solid One is showing its age. Badly. The graphics look like utter shit, but to be fair, for the PSOne they were stellar- full 3D environments, and cut scenes made using the in game engine- the first game I played to do so in a realistic way. The gameplay is still pretty solid, but compared with stealth games today, it’s insultingly basic. The genome army can’t see more than about twelve feet in front of their faces, their VR training means that they get confused and wonder off if you rush past and throw them, and their aim? Well, it’s got a lot in common with some other faceless grunts with a penchant for white.

If I had to pick a real problem with Metal Gear Solid though, it would be the fact that the hardware was not yet good enough to meet Kojima’s vision. Again, at the time, the cinematic techniques, the various shots he used and so forth were impressive, but these days a dramatic close up of man’s deformed, scarred face just looks like a set of lines on a spheroid of flesh coloured pixels- not really that different from any other character in the game. However, I fondly remember recoiling at the sight of psycho mantis’ ugly mug as the camera dramatically panned towards it.

You can grab Metal Gear Solid One on the PSN Store (although at the time of writing I can’t recommend giving them your credit card information), and if you want to be a part of this special series, then I strongly recommend you start here.

For its time, Metal Gear Solid One was a fantastic title in every respect, and the only element that really fails today are the graphics. The sound, plot and to be fair to it, even the gameplay still holds up well. Like I said, it’s showing its age, but it’s still in the competition. Take that with a pinch of salt though, after all these are the words of a Fanboy ;)

I have to say that I may have been overly unfair to Deus Ex in my previous post. I’ve tried and tried and tried, and I’m getting to grips with how the game plays, but honestly I still don’t think it’s the world beater that people hype it up to be. Honestly, there have just been better games released that use the same key ideas. The Elder Scrolls come to mind, as does Fallout 3.

But the purpose of this post is not to earn even more ire from the gaming community by beating it’s nostalgic memories, it’s to take a look at games which have defied convention and actually aged well. Reading over my posts so far, I’ve been quite negative, so hopefully this will add a spark of positivity to this blog!

1. Tetris.
When people think of classic games, this is one of the big three (I think we can get to the other two later in this list). Tetris managed to defy the years thanks to once simple trait- it has the key hallmark of any truly addictive ‘casual’ game- easy to learn, hard to master. The premise of Tetris is so simple that anyone can play it, and yet there are layers and layers of variations and tactics woven into the game play. Different people have very different ways of playing the same version of Tetris.

Speaking of versions, Tetris has had more knock offs and variations than any other title I can think of, ranging from including power ups, to new blocks, to matching specific bricks rather than forming lines- Tetris has spawned a plethora of games, and defined a genre of its own. Even today, Tetris remains popular thanks to its simple control and goals, combined with addictive game play. There’s also an element of hate in there too, something many younger gamers get when they play classic games- “If it’s so simple, why do I suck at it?” millisecond reflexes and a custom made gaming rig will not help you ‘beat’ Tetris. For that, you’re going to need sharp wits and actual skill. Tetris is also responsible for one of the oldest debates in video gaming history- Floating algorithm, or realistic gravity?

Tetris also inspired one of my favourite games of all time, Wetrix.

2. Pong
Another of the big three, pong is widely (and arguably mistakenly) considered the first video game. The great thing about Pong is that the basic idea has been built on and some really interesting ideas have come out of it. A GBA emulator game called Pong Wars springs to mind. The idea was simple enough, its Pong but you can also shoot at your opponent, meaning you needed to dodge gunfire while also trying to hit the ball. Factor in that you can’t keep up a constant stream of bullets and it adds a whole new level of tactics to the game.

Like Tetris, Pong has the rule of easy to learn, difficult to master, and while I wouldn’t suggest me and some friends play pong for an evening, a few rounds of these spin offs can be very entertaining.

For a very entertaining documentary on Pong and Pong consoles in general, check out this video by James Rolfe, the Angry Video Game Nerd.

3. Space invaders
And the third and final of our big three. Space invaders is the stuff of legend and to be honest, it still holds up fairly well. Yet again, it’s easy to learn and hard to master. Now, space invaders has also created a whole subgenre, leading into space shooters such as R-Type. Space invaders itself hasn’t aged that well, nowadays it’s fairly dull and monotonous to play, but its spin offs- the 2D side scrolling space shooter, are still popular today, several of these titles are also available on XBL arcade.

Space invaders was, and still is a game of skill, and when I go out drinking I always make sure to stop at a pub which has a retro coin-op machine for a few rounds of Galaxian, 1942, and of course Space Invaders.

4. Perfect Dark.
Recently re released on XBL arcade, I think this game is probably Rare’s finest hour. The single player was brilliant, but the multiplayer is where Perfect Dark really comes into its own. In my opinion, this game is better than Goldeneye (another title which is certainly not bad, but who’s rep is overstated thanks to nostalgia). There was a variety of game modes, levels and an excellent and varied selection of weapons (as opposed to the modern bland pistol, Assault rifle, shotgun, sniper rifle set ups), ranging from the laptop gun (A machine gun you could deploy as a sentry turret), to the legendary Farsight (a gun that could track you and shoot you through walls, meaning nowhere on the level was safe).

This was also the first game I played to make extensive use of bots. Me and a friend used to love filling a level with as many crap bots as we could and then staging a sort of zombie survival scenario where we would gun them down. This was also the first time I remember being outfoxed by an AI- some of the higher level bots where genuinely creepy with how quickly they learned.

There’s a degree of nostalgia here I’ll admit, but honestly Perfect Dark still holds up very well as a party game. The single player experience is a little lacking nowadays, but the sheer variety and simplicity of the multiplayer mode makes it well worth your time. I especially enjoy it now that I’m old enough to combine it with beer.

5. Conker’s bad fur day (Conker, live and reloaded)
This was originally an N64 title, but was also ported to the Xbox later on, and then added as a compatible game to the Xbox 360. This is a title that has occurred in the last three generations of console gaming.

And these are not spin offs, aside from the ported Xbox version -which changes a few things in order to take the piss out of crappy ports- this is the same damn game. People are still playing it, nearly 10 years after its release.

The game has a timeless charm and some brilliant satire. And while the movies that it spoofs have long since fallen out of the public consciousness, if you’ve watched them you’ll still crack a giggle (especially the ending where they manage to take the piss out of the Matrix, Star Wars and Alien at the same damn time).

The graphics still hold up well (for the Xbox port anyway), thanks to the fact that they really pushed the machine’s limits when the game was brought out, the game play is excellent, smooth and engaging and the extra game modes added to the Xbox port are genuinely fun and clearly have had a lot of effort put into them.

Factor in some M rated jokes (the game earned a 15 rating in Britain), and it’s a classic, highly amusing experience. My only problem is that the Xbox port of the game was heavily censored, probably because some dipshit thought that a game where all the characters are anthropomorphic animals could only be aimed at kids (those of you who know otherwise know who you are), and therefore should not feature a giant turd singing about shit.

No, that’s actually a scene in the game. And who could forget the Scouse dung beetles?

So there you go, proof that I do have a heart and don’t think anything over three years old is a pile of garbage. Remember, nostalgia is fine, but don’t kid yourself into thinking that games are not as good as they used to be- very few games actually hold their age well, and retain their ability to compete in the modern market. But if you have any other games you’d like to raise awareness of, please feel free to comment below.

So, I just got Deus ex on steam. Seeing as everyone harps on about what a brilliant game it is, I reasoned that I'd give it a try. Honestly, I was underwhelmed. The presentation is pretty off, and I don't mean the character models, low quality is to be expected of a game of this age (more on that later, but graphics are one of the few things I will forgive). It's so dark I had to ramp the brightness up to stupid levels just to see what I was doing- and before you start whining about how it's supposed to be dark, no, it isn't. When you can't see a game it means some thing's fucked up. As it stands I had to crank the brightness up to the point where the colours looked retarded just to be able to play the damn thing.

The stealth was a joke. For my first mission I was given a prod, a pistol and a crossbow (as I like to try and play these games tactically). I should have gone with the rifle, as the crossbow requires a pixel perfect shot to take down an enemy without them going apeshit and shooting you to death. Ammo was non existent, meaning that the pistol was useless after taking down three enemies, and the prod... Hah, what a fucking joke that was. Limited ammo on a melee weapon? Okay, I can dig that as it's a one hit kill, but really, four uses and it's gone? That's not a joke, that's just cruel. Plus, it turns out the thing doesn't kill your enemies anyway. It just makes them do a little dance for 20 seconds, then they come up behind you and shoot you in the head. As previously stated, ammo is so scarce you can't do a frontal assault, and to cap it all off the game bugged out and I couldn't select anything but the (now depleted) prod.

I don't think I've ever been so quickly driven to hate by a game. Even Vampire rain managed to hold my interest for at least an hour or two before I gave up. In Deus ex I completed the tutorial (swearing over and over again at the stupid lighting levels), then the moment I start the game proper, I can't do ANYTHING.

I've actually gone back to take another shot at Deus ex four times since I started writing this. I can't actually comprehend just quite how irritating it is. Surely it must be a problem with me. After all, everyone else treats this game like its the fucking messiah or something. You know what? It 'aint. Maybe, back in the day this was a good game, maybe back in the day this was revolutionary and not just a mess, but I have to tell you people, Deus ex has NOT aged well.

It's nothing to be ashamed of, very few games do hold their appeal for more than a few years after their release, but sadly I think this mess is highly overrated, with people's views being coloured by how brilliant it was back when it came out. Nowadays it's honestly just a mess of a first person RPG. I still can't quite believe it, I'm going to give this mission another shot. This time, sod all stealth, I'm just going to go in all guns blazing.

Nope, still shit. Lack of ammo boned me time and time again, and even when I lined up head shots at point blank range half the time I still missed. And yes, I did wait for the reticule to close, I played the tutorial remember? Seriously, you can only find one maybe two bullets per defeated enemy? Not clips, bullets. On the plus side I did manage to figure out how to get around the empty prod bug. You need to throw the prod away, then after a few second of it still being in your hand and on the floor at the same time, you can switch weapons. I got further this time though, but still... what are they playing it? You can't use stealth. You just can't. There's no way of keeping track of your enemies while you're hiding, and if you stick your head out to check they'll see you and start shooting. You can't go into a fire fight because you have no ammo. You can't use the crossbow because unless you are absolutely perfect with your aim it just alerts them...

Anyone still reading this is probably chomping at the bit about how I'm judging this game based on all of ten minutes of game play. But that's not really a point in the game's favour is it? If after ten minutes something has already wound you up to the point of distraction, why would you bother to keep playing? Just in the hope that something better is around the corner? Sorry, but no, it doesn't work that way. If you start something and it's immediately hateful, you stop. Perhaps you give it a few new chances (I gave Nier enough), but it doesn't take long before you start thinking 'It's not going to get better'.

There is one other thing that compounds this though, and that's something I've touched on- age.

Back when it first came out, I was a huge starcraft fan. I completed the entire game, and the expansion pack, I created my own levels and I played online. I lived and breathed starcraft. A year or so ago, I reinstalled it and what do you know? It was awful. I had major difficulty just playing the bloody thing. The RTS genre had made such leaps and bounds that being used to the newer games had utterly destroyed my enjoyment of the older game. It had not aged well.

Such is, I believe the case with Deus Ex. When it came out, it was probably a brilliant game. But now it's just awful and I think heaps of nostalgia are the only thing that keeps people harping on about how excellent it is. Honestly, mass effect 2 beats it hands down in every way.

“You can't say that!” I hear fanboys shouting, “You can't compare an old classic to a recent release!” to which I reply, why the hell not? People tell me it IS a great game, not it WAS a great game, so naturally I assume that when I start playing it's going to blow my socks off and leave me begging for more. But the fact is, and I can't stress this enough, very, very few games age well. Deus ex is not one of them. Telling me I need to judge it on it's own merits is redundant, I can't just forget the last ten years of gaming. If I give you a car from the 1930's and ask you how it drives, you're going to say it drives like a fridge on pram wheels. Asking you to forget eighty years of automotive advancement is not an option- you've driven, or at least been driven in a modern car that handles much better. True, the 1930 Model A ford may have been great in its time, but nowadays a go kart is probably a superior machine.

I didn't play Deus Ex when it first came out, so I don't have the lashings of nostalgia that so many people do when they think of the title. Consequently, all I see is a hodgepodge of poorly executed ideas, that wasn't worth the £7 I spent on it. I'm sure if you played it when it was first released, you may still enjoy it, but my advice to anyone who hasn't played Deus Ex is simple- avoid it. You won't find anything here that hasn't been better realised in a more modern game. It's just lots of smoke and hot air blown by nostalgic gamers. Sorry to be blunt and harsh, but it's the truth- anything Deus ex had going for it has been far out stripped in recent years.

Yahtzee on nostalgia
Nostalgia critic (Made a career out of pointing out how nostalgic stuff is actually technically bad)