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[GSGBen]

Also I'm guessing zombie AI wont be as interesting or as fun as the soldier AI so maybe this will actually be terrible.

[s0]

I haven't played previous MGS games because from what I understand they're linear stealth + hours of cutscenes, but MGSV was incredible. It's basically a really good far cry - open world stealth base infiltration. If this is anything like that I'll enjoy it but goddaaaaaaaamn am I sick of zombies.

you should play the older games, they are really good too (except for 4 lol). mgs games have a reputation as "cutscene fests", but they actually do some very interesting things with storytelling through gameplay as well. and the gameplay is good. start with 3, it's first in the timeline and also my favorite, mechanically.

[Capntastic]

I think there's something to be said for playing them in release order, since a ton of stuff in MGS3 isn't interesting or revelatory until you know why it's presented as such.

MGS3 is really good though, and was the first one I played.

[eyeliner]

IF you can muscle through it, go with the first Metal Gear Solid. It still stands quite well, has a good story and presents the universe quite well, though some of it might be a little overboard until you play the later ones.

3 is quite good, true. Deserves some time spent with it.

[s0]

I would play 1 before 2 at any rate because you won't appreciate the full extent of the mindfuckery in 2 if you play it first.

[gimymblert]

When you are not kojima and you try really hard, not that kojima is super great, but people even fail to reach that standard that is supposedly low. Video games!

[Cobralad]

I notice a lot of silly political stuff in french people videogames.
Dontnod and David Cage also like to spell out some current political stuff without any resolution or opinion.
Kojima just uses vague unrelatable topics like nuclear warfare, war morality or information movement. Thats why he was not lucky with Quiet stuff, its not some nuclear supersoldier opinion bullshit no one can disprove.

[gimymblert]

Well codetalker was very well handled and fit perfectly with the theme of the game. Quiet was silly in so many way, but she had moment that fit with the theme (when she talk with codetalker). The african kid was cheesy but that's no david cage with the navajo. I wouldn't say they are vaguely unrelatable, only if you are not unaware of these stuff or aren't the demographic that cares. And that's the gist of it, if you ignore woman, minority get some surprising development that show he understand the minimum required to not make very dumb statement like with david cage and eidos montreal. Native american who played the game noticed in a good way, kojima is able to show respect when he want (damn his sexist tendency though).

[gimymblert]

http://art-eater.com/2015/06/words-that-kill-metal-gear-and-the-genocide-of-native-americans/

[Cobralad]

maybe "unrelatable" is not a proper word i wanted to use, more like people generally dont know much or care about those topics. I live in a country whose native language was fully or partially illegal until 1980s and is now at war because it surrendered its nukes in 90s, maybe his cold war wonderment seems too silly for me.
Like in one interview he told that "two irracional countries could destroy the entire world and its crazy" or something like that and created jungle soviet country. Cold war was between 1st and 2nd world countries and involved a political and ideological conflict in entire northern hemisphere and crocodiles in soviet union is like wild zebras in USA.

[s0]

kojima's approach is totally different from david cage or ken levine or eidos montreal. he's trying to be "postmodern", hiding "deeper" themes under anime action ridiculousness.

he doesn't always succeed ofc, but honestly, having imperialism through language as a central theme in your game and using the actual historical phenomenon of navajo code talkers as one of several angles/examples is pretty "advanced" stuff for a AAA videogame. i can't think of any other series in the AAA sphere that really compares. the original deus ex had some moments maybe (implying thats AAA lol).

compare MGS with bioshock infinite whose only point is "racism is bad, but using violence against racism is also bad mmmmkay". and to illustrate this, they created a steampunk caricature (not even an allegory, a caricature) of slavery era america. that's not even close to MGS. likewise, spec ops the line takes a long-ass time to basically say "war is glorified in shooters, but get this, it's actually bad irl!"

[gimymblert]

The thing is that legitimate literary technique like allegory has become a target of mockery for very superficial "realism", and that's dumb, zebra in america would make sense if you mean something by it.

But I wouldn't say people don'y care about it, story and decoding meaning is the main appeal of mgs and why mgs5 (which is arguably the better game with the best gameplay) was seen as a deception by fan (less story, less pay off for the theme decoding).

On a silly note, jumanji did the whole zebra in suburban america for entertainment...

Also given your information, you are either ukranian or south african :D

The nuclear tension feel old but it's still present day matter (iranian nuclear deal, north korea, current development of small nukes, etc ...)
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/12/science/as-us-modernizes-nuclear-weapons-smaller-leaves-some-uneasy.html?_r=0

Just because something is old and had permeated pop culture that it's not important stuff to raise. Kojima being a military geek is certainly aware of that. Also nukes is a plot device to convey threat quickly.

Already there are hints of a new arms race. Russia called the B61 tests “irresponsible” and “openly provocative.” China is said to be especially worried about plans for a nuclear-tipped cruise missile. And North Korea last week defended its pursuit of a hydrogen bomb by describing the “ever-growing nuclear threat” from the United States.

[gimymblert]

maybe "unrelatable" is not a proper word i wanted to use, more like people generally dont know much or care about those topics. I

Also this, the game is a good way to make them care and inform them at a very basic level, to introduce them to concept they would never have, in a context that is rather "harmless". The language discussion in the game might be 101 but most people would never had thought about it this way unless they take certain high education.

[Cobralad]

i guess kojima can put stuff in a goof self-contained way and is not french.
crocodiles and jungle biome inside soviet union are insane nonsence.

[gimymblert]

I'm still amused that among all the nonsense video games has, this is the most salient one for you, hitting too close to home?

[Cobralad]

well, it also draws its political inspiration from american 80s movies, but thats a general fiction problem. i also have not really played main mgs games myself i operate from looking at some part and extensive spoilers

[JWK5]

crocodiles and jungle biome inside soviet union are insane nonsence.

Tselinoyarsk (Russian: Целиноярск), also known as the Virgin Cliffs, was a region in the south of the former Soviet Union. The area was diverse in nature, its topography including swamps, forests, canyons, mountains, and was home to an incredible array of wildlife.

In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, it was implied that Tselinoyarsk was located in present-day Tajikistan, which lies adjacent to Pakistan, separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor.[4] However, the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database states that it was in the southeast of the Soviet Union.[5] Hideo Kojima also indicated that the trajectory of the Combat Talon, while traveling to Tselinoyarsk, was either from China in the East or from Asia in the South.[6] According to this, a very good candidate could be the present day Kyrgyzstan, a country on the southeast of the former USSR territory, on the frontier with China. In addition to that, eastern Kyrgyzstan has praires, forests, valleys, rivers and lakes, with areas of it having humid continental climate, which could explain the geography of Tselinoyarsk.

Its name is possibly based on "Tselinograd" which was a former name of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

[Cobralad]

it also has lianas
its probably supposed to be stand-in for kazahstan nuclear test sites and related military bases, but kazahstan and lower republics are dry steppe. Saygacks, jackals and more commonplace animals like bears and wolfs are too boring probably.

[gimymblert]

To be frank one reason there is jungle is a jock the sound designer made, ie he said he will make music again if the game is set in a jungle, it's also a throwback at rambo ...

[joseph ¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

well, it also draws its political inspiration from american 80s movies, but thats a general fiction problem. i also have not really played main mgs games myself i operate from looking at some part and extensive spoilers

It's honeslty super worth playing them if u care about games at all, whether you like them or not. They are a lot more interesting in context than they are spoiled or watched. V good art and 'gamefeel' too.