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Wednesday, June 22, 2005
La-Li-Lu-Le-shut the hell up! | Well, I completed Metal Gear Solid 3 a few days ago.
I'm still really impressed with it. The whole sequence that follows the first battle with Volgin is awesome. Full of constant surprises. Somehow it reminded me of Shenmue a little, if only because it had this completely weird feeling of being totally unpredictable. I mean, suddenly switching to on-rails shooting and stuff? Very cool. Although I have to say, EVA is a terribly uncoordinated driver. lol
Anyway, yeah, I am very pleased with it. Brilliant game. Along with Resident Evil 4, it's one of my favourites in recent memory. I'd definitely put it on-par with that game, which is a pretty huge compliment.
But still - and you knew I was going to say it - the cut scene madness was really getting to me. It was getting to be a ratio of 60/40 cut scene/gameplay. Yuck.
It's not that any of the cut scenes are bad, but there's just so much unnecessary stuff in there. I think part of the art of storytelling is probably not telling too much, or at least, not showing everything all the time. There is definitely relevance to the idea of "less is more".
It's a shame, because the story was great. The ending was particularly good. It came together in a very strong way, but still, it's possible to lose interest in a great story if you're constantly being taken away from a really fun game. I kept saying "Okay, just let me play."
Oh well. As mentioned, this is my only real criticism of the the game. That means, obviously, I really have no negative comments about the actual gameplay. And that is pretty rare. So it's still a very glowing verdict from me - that is, when one is actually able to experience the gameplay.
Doc G: Yes, I still recommend it. Despite the ridiculously numerous and lengthy cut scenes (which frankly put the latter Final Fantasy games to shame), the actual game is well worth playing. It's very unique and it really achieves a brilliant balance. It's a very clever design.
As for the latter part of your comment, yes, you're right. "Metal Gear" originated on the NES, although I have never played the 2D incarnations of the series.
Aaryanna: Glad you're enjoying your stay!
Yeah, I totally sympathize. Even with Final Fantasy, I never really minded the cinema sequences. They often didn't really drive the story forward, they were often just there for eye candy. But they weren't too numerous for me or too long (the same cannot be said for the GF summon animations though).
The story unfolded through text/conversations. I liked that, because I could go at my own pace and not miss anything. And that was broken up with battling and so on. So, it rarely got on my nerves.
SunfallE: Yup. I'm all for having a cinematic approach in games, but games aren't movies. I don't want to sit back and watch a game - I want to play it.
XxLinkinParkxX: Yeah, as I mentioned, it's definitely worth trying. There really isn't anything out there that is exacty like Metal Gear Solid. It's one of those franchises that has developed a very unique style of gameplay over the years.
Shin-kun: You don't like the beach? O_O
Yeah, I'm not sure about an Xbox version, but this is one game I'd almost be prepared to buy a PS2 for (if I didn't already own one). It's just one of those games that people really have to try out.
Senny: I know what you mean and that's a good point. However, with Metal Gear, I tend to be at risk of zoning out with extra long sequences.
While the fundamental story is interesting, the delivery isn't always great. It's not like watching a great film. You can tell that it's done by a game company - it just doesn't hold my interest because much of it is too waffling and not concise enough.
But as I've said, it's not just that, it's also the fact that I enjoy the game so much...I don't like being taken away from that experience for too long. It's jarring and for me, it hurts the experience. Rather than playing and thinking "I can't wait for another cool cut scene", I play and think "God I hope I have a good amount of time before I get dragged away from the game again".
As for the camera, I never really minded it. The whole thing felt more immersive and realistic to me. The slight awkwardness seemed natural, for lack of a better word. It took some time to get used to though. And it's probably one of the rare instances where I'd be in favor of "more awkwardness" in a game. lol
elfy: It's cool, humor can be hard to convey on the Internet, no?
No need to apologize. I enjoyed our chat, it was very insightful. It's always a pleasure to chat with you. ^_^
Ajeh: Oh believe me, I criticize from a position of love. ~_^
The fact that my only criticism relates to cut scenes is pretty darn good if you think about it. I love everything else - awkward camera included.
DDG: Yeah, that's understandable. Sometimes I like cut scenes if they are a good distance apart. Unfortunately, Metal Gear Solid 3 throws them at you frequently. And frequently, you're removed from the game experience. I really don't enjoy that.
However, there are some cool tricks with cut scenes, especially the R1 thing. It was particularly funny to see where Snake was looking when talking to EVA... lol
Asuki-chan: Thank you very much, I appreciate it!
Never fear, if myO is off it usually just means I am fiddling around in the backroom somewhere, as Tony said. ^_^
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