METAL GEAR SOLID... all the secrets!!
dhod...@gamersrepublic.com
I'm happy to report the OFFICIAL METAL GEAR GUIDE is on sale (full
saturation by October 10th). I won't harp on about the quality, but with
stunning official maps, a forward by Hideo Kojima, all the artwork you'll
ever need and even a SEALED secrets section with ALL GAME SECRETS, I hope the
work sepaks for itself. Look for the white cover with red logo, and for
detailed information, please feel free to contact me (the author) with any
questions about the guide (the only one endorsed by Konami). I look forward
to your feedback...
David S J Hodgson
Editorial Director,
Millennium Publications, Inc.
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HUGEGOCHOO
are you guys the ones in the magazine ads?
When is it on sale. In october or now?
can you also tell me some features.
thank you
dennis
Robert James Soult III
HUGEGOCHOO wrote:
Yes, I work for Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro Magazine and Next
Generation Online. I am Sushi-X's best friend. MGS goes on sale in about
a month. I know everything, and I also know where you live. I know how
often you use the internet, and I know about that dirty little porn site
that your mother told you to stay out of. That's what happens when you
use America Online, didn't you know? Anyone has access to your
information!!
david alcantara
Whoa! thats pretty cool. can you give me a playstation and all of its
games?
vsb...@my-dejanews.com
Gear Solid Perfect Guide is out now (written by Casey Loe). VERSUS BOOKS
previously published The Completely Unauthorized Final Fantasy VII Ultimate
Guide and The Completely Unauthorized Resident Evil 2 Perfect Guide (both
also written by Casey Loe). Both of our previous guides were rated by game
magazines and readers alike as superior to the official guides for those
games. (Honestly, not making that up...we got a pretty hefty stack of posts,
emails, and letters for both of those guides stating exactly that, and
reviews from EGM, Next Generation, and GamePro concurred.)
Anyway, we're really hoping our track record for producing the best guides
has continued with Metal Gear Solid. We'd like to know, what do you think of
our guide as compared to the official guide? Here is a list of features
you'll find in our guide and how we stack up at first glance, but take this
with a grain of salt - after all I am the publisher of the VERSUS BOOKS guide
so I can't exactly claim not to be biased....
€ Free Giant Poster inside every copy € Only $9.99 ($5 less than the official
guide) € Incredibly in-depth strategies for every area in the game and every
boss encounter, such as the secret way to win the second Sniper Wolf showdown
using Nikita Missiles without getting hit (note that the official guide is
missing key strategies such as this one) € Easy to follow walkthroughs and
page layouts (the official guide's layouts, by comparison IMO, are less
understandable - just compare our VR Training section to the official guide's
and you'll see what we mean!) € Interesting, informative, well-written,
humorous text (compare this to the official guide's IMO stuffy and rambling
text) € Exclusive Full-Color Maps (the official guide claims to have
"official full-color maps," but the maps are monotone one-color...i.e. all
blue or all grey, etc.) € Absolutely NO Story Spoilers (unlike the official
guide which has numerous screenshots of the cinema cut scenes throughout the
guide) € DETAILED Descriptions of 41 hidden ghosts (compare this to the
official guide's incredibly vague descriptions of the hidden
ghosts...admittedly the official guide lists 2 ghosts not found in our guide
due to the fact that these ghosts apparently were added at the last second to
the English version of the game, however, our descriptions are precise and
accurate whereas the official guide's descriptions are impossibly vague and
nebulous; I doubt it would be possible to find more than three ghosts using
the official guide's descriptions, whereas all 41 of our descriptions are
clear and to the point!) € Real World of Metal Gear Solid section featuring
ten pages packed with detailed descriptions of the real-life technology found
in the game plus brilliant photos (do you REALLY want to read an enclopedic
history of the state of Alaska? If you do, I guess the official guide is
right up your alley...)
While I have to say that the interviews in the official guide are well-done
and the official artwork is nice, it is my firm belief that when it comes to
actual gameplay strategy, useability, page layouts, and writing quality, our
guide is the best choice. But don't just take my word for it, however; please
compare the VERSUS BOOKS Metal Gear Solid guide to the official guide and let
us know what you think. Please send email comments to m...@vsbooks.com and
check out our web site at www.vsbooks.com
Our guide is available now nationwide and you should at least be able to find
it at Electronics Boutique, Babbages, and Software Etc. Thanks for your time!
Matt Taylor, publisher
VERSUS BOOKS
Empire 21 Publishing, Inc.
dhod...@gamersrepublic.com
Matt Taylor rambled on…
Here is a list of features you'll find in our guide and how we stack up at
first glance, but take this with a grain of salt - after all I am the
publisher of the VERSUS BOOKS guide so I can't exactly claim not to be
biased....
Perhaps a mountain of salt would best be removed… At this point it’s worth
mentioning that we’ve been fans of Mister Taylor’s (or should that be
Casey’s?) guides in the past, the Tekken 3 guide was great, as was the
Resident Evil 2 book (note Millennium Publications had "ex GameFan editor
Ryan Lockhart" helping us with the Official MGS guide), but this blatant
attempt to slag off our guide and sell more copies of his book isn’t really
on. If Taylor had just ‘advertised’ his guide, we’d have no problem, but as
he poo-poos our guide, we have to reply. Here’s our take, for anyone who
actually cares…
o Free Giant Poster inside every copy
Of course, Mister Taylor fails to mention that this "giant poster" is
one-sided, features an amalgamation of images copied and pasted from the
internet, but does include the silhouette of the infamous and hilarious "Bart
Simpson Snake" that adorns the cover (yes, that is meant to be Solid Snake).
This is the cover. I’m not a big fan of the art. Personally.
o Incredibly in-depth strategies for every area in the game and every
boss encounter
The first example of the excited Mister Taylor being a little bit of a
fibber. Note that the Versus guide doesn’t feature take-down tactics for the
LAST THREE battles, rather important for finishing the game, I would say.
Don’t believe everything Mister Taylor claims…
o such as the secret way to win the second Sniper Wolf showdown
using Nikita Missiles without getting hit (note that the official guide is
missing key strategies such as this one)
The Sniper Wolf second battle take-down is alluded to in the text, but left to
the gamer to figure out (we hinted pretty strongly). Using Mister Taylor’s
logic, here’s another, just as important strategy than Messers Taylor and Loe
FAILED to include; sniping the three Nuke Building guards with the PSG-1.
o Easy to follow walkthroughs and page layouts (the official guide's layouts,
by comparison IMO, are less understandable - just compare our VR Training
section to the official guide's and you'll see what we mean!)
Hmmm, day-glo purple and yellow design might have worked in the heady days of
GameFan, but this makes the Versus guide terribly difficult to follow in
parts, IMHO. Instead of a cold "A to B with sarcasm in between" style of
walkthrough, we included Techfiles, maps with correct item placements and
loads of extra information to make the book enjoyable, not a routine
exercise. Training sections? Well, let’s look at those fastest times for
Time Attack… the Official Guide beats the Versus book eight out of ten times,
and proves the times with a screenshot. Otherwise, I’d say the VR Training
sections are about the same.
o Interesting, informative, well-written, humorous text (compare this to the
official guide's IMO stuffy and rambling text)
This obviously is some sort of joke, which did amuse me nevertheless.
Sarcastic belittling of the game isn’t what I’d call humorous, and Casey made
no bones about mentioning his dislike of Metal Gear Solid to Gamers’ Republic
staff. He also makes this pretty clear in the text, which is not only
offensive (to those who’ve forked out $50 for the game and want a ‘good
read’), but also unprofessional. But I guess Versus books aren’t bound by
the same restraints or morals… Remember this has been the life of a number
of talented developers in Japan for over four years. Now read on, as Casey
demolishes their efforts in a snide and tedious fashion… Case in point number
1 (actual Versus guide text): "Maybe I can dump a picture or two here, kill
some space…. Decoy Octopus? My GOD! Okay, I guess it’s not any more lame
than, say, Revolver Ocelot… I thought of better superspy names when I was
playing Top Secret SI in the schoolyard in 5th grade…" Case in point number 2
(actual Versus guide text): "Time for a freestyle diatribe about how much I
hate some of the supporting characters in this game…" I can’t tell you how
disappointed I was with this, especially as Casey’s books have been
entertaining in the past. The words "quick" and "buck" springs to mind.
Write with a little bit of respect in the future! Please!
o Exclusive Full-Color Maps (the official guide claims to have
"official full-color maps," but the maps are monotone one-color...i.e. all
blue or all grey, etc.)
These maps were officially commissioned by Konami, taken from the game, and
inserted with the correct items placement, and obviously one-color, like the
actual graphics of the game. Your maps were nice. Ours were exact.
o Absolutely NO Story Spoilers (unlike the official guide which has numerous
screenshots of the cinema cut scenes throughout the
guide)
Except for the spoilers you put in, in the form of actual walkthroughs! You
didn’t hide Sniper Wolf’s death, did you? Vulcan’s death? Thought not.
Revealed Decoy’s attempt at espionage? Yep! Show the start of the Metal
Gear final battle? How could you?! We simply had the correct English
version of the game, understood all plot discrepancies and provided an
entertaining accompaniment to the game in the form of the cinema. Check the
contents pages or my introduction if you’re having problems with plot
revelations; the real hidden stuff was SEALED.
o DETAILED Descriptions of 41 hidden ghosts
Yep, your ghost descriptions are excellent. Ours have the correct names of
those present, and we hinted at their whereabouts for those with enough time
on their hands to locate them all. This is the only real advantage of the
Versus book. Obviously, you DIDN’T INCLUDE ALL THE important SECRETS.
Where’s your TUXEDO code? Opening cut-scene secret? Demo mode secret? Real
Wolf urination secret? Main theme secret? Torture secret? Reheating
Rations secret? Yep, Versus has none of these. What about the CORRECT
ranking explanation? In the official guide! Enough said.
o Real World of Metal Gear Solid section featuring ten pages packed with
detailed descriptions of the real-life technology foundin the game plus
brilliant photos (do you REALLY want to read an enclopedic [Note to Matt – I
assume you mean ‘encyclopedic’? If so, two pages on Alaska isn’t really that
much text to ‘wade’ through, but provides a nice little segue into the game]
history of the state of Alaska? If you do, I guess the official guide is right
up your alley...)
Or, alternatively, those seeking this Versus ’extra’ info could look on the
internet for a couple of hours and achieve the same results. I know, because
a similar section was going to be included in the official guide at one
point, and every single vehicle and item in the game IS INCLUDED in the
walkthrough. However, because of our official status, we weren’t able to
detail real-life versions of the weapons. Heckler and Koch, for example, sue
ruthlessly for unofficial use of their brand name without proper credit.
Whoops! Now where’s my H&K address? J/k
To end this extremely tedious debate, I’d like to put forward the key
problem with the Versus guide. It doesn’t take into consideration the
ENHANCED DIFFICULTY levels of the American version. The walkthrough is based
on the Japanese copy of the game (which is the EASY version), has no
strategies for dealing with the enhanced difficulty, and adds PURE
SPECULATION on whether the American game will use the strategies. The lame
excuse of "we’ll update our web-site" once the rest of the game is uncovered
isn’t really on, and shortchanges the reader. Note that in addition, the
Versus guide DOESN’T feature any information on the characters themselves
(Casey probably thought the characters "too lame" to warrant this sort of
attention), any of the plot, which is sometimes confusing, no Forward by the
game’s creator, no art, no interviews, and NO STRATEGIES for the FINAL
BATTLES!! Your past guides may have been excellent, and certainly, your
attempt at a MGS guide is almost commendable, but lacks the enthusiasm and
information of the official guide, which is a walkthrough and a collectable
companion to the game. But don’t take my word for it, I’m also biased! I
assume the tedious debate is now at an end?
Fond regards
David Hodgson
Author, The Official Metal Gear Solid Mission Handbook
Millennium Publications, Inc.
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vsb...@my-dejanews.com
Books, you might want to do it without using lies and half-truths. It's far
too easy to discredit such statements.
>>Original Versus posting:
>>"Exclusive Full-Color Maps (the official guide claims to have "official
>>full-color maps," but the maps are monotone one-color...i.e. all blue
>>or all grey, etc.)"
>Mr. Hodgson's reply:
>"These maps were officially commissioned by Konami, taken from
>the game, and inserted with the correct items placement, and
>obviously one-color, like the actual graphics of the game. Your maps
>were nice. Ours were exact."
Please, think about your statement for a moment. "One-color, like the actual
graphics of the game?" Are you really stating that Metal Gear Solid features
one-color background graphics? I'm looking at page 56 of the official guide
which features a one-color grey map of the Heliport area, but in screenshots
of the game itself on page 57, the Heliport area background clearly features
blue, green, and other distinct colors. And just to confirm, Versus Books
page 20
features - you guessed it - a full-color map of the Heliport. The bottom line
is your claim of "Full-Color Maps" is bordering on false advertising; as your
maps are one-color, and do not accurately match the full-color backgrounds in
the game. Our maps are full-color, and although of course they were not made
by Konami and are somewhat lower resolution than the official maps, we think
the Versus Books maps are presented in a more user-friendly, understandable
fashion than the official guide. But don't take my word for it, readers -
compare for yourself! And just in case I'm wrong, please let me know if the
Metal Gear Solid game features one-color background graphics, because I could
have sworn they're full-color.
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"Obviously, you DIDN'T INCLUDE ALL THE important SECRETS.
>Where's your TUXEDO code?"
We do have the "Tuxedo Code"; it's the same exact trick as the Red Ninja
trick, and our book clearly identifies this.
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"Real Wolf urination secret?"
I'm actually very glad you brought this up, as this points out two errors in
your guide. First of all, we do have the wolf urination secret (we call it
the "Special Wolf Piss Slap", page 103 of the Versus Books guide). Your
explanation of this trick in the official guide contains a gigantic error -
your statement that "You now smell of the wolf dogs, and the hounds now leave
you alone on subsequent trips through their lair" is simply not true! Getting
pissed on by the wolves will not ensure your safety in any way. What will get
you safe passage from the wolves is equipping the Scarf - something we
explain on page 60 of the Versus Books guide. The official guide never
informs you of this important trick - in fact, you incorrectly state on page
35 that other than its involvement in a story event, this item has no
practical use in the game.
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"Main theme secret?"
Page 102 of our guide clearly states that you get a "cool new piece of music
during the ending" as part of the Red Ninja trick.
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"Torture secret?"
This is clearly explained on page 102 in the Multiple Endings section of the
Versus Books guide.
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"Reheating Rations secret?"
This is clearly explained on page 39 of the Versus Books guide: "Check out
the hand dryer while you're in the bathroom, by the way... It can unfreeze
frozen rations!"
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"Opening cut-scene secret?"
I can't believe you consider this a secret. The camera angle changes when
Snake stands up each time you start the game. So what.
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"Demo mode secret?"
I also can't believe you consider this a secret. You beat the game, and the
demo mode opens up. If something pops up automatically when you beat a game,
is it a secret?
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"What about the CORRECT ranking explanation? In the official guide!
>Enough said."
While the official guide certainly has more technically detailed information
on the ranking system, I defy any human being who doesn't have a doctorate in
mathematics to figure out anything whatsoever from the official guide's
indecipherable algebraic formula. Our guide presents the information in an
understandable fashion; the official guide's information is understandable
only by KCEJ programmers.
>>Original Versus posting:
>>"such as the secret way to win the second Sniper Wolf showdown
>>using Nikita Missiles without getting hit (note that the official guide
>>is missing key strategies such as this one)"
>Mr. Hodgson's reply:
>"The Sniper Wolf second battle take-down is alluded to in the text,
>but left to the gamer to figure out (we hinted pretty strongly)."
Hinted pretty strongly? On page 123 of the official guide, the only text that
even comes close to hinting at this strategy is a caption under a screenshot
targeting Sniper Wolf which reads: "Gotcha! You can find Sniper Wolf in her
nest, but do not harm her in any way." Do not harm her in any way? I thought
the point of the game WAS to harm her. Even if this was simply sarcasm, you
don't show the safe spot required for this strategy. No one could ever
possibly figure out this strategy using the official guide.
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"Using Mister Taylor's logic, here's another, just as important
>strategy than Messers Taylor and Loe FAILED to include; sniping the
>three Nuke Building guards with the PSG-1."
Mister Hodgson, I'm afraid you are wrong. Page 63 of the VERSUS BOOKS guide
clearly states: "Of course, the three blue-clad super soldiers he left behind
are only effective when they get the jump on you... you can blow 'em away
with your sniper rifle before they even notice you." To further illustrate
this strategy, it is outlined with screenshots on this page's left-hand
sidebar.
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"Of course, Mister Taylor fails to mention that this "giant poster" is
>one-sided, and features an amalgamation of images copied and
>pasted from the internet."
How amusing... a week of Photoshop work reduced to images being "copied and
pasted from the internet." In my opinion, our cover/poster image is just a
bit more exciting than the sterile white official guide cover, especially
considering Millennium had so many fantastic, full-color Yoji Shinkawa
illustrations to choose from. What do you readers think? By the way...
posters, in general, are one-sided. The blank side is usually affixed to a
wall.
>>Original Versus posting:
>>"Incredibly in-depth strategies for every area in the game and
>>every boss encounter"
>Mr. Hodgson's reply:
>"The first example of the excited Mister Taylor being a little bit of a
>fibber. Note that the Versus guide doesn't feature take-down tactics
>for the LAST THREE battles, rather important for finishing the game,
>I would say."
We didn't include the last bosses as this is standard Versus Books policy,
just like not revealing the plot is standard Versus Books policy. It's not as
if the last two boss encounters in MGS pose any real difficulty, anyway. If
you remember, we also didn't include the last bosses in our FFVII and RE2
guides, and not one reader complained to us about this. There are some things
that just don't need to be spoiled, in my opinion.
>>Original Versus posting:
>>"Easy to follow walkthroughs and page layouts (the official guide's
>>layouts, by comparison IMO, are less understandable - just compare
>>our VR Training section to the official guide's and you'll see what
>>we mean!)"
>Mr. Hodgson's reply:
>"Instead of a cold "A to B with sarcasm in between" style of
>walkthrough, we included Techfiles, maps with correct item
>placements and loads of extra information to make the book
>enjoyable, not a routine exercise."
Are you trying to imply we have incorrect item placements? This is not the
case. As for extra info such as tech files, the official guide scatters this
throughout the walkthrough while the Versus Books guide includes all of it in
a special section at the end of the book. Again, I think our Real World
special section blows away the official guide's equivalent info.
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"Training sections? Well, let's look at those fastest times for Time
>AttackŠ the Official Guide beats the Versus book eight out of ten
>times, and proves the times with a screenshot."
Well, by the same token the VERSUS BOOKS guide crushes the official guide's
shooting mode times (which are the game's built-in times, not the Millennium
staff records) in eight out of ten stages (no, we didn't bother taking
screenshots of our times as there was no room on the layouts, but our times
are absolutely real). We give the official guide high respect for the Time
Attack times, but apparently you weren't able to beat even one of the Gun
Shooting mode's Technical Demonstration times, which are clearly much more
challenging than Time Attack mode.
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"Otherwise, I'd say the VR Training sections are about the same."
The official guide's approach of combining both Time Attack and Shooting Mode
strategies onto the same page makes the maps confusing and hard to follow.
Readers, please compare- which VR Training section is more understandable and
functional, the official guide's or the VERSUS BOOKS guide's?
>>Original Versus posting:
>>"Interesting, informative, well-written, humorous text (compare
>>this to the official guide's IMO stuffy and rambling text)"
>Mr. Hodgson's reply:
>"This obviously is some sort of joke, which did amuse me
>nevertheless. Sarcastic belittling of the game isn't what I'd call
>humorous, and Casey made no bones about mentioning his dislike of
>Metal Gear Solid to Gamers' Republic staff. He also makes this pretty
>clear in the text, which is not only offensive (to those who've forked
>out $50 for the game and want a 'good read'), but also
>unprofessional. But I guess Versus books aren't bound by the same
>restraints or moralsŠ Remember this has been the life of a number
>of talented developers in Japan for over four years. Now read on, as
>Casey demolishes their efforts in a snide and tedious fashionŠ Case
>in point number 1 (actual Versus guide text): "Maybe I can dump a
>icture or two here, kill some spaceŠ. Decoy Octopus? My GOD! Okay,
>I guess it's not any more lame than, say, Revolver OcelotŠ I thought
>of better superspy names when I was playing Top Secret SI in the
>schoolyard in 5th gradeŠ" Case in point number 2 (actual Versus
>guide text): "Time for a freestyle diatribe about how much I hate
>some of the supporting characters in this gameŠ" I can't tell you
>how disappointed I was with this, especially as Casey's books have
>been entertaining in the past. The words "quick" and "buck" springs
>to mind. Write with a little bit of respect in the future! Please!"
In case it wasn't completely obvious by the fact that the text degenerated
into smaller and smaller type size and made more and more ridiculous
statements - it was comic relief. Are you similarly offended for the proud
peoples of the great state of Alaska that we ripped on the... for lack of a
better term... oddity of the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics? (Should we take
the "Ear Pull" seriously?) We've received countless emails and letters
complimenting Casey's guides on the humor, and our readers seem to be more
than wise enough to know when we're cracking jokes.
>>Original Versus posting:
>>"Absolutely NO Story Spoilers (unlike the official guide which has
>>numerous screenshots of the cinema cut scenes throughout the
>>guide)"
>Mr. Hodgson's reply:
>"Except for the spoilers you put in, in the form of actual
>walkthroughs! You didn't hide Sniper Wolf's death, did you?
>Vulcan's death? Thought not. Revealed Decoy's attempt at
>espionage? Yep! Show the start of the Metal Gear final battle? How
>could you?! We simply had the correct English version of the game,
>understood all plot discrepancies and provided an entertaining
>accompaniment to the game in the form of the cinema. Check the
>contents pages or my introduction if you're having problems with
>plot revelations; the real hidden stuff was SEALED."
Any reader simply flipping through the Versus Books Metal Gear Solid guide
would not have a single story plot twist ruined from any of the cinemas,
while any reader simply flipping through the official Metal Gear Solid Guide
risks seeing numerous pictures from cinemas which could detract from that
reader's enjoyment of the plot when the reader reaches that point in the
game. Never have we claimed not to show pictures of boss encounters - that is
part of gameplay and is unavoidable in any strategy guide. Never have we
claimed not to discuss boss battles and such things in our text. Read the
statement carefully: NO Story Spoilers. What this means is we DON'T show
pictures of the cinematic sequences or describe what happens in the cinema
sequences in text. Readers will see all the cinemas in the game, why take a
risk on ruining their enjoyment of it? For instance, the BradyGames Official
Final Fantasy VII Strategy Guide is universally reviled for showing pictures
of and describing Aeris' death - something we intelligently abstained from
doing in our Final Fantasy VII guide. Once again, our Metal Gear Solid guide
contains no pictures of or descriptions of cinema sequences, whereas the
official guide shows cinemas throughout the guide, on numerous pages. Of
course, despite our efforts to conceal plot points, we don't recommend anyone
reading too far ahead of where they are in the game in our guide, but readers
can be assured that they can flip through our guide and not have to worry
about having a major plot twist ruined.
>>Original Versus posting:
>>"DETAILED Descriptions of 41 hidden ghosts"
>Mr. Hodgson's reply:
>"Yep, your ghost descriptions are excellent. Ours have the correct
>names of those present."
Which is more important - knowing the names of the ghosts, or actually being
able to find them?
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"and we hinted at their whereabouts for those with enough time on
>their hands to locate them all."
Come on... "The dark edge of stairs?" First of all, please define what the
"edge" of a staircase is. Second, please identify which of the innumerable
staircases in MGS this may be! I find it baffling that the official guide has
only hints for the ghost locations. Perhaps hints are all you received from
Konami, and you simply decided not to find the actual locations for your
book.
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"To end this extremely tedious debate, I'd like to put forward the
>key problem with the Versus guide. It doesn't take into
>consideration the ENHANCED DIFFICULTY levels of the American
>version."
The differences between the Japanese and American versions are absolutely
inconsequential. Your guide was also based on the Japanese version of the
game, which you admit to at the beginning of your book by saying that your
walkthrough is "based on Easy Mode." The reality is that the changes in the
American version's new difficulty settings were almost completely cosmetic
(such as less life and no item re-spawn, things which don't affect the
strategy text, maps, or layouts one way or the other of either book) and that
your guide offers virtually no strategies specific to these difficulty
settings, as there is not enough of a difference to mention it in any depth.
To state or imply that our guide isn't completely useful and appropriate for
the American version is just not true. And our guide's strategies are
*better* than your guide's strategies, as I am convinced readers of this
newsgroup will inform you once they've compared the two guides in detail.
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"Note that in addition, the Versus guide DOESN'T feature any
>information on the characters themselves (Casey probably thought
>the characters "too lame" to warrant this sort of attention), any of
>the plot, which is sometimes confusing, no Forward by the game's
>creator, no art, no interviews, and NO STRATEGIES for the FINAL
>BATTLES!!"
You seem to be proud of your ability to completely make up lots of
"background information" for the characters, something you admit to in a
recent interview. What would Hideo Kojima think of a trained killer like
Snake "acquiring a taste for salmonberries," I wonder? What would he think of
your invention of plot details that the game itself disproves, such as
claiming Ninja had his nose cut off? At any rate, we feel the game's story
speaks for itself and saw no reason to create any more plot details, or to
hold reader's hands through the story. We give you much respect for Kojima
forward, art, and excellent interviews, but that's part of what you get with
an official license. We think the higher quality of our strategies, clear and
straightforward text, and better map layouts more than make up for this.
Finally, as we said, our policy is to not show final bosses, and we doubt
many if any readers will have trouble with the last bosses of this game, as
they are relatively easy.
>Mr. Hodgson:
>"Your past guides may have been excellent, and certainly, your
>attempt at a MGS guide is almost commendable, but lacks the
>enthusiasm and information of the official guide, which is a
>walkthrough and a collectable companion to the game. But don't
>take my word for it, I'm also biased!"
Lack of enthusiasm? Lack of information? Well, you beat us to the punch with
the dissertation on Alaska, but we like to think we've got you beat with
gameplay strategies, which last time I checked is the most important part of
a strategy guide. However, you have a good point, it's up to the readers. So,
readers, what do you think? Which Metal Gear Solid guide do you prefer,
official or Versus Books?
Matt Taylor, publisher
VERSUS BOOKS
Empire 21 Publishing, Inc.
email: m...@vsbooks.com
web site: www.vsbooks.com
dhod...@gamersrepublic.com
Mister Hodgson, I'm afraid you are wrong. Page 63 of the VERSUS BOOKS guide
clearly states: "Of course, the three blue-clad super soldiers he left behind
are only effective when they get the jump on you... you can blow 'em away
with your sniper rifle before they even notice you." To further illustrate
this strategy, it is outlined with screenshots on this page's left-hand
sidebar.
Before your march against Millennium continues, let me again allow you to calm
down, read the post I wrote, and correct you. Nuke Building soldiers. You
know, the ones with the ORANGE suits on? Them? Not the Comm Tower guards.
They've got blue suits on. I'll let your fevered imagination figure out the
rest. Again, I'd love to spend five hours picking apart every nuance of your
rant (loved your antics about the final strategies not being necessary), but I
can't. I have work to do.
Bottom line: Buy the game, it is thoroughly enjoyable, then buy the guide
of your choice, either a disposable 100 page sarcastic strategy with hard to
follow walkthrough with INCREDIBLY MESSY and UNSTRUCTUED design with hideous
color-schemes (yep, I've a difference of opinion to Mister Taylor's), or a
companion to the actual game. I have no more time to clog up these
newsgroups with rebuttals... but let's "go there" on a couple more
outpourings of claptrap from this video game "politician".
BTW, disguising sarcastic gibes as "Comic Relief" is offensive, and by far
the most damaging part of your guide. Constant digs at the gameplay aren't
to be expected by a guide whose duty it is to inform gamers who actually
bought the game. And your rather racist take on the "Eskimo" Olympics also
offended. Whether it offends the general reader is a different matter.
Offending other people's culture is funny, is it? "Kooky" and "whacked" may
be your interpretation, but that's because it's unlike visiting the "mall"
and watching "the game" Treat individuality and belief systems with a little
more reverence.
You're joking about the cover and poster, though, right? Scanned images
and Bart Simpson's shadow? And there's NOTHING in the Versus guide that
allows a gamer to complete the game any more easily... In fact, why bother
with a guide at all? The final battles are too easy for strategies (tried it
on Extreme?) according to Mister Taylor, so why bother with strategies for
the rest of the game? And don’t bother looking for item placement in the
Revolver chamber or Octacon’s lab… Versus forgot to put them in. Oh how I
wish I could go on, but I don't have a spare day to bring up minute
differences between the guides. :)
Our guide? Better and more screenshots, more additional information, a
COMPLETE Walkthrough (pretty important, yes? Despite plot revelations and
poor overall design, Brady’s FFVII guide outsold Taylor’s) with ADDITIONAL
information on the difficulty settings and a number of other factors waffled
about in my previous post make the official guide. You turn to a guide when
you have a problem with a section of the game. Unfortunately, if it’s the
final mech battle, hand-to- hand combat or the Jeep exit, you’ll be looking a
long time in the Versus book. A lot more people want to see EVERYTHING a game
has to offer. So we hid the best stuff, and wrote a warning in the Ed zone.
Taylor’s point here is moot.
Casey wrote the Versus guide for one thing only... cash. We wrote it out
of respect and love for the game. Check my other post for the skinny on the
plot discrepancies Taylor thought I made up. Again, this shows his lack of
knowledge of the game's history. People who like Versus books will buy the
Versus guide. People who like Metal Gear Solid will buy the Millennium
guide. Nuff said.
I'll leave the newsgroups to chat about games now, as that's what they're for.
News, rather than two biased gamers throwing their handbags at each other. I
think that's more than enough for anyone to take.
David
For a taste of the Official Metal Gear Solid strategy guide, visit our guide
sampler at www.gamersrepublic.com/mgs
vsb...@my-dejanews.com
Versus Books Metal Gear Solid guide.....
>>BTW, disguising sarcastic gibes as "Comic Relief" is offensive, and by far the most damaging part of your guide. Constant digs at the gameplay aren't to be expected by a guide whose duty it is to inform gamers who actually bought the game.<<
Damaging? I, and our readers, would probably beg to differ. Our readers have
sent us numerous (read: hundreds) of emails complimenting us on the humor.
Stuffy, boring, humorless text is not what our readers want. Or so we've been
told, by our readers. I look forward to seeing their comments on our humor in
the Versus Books Metal Gear guide.
>>And your rather racist take on the "Eskimo" Olympics also offended. Whether it offends the general reader is a different matter. Offending other people's culture is funny, is it?<<
You know, Hodgson, the last time I checked, racism is when criticism, hate,
or similar negativity is directed at an ethnic group specifically because of
their ethnicity. Believe me when I tell you we would have derided the Ear
Pull no matter what ethnic group was responsible for such lunacy. (I also
enjoy your quotation marks around "Eskimo," as if you were trying to imply we
were even worse racists because we used such a derogatory term. Regardless of
what Native Alaskans think of the term, the official name of the event _is_
the "World Eskimo-Indian Olympics.")
>>"Kooky" and "whacked" may be your interpretation, but that's because it's unlike visiting the "mall" and watching "the game" Treat individuality and belief systems with a little more reverence.<<
Pulling off one's ears in a sporting event is definitely kooky and whacked,
at least on the planet where I happen to live. However, if you don't see it
that way, well by all means, feel free to demonstrate your reverence for
individuality and belief systems by entering yourself in this year's Ear
Pull. But before you do, please let us know ahead of time so we can be there
with cameras to take photos of you without your ears. We will memorialize the
event in our next book, and we will be happy to treat you with the exact same
amount of derision as we did everyone else who enters the Ear Pull, just to
prove to you that it wasn't racism!
>>Our guide? Better and more screenshots<<
Our guide has plenty of big, clear screenshots... The official guide has
small, dark screenshots... but lots of them!
>>a COMPLETE Walkthrough (pretty important, yes?)<<
How can your walkthrough be complete without the sure way to beat the second
Sniper Wolf battle and info on how to use the Scarf? Clearly, the Versus
Books Metal Gear guide's walkthrough is far more complete than the official
guide's, and for numerous reasons such as these.
>>Despite plot revelations and poor overall design, Bradyšs FFVII guide outsold Tayloršs.<<
You just lost me, and everyone else, Mister Hodgson. As numerous posts to the
newsgroups from back when FFVII came out will tell you, the Versus Books
guide is considered superior to the Brady FFVII guide in every way. The Brady
FFVII guide is universally despised because of its callous revelation of
Aeris' death and other key plot twists, not to mention its embarrassingly
incomplete strategy coverage. Do you revere the Brady FF VII guide? Is Brady
your inspiration for including plot spoilers throughout the official Metal
Gear guide? By the way, just because _some_ of your spoilers are hidden in
the sealed section doesn't excuse all of the numerous spoilers packed
throughout the rest of the book in the form of unavoidable screenshots of the
cinema scenes, not to mention the plot spoilers you decided you just had to
add to the character profiles.
>>Unfortunately, if itšs the final mech battle, hand-to-hand combat or the Jeep exit, youšll be looking a long time in the Versus book.<<
We do indeed have the final mech battle. We left out the hand-to-hand combat
and Jeep exit as we felt these were unexpected surprises that didn't need to
be ruined... plus, they are rather easy compared to what the player has faced
earlier in the game.
>>A lot more people want to see EVERYTHING a game has to offer. So we hid the best stuff, and wrote a warning in the Ed zone.<<
To be clear: Despite having the ending spoilers in a sealed section (rip it
open so you can ruin your game!), the official guide has numerous spoilers
that are not hidden, throughout the book. The Versus Books guide will enhance
your gameplay experience, whereas the official guide has the potential to
take away from your gameplay experience by ruining the storyline. The Versus
Books guide will show you amazing details and strategy secrets you didn't
know about, many of which are not found in the official guide, without story
spoilers.
>>Nuke Building soldiers. You know, the ones with the ORANGE suits on? Them? Not the Comm Tower guards.<<
Okay, you were right, we did miss this utterly minor strategy. (By the way,
they have GREEN suits on, not orange, but that is truly beside the point.)
However, the Versus Books guide's strategies are far more comprehensive and
complete than the official guide. And what possessed you to accuse us of not
having all those other things that we actually did have?
>>Casey wrote the Versus guide for one thing only... cash. We wrote it out of respect and love for the game.<<
So now you're degenerating into juvenile attacks on our author? What, you
don't get paid for your book? Is it charity work for you to do the official
Metal Gear guide? Money is not involved at all? You don't collect a salary?
First you resorted to the "racism" insult, now the "it's only about the
money" insult...wow, what's next Hodgson, telling us that we shouldn't even
bother publishing our guide because it doesn't have an official license? And
do you think the authors who "love the game the most" automatically make the
best guide? Well, considering your desire to pack absolutely "everything"
into your guide, including cinematic story spoilers, maybe you love the game
just a little bit too much! But wait, on the other hand, maybe the problem is
you don't love the game enough; if you did, surely you would understand that
the Scarf does actually have a use!
>>Check my other post for the skinny on the plot discrepancies Taylor thought I made up. This I found most amusing, taking an interview I
gave out of context... this shows his lack of knowledge of the game's
history.<<
Ah, despite the fact that the Versus Books staff has played every Kojima game
in existence and knows the plot of MGS backwards and forwards, we don't know
the plot? And you do? Well, let's see here. Page 24 of the official Metal
Gear guide claims Ninja's nose was cut off, but page 155 of the official
Metal Gear guide features a screenshot of...yup...that's right, Ninja with
his nose still attached. This is, of course, just one example of your plot
doctoring. Where do you get this stuff, Hodgson? Hard to believe that this
was furnished by Hideo Kojima as part of Konami's Official Metal Gear plot
summaries, especially when this is contradicted by the game itself. Come to
think of it, Ninja's official plot summary in all four of the Japanese Metal
Gear guides never even mentions the name "Frank Jaeger," let alone any
fictitious nasal torture, possibly because Hideo Kojima's not foolish enough
to reveal several of the game's plot twists (Ninja is Gray Fox, Ninja is Dr.
Naomi's adoptive older brother) in a bio? Why, Mr. Hodgson, it appears as if
you have told a fib. You invented lots of background details about the
characters, not to mention the fact that you inappropriately included
spoilers in the bios. Don't get me wrong; your embellished storylines would
certainly be entertaining if it wasn't for the fact that much of what you
made up is simply inaccurate and/or contradicts plot points in the game.
Also, Hodgson, speaking of your interview, it's pretty hard to take "Looking
at the Solid Snake profile, there were about 100 to 150 words that was the
official stuff... the rest of it was basically fleshed out and invented" and
"I was able to launch into a little bit of invention as well" out of context.
>>People who like Versus books will buy the Versus guide. People who like Metal Gear Solid will buy the Millennium guide. Nuff said.<<
People who want a guide that enhances their gameplay experience but doesn't
ruin it, and who also enjoy humor with their guide, will buy the Versus Books
guide. People who want to read long-winded, rambling and at times completely
invented text, that misses several key gameplay points, but features some
nifty interviews with the designers, official artwork, and lots of story
spoilers, will buy the official guide.
I have no doubt whatsoever that when Hodgson responds to this post, he will
prattle on about how he's "too good for this discussion," but in the same
breath he will again lie about our guide and offer more personal attacks
against us, our authors, and our work.
dhod...@gamersrepublic.com
>
> How can your walkthrough be complete without the sure way to beat the second
> Sniper Wolf battle and info on how to use the Scarf? Clearly, the Versus
> Books Metal Gear guide's walkthrough is far more complete than the official
> guide's, and for numerous reasons such as these.
Pardon me if I stifle a giggle. By now, I hope you've tried the Nuke
Building guard takedown strategies you missed in your guide. I hope you can
differentiate between "Orange" and "blue" (and "green", see later into this
post). Okay, back to the important stuff… like the FINAL THREE BATTLES!!!
Let me see how to beat down Liquid Snake in hand-to-hand (especially in
Extreme mode.. .ah, no Extreme tactics at all!)... Versus guide in my hand...
damn! Not there! What about the final mech battle...? Bugger, I needed
more info than that! Hey, Liquid Snake is gaining on me in his jeep... out
comes the Versus guide... and away it goes again... Before you disappear
completely up your own arse, I suggest you redefine the phrase "far more
complete" and make it mean "entire final battles missing". Otherwise, your
argument is truly astounding to me… Your walkthrough IS NOT COMPLETE. One
BIG HARD FACT.
> You just lost me, and everyone else, Mister Hodgson. As numerous posts to the
> newsgroups from back when FFVII came out will tell you, the Versus Books
> guide is considered superior to the Brady FFVII guide in every way. The Brady
> FFVII guide is universally despised because of its callous revelation of
> Aeris' death and other key plot twists, not to mention its embarrassingly
> incomplete strategy coverage. Do you revere the Brady FF VII guide? Is Brady
> your inspiration for including plot spoilers throughout the official Metal
> Gear guide? By the way, just because _some_ of your spoilers are hidden in
> the sealed section doesn't excuse all of the numerous spoilers packed
> throughout the rest of the book in the form of unavoidable screenshots of the
> cinema scenes, not to mention the plot spoilers you decided you just had to
ÿ add to the character profiles.
Everyone else? I doubt anyone’s interested enough to read through this
handbag swinging hack duel. Again, I urge calmness (perhaps a little Whale
song wafting through the air nearby). I do not revere Brady’s FFVII guide.
I simply stated that it OUTSOLD yours. Please deny that. Then, I noted that
plot revelations IN NO WAY impeded the guide’s sales. This was the argument.
If you reread my posting, hopefully you’ll understand. I’m of the opinion
that readers can make the decision NOT to turn to a page and have everything
revealed for them. I like my guides complete in that respect. Hence the
warning in the ed zone (did I mention that already? You really have to
hammer the point home with Matt). And a series of cinematic features in no
way impedes my (or anyone I’ve talked to) enjoyment of the game or guide.
We simply have more info than you. Face it. Meryl gets shot. We just
revealed it more dramatically than you. I believe that far more people
actually want these ‘spoilers’ in their guide, but to appease the others, the
ed zone warned of such ‘spoilers’. Most people play the game, get stuck,
then refer to the guide. Hence our lack of confusion. You know exactly
where you are with the Official guide…
> To be clear: Despite having the ending spoilers in a sealed section (rip it
> open so you can ruin your game!),
What, like the Japanese guides do that you revere so highly?
> the official guide has numerous spoilers
> that are not hidden, throughout the book. The Versus Books guide will enhance
> your gameplay experience, whereas the official guide has the potential to
> take away from your gameplay [waffle waffle THUNK]
Crap. Absolute clutching-at-straws tom-foolery. I would argue to the
contrary… if I hadn’t done already.
>
> >>Nuke Building soldiers. You know, the ones with the ORANGE suits on? Them? Not the Comm Tower guards.<<
>
> Okay, you were right, we did miss this utterly minor strategy. (By the way,
ÿ they have GREEN suits on, not orange, but that is truly beside the point.)
Glad you mentioned that. Firstly, this isn’t a minor strategy, it’s the most
effective way of clearing an ENTIRE AREA in seconds. Secondly, the soldiers
have orange radiation suits. ORANGE. Y’know, like the fruit? Same suits as
they wear in the Blast Furnace (you know, where your guide missed all those
items and didn’t bother with a detailed map at all). Still don’t believe me?
Check the drawing on page 21. See? A yellowy orange suit for NBC warfare.
You may be slightly confused as the Nuke Building has GREEN LIGHTING. I dare
you you retort with an "actually, they’re more yellow than orange" post :)
>
> >>Casey wrote the Versus guide for one thing only... cash. We wrote it out of respect and love for the game.<<
>
ÿ So now you're degenerating into juvenile attacks on our author?
Casey has told us before that he gets a nice little (!) payment for each
book, and rightly so, he’s a great author. However, he doesn’t like the
game, he told us that, he told the readers of your guide that, which makes me
ponder the logical conclusion of this argument… he wrote it for cash.
ÿ > maybe you love the game just a little bit too much!
Damn Matt! You got me there!
And now, for the coup de grace...
> Well, let's see here. Page 24 of the official Metal
> Gear guide claims Ninja's nose was cut off, but page 155 of the official
> Metal Gear guide features a screenshot of...yup...that's right, Ninja with
ÿ > his nose still attached.
Oh dear, oh dear. Without resorting to legal action, I’d like you to
publicly retract those comments in your next oh-so tedious post. In your
continuing barrage of offensive rubbish, this takes the cake as the single
most cretinous series of comments, showing your UTTER LACK of knowledge for
the game’s plot. I’ll fend off your attacks one by one. 1. Ninja’s nose cut
off [text sent to me by Konami of Japan]: "became a prisoner of war in
Mozambique and was deprived of his ears, nose and therefore his face while
being tortured" This proves the NINJA’S NOSE WAS CUT OFF. This was the
APPROVED text that I received. The picture of Frank Jaegar (yes, Matt,
that’s the Ninja), shows, gosh, PLASTIC SURGERY!! This is one of the
benefits of being a military puppet.
> This is, of course, just one example of your plot
> doctoring. Where do you get this stuff, Hodgson? Hard to believe that this
> was furnished by Hideo Kojima as part of Konami's Official Metal Gear plot
> summaries, especially when this is contradicted by the game itself. Come to
> think of it, Ninja's official plot summary in all four of the Japanese Metal
> Gear guides never even mentions the name "Frank Jaeger,"
That’s because we received more story and plot than the Japanese guides (erm,
there's ten out, not four), who rushed the guide out and didn’t include much
of the intricate plot. This is not plot doctoring, this is having the
storyline and FACTS, rather than creating slander to add to an increasingly
appalling point of a game you know little about the finer points of. I
suggest you quiet down on this aspect of the guide before you shoot yourself
in the other foot. I get "this stuff" from Komami of Japan. Play through
the American version of the game. You’ll be surprised! Believe Matt!
Believe!!
> (Ninja is Gray Fox, Ninja is Dr.
> Naomi's adoptive older brother) in a bio? Why, Mr. Hodgson, it appears as if
you have told a fib
Nope, Mr. Taylor, I’ve fluently reworded official text directly from Kojima’s
team. Again, here’s the second attack countered: 2. Ninja is Gray Fox.
Having played the official American game would have cleared these points up,
but to (yawn) prove this AGAIN [text sent to me by Konami of Japan]: "real
name: Frank Jaeger". 3. Naomi’s adoptive older brother [text sent to me by
Konami of Japan]: "picked up in Rhodesia and raised by Grey (sic) Fox and Big
Boss… She moved to the US with Grey (sic) Fox and obtained her US
citizenship… Grey Fox is her brother." Wipe the egg off your face, and by
all means continue this line of questioning. Pick a character... any
character. Perhaps you should have consulted with the official game before
commencing your guide and spouting flametastic comments… As for the
‘superior’ Japanese guides, I suggest you read the letter Hideo Kojima sent
to us (http://www.gamersrepublic.com/mgs) on this matter.
>
> >>People who like Versus books will buy the Versus guide. People who like Metal Gear Solid will buy the Millennium guide. Nuff said.<<
>
> People who want a guide that enhances their gameplay experience but doesn't
> ruin it, and who also enjoy humor with their guide, will buy the Versus Books
> guide. People who want to read long-winded, rambling and at times completely
> invented text, that misses several key gameplay points, but features some
> nifty interviews with the designers, official artwork, and lots of story
ÿ spoilers, will buy the official guide.
And again, for those in the back of the theater, none of my text that
involved plot was "completely invented", I attempted a more ‘military’
walkthrough with a little more subtle humor, and added to the walkthroughs
with many additional tactics not present in the Versus guide (such as the
"green" guard takedown, that sort of thing).
>
> I have no doubt whatsoever that when Hodgson responds to this post, he will
> prattle on about how he's "too good for this discussion," but in the same
> breath he will again lie about our guide and offer more personal attacks
ÿ against us, our authors, and our work.
After a forehead massage, I suggest you don’t put words in my mouth, don’t
call me a liar, and if I have personally attacked you in any way, this was
meant as fun. Joshing. You can take a joke now, can’t you? You know, the
same sort of wacky stuff you let past in your guide. I don’t think I was the
one coming off as pompous… I’ll end this ‘handbag roundhouse’ by suggesting
that anyone not put off by these posts and who still want a guide, should
compare and contrast ours and his. Again, I’ll end on the one matter we can
agree on; the Brady and Prima efforts are nothing short of abysmal.
David S J Hodgson
Editorial Director
Millennium Publications inc.
Visit the official Metal Gear Solid strategy guide sampler at
http://www.gamersrepublic.com/mgs
PS: And finally, those kerazy Eskimos don’t pull the WHOLE EAR off.
Otherwise, like, how could the guy win three years in a row?
kl...@uswest.net
I'll have to say this, why in the hell would you want a walkthrough for the Liquid jeep battle, is there some plot development towards it? Are
there any secrets in that section of the game? NO! All you need to do is to shoot Liquid's ass over and over until something happens. No
strategy guide writer would need to waste a page on that! All the final battles (except Metal Gear fight) are already too simplistic to have a
strategy for it. If you actually survived the Ninja boxing match, that's all the experience you need to box Liquid.
Nick Des Barres
dhod...@gamersrepublic.com wrote:
NRX (Die-hard Kojima fan and creator of the "'infamous Bart Simpson Snake'") enters the fray with
some clarifying points even before Mister Taylor can respond...
Also, a quick note to those who haven't beaten MGS, story spoilers abound.
>Matt Taylor typed away throughout the weekend...
>>
>> How can your walkthrough be complete without the sure way to beat the second
>> Sniper Wolf battle and info on how to use the Scarf? Clearly, the Versus
>> Books Metal Gear guide's walkthrough is far more complete than the official
>> guide's, and for numerous reasons such as these.
>
>Pardon me if I stifle a giggle. By now, I hope you've tried the Nuke
>Building guard takedown strategies you missed in your guide. I hope you can
>differentiate between "Orange" and "blue" (and "green", see later into this
>post). Okay, back to the important stuff… like the FINAL THREE BATTLES!!!
>Let me see how to beat down Liquid Snake in hand-to-hand (especially in
>Extreme mode.. .ah, no Extreme tactics at all!)... Versus guide in my hand...
>damn! Not there! What about the final mech battle...? Bugger, I needed
>more info than that! Hey, Liquid Snake is gaining on me in his jeep... out
>comes the Versus guide... and away it goes again... Before you disappear
>completely up your own arse, I suggest you redefine the phrase "far more
>complete" and make it mean "entire final battles missing". Otherwise, your
>argument is truly astounding to me… Your walkthrough IS NOT COMPLETE. One
>BIG HARD FACT.
I'm not going to parse Mister Taylor's phraseology, but let me interject my own opinion into the
mix. Certainly, the Versus book does not offer strategies for the last two fights. This is simply
how Versus operates; it never reveals the last boss of ANY game, let alone ones as easy as MGS'.
And as for saying your book offers strategies versus Liquid Snake in Extreme Mode, is it not true
that you simply offer the information that if you fall off of Rex in Extreme, it's Game Over?
That's not much of a strategy, then, is it? Also, I invite you to explain what's incomplete about
Mister Loe's strategy versus the sans-Radome Rex. It seems perfectly complete to me, and everyone
else I've talked to. In fact, it offers a much easier method of defeating Rex than your guide:
Running through Rex's feet and striking from behind.
How do you KNOW Brady's absurd Aeris-based spoilers didn't affect its sales? That's certainly not
what Versus' fan-mail says. Numerous lads and lasses expressed to Versus their non-interest in
purchasing the Brady guide due to its inconsiderate spoilers. As for your opinion on page-turning,
it is admirable... given appropriate warning! Your guide has none, merely warning about the sealed
section. How can you say the polygon demos lining the bottom of the pages present no spoilers? A
quick flip through the guide, not even reading a word of text reveals... The DARPA chief's
death!... Ocelot's hand gets cut off!... Baker's death!... Psycho Mantis controls Meryl!... Meryl
gets sniped!... Snake is captured!... Otacon breaks Snake out!... Snakes busts out the coup de
grace on Wolf!... etc., etc. That's not cool. MGS' main attraction is really the storyline... why
ruin its innumerable fun plot twists?
>> To be clear: Despite having the ending spoilers in a sealed section (rip it
>> open so you can ruin your game!),
>
>What, like the Japanese guides do that you revere so highly?
Touche!
>> the official guide has numerous spoilers
>> that are not hidden, throughout the book. The Versus Books guide will enhance
>> your gameplay experience, whereas the official guide has the potential to
>> take away from your gameplay [waffle waffle THUNK]
>
>Crap. Absolute clutching-at-straws tom-foolery. I would argue to the
>contrary… if I hadn’t done already.
Well... it certainly DOES have that potential. The average gamer has no clue that Meryl gets
sniped... but there it is, in four-color glory on page 103 of the Official guide. Of course, this
is not to say that the Versus guide does not technically have the same potential of ruination,
albeit reduced since the information is text based.
>> >>Nuke Building soldiers. You know, the ones with the ORANGE suits on? Them? Not the Comm
Tower guards.<<
>>
>> Okay, you were right, we did miss this utterly minor strategy. (By the way,
>ÿ they have GREEN suits on, not orange, but that is truly beside the point.)
>
>Glad you mentioned that. Firstly, this isn’t a minor strategy, it’s the most
>effective way of clearing an ENTIRE AREA in seconds. Secondly, the soldiers
>have orange radiation suits. ORANGE. Y’know, like the fruit? Same suits as
>they wear in the Blast Furnace (you know, where your guide missed all those
>items and didn’t bother with a detailed map at all). Still don’t believe me?
>Check the drawing on page 21. See? A yellowy orange suit for NBC warfare.
>You may be slightly confused as the Nuke Building has GREEN LIGHTING. I dare
>you you retort with an "actually, they’re more yellow than orange" post :)
Ho ho. Clearing an entire area? It's cleared long before you ever get the PSG-1. As for the color
of suits...semi-ridiculous, but I'll provide my unsolicited opinion nontheless. ANY gamer would
call the Nuke Building guards green. Come on; they're green. Even if they're greenish-yellow in
Mister Shinkawa's art, and orange in the Blast Furnace, they're green in the Nuke Building. I
invite anyone to dispute this with confidence.
>> >>Casey wrote the Versus guide for one thing only... cash. We wrote it out of respect and love
for the game.<<
>>
>ÿ So now you're degenerating into juvenile attacks on our author?
>
>Casey has told us before that he gets a nice little (!) payment for each
>book, and rightly so, he’s a great author. However, he doesn’t like the
>game, he told us that, he told the readers of your guide that, which makes me
>ponder the logical conclusion of this argument… he wrote it for cash.
I can vouch personally that, going into the book, Mister Loe was doing it for more than cash.
Whatever his alleged final opinion of the game is is meaningless... he went into the project with
much "love" for the game. However, this is a topic I shouldn't touch since any comments I have
about Mister Loe could be seen as bias; I would have given almost anything for the oppurtunity to
write and design a Metal Gear Solid book.
>And now, for the coup de grace...
>
>> Well, let's see here. Page 24 of the official Metal
>> Gear guide claims Ninja's nose was cut off, but page 155 of the official
>> Metal Gear guide features a screenshot of...yup...that's right, Ninja with
>ÿ > his nose still attached.
>
>Oh dear, oh dear. Without resorting to legal action, I’d like you to
>publicly retract those comments in your next oh-so tedious post. In your
>continuing barrage of offensive rubbish, this takes the cake as the single
>most cretinous series of comments, showing your UTTER LACK of knowledge for
>the game’s plot. I’ll fend off your attacks one by one. 1. Ninja’s nose cut
>off [text sent to me by Konami of Japan]: "became a prisoner of war in
>Mozambique and was deprived of his ears, nose and therefore his face while
>being tortured" This proves the NINJA’S NOSE WAS CUT OFF. This was the
>APPROVED text that I received. The picture of Frank Jaegar (yes, Matt,
>that’s the Ninja), shows, gosh, PLASTIC SURGERY!! This is one of the
>benefits of being a military puppet.
Please read the original post a little closer. Mister Taylor's mention of plot points (Ninja is
Fox, Fox is Naomi's older brother) were simply brought up to illustrate plot twists you
inconsiderately revealed in your bios. Did you actually believe he thought YOU invented these plot
points?
>> This is, of course, just one example of your plot
>> doctoring. Where do you get this stuff, Hodgson? Hard to believe that this
>> was furnished by Hideo Kojima as part of Konami's Official Metal Gear plot
>> summaries, especially when this is contradicted by the game itself. Come to
>> think of it, Ninja's official plot summary in all four of the Japanese Metal
>> Gear guides never even mentions the name "Frank Jaeger,"
>
>That’s because we received more story and plot than the Japanese guides (erm,
>there's ten out, not four), who rushed the guide out and didn’t include much
>of the intricate plot. This is not plot doctoring, this is having the
>storyline and FACTS, rather than creating slander to add to an increasingly
>appalling point of a game you know little about the finer points of. I
>suggest you quiet down on this aspect of the guide before you shoot yourself
>in the other foot. I get "this stuff" from Komami of Japan. Play through
>the American version of the game. You’ll be surprised! Believe Matt!
>Believe!!
I find it very hard to believe an American guide would receive more plot information that even
Konami's Japanese MGS guide... written by Konami! Are we to believe special plot information was
written specifically for the American market? And as for your claim that there are ten Japanese
strategy guides, you are wrong. There are ten-plus Metal Gear PUBLICATIONS, ranging from pre
release previews like Mission Zero and Prologue to art books, but there are only FOUR
dedicated strategy guides currently on the market: Ascii Publishing's Metal Gear Solid Complete
Guide, Haoh's Metal Gear Solid Perfect Guide, NTT Publishing's Metal Gear Solid Koushiki Guide, and
Konami's Metal Gear Solid Koushiki Perfect Guide.
I also find it very, very hard to believe that Ninja/Fox/Jaeger's nose was EVER cut off. Even if
you received information referring to his "deprival" of eyes, ears and nose, perhaps this was
merely a poor translation referring to him being deprived of his senses for more terrifying
torture. If Jaeger's nose was cut off, then miraculously reappeared (he had his nose back in MG2:
Solid Snake as well as MGS), Kojima would have an explanation. Believe me as the only person in
this discussion to be familiar with Mister Kojima's works backwards and forwards - this man never
lets ANYTHING slide without a complete explanation. This is the man who provided a totally
unsolicited five-paragraph explanation as to why liquid wasn't floating out of wine glasses in a
weightless, deep-space bar in Policenauts. This was an ultra-minor discrepancy that had less than
nothing to do with the plot, yet it was mapped out and logically explained in its entirety. This is
just one example of his absurd attention to detail. A plot hole as large as Jaeger's Magic
Disappearing and Reappearing Nose would NEVER go unexplained by Mister Kojima. And, if the modern
miracle of plastic surgery DID fix his face, why did his other facial scars, such as his mangled
left eye, go unfixed?
>> (Ninja is Gray Fox, Ninja is Dr.
>> Naomi's adoptive older brother) in a bio? Why, Mr. Hodgson, it appears as if
>you have told a fib
>
>Nope, Mr. Taylor, I’ve fluently reworded official text directly from Kojima’s
>team. Again, here’s the second attack countered: 2. Ninja is Gray Fox.
>Having played the official American game would have cleared these points up,
>but to (yawn) prove this AGAIN [text sent to me by Konami of Japan]: "real
>name: Frank Jaeger". 3. Naomi’s adoptive older brother [text sent to me by
>Konami of Japan]: "picked up in Rhodesia and raised by Grey (sic) Fox and Big
>Boss… She moved to the US with Grey (sic) Fox and obtained her US
>citizenship… Grey Fox is her brother." Wipe the egg off your face, and by
>all means continue this line of questioning. Pick a character... any
>character. Perhaps you should have consulted with the official game before
>commencing your guide and spouting flametastic comments… As for the
>‘superior’ Japanese guides, I suggest you read the letter Hideo Kojima sent
>to us (http://www.gamersrepublic.com/mgs) on this matter.
Amusement! Mister Taylor said nothing of the sort! Read his post more carefully, as I said above.
And please, don't attempt to deny you embellished the bios with extra details in your book. This is
a Hambleton trademark... you even admit to it in the Gaming Age interview.
Now, as for Mister Kojima's comment, I REALLY can't parse his statements, but, you know, he's not
fluent in English. All he can do is view the fantastically great Official Guide design, which he
mentions over and over... I really must wonder what he'd think of the ommissions and text-based
spoliers.
Now, don't get me wrong, Hambleton... let's make it clear, you've crafted one of the best official
American guidebooks of all time. (But no, you can't use that quote in promotional materials!) I'm
just responding to some finer points of this rambling dialogue.
Also, a word to Mister Harrod and Mister Abraham: This book is absolutely gorgeous. It inspires me
to design with greater skill.
Kevin C Harris
to the level of usefulness that other versus strategy guides do. I would not
recommand buying this one folks, its a waste of money.