OT: Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty (gameheads-only post)
John Hopkins
The one in the subject line had a lot of hype behind it, gamespot.com called it
'superb,' so I picked it up.
Since I'm not a gamer with a capital G, I was glad to see this thing had a 'very
easy' setting. <g> Even so, getting started took patience. Once you have the
hang of it, though, it turns out to be a lot of fun.
The graphics, especially the cut scenes where you just sit & watch as if it's a
movie, are absolutely top-flight. Even the voice acting is generally excellent.
But as you go along a certain fact creeps up on you, which is that there are a
*lot* of these cut scenes, and some of 'em are rather *long*.
In fact, if you're trying to play the thing on a weeknight where you've only got
a couple of hours to spare, they seem *very* long. Last night I finally got to
the end, and the final quarter of the game seems like it's all movie. The very
last cut scene before you do battle with the Big Boss clocks in at nearly forty
minutes.
Since I'm only like a halfway gamer (smack in the middle between novice and
drooling addict), this strikes me as a little weird. I'm part of a 'squad' thay
plays Delta Force: Land Warrior online and here nothing more happens than that
the game starts up and you start shooting. That explanation is a little
simplified, but not by much. With MGS: SoL you're constantly in danger of
snuggling into your seat and forgetting that at any moment you'll be required to
do something.
So it's kind of strange. I hate to criticize it because it looks gorgeous, and
when there *is* gameplay, it's fun. (Especially amusing is a part where your
character has been captured and stripped, so when he escapes you're trying to
sneak him past a ton of guards while he's got his hands covering his Area.) And
the 'movie' is very well done, as these things go. Just don't fire it up unless
you've got a lot of time to kill.
/John
Jeff Dworak
I'm the type of gamer who almost always skips past the movies in games.
If you do this with the Metal Gear sequel, you wind up missing most of
the game.
(Incidentally, Kojima what's-his-name, the creative guy behind the game,
stated in interviews that he essentially wanted the game to be mostly
movies!)
--
"Many original beauty girls as for whom the thigh did the
whip whip are recorded."
Michelle Zalas
>
> I wasn't particularly impressed with this game, for the reason you cite.
> I'm the type of gamer who almost always skips past the movies in games.
> If you do this with the Metal Gear sequel, you wind up missing most of
> the game.
If I pick up a game, I actually want to play it, not sit and watch it.
FMVs can help the plot along as long as they aren't overdone. That's why
I didn't care for this game too much. If I wanted to sit and watch
movies, I'd turn off the PS2 and turn on the TV.
Mela SN
> I wasn't particularly impressed with this game, for the reason you cite.
> I'm the type of gamer who almost always skips past the movies in games.
> If you do this with the Metal Gear sequel, you wind up missing most of
> the game.
That was my dad's big gripe, too. To quote him, "I want something to
kill!!" I, however, didn't really mind the movies--they were pretty
nicely animated, and it gave me an excuse to listen to my favorite
voice actor turn in his best performance (also, I can't shoot
straight, so gameplay was a little hard for me). About the only thing
I couldn't stand was the naggy girlfriend at every save. I'm pretty
sure these little interludes are what resulted in the massive
nastiness of little game fanboys who now have a mad-on for an innocent
VA.
Mela SN
-------
Info Club #95389
Quinton Flynn groupie & damn proud of it
My comic shop closed just short of my tenth anniversary of patronage;
that just plain hurts.
Lots42
>If I pick up a game, I actually want to play it, not sit and watch it.
Speaking of such, there's Turok 2 for the N64. It looks great but has an
incredible number of things wrong with it. The most unforgiving are the minutes
long FMV you MUST sit through each time you fire up a level. No way to escape
from the intro. Egads.
(And the chaingun sound gives me a headache)
Jeff Dworak
lot...@aol.comaol.com (Lots42) wrote:
Not to mention the frame rate! Chop chop chop etc.
Mela SN
Y'see, that's assuming there's anything worth watching on TV...
Just kidding. I understand, though; I actually got fed up with Final
Fantasy X 'cuz of that. Once you enter into a movie, you're forced
forward, and you can't go back to double-check or buy things you might
need. At least with MGS2 you could do that. When the movies become
so overwhelming that the gameplay itself suffers, like forcing an RPG
with lots of exploration onto a narrow path, that's when FMV becomes a
curse.
Mela SN
-------
Info Club #95389
Quinton Flynn groupie
I realize now I've just spoken out against FFX. I wonder how long
till I get lynched...
John Hopkins
news:759a91ba.02030...@posting.google.com...
> Jeff Dworak <sdw...@nycap.rr.com> wrote in message news:
>
> > I wasn't particularly impressed with this game, for the reason you cite.
> > I'm the type of gamer who almost always skips past the movies in games.
> > If you do this with the Metal Gear sequel, you wind up missing most of
> > the game.
>
> That was my dad's big gripe, too. To quote him, "I want something to
> kill!!" I, however, didn't really mind the movies--they were pretty
> nicely animated, and it gave me an excuse to listen to my favorite
> voice actor turn in his best performance (also, I can't shoot
> straight, so gameplay was a little hard for me). About the only thing
> I couldn't stand was the naggy girlfriend at every save.
Yes indeed. Quite by accident I found that hitting the triangle button allows
you to skip those conversations, and I used it every time after that.
> I'm pretty
> sure these little interludes are what resulted in the massive
> nastiness of little game fanboys who now have a mad-on for an innocent
> VA.
Some of the user reviews on gamespot.com are just plain scary that way.
/John
Ysidro
>
<snip everything that was relevent>
> I'm part of a 'squad' thay
> plays Delta Force: Land Warrior online and here nothing more happens than that
> the game starts up and you start shooting.
Oooo! Land Warrior! I picked that one up since it was cheap (used
game) and didn't stop playing until I did every mission. Twice. With
different characters. The only complaint I have is the *lack* of
weapons. It's not so much that I want more firepower, but seeing the
bad guys with all the same things as me kinda kills it. Do terrorists
buy guns from the same wholesaler Delta Force uses?
Greg
--
Penn-Ohio Historical European Martial Arts Society
http://www.telerama.com/~ysidro/pohemas.html
John Hopkins
news:3C8BDE...@telerama.com...
> John Hopkins wrote:
> >
> <snip everything that was relevent>
>
> > I'm part of a 'squad' thay
> > plays Delta Force: Land Warrior online and here nothing more happens than
that
> > the game starts up and you start shooting.
>
> Oooo! Land Warrior! I picked that one up since it was cheap (used
> game) and didn't stop playing until I did every mission. Twice. With
> different characters.
Ever played the online multiplayer mode? *Tons* more fun than the single player
missions. I run a snipers-only deathmatch server 2-3 times a week and let it go
all night -- creatively called "Snipers Only." Home-made maps and everything.
Even got the highest unintentional compliment just last week when some guy
accused me of cheating. (Can I help it if he can't aim??)
> The only complaint I have is the *lack* of
> weapons. It's not so much that I want more firepower, but seeing the
> bad guys with all the same things as me kinda kills it. Do terrorists
> buy guns from the same wholesaler Delta Force uses?
That's true -- not much variety there. The great multiplayer function makes up
for it, imo.
/John
*Psycho* Lugosi
http://www.psychosquadron.com/
Ysidro
>
> "Ysidro" <ysi...@telerama.com> wrote in message
> news:3C8BDE...@telerama.com...
> > John Hopkins wrote:
> > >
> > <snip everything that was relevent>
> >
> > > I'm part of a 'squad' thay
> > > plays Delta Force: Land Warrior online and here nothing more happens than
> that
> > > the game starts up and you start shooting.
> >
> > Oooo! Land Warrior! I picked that one up since it was cheap (used
> > game) and didn't stop playing until I did every mission. Twice. With
> > different characters.
>
> Ever played the online multiplayer mode? *Tons* more fun than the single player
> missions. I run a snipers-only deathmatch server 2-3 times a week and let it go
> all night -- creatively called "Snipers Only." Home-made maps and everything.
> Even got the highest unintentional compliment just last week when some guy
> accused me of cheating. (Can I help it if he can't aim??)
>
>
No, I've never tried the multiplayer. Not yet at any rate.
George Johnson
news:dyAi8.11701$Yv2.5235@rwcrnsc54...
| > I'm pretty
| > sure these little interludes are what resulted in the massive
| > nastiness of little game fanboys who now have a mad-on for an innocent
| > VA.
|
| Some of the user reviews on gamespot.com are just plain scary that way.
|
| /John
If you want hilarious reviews try Wooly Doug from Gameshark's Week In
Review.
BTW - This post response is no where near a comment on Metal Gear Solid:
Sons of Liberty, and is actually a plug for some damn funny *.swf
animations. Another BTW - I found Week in Review 02/01/02 to be a great
take on the GI JOE cartoon. Though if you're picky you can jump to Week In
Review 3/9/01 - The Metal Gear Solid 2 Demo Rocks Wooly's World & Week In
Review 3/2/01 - How To Star In MGS2!
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