Metal Gear Solid Series

[Raz]

Ahhh... the famed tactical espionage action that is Metal Gear Solid. To coincide with the release of the fourth installment I decided to make this thread.

I'm a fairly big fan, but not crazed lunatic sort of fan, of the series. A mate of mine has recently found out that MGS4 is a highly anticipated game but before he plays it, he'd like to play the others first. He asked me what game to play through first, then second etc. I really didn't have much to say to him, I suggested playing the first if at all possible to get hold of, if not go for the second and then third because of all the references to the earlier installments. But I don't think he cares all too much about the story, rather the action to be held.

My question is this: What should I recommend him to play first?
As for the fourth installment, I hear it will have a 90min cutscene, any truth to this, or merely rumours?

[Marius Dynamite]

The other day I was talking to a friend on Xbox Live about MGS. I was young when I played the first 2 and barely remember the key elements of the story, and I never even got the third one!

Its a damn shame the 4th will only be on PS3, I would love to get it on 360. Fortunately my brother has a PS3 so I could still get it.

Make sure your friend plays the first one first because there were significant changes in the playstyle for MGS2. The first person aim for example makes stepping back to MGS1 gameplay difficult. Also the story goes MGS1 --- MGS2 ---- MGS4 with only a few years between each in terms of the story. I believe MGS3 doesn't add anything majorly important to the story so it could be skipped out, although like I say I haven't played it. I think it just shows how some of the characters came around like Ocelot and Big Boss.

[Spartan198]

The following is the cronological order that the MGS games should be played in if your friend wants to experience the story from beginning to (sort of) end:
1. Metal Gear Solid 3
2. Metal Gear Solid
3. Metal Gear Solid 2
4. Metal Gear Solid 4

As for the fourth installment, I hear it will have a 90min cutscene, any truth to this, or merely rumours?

Haven't heard anything about this, but I doubt it's true.


~ Your friendly neighborhood Metal Gear master

[Kekvit Irae]

Do I need to remind you people about spoilers?

[Spartan198]

Do I need to remind you people about spoilers?

I didn't reveal anything, I just listed the chronological order of the storyline in the games.

Edit: Oh, wait. Thought you were referring to me, after that incident in the GTA IV thread. My mistake.

[Fragony]

It's more fun playing them in a chronological order but all the games can stand on their own. The newbie will miss a few ' thank you for playing the previous games' inside jokes and you will probably wonder why fans say character x has so much depth (just nod) but none of that should stop anyone from just enjoying the games in whatever order. Great series, no other game gets away with being so horribly pretentious yet shamelessly gamy like the Metal Gears.

[frogbeastegg]

There's a taster of the Edge review online here. They say

The cutscenes here are sure to invoke that thousand-yard stare, two in particular coming perilously close to the 90-minute mark.

[Praxil]

The cut scenes. I'm sure that you can skip them right away and continue to play.

Don't like them or don't like them for a fact being that long. Do not buy the game.

Anyone starting even remotely to complain or whine about them looks ludicrous. 90 minutes is a lot, and it would be horrible to think if there isn't a way to watch those cut scenes like you can watch any movies. Stop, rewind, pause all that.

[Marius Dynamite]

Do I need to remind you people about spoilers?

Yes, yes you did sorry

[frogbeastegg]

Don't like them or don't like them for a fact being that long. Do not buy the game.Anyone starting even remotely to complain or whine about them looks ludicrous.

When dismissing the issue so aggressively spare a thought for the people who enjoy the gameplay but don't want/have time to sit through 90 minutes of Snake wailing on about the meaning of being a soldier? That's me. I want to play the game. I like the game. I don't like the incoherent wannabe film, and 90 minutes is longer than my average play session.

You can't skip the cutscenes in any of the MGS games I've played. You couldn't pause or rewind them either. Is it something they introduced post MGS2? A skip button would make everyone happy.

If there is a way to skip them then I'll be happy. Otherwise I'll leave it running while I read a book and wait to take control back, same as I did with MGS2 after the plot went to la li lu la land. When I get around to playing it.

NB: It's mainly MGS2 which makes me feel this way. MGS1 was daft and long-winded but tolerable.

[Praxil]

You can't skip the cutscenes in any of the MGS games I've played.

I can skip all of the cut scenes, including all the dialogue (a bit of button mashing) in the MGS2 - Substance (Xbox). I don't remember how it was in the MGS1 however. Since it is possible to skip them in MGS2 - Substance, I bet that you can do that in any later MGS editions. Simply pushing one of the main buttons does the trick.

Lets assume that those cut scenes are good, just like they were in latest games. You only pay for a game (a copy exactly), not for how much content it has (measured for example in minutes). I think that it is stupid to whine about that you get too much of it, the content. I mean for a $60, the more the better for me. It can also be the way that you wont get any of the cut scenes in the game at all, well you're still paying that same price.

This is weird, because you can hear these gaming editors saying that some of the cut scenes are that long. However, none of them mentions on how you are able to watch them. It is like, "OMG, 90 min I can't take it!". Well, can you skip them or watch them later? "No comment on that, definitely can't say anything on that, but OMG 90 min!".

[TB666]

There's a taster of the Edge review online here. They say

90 minutes ??
And 2 of them ??
They can't be serious.
In Lost Odyssey one cutscene was like 15 minutes and that was too long(despite it being a awesome cutscene, it's a game and I wanna play, not watch a movie).
You could skip it thankfully but you miss out on the story.

[Kamakazi]

Ahhh... the famed tactical espionage action that is Metal Gear Solid. To coincide with the release of the fourth installment I decided to make this thread.

I'm a fairly big fan, but not crazed lunatic sort of fan, of the series. A mate of mine has recently found out that MGS4 is a highly anticipated game but before he plays it, he'd like to play the others first. He asked me what game to play through first, then second etc. I really didn't have much to say to him, I suggested playing the first if at all possible to get hold of, if not go for the second and then third because of all the references to the earlier installments. But I don't think he cares all too much about the story, rather the action to be held.

My question is this: What should I recommend him to play first?
As for the fourth installment, I hear it will have a 90min cutscene, any truth to this, or merely rumours?

suggestion number one: go 1 2 3 4 lol tis the game layout and it should be your play layout...

suggestion number two: you better become a crazed fan because mgs is awsome..lol im not saying that i am one but my friend is he could tell you everything from the first installment to the last....by heart

[Spartan198]

my friend is he could tell you everything from the first installment to the last....by heart

He must play MGS almost as much as me, then.

[frogbeastegg]

The next part of the retrospective is up. I found it disappointing compared to the others; the previous episodes left me wanting to (re)play the games and this one didn't.

I don't remember the gameboy colour's sound effects being so beepy-bloopy and tinny, but otherwise it was as impressive as I recall. Wasn't it one of the most technically demanding games to appear on the console?