Rank the Metal Gear Games

[Nikkolas]

Well I just completed MGS4 a short while ago so i figured I'd do this and see what other people thought.

1. Metal Gear Solid - A classic and one of the best games I'll probably ever play. It has the total package really. Blending an emotional plot with intellectual themes and all this supported by great characters, music and gameplay.

2. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - Gets an unfair amount of hatre for Raiden and the plot being complex. The word convoluted is thrown around a lot but it's all rather simple if you pay attention. However there is no denying this game is the most thought-provoking of the series and it too was supported by a great cast of characters and music.
Emma's death remains the saddest death in gaming for me.

3. Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake - Establishes many themes we'll see in the Solid series. Black Ninja's and Gray Fox's speeches are just as good as any of the death monologues used in MGS1 IMO.

4. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - Compared to MGS2, this game's plot is rather straightforward. We'r egiven what is basically Solid Snake but during the Cold War and we're told to take down an insane commie. Sure there's The Boss but that just adds an emotional undertone to it all.
Overall it's enjoyable but really weak when it comes to the story.

5. Metal Gear - The original. It has very little plot and dialogue compared to every game that comes after it but it's still fun. It's the root of it all.

6. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - I'd prefer little plot to this trainwreck.
Dr. Madnar is alive and building exoskeletons..?
Ocelot was faking it all?
And...Big Boss wasn't really dead?
It's a giant retcon for fanservice and it's terrible.

 

[Cthulhu]

I found MGS 3 the best, followed by 1 and 2. Haven't played the other ones you listed, but eh.

3 was probably the most filmic, epic graphics, sound, music, story, etcetera. They kinda lose points on the gameplay itself though, the camera's viewpoint and sometimes awkward controls don't do the game any good. I dunno if / how much that has improved with the newer version though.

1 was also very filmic, although the graphics sucked, which gave in-game Snake little personality besides the voice / narrative.

To be perfectly honest, I should get to re-playing MGS 2 one of these days. In terms of story, it's a load more far-fetched and epic than 1 and/or 3, and in terms of graphics it's a lvl or fifty up from 1, giving Snake much more personality and whatnot.

 

[Masamune]

1. MGS3
2. MGS1
3. MGS2
4. MGS4

Might elaborate later, but I'm in the middle of coursework.

 

[Max Payne]

Yea yeah MGS4 is awful I know.

 

[Makoeyes987]

I really don't get why you two say MGS4 sucks so bad. I keep hearing good things about it. =\

 

[Super Mario]

Tbh, MGS4 is a video game movie. More and More Cutscenes than a good gaming and somewhat a bad plot closure for Snake. When they could've used him on more MGS endeavours than just retire the dude.

 

[Max Payne]

[quote author=Makoeyes987 link=topic=717.msg31770#msg31770 date=1237409812]
I really don't get why you two say MGS4 sucks so bad. I keep hearing good things about it. =\
[/quote]

The game is good, the story is a complete cluster fuck full of convient plot twists, and retarded developments.

Most of it is lame fanservice that reinforces the fact that Kojima never thought all this shit through when he finished MGS2.

 

[Masamune]

MGS3 is my favourite because of the ingenuity of the gameplay, the difficulty, and of course the self-contained storyline - which had enough depth and moral ambiguity without being convoluted. I loved it.

Why does MGS4 fail? Because Kojima was under pressure to tie up every loose end, and effectively wash his hands of the series. The writing and characterization obviously suffered because of this.

 

[Makoeyes987]

So we're positive there will be no more Metal Gear huh? Kinda sad but I guess every story has to have its ending.

So MGS4 essentially tied itself too tight and lost sight of itself?

What was up with Revolver Ocelot though? Was Liquid Snake's arm really taking him over or....?

 

[Max Payne]

It was. Until he had it removed, and replaced with a prosthetic.

He gets nanomachine therapy and brainwashing so he can imitate Liquid to fool the Patriots.

 

[Masamune]

He's made a few vague hints about continuing the series, but nothing concrete. If it happens, it sounds like he'll take a backseat in production.

MGS4 just tried to explain EVERYTHING, and too many characters were linked together for the sake of filling in the gaps as conveniently as possible.

As for Liquid/Ocelot:

Spoiler

Liquid's arm was screwing with Ocelot's mind in MGS2, but he had the arm removed and replaced with a prosthetic. He then used hypnotics and nanomachines to convince himself he was Liquid, all to fool the Patriots AI or some rubbish like that. Ocelot is apparently the understated hero of MGS.

 

[Alex]

MGS4 needed moar gameplay to be honest, then it would have been right up there for me.

 

[Max Payne]

MGS4 needed a plot that's wasn't utter shit AND more gameplay, then it would have been right up there for me.

 

[Suzaku]

Some of the stuff in MGS4 kind of comes out of left field, but if we were got some more plot development for the Patriots during the time between MGS3 and MGS, it'd probably have come across quite differently.

For example, a lot of people seem to think the identity of Dr. Clark doesn't make sense based on personalities and such, but personalities can shift greatly over 30-40 years.

I guess that's sort of the problem with MGS4. It tries to explain everything, and a lot of stuff falls into place really well theoretically, but it isn't really elaborated on so it feels convenient. Meanwhile, less pertinent information, like the B&B Unit, are presented more directly, with more detail.

If the history of the individual Patriots had been worked into the narratives, with their identities revealed during the course of the game rather than all at once near the end, it might have felt more natural.

Then again, more cutscenes would probably have only gotten more criticism.


Edit: Also, there definitely will be more Metal Gear games, but they'll either be non-canon or starring different characters, and probably will only have Kojima in a supervisor role. I also personally have no objection to retiring Snake. Give the poor guy a break.

 

[Max Payne]

I was against the stupid clone crap from the beginning.

A lot of MGS4's explanations were silly, and yes convenient, but mostly unnecessary. NANOMACHINES, that is all. I'm also pretty sure Dr. Clarke was referred to as a man originally.

I'm all for retiring Snake, but I hate the way they did it. Completely disapprove. But what are you gonna do.

 

[Alex]

I found it hilarious that two of the ver, very, very few black men in the series actually turned out to be the same character.

 

[Super Mario]

Are we gonna use Raiden on MGS5...?

 

[Max Payne]

I hope not.

That cyborg bullshit was fucking lame. Even lamer when a goddamn freighter ran his ass over and he didn't die, or when he was shooting lightning out of his asshole.

 

[Super Mario]

Same.

Lighting? when was this shit???

imho, they shoukd use a completely new character. SOMEONE more manly than Raiden.

 

[Nikkolas]

It's sad that the impossibly powerful and unbeatable Patriots MGS2 created were in fact formed by frickin' Para-Medic.
Just ugh.

WHy MGS2 was the best for the plot. It left you with so many questions. Questions we didn't need answers to allowing everyone who played it tot hink and form their own theories.

 

[Max Payne]

NANOMACHINES.

 

[Super Mario]

Not really, St. Nikk. all MGS4 needed was a few loose ends shut down and some left open. imo, MGS5 should've ended it all.

 

[Max Payne]

No, what MGS4 needed was writing that wasn't slapped together to satisfy a few fanboys.

 

[Alex]

And MUCH MORE GAMEPLAY in Act 5.

But aside from that I enjoyed it.

 

[Max Payne]

Make that act 3-5,