Prism
Pro Adventurer
- AKA
- pikpixelart
Finally made some time to play this week! It's nice because MGS2 has been a very comfortable game to play so far, the context being that video games are the only task that still have the potential to cause discomfort in my hands. (though, thankfully, even that is seemingly getting better) Everyone's captions have been enjoyable to read, and I'll be looking forward to subsequent weeks.
How does it feel to be back here again? Looking forward to things? Afraid? Internally cringing?
Being back in the world of MGS2 feels fantastic. Just talking from an aesthetic standpoint, the sixth generation of consoles has a special place in my heart. Everything is still polygonal and game-y looking - but there were lots of new technologies that give objects approximated real-life properties. Cloth blows in the wind, water ripples and reflects, objects have motion trails, raindrops splatter, hair has physics, humans have just enough polygons to actually look like humans - the blend between approximated realism and polygonal game graphics is quite charming. Going from PS1 to PS2, developers were excited to make use of these new engine systems. The framing of things totally reflects that. Each effect is amplified and focused on, making MGS2 feel more dramatic and energetic than even a lot of modern games.
The ethos of MGS comes from a post-WWII time where human ethics were on people's minds - pushing states away from nuclear proliferation and towards peace, upholding the human rights dictated by the Geneva conventions, and so on. It's a voice that is sorely missing in the modern day at the national stage. Let alone the fact that MGS2 later goes on to predict and comment on the biggest issue of our modern political climate: manipulation of information in the digital age, circulation of disinformation, and importance of free will. But we'll get into that later! I'm excited to get into the crazy stuff later on. I'm also excited to hear Raiden and Rose's sappy love fights and all of those conversations like them. They're a riot, honestly.
Did the gameplay come back to you easily, or did you need to adjust? Any mishaps?
Given that the last MGS playthrough I started was an MGS1 playthrough, the gameplay luxaries that MGS2 added felt more than nice - the extra mobility, fluidity in motion, and addition of a POV view help a lot. Surveying your surroundings is much more fair and intuitive with POV as an option, and being able to hang off of ledges feels like a natural extension of MGS1's control philosophy. There's a lot of ways to interact with the terrain, something I think MGS excels at: you can crouch, crawl, dive, sidestep on walls, hang, climb, and manipulate guards through knocking. There's so many options at every level of interaction - and that's what makes it such a satisfying stealth game from a mechanical point of view.
I feel like if someone goes from MGS3-onward back to MGS2, they'll have to adjust to the controls, but since the reverse was true for me (going from MGS1 to 2), it was only a step up.
There was one big mishap in particular that I can think of. In the underground corridors before the Commandant's speech, I ran out of tranqulizer ammo during the skirmish with the Russian troops. Given that it's a necessary encounter, running out of ammo made me pretty damn nervous. I had to use CQC, and it got pretty messy...lost both of my rations.
Did you notice anything new this run?
I noticed that there was some foreshadowing during a codec call with Otacon, so I made a mental note to remember it. I didn't, though. I forgot.
Anything still confusing after all this time?
It took a moment for the overarching allegiances to square up in my head. Snake, an ex-US special force member (now independant in the private sector) infiltrates a US Navy ship that is then invaded by Russian mercenaries (which, then hosts a betrayal and hijacking)
It's easy to keep together in retrospect, but when it was happening in real-time, it took a moment.
What is your stance on dramatic coat shooting and those involved?
Gotta love the million layers of effects and the drama on top. It's high-octane craziness that MGS balances really well. I'm sure there's more that I could say from a story perspective on it, but still.
Being back in the world of MGS2 feels fantastic. Just talking from an aesthetic standpoint, the sixth generation of consoles has a special place in my heart. Everything is still polygonal and game-y looking - but there were lots of new technologies that give objects approximated real-life properties. Cloth blows in the wind, water ripples and reflects, objects have motion trails, raindrops splatter, hair has physics, humans have just enough polygons to actually look like humans - the blend between approximated realism and polygonal game graphics is quite charming. Going from PS1 to PS2, developers were excited to make use of these new engine systems. The framing of things totally reflects that. Each effect is amplified and focused on, making MGS2 feel more dramatic and energetic than even a lot of modern games.
The ethos of MGS comes from a post-WWII time where human ethics were on people's minds - pushing states away from nuclear proliferation and towards peace, upholding the human rights dictated by the Geneva conventions, and so on. It's a voice that is sorely missing in the modern day at the national stage. Let alone the fact that MGS2 later goes on to predict and comment on the biggest issue of our modern political climate: manipulation of information in the digital age, circulation of disinformation, and importance of free will. But we'll get into that later! I'm excited to get into the crazy stuff later on. I'm also excited to hear Raiden and Rose's sappy love fights and all of those conversations like them. They're a riot, honestly.
Did the gameplay come back to you easily, or did you need to adjust? Any mishaps?
Given that the last MGS playthrough I started was an MGS1 playthrough, the gameplay luxaries that MGS2 added felt more than nice - the extra mobility, fluidity in motion, and addition of a POV view help a lot. Surveying your surroundings is much more fair and intuitive with POV as an option, and being able to hang off of ledges feels like a natural extension of MGS1's control philosophy. There's a lot of ways to interact with the terrain, something I think MGS excels at: you can crouch, crawl, dive, sidestep on walls, hang, climb, and manipulate guards through knocking. There's so many options at every level of interaction - and that's what makes it such a satisfying stealth game from a mechanical point of view.
I feel like if someone goes from MGS3-onward back to MGS2, they'll have to adjust to the controls, but since the reverse was true for me (going from MGS1 to 2), it was only a step up.
There was one big mishap in particular that I can think of. In the underground corridors before the Commandant's speech, I ran out of tranqulizer ammo during the skirmish with the Russian troops. Given that it's a necessary encounter, running out of ammo made me pretty damn nervous. I had to use CQC, and it got pretty messy...lost both of my rations.
Did you notice anything new this run?
I noticed that there was some foreshadowing during a codec call with Otacon, so I made a mental note to remember it. I didn't, though. I forgot.
Anything still confusing after all this time?
It took a moment for the overarching allegiances to square up in my head. Snake, an ex-US special force member (now independant in the private sector) infiltrates a US Navy ship that is then invaded by Russian mercenaries (which, then hosts a betrayal and hijacking)
It's easy to keep together in retrospect, but when it was happening in real-time, it took a moment.
What is your stance on dramatic coat shooting and those involved?
Gotta love the million layers of effects and the drama on top. It's high-octane craziness that MGS balances really well. I'm sure there's more that I could say from a story perspective on it, but still.
Describe your playstyle in five words or less.
"Outta sight, outta mind"
Any notable codec calls you want to talk about?
When you call Otacon to save, his attempt to fill the role of Mei Ling and give Snake advice based on historical sayings is a nice touch.
Thoughts on Olga, mechanically or character wise?
Did you listen to the Commandant’s whole speech? How does he rate as a speaker?
Y'know, his voice is pretty easy to listen to. Seeing all of the moments where he takes breaks (allow the audience to stretch, repeat himself) are amusing. I'd rate him as a good speaker.
Any other notable things I missed?
I'm curious what pictures everyone took. Giving players agency to take whatever photos they want is super fun. This time, I was able to snap a picture of Olga as she was peering out of a wall to shoot me! Among all of the posters lying around, of course.
"Outta sight, outta mind"
Any notable codec calls you want to talk about?
When you call Otacon to save, his attempt to fill the role of Mei Ling and give Snake advice based on historical sayings is a nice touch.
Thoughts on Olga, mechanically or character wise?
She's pretty cool. Japanese character designers are always giving Russians silver hair, for whatever reason.
Anyway, I like that she's a wild card in the story. Though she's mostly an antagonist, being neither totally aligned with the player nor totally opposing them makes her a very interesting factor in the story.
Anyway, I like that she's a wild card in the story. Though she's mostly an antagonist, being neither totally aligned with the player nor totally opposing them makes her a very interesting factor in the story.
Y'know, his voice is pretty easy to listen to. Seeing all of the moments where he takes breaks (allow the audience to stretch, repeat himself) are amusing. I'd rate him as a good speaker.
Any other notable things I missed?
I'm curious what pictures everyone took. Giving players agency to take whatever photos they want is super fun. This time, I was able to snap a picture of Olga as she was peering out of a wall to shoot me! Among all of the posters lying around, of course.
I do not feel like some kind of legendary mercenary yet. 
Once I'm spotted and the map goes away, I'm basically boned. And in the areas before I have unlocked the map, I'm almost certain to be spotted.