What Metal Gear game would be a good starting point?

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Michael Legault

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ScrabbitRabbit said:
Lunncal said:
Does anyone know why Guns of The Patriot is still just a PS3 exclusive, by the way? I've been hoping for that game to release on anything else since the day it was announced, at this point I'm almost ready to give in and buy an entire console just to play it.
AFAIK it's because of its file size. It would have taken several DVDs for it to be ported to the 360 (one for each chapter, maybe, since that's how many installations it took at launch on PS3). Early on, Kojima was claiming that the 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray wasn't big enough but I think the final size was a little upwards of 30 GB.

As to why it's so big... I dunno. I can't imagine stuff couldn't be compressed, or used more efficiently but maybe they just can't be bothered with the work.
I think it has to do with the game actually running in 1080p, still one of the best looking ps3 games out there.
 

AnthrSolidSnake

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Well, if you start with 3 like everyone else is saying, you might find yourself a little disappointed with the other games. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is considered to be, by most, the absolute peak of the MGS series so far. It had the best mechanics of all the games, and even one of the better stories. It's not that the other games were bad, but in comparison, the other games are bit more...simple? They all require stealth and such, but MGS3 uses actual camo rather than sci-fi auto-camo. You also need to hunt your own food, heal your own wounds, and there are so many ways to sneak around or take out enemies.

The rest of the series is pretty similar however. MGS4 borrowed a few small details from MGS3, but it wasn't nearly as satisfying. Other than that it's still a Solid (hehe) sneaking series overall.
 

ScrabbitRabbit

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Michael Legault said:
I think it has to do with the game actually running in 1080p, still one of the best looking ps3 games out there.
All of my PC games can run at 1080p and that doesn't increase the filesize. I'm pretty sure the game's native resolution is 1024 x 768 (at least, that's what Google's telling me). That isn't even 720p.
 

ScrabbitRabbit

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AnthrSolidSnake said:
Well, if you start with 3 like everyone else is saying, you might find yourself a little disappointed with the other games. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is considered to be, by most, the absolute peak of the MGS series so far. It had the best mechanics of all the games, and even one of the better stories. It's not that the other games were bad, but in comparison, the other games are bit more...simple? They all require stealth and such, but MGS3 uses actual camo rather than sci-fi auto-camo. You also need to hunt your own food, heal your own wounds, and there are so many ways to sneak around or take out enemies.

The rest of the series is pretty similar however. MGS4 borrowed a few small details from MGS3, but it wasn't nearly as satisfying. Other than that it's still a Solid (hehe) sneaking series overall.
That stuff is actually why I don't think MGS3 would ruin the other games. MGS1 and 2 are way more fast-paced, even to the point of feeling like an arcade-style stealth game sometimes. MGS3 is, for the lack of a better term, way more hardcore and slow-paced. It's a very different beast, one that I would agree is better but it's very different to the first two. Just imo, though.
 

Nathan Josephs

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ivarsa15 said:
I actually started playing metal gear from portable ops. After that game my love on the franchise grew and I went straight to metal gear solid 4 from there. I wish I had jumped on metal gear solid 3 instead...
your first metal gear game was portable ops AND you stuck with the franchise? props.
 

stroopwafel

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I'd say the 'Subsistence' version of MGS3. You can pretty much play it as a standalone game and the story isn't too esoteric in its philosophical/political ramblings. I think MGS3 is a perfect entry point into the series. It's straightforward but still 'out there' enough to be a vintage Metal Gear game.

I would recommend the original MGS as the first game to play but, in all honesty, that game aged horribly. That wouldn't even be that much of a problem if you could snag a copy of Twin Snakes but the control scheme and camera is really archaic compared to modern games. The free-roaming camera in the Subsistence version of MGS3 made it an almost entirely different game.

MGS2 is my personal favorite with its deconstructing narrative making it like the only postmodern videogame in existence. I think Kojima really put his heart and soul into this one and is the most aptly reflection of both his personality and creative vision. MGS4 is just fanservice and, in my opinion, a bit disappointing. It has its moments though overall I found it pretty boring both story and gameplay wise. It wasn't really unique in the way MGS1-3 were. It also tried to tie up loose ends way too desperately.

As with all these games I'd probably rate them different in retrospect as each one was a product of its time. I still think MGS3 Subsistence is the best one for those 'late to the party' though.
 

COMaestro

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If you can, I'd recommend getting the Legacy collection and playing them in order. That way the technological advances work in your favor. If you do not intend to play all the games, then I would just start with 3, as it was damn good and the gameplay worked well.

The problem comes with the fixed camera in MGS 1 and 2. I got the HD collection a while ago so I could play the older games on PS3 and started with 2 and SUCKED at it. I had gotten so used to having a movable camera in 3, 4, and even Portable Ops and Peace Walker, that going back to a fixed camera was really hard. This is why I'd recommend starting with the first MGS game and play them in order, so you don't get used to the gameplay of the newer ones and then feel hamstrung by what you can do in the older ones.
 

Saetha

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Thanks for all the responses! I'll try looking into it. For the moment, though, I'm a bit busy being a broke college student.
 

Wasted

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Lovely Mixture said:
MGS2 is the weakest? You sure that's not MGS4, the one that practically rewrote the whole canon?
I felt that half of the story of MGS 4 was just there to fix all the BS plot points introduced with MGS 2. Off the top of my head let me count the ways the story made me go WTF!?!?

For such a secret group, everyone seems to be aware of The Patriots'/Wise Mans Committee's/La-Le-Lu-Le-Lo's existence and their power.
Raiden is part of the new FOX HOUND because funding a group that goes rouge every 5 minutes makes sense.
Solidus was the US President but also the terrorist leader of Dead Cell because why not.
He's also a clone of Snake because why not.
Ocelot for some reason has Liquid's arm.
Liquid's arm took control of Ocelot's mind because nanobots I guess.
There is an immortal vampire in Dead Cell because nanobots I guess.
There is an immortal woman carrying a comically large gun that can only be hurt when it's convenient to the plot.
Emma is there because plot convenience.
Y2K was a government conspiracy to install worms into every computer in the world.
Big Boss is such a perfect person (even though he has flaws and makes mistakes constantly like any human being) that the whole game was set up to make Raiden more like Big Boss/Solid Snake because...
Olga is the cyborg ninja because The Patriots are evil.
GW was a good idea, no one would question a floating metal island surrounded by giant killer robots.
Ocelot is a quadruple agent I think, or quintuple agent? I lost count.
The Patriots have been dead for 200 years because M. Night Shyamalan.
Colonel and Rose were AI but not always.

That just the first things that came to my head on how dumb the plot is but I feel like I could go on for hours. The more I think about this story the dumber it sounds.
 

RedFox742

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As a die-hard MGS fan who loves seeing newbies discover the series, I love this question. I've read so many responses to it in various places, and here's the critical thing:

Where you start depends entirely on your degree of tolerance for outdated game styles, and how quickly you get frustrated by old-school difficulty and antiquated controls.

If you're a (Big) boss who can handle anything thrown at you, start with Metal Gear, the very original, and play in release order: MG, MG2, MGS1, MGS2, MGS3, MGSPO (optional!), MGS4, MGSPW, MGS5GZ. Playing the two 8-bit games will give you some more appreciation for the events of MGS1. However, they are extremely frustrating and unwieldily, and the use of a walkthrough is virtually mandatory. If you're anything less than completely devoted, they could turn you off of the series. These games can be found as bonus content on MGS3: Subsistence, and in the HD Collection.

If you're not quite up for that, but still want the best overall experience, start with Metal Gear Solid 1. It's regarded, for good reason, as one of the best and most important games of all time. It's the game that made the series. (I personally don't recommend the Twin Snakes version: while the graphics are better, a number of the changes really ruin the feel of the game.) The controls are still very, very old-school: you must read a manual; you won't get one of those modern tutorial levels that walk you through everything. But the game is still very playable and holds up well. You'd then play MGS1, MGS2, MGS3, MGSPO (optional!), MGS4, MGSPW, MGS5GZ.

If you get frustrated very easily, and are a child of the modern era of gaming, expecting ultra-intuitive controls and top-of-the-line graphics, I guess you wouldn't want to start earlier than MGS3. Even MGS3 has an extremely convoluted control scheme, but it's much easier than the first two games. The Subsistence version has a free-roaming camera, too. And it's by far the best MGS game. You'd miss out on a lot of what you need to understand MGS4, but it'd still be playable at least. And, if you like the series, you could go back later and play the first two MGS games, but a lot of their stories will have been spoiled for you.

TL;DR: The best way to play them is in release order, starting from as early as you can possibly handle it. Playing chronologically is a mistake for the same reason you don't watch the segments of, say, Pulp Fiction in chronological order.
 

Lovely Mixture

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Wasted said:
Are you sure you were paying attention at all?

Wasted said:
For such a secret group, everyone seems to be aware of The Patriots'/Wise Mans Committee's/La-Le-Lu-Le-Lo's existence and their power.
Cause they have agents.

Wasted said:
Raiden is part of the new FOX HOUND because funding a group that goes rouge every 5 minutes makes sense.
Except that FOXHOUND wasn't real and Raiden was brainwashed into believing it was real.

Wasted said:
Solidus was the US President but also the terrorist leader of Dead Cell because why not.
Dead Cell was an ANTI-Terrorist group that went supposed to be liquidated, he recruited them after he was forced out of office and they rebelled.

Wasted said:
He's also a clone of Snake because why not.
Was hinted at the very end of MGS1 man.

Wasted said:
Ocelot for some reason has Liquid's arm.
Liquid's arm took control of Ocelot's mind because nanobots I guess.
There is an immortal vampire in Dead Cell because nanobots I guess.
There is an immortal woman carrying a comically large gun that can only be hurt when it's convenient to the plot.
The nanobots were bullshit, but the elements were just your usual paranormal stuff.

Wasted said:
Emma is there because plot convenience.
Y2K was a government conspiracy to install worms into every computer in the world.
The Patriots have been in control of everything.

Wasted said:
Big Boss is such a perfect person (even though he has flaws and makes mistakes constantly like any human being) that the whole game was set up to make Raiden more like Big Boss/Solid Snake because...
Except it wasn't. That was a lie fed to Ocelot to cover up the actual S3 plan.

Wasted said:
Olga is the cyborg ninja because The Patriots are evil.
What?

Wasted said:
GW was a good idea, no one would question a floating metal island surrounded by giant killer robots.
It was supposed to remain hidden, and considering the Patriot's have MASSIVE information control...

Wasted said:
Ocelot is a quadruple agent I think, or quintuple agent? I lost count.
Yeah.

Wasted said:
The Patriots have been dead for 200 years because M. Night Shyamalan.
They anticipated that Otacon would try to find the names through the disc. It was fake information.

Wasted said:
Colonel and Rose were AI but not always.
Colonel in MGS2 was always an AI
Rose was not an AI, an AI representation of her was made to trick Raiden after he was captured and put in Arsenal Gear.
 

stroopwafel

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Wasted said:
That just the first things that came to my head on how dumb the plot is but I feel like I could go on for hours. The more I think about this story the dumber it sounds.

MGS2 was supposed to be the last in the series and the primary purpose of the story was to convey messages about information control and manipulation through direct input of the actions and expectations of the player(the 2001 trailer was actually one big troll event and exemplaric of this premise). All Metal Gear games upto MGS2 kind of had the same set-up with the difference that MGS2 became a self-referential parody. The story wasn't meant to be taken at face value. Ofcourse this all changed with MGS3.

On its own merits though, the story of MGS2 is brilliant. And rather prophetic if you consider the world we live in now.
 

omega 616

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Saetha said:
A fairly straightforward question here. After getting the excellent Dishonored and Deus Ex: Human Revolution for Christmas, I found I apparently have some deep, latent love of stealth games. I was waiting on the new Thief but, after hearing a tidal wave of bad things about, I decided that maybe I should wait and investigate some other options - like Metal Gear.

Except... there's no possible way I could play all the Metal Gear games that are out, much less afford to buy them. So, I was wondering, where should I start with this series? What game serves as a good starting point, what games are must-plays, and what games should be avoided? And what should a new-comer expect from Metal Gear?
MGS is as stealth as you want it to be, you can just as easily shoot your way through every game in the MGS franchise as you can stealth it through. What usually happens to me is I try to stealth it, get noticed and then massacre everybody.

I would just say start at MGS 1 and work your way forward, the controls are OLD school but it means they just get better as you progress. The story is all kinds of complicated, most say contrived but I love it.

MGS3 is THE stand out game! Even if you ignore the story in all 3 other main games (1,2 and 4), please pay attention to MGS3 story! The best gaming story I've played!
 

Wasted

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Lovely Mixture said:
Are you sure you were paying attention at all?
Yeah, I got that now due to MGS 3 and 4 spending a lot of time elaborating all the lose plot threads. But when MGS 2 came out it was convoluted for the sake of it being convoluted.

I like ambiguous plots, I recently played Broken Age and really enjoyed it. Personally, I don't feel that MGS 2 had a good plot. Compared to MGS 1 and 3 it feels lackluster and, as stroopwafel stated, a parody of itself.
 

Happiness Assassin

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All I know is DO NOT start with MGS2, start with literally anything else or you will be completely lost. That is where I started and I had no idea what was going on for the majority of the game. The story is a convoluted mess on the best of days and there are several references to MGS1 you won't get unless you played it. Start with either 1 or 3, as 3 works just as fine as a self-contained story and the over the top stuff is merely relegated to the boss design, keeping the story mostly coherent. I could only recommend 4 after playing everything else first. Never played any of the spin-offs btw.
 

DrOswald

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MGS 3 is the best, MGS 4 is the most modern and newbie friendly in terms of gameplay, MGS 1 is the most strait forward in terms of story of the main games (but still don't expect to understand it) but has dated mechanics, and Metal Gear Rising Revengence is about a ninja cyborg flipping out and killing people because they stole children's brains (plus, it is sold on steam.) Any one of them would be a good starting point depending on what you are looking for.