The Official Metal Gear Thread - Part 7

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Just because its not new doesn't make it OK.

True.

But, it's coming from Japan...which certainly makes it more understandable because of that.

It's worth remembering that Hideo Kojima is a 50 year old Japanese man. Aside from there being an age gap, there's a cultural gap as well. Just look at the other media coming out of Japan, ie: other games, manga, movies, anime, and it's clear that things are different with regard to how women are portrayed.

Look no further than TGS....where there was a MASSIVE booth with giant breasts where people could insert their heads to see trailers for that game. If that were to be done here in the U.S., at San Diego Comic-Con, E3, or New York Comic Con....I think it'd be a safe bet that people would lose their ****ing **** over it. But, at TGS...it's okay. There's not the amount of outrage that would be here, and I think that says alot about where both sides are on this issue.

I agree it's a bit distasteful, but I also think it's incredibly unfair to throw all the weight (not from you, but in general from what I've heard going around) onto Hideo Kojima because it completely disregards important facts about where he comes from. He's not a Western developer...so I think it's just odd how people seem to go after him like he is.

Again, it's not entirely about what you said VileOne, but just in general with how the debate has gone on about Quiet and MGS.

It's probably also worth mentioning that Metal Gear Solid has very often been a rather progressive voice in videogames. As far as I've seen, Metal Gear Solid was the first game franchise to feature an openly gay character in MGS2.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Big Boss' Robot Arm Replica (which apparently will be sold at some point)

And some more info out of TGS:

http://www.metalgearinformer.com/?p=15998

New MGSV: TPP info – buddy system, protheses, and you may never meet Quiet
SEPTEMBER 18, 2014
The gameplay demo for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain shown during TGS has revealed some new information. Here are the translations of the most important bits, and gameplay elements.

-Kojima can finally do the things he wanted to, now that the hardware has evolved

-Snake has lost weight, they say

-You can choose your own routes during the missions

-Quiet can assist you during gameplay with the buddy system

-You can choose where the helicopter sets you down

-Riding your horse is hard in the jungle environment

-Snake is ‘naked’, Miller tells him they are making a new suit at Mother Base

-The new suit is delivered to Snake

-You can climb walls with cracks

-Snake is wearing a different arm prothesis in the demo

-You’ll be able to use different protheses with different functions

-There will be a lot of different protheses according to Kojima

-You can set up a talking decoy. He says: ‘Kept you waiting, huh?’

-Snake calls in Quiet and orders her to scout up ahead

-Quiet can also provide cover fire

-When she is in position, she hums

-She marks enemies during reconnaissance

-If you speed up the time too much, the POW target dies

-By hovering the reticle, you can select Quiet’s target

-Snake throws a grenade and orders Quiet to shoot it

-Quiet has a weakness that will tie into the story

-Quiet’s abilities depend on the degree of her bond with Snake

-In the demo, the attacks commands were: shoot, target and wait for my signal, shoot this, and provide/cease cover fire

-However, a lot has to happen for all these options to be available (bond degree)

-If the bond isn’t high enough, Quiet won’t come with you

-When Snake uses the ‘pin radar’, all the icons represent animals, but it reacts to people as well

-You can analyze soldiers to see their statistics, like in Peace Walker

-Another interrogation option is asking: ‘Where are your friends?’

-Snake’s can stun enemies with his arm, it packs 1.2 million volts

-According to Kojima, you may never meet Quiet. It depends on how you play through the game.

 

[zenith16]

All the same stuff from the game informer article a page over about the buddy system. Minus the cyborg arm. It will be cool. I also like that weird radar /echo location system. Where you deck the ground.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Clearly Quiet's look is highly sexualized. That's not up for debate. And I don't think the "other characters have been sexualized too!" argument holds much water. I mean who is the most sexualized character in the series prior to Quiet? Eva?

Uh, the Beauty and the Beast unit? They were basically naked (in fact, their motion captures were done in the nude to simulate just this), and you could make them do all kinds of sexual poses if you used the camera. Honestly, that is way more sexualized than anything regarding Quiet that we've seen thus far.

The argument is not ""other characters have been sexualized too and that's okay!" I bring it up mainly because I don't understand why now we're having this discussion now when it's something that's been in the series consistently from the beginning. It's the same stuff as people saying stuff like the box or futon system is "too goofy". It's like, hello, have you played Metal Gear before? You have? From the beginning you say? Then how is that only now that you feel the need to criticize it? It makes no ****ing sense to me.

It's all part of the balance that MGS walks between the absurd and bleak reality. That's what the games are, that's what they've always been. Why is that just now we have to try and pull into, what seems to me, to be a purely "realistic" context and criticism is beyond me.

 

[Benstamania]

Agreed TB. Agreed.

 

[Havok83]

 

[RedIsNotBlue]

Clearly Quiet's look is highly sexualized. That's not up for debate. And I don't think the "other characters have been sexualized too!" argument holds much water. I mean who is the most sexualized character in the series prior to Quiet? Eva?

I could post more and more examples and even state again the constant lesbian scenarios in past games but I think the point is fairly obvious. If you object to it...that is your opinion and you are free to have it. BUT...it is asinine and silly, especially if you are a fan of the Metal Gear series, to suddenly be offended or have some kind of objection to Quiet. It is nothing radically different than female characters we have already seen in past games.

 

[badgrammar]

It's my opinion and I have the right to do whatever I want with it.

And I will play something else!

Then stop wasting your time on game you won't play.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Just to be clear, too, I don't mean what I say as a direct rebuttal to Soapy or anyone's point. I was being general. I mean, okay, sure, I get it if you're new to MGS. I can see how you might find it shocking, absurd, or offensive. But I really don't understand how people who are familiar with the series would even bat an eye at Quiet. I know I didn't, it was just Metal Gear. If you had a problem with it before, well okay, fair enough, but I never heard as much as a peep about this stuff until now. I mean, sure, people kind of poked fun at Kojima for being a bit pervy, but honestly, I don't ever remember such controversy about his portrayal of women before all this **** with Quiet came along.

It seems to be happening a lot lately, though. I'm not sure what to make of it. It's like how people saw that new Legend of Zelda trailer and got all hyped when they thought Link could be a girl in it, and then got all pissy when it was confirmed that Link was a boy. It's like, you've played these games, how do you not know that LOZ follows the exact same story and character format no matter what changes in the gameplay?

I know it's not exactly the same thing, but reactions like that from old school fans just baffle me.

 

[Spider-Who?]

It's because we live in a society that has decided that being offended by something is not only a Right, but one must be obligated to complain about it. Instead of saying "okay, I don't like that/that's not my cup of tea" and moving along, they have to make a federal case out of it and demand answers, apologies, and censorship.

 

[Benstamania]

It's because we live in a society that has decided that being offended by something is not only a Right, but one must be obligated to complain about it. Instead of saying "okay, I don't like that/that's not my cup of tea" and moving along, they have to make a federal case out of it and demand answers, apologies, and censorship.

Agreed.

 

[Brother Jack]

It's all part of the balance that MGS walks between the absurd and bleak reality. That's what the games are, that's what they've always been. Why is that just now we have to try and pull into, what seems to me, to be a purely "realistic" context and criticism is beyond me.

I have my concerns that this will execute that balance very poorly given how bleak a lot of the "real" subject matter is this time around. Potentially handling that stuff without any sensitivity or grace, which has never been a strong suit of the series by any means. It certainly was not in MGS4.

 

[Frosty81]

It's because we live in a society that has decided that being offended by something is not only a Right, but one must be obligated to complain about it. Instead of saying "okay, I don't like that/that's not my cup of tea" and moving along, they have to make a federal case out of it and demand answers, apologies, and censorship.

Agree completely. No one is like, "Snake/Big Boss" is superficially masculine with abilities that would make Cross fit and Mens Health look weak. Instead we are like, "Cool. He's badass." So it's not ok for her to be half naked. But if Snake is, then all is well ?

 

[Havok83]

Agree completely. No one is like, "Snake/Big Boss" is superficially masculine with abilities that would make Cross fit and Mens Health look weak. Instead we are like, "Cool. He's badass." So it's not ok for her to be half naked. But if Snake is, then all is well ?

That makes no sense and I don't even get the comparison. Someone's abilities isn't whats being called into question here. Its not like people are or have made an issue out of female characters (like the Boss) with badass abilities

 

[Llama_Shepherd]

But doesn't history show that Big Boss was never a "true" villain. Shades of grey and all that. Wasn't the true villain Liquid and the AI program?

No. The AI's don't go online until 2009 (though I fully expect to see Strangelove developing them in this game).

Big Boss is still going to become a warlord, he's likely going to do unspeakable things, just look at what he said to Solid Snake before he "died" about starting a war, collecting the orphans, feeding them back into wars and collecting more orphans.

Big Boss is a man who, above all, just craves violence and war, the end of Peace Walker starts to put him on that path, I expect this game to have him be a monster.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I have my concerns that this will execute that balance very poorly given how bleak a lot of the "real" subject matter is this time around. Potentially handling that stuff without any sensitivity or grace, which has never been a strong suit of the series by any means. It certainly was not in MGS4.

But it's always been this way. TPP is not the first MGS to have bleak material. Mass murder, torture, extreme violence, nuclear war, indoctrination, child soliders, etc have been part of the narrative of the series. I don't why it is that all of sudden TPP is being held to some kind of new standard. The trailers so far have been bleak, but hell, go back and watch some of the MGS4 trailers, same kind of stuff, but it was still the same kind of Metal Gear. It's just what the series is, I feel like anyone who has followed it for any extended length of time should understand this.

 

[CrypticOne]

Do people really have a problem with characters being sexualized?! Kojima has always been like that and I'm glad for it. I mean, you can pick up "women" magazines in the game. You find secret "women" posters on almost every level. And heck, they look good! I mean, we've also had naked dude running through the game. I don't know. To me, it's a reality. Does that make me sick? I think it's pretty normal.

 

[Tron Bonne]

So, what am I doing wrong in collecting mines in Ground Zero? I managed to do one at the beginning of the Jaimias Vu mission, but every time I crawl up them they blow up on me before the prompt to pick them up pops up.

 

[Ajendo]

All I need to know is, if Zero and Eva are in this because at this stage in the time line they need to bloody appear again...in the flesh!

 

[Tron Bonne]

I'm sure Zero will. Not sure on EVA. Didn't she leave Zero and The Patriots pretty quickly?

 

[Ramsay Snow]

I'm sure Zero will be in this game in one form or the other, since Skull Face wants to kill him.

 

[Soapy]

Phantom Pain = Puppy Simulator 2015

 

[zenith16]

Phantom Pain = Puppy Simulator 2015

yup



PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, 3DS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain adds Diamond Dog buddy characer
Published 22 mins ago. 0 comments.

Why recruit people when you can recruit this dog?

In Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, a buddy AI system lets other characters tag along with Snake on missions to support his infiltration efforts. Earlier this week, Quiet was revealed as a buddy character. Today, Kojima Productions introduced the next: the Diamond Dog. Or “D.D.” for short.
Similar to Quiet, finding and befriending D.D. is entirely optional. But do so, and he’ll act as a sort-of mascot for Snake’s unit, the Diamond Dogs.
View screenshots of D.D. at the gallery.
visit gallery »



Read More

3DS, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Kojima Productions, Konami, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Screenshots, TGS 2014

source: Gematsu

 

[TheVileOne]

Do people really have a problem with characters being sexualized?! Kojima has always been like that and I'm glad for it. I mean, you can pick up "women" magazines in the game. You find secret "women" posters on almost every level. And heck, they look good! I mean, we've also had naked dude running through the game. I don't know. To me, it's a reality. Does that make me sick? I think it's pretty normal.

I don't dislike sexuality, just pointing out that Quiet's outfit is ridiculous and makes no sense.

Feminism and respecting women in gaming has become a major issue in the last couple of years. Saints Row developer Steve Jaros basically said he cannot defend and has regrets for depiction of women in the earlier Saints Row games.

I just wonder why there seems to be little objection for why a soldier like Quiet is wearing such an outfit.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I just wonder why there seems to be little objection for why a soldier like Quiet is wearing such an outfit.

Huh, and again, what are you talking about? There's was a lot of discussion about Quiet when she was first unveiled. It was very controversial, even had a major game designer from 434 studios did a tweet to "call Kojima out". Not sure what else you want people to actually do. It was a big thing at the time. But your question is easily answered for why does a solider like Fortune from MGS2 wear a one piece bathing suit? For the same reason that same game has an obese man flying around on rolling blades calling himself Fatman: it's a stylized game, not a realistic one.

Besides, none of that is nearly as interesting as a ****ing eye-patch dog as your buddy.