Driving off the Map: MGS2 is genius

[CelesJessa]

So someone linked me to this the other day. It's a somewhat long read (I finished it in about an hour) but it blew my mind. It's an in-depth look at Metal Gear Solid 2, all of the connections and deep meanings and everything. It's hard to describe, so, if you're interested, I highly recommend reading it.


Also, that analysis taught me I am way not smart enough to play Metal Gear games and completely understand them.


Ironically,

At the start of the Plant Chapter, Raiden's Commanding Officer (C. O.) told him to access a digital node, to which Raiden responded: "Did you say nerd?" When Raiden accessed the node, the player had input his own name that later appeared on Raiden's dogtags. MGS2 bound Raiden to the player—a nerd—when Raiden accessed the node, and it bound the player to an actor who he didn't always like but who obeyed his commands, even when those actions violated Raiden's character.

Raiden had escaped the delusion that he was Solid Snake, and he had escaped the player's control over him as an actor. In a concluding cutscene, Raiden threw away his dogtags with the player's name chiseled thereon. MGS2 had ditched MGS1, and Raiden had ditched the player.

I always wrote Raiden's name into the node so... I KIND OF RUINED THE SYMBOLISM.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

As someone who reads many over-analysed deconstructions of random things this is a good attempt but has got nothing on this: http://www.physics.nyu.edu/faculty/s...inglefile.html

[Ryong]

I read some of it and I can't see if it's genius or some full-powered symbolism paranoia a la that one analysis of Portal where, among many other things, the portal gun is a manifestation of feminity, what with being a non-phallic gun that causes no direct harm by creating vaginas.

So yeah.

[ZAKtheGeek]

Read this fucking sentence:

MGS2 compounded the narrative reversal of MGS1's forms when its cyborg ninja helped Snake subdue Raiden.

I don't know what else to say.

[CelesJessa]

Originally Posted by Ryong

I read some of it and I can't see if it's genius or some full-powered symbolism paranoia a la that one analysis of Portal where, among many other things, the portal gun is a manifestation of feminity, what with being a non-phallic gun that causes no direct harm by creating vaginas.

I would think that too, but this is Kojima. Kojima eats this stuff for breakfast, so I wouldn't be surprised if all of it was true.

Also, I think I heard that Kojima actually read that analysis himself and was glad someone got it. Also, looking at his credentials it looks like he's done freelance work for Kojima Productions before. Wow.

It makes sense to me!

[The SSB Intern]

I always wrote Raiden's name into the node so... I KIND OF RUINED THE SYMBOLISM.

I wrote down that I'm a 23 year old woman living in South Africa....

I still think it kinda works.

[Aeria]

It seems like the article is basically saying "Metal Gear Solid 2 is the same as MGS1, but different," and then goes to use every instance of similarity and difference to mean something. Some of the similarities could have just as easily been differences, and I'm sure the article would have drawn other conclusions as per the meaning of said events. My point is: just as with English students, he's making up connections that aren't really there.

Now, not everything he says is made up, but for some of them there are far more plausible reasons. For example: there are sniper battles in both games, but they operate differently. The largest contributing factor to this is a gameplay concern. Boss battles have to be interesting, and cannot be the same throughout the series. There are sniper battles in MGS3 and MGS4 as well, and they are both different from the battles in the first few games. Now, of course there are connections to be made (most obvious: Sniper Wolf and Crying Wolf), but to completely ignore or discount Kojima's capacity as a game maker and story teller is like ignoring the black thunderclouds when you're trying to figure out why it is dark outside.

[Magus]

MGS2 is genius

Does not compute.

The "node v. nerd" thing is giving Kojima way too much credit. Sure he might have been referring to the gamer as a nerd but it's actually just that Kojima wanted to make a pun on node. This is not high art, though the end of the game at least meets the incomprehensibility requirement for high art.

I'm all for, like, doing literary analysis of video game plots, but you have to start with a good game to do it to. I wanted to do one for Mother 3 (and Earthbound by extension), and someone on GameFAQs did one for Shadow of the Colossus (at least concerning Dormin). But MGS2 can rot in the watery grave of non-literary canon works for all I care.

[CelesJessa]

Originally Posted by Magus

Does not compute. (etc)

D-did you read any more than just the part I quoted?


Oh well I thought it was pretty good, and they made quite a few interesting connections that I had never thought about before. And I don't think MGS2 is as horrible as you do apparently so...

[Jagos]

What's stopping you from doing the one on Mother 3?

Do you realize how many of us love that game? I would buy a new DS just for it.