“Why we love it” is a new feature which we hope to put out when a highly anticipated sequel is about to make its debut. Think of it as an effort to elaborate upon the qualities and traits fans appreciate from the franchise. It’s not aimed at swaying naysayers, but it will acknowledge the franchises’ foibles. This is predominantly aimed at those who are curious about the hype surrounding an upcoming game and have always wondered, “Why do they love it?”.

It’s a question I was asked awhile ago, which I found incredibly hard to answer. “What do people like about the Metal Gear Solid series?” It’s a difficult game to explain. Trying to justify how 20 minutes of cutscenes and codec conversation is an enthralling experience is a tough task, but I thought it was about time I tackled it. So here’s my attempt to describe the Metal Gear Solid series and share why I (and many others) regard it as one of the best videogame franchises of all time.

Immersion by Submersion

Do you remember the days when instruction booklets found with games were frothing with lore and back story? I do. I remember delving deeply into the Diablo and StarCraft instruction manuals seeking clarity and history about the respective universes. I appreciated the well written exposition which laid out the premise and events which led up to this point in the game. Well Kojima doesn’t believe in having the player read. He and his crew shoved all that info and back story into the game itself via waves of cutscenes and dialog.

This is a point of contention for some: the ‘in your face’ storytelling where the player simply watches the story unfold. All these cutscenes and Codec conversations are optional, but it is understandably despised by those who aren’t keen with watching events unfold for long periods of time. How long? Upwards to 30 minutes or more and if reviewers are to be believed, up to 90 minutes for MGS4. That’s a lot of exposition to absorb when you’re not willing to invest into the story.

But why wouldn’t you want to get into the thick of things? Deciphering the story is one the many reasons why fans of the series have gathered in such great numbers. Codenames, real names and the relationships between characters are in constant flux throughout the games and it takes a great deal of effort to nail it all down.

The story is a mix of fiction and historical events; one could think of it like one big “what if…” scenario. The topics MGS touches upon include government conspiracies, spy games, human cloning, military technology and just about everything inbetween. It’s incredibly detailed with seemingly tertiary characters playing key roles in the grand scheme of things. Paying close attention pays off big time.

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Tags: kojima, konami, metal gear, why we love it
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