Patience, Polish and Meticulous Detail

If there was one underlying reason why I’m a fan of the Metal Gear Solid games it is because of its details; the increasing amounts of details woven every game. I’m not talking about detailed textures which show how ripped and defined a character’s body is, but other tangible qualities like destructible items, multiple uses for equipment and other interactive in-game assets. What other game throws in slippery seagull excrement and the ability to succumb to colds? It’s little intricacies like that which amazes me.

An overwhelming amount of detail is also infused into the series’ narrative. There’s a reason why the codec conversations and cutscenes are so long; it’s to flesh out the characters and their lives. You’re going to find out everything you need to know and then some. They even go into gameplay justifications such as explaining why you cannot use the Soliton radar during the “Alert mode” and other nuisances you may question.

Then there’s the patience — patience and tolerance actually — patience for sneaking and tolerance for unorthodox complexity. To play the original trilogy of MGS now would be an exercise in frustration for those who’ve become accustomed to the modern controls and concepts of Gears of War and Splinter Cell. With each passing game, the game offers more options and functionality and it can be overwhelming. However, once you’ve mastered the controls and understand the game’s design: it all flows very well.

Finally, Kojima and his team spoils us with the copious amounts of polish and high production values found in every MGS game. An example of such care and high presentation sense was evident early on with every single line of dialog being competently voiced since the first Metal Gear Solid back in 1998. The visual veneer of every game is always amongst the best of any given platform as well. With consistent framerates, minimal screen tearing and a clear hatred for load times, Kojima and his troops simply won’t settle for less and it shows. It’s all greatly appreciated and should not be understated.

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Tags: kojima, konami, metal gear, why we love it
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This entry was posted on Monday, June 9th, 2008 at 9:00 am and is filed under Editorials and Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.