That's what's always scared me about anime fans. I remember two former highschool friends getting into a literal heated argument, not a friendly debate or even a joke, but actually getting mad at one another, over which of two anime characters was the better.

The animes in question were Naruto and One Piece. Those of you who know them at all already know where this is going. A serious, heated debate that ended in a shouting match over Pirates Vs. Ninjas. I don't miss those idiots.

I was in Japan over the recent holidays, One Piece is pretty huge there right now. In Odaiba they have a giant animatronic crossbones/sun/thing( I dont know what it is because I dont watch the show) that shoots a perfect smoke ring once every thirty minutes.

That's it. People line up for this shit.

In a mall.

I'll post a video if I can find one.

Actually, I love the series for it's themes of war. Anybody playing can quickly figure out it's not a super serious SEALs thriller, but you pick up these ideas about the characters from their actions and design. They're super heroes in military garb, they don't require "Tacticool" weapons and gritty "Fucking shit" conversations about some guy they have to capture or whatever. They're soldiers, and glorified through our own ideas of what makes a good soldier.

It's all a great setup for some ideas that Kojima has kind of came up with from observation. Metal Gear Solid was about the possibility of nuclear mass production, and a weapons platform with the ability to bring a nuke to anywhere in the world, which isn't really all that far of a stretch with ICBMs and things like that. It kept it's feet on the ground with the normality of what stealth and war games were like back then, but with the incredulous bosses and making the weapons platform a massive Mech keeps it in fantasy and video game. 2 expounded upon this idea, making some of the "villains" into unkillable beings full of despair with a strangehold on the president on a makeshift island. He also introduced a big part of his conspiracy theory ideas with the La-le-lu-le-lo (A group that runs everything in the government, and is on their way to world domination.) and even that is blown out of proportion and ridiculous. He talks about SOPA and ACTA style legislation in 2001... Think about that. It was 2009 before anyone had really considered constriction of information as a tool of control. He really called it WAY ahead of the curve.

He also has a very uncanny ability to make his games take place in specific times, with specific tools and has a knack for details and an eye for lore that would be overlooked by many developers. I HIGHLY suggest this series, and I'm so fucking excited to see this one actually coming along.

We've finally come full circle.

...and that comment, as contradictory and nonsensical as Kojima's cutscenes, was, of course, unskippable.

Which actual soldiers are cloned from hands and have cybernetic implants allowing them to fight like a humanoid katana-based lawn mower, again?

What Crap said, MGS is a series of extremely self aware games. There is very little done in these games that is not a metaphor or analogy for something else, which also leads to one of its few problems. The games get so wrapped up in the metaphors that it winds up completely muddling the face value of the narrative (it really is convoluted and confusing). It is hoping you understand that the scenarios are so ridiculous, that you dig beyond the upper layer.

ANYWAYS, 1, 2 and 3 are must plays if you're into the medium (if anyone asked me, which no one did). With 2 being Kojima's least confident gameplay to narrative title, in that he relies way too much on non-gameplay to deliver his message...yet contains the greatest 4th wall break ever in the medium. 3 is the money title where Kojima nails the idea of gameplay progressing narrative (with a ton more gameplay than the previous games), but lacks the "Psycho" style twist turn and 4th wall shock of 2.

...or don't play them. Whatever.

Where's Snatcher?

I was going to say, if you hadn't, that the first ten seconds tells you all you need to know: the trialer is twice as long as any reasonable trailer and it starts off with one of the most egregious cliches imagineable.

Damn, Kleenex, did you just read the first paragraph and blank out the rest? You can't spend a few extra minutes trying to understand something so you just write it off as dumb? These characters aren't supposed to represent people, more like ideals and concepts, given life. You seemed to have completely glazed over everything for that reply, unable to accept that someone has seen worth in the series that you haven't.

I feel sorry for you. It's obvious why you can't enjoy this series. Your head is so far up your own ass you refuse to enjoy anything that requires you to think for longer than the first paragraph. I hope you reconsider it, maybe you should try MGS1 again, maybe something will click this time? Probably not, because you're too oriented to hate the series you wouldn't give it a fair shake.

Sorry, but I had to get defensive, you were acting kinda like a dick would. I know you're not that bad of a person. :)

Metal Gear Solid is the most worthless, idiotic shit imaginable and the hysterical, delusional fans of the series don't deserve life.

5 for poorwill's strong, stupid opinions

Metal Gear Solid is a fun franchise with a crappy story line, fun to play as long as you skip the damn story. That said, i love the story of MGS3, it was a fun take on the cold war era and spy flicks.

I think Metal Gear DOES have great dialogue.

Not well-written, but so odd, awkward and terrible that it becomes great again!

Metal Gear Sold is and always has been all about B-movie military nonsense, but it is often self aware and has great moments. I have a huge hard-on for David Hayter, but I won't pretend that MGS is a masterpiece.

I've stuck to the Metal Gear franchise since I was a kid with an NES and I have to agree about the nutso shit that happens in the more recent ones being the best part but I think that's supposed to be like a chunk of something lodged in his head like an injury. The motorcycle gang looking shit is what gets me.

no it's Metal Gear soild

Mothership, I read that in "a handbag?" voice. Beautiful.

Dude Sludge, it's been 11 years since I left that comment and you read my mind!

Yeah, had me going "THE FUCK IS HAPPENING."

So, Outer Heaven and Shadow Moses island is closer than we think, it seems.

More people agreeing with you in a specific forum = you are right for all eternity throughout the cosmos

well played, hooker

Since I've never said anything about gun laws and yet you seem to know, why don't you tell me what my opinion is on it.