Be Excellent To Each Other

Did anyone pick this up? I grabbed it last Friday with my Christmas GAME voucher. Started playing MGS2. It still holds up, graphically. Enjoying it and hoping to get a few more hours in this weekend. More excited about playing MGS3 again, though, but I'm not going to touch it until I've polished 2 off.

Then there's Peace Walker which I tried on the PSP and hated because of the single analogue nub. Hopefully it's better on the 360.

It amazes me how much content there is for £30. MGS2 alone has more extras and VR Missions than I'll ever bother with. Assuming you don't hate Metal Gear Solid, it's a bargain.

Don't forget the two original Metal Gears included with MGS3! Solid Snake is an amazing game.

Peace Walker is great, aye. It's broken up into wee bitesized missions, but it's probably the biggest MG game yet. The only things I don't really like about it are that some of the bosses are a slog, and that there seem to be a handful of horrible dickheads online (but then that's probably par for the course). I love the fact that you have a Walkman that plays tunes from the MSX Metal Gears.

We should play some PW missions online when you get around to it. My friends seem to think most people online are alright and aren't too bothered about what ranks they get, etc, but I seem to be attracting utter mentalists who go apeshit if you don't play exactly as they want you to.

Ed: you're definitely playing them in the right order, too. MGS2 is pretty hard to go back to after playing 3 for a significant amount of time, although it is fun being able to sprint right up behind people again. 2 is at its best when you're just fucking around with guards and stealing their dog tags.

Yeah I'll definitely get involved with some PW multiplayer! Also, I didn't realise you get the first two games within 3! Even more value!

Yeah, they've had their codec pictures changed (because they were all based on Hollywood actors and Einstein, etc), but they've also had their translations updated, so I'm looking forward to experiencing the original stories in their full, barmy glory.

These versions were also included with MGS3: Subsistence.

Ed: also, I can't believe MGS2 is already 10 years old. Gettafuckouttahere!

Does it have Special Missions?

I loved the VR stuff. Pure gameplay; none of the chat.

Sadly not (nor MGS), but half of Peace Walker is comprised of 'Extra Ops', which are just self-contained levels with their own objectives. They do unlock as you go through the main story, but even that's pretty breezy.

MGS2 has loads of extra missions AND VR stuff which is pretty cool.

/has only tried MGS2 so far.

Oh aye, forgot about that! I think they took the Ape Escape game out of MGS3, though.

Wait, what?!

See, this is what I love about Japanese games - they always seem to cram so many Easter eggs and extra features in.

This is the very first thing I ever saw about MGS3. A fair bit before release.

It made me laugh. Although it did make me wonder quite what the plot of the game was going to be like if it included that.

Wait, there was ape escape in MGS 3?

I love Ape Escape gutted they ruined it recently for Move by making it an on rails shooter or something.

Ha! So that isn't included in the HD remake?

The Tony Hawk pisstake skateboarding level from MGS2: Substance is also absent!

Maybe it's a licensing thing?

Hmmm. Just noticed something that may interest cheevo whores. MGS HD Collection has 1000 GS for MGS2 and MGS3, and MGS Peacewalker HD has its own separate 1000 GS.

Masticating Gonk Sandwich. Heffalump Dung. Gommo Spit.

MGS3 is absolutely brilliant. Shame the controls are utterly spacky, though. It's making me appreciate Deus Ex 3.

Sadly I can't get into either of these games. Indeed, the controls for MGS3 are fucking terible. It's from the era where the majority of Japanese games developers didn't have a clue how to make games with competent 3D controls.

Only Shinji Mikami can save us.

It's worth persevering with. I'm 7 hours in now and finding it much easier to control. It's really brilliant. Treat each area like a separate puzzle and it's great!

MGS3 is the only one that's a properly brilliant game. It's packed full of awesome and bloody huge as well.

It keeps getting better! Nearly 10 hours in. Just had an incredibly memorable boss fight. My word this is good.

(FYI I did have this for PS2 but I played it for an hour or so before loaning it to a mate. Fast forward a couple of years and it turned out his younger brother fucking sold it!)

Is the original PS1 game included?

No, except for the PS3 special edition of the HD collection (which comes with a code to get it from PSN).

Which is a shame, as it's easily my favourite.

PS3 can play PS1 games, right? I've still got my MGS somewhere.

I even have its Bleemcast somewhere...

Yep! I replayed it on the PSP a few months back. It's still great, but 12 hours in, MGS3 is better.

Only maybe.

Shit, my 320gb isn't even an option!

MGS3 just doesn't stop getting better! The HD collection is serious value for money.

FUCKING HECK! 18 hours and finally done. Outstanding. I really missed out first time round.

Second time around, dontchamean, hmmm? The first version MGS3 had a fixed overhead camera which was loosened up significantly for Subsistence making it playable, if I recall correctly.

Man, that was tedious.

Anyway, I share the love. Memorable for all the right reasons (unlike, y'know...).

Yeah, MGS3 was unplayable the first time around, having a fixed overhead camera and no radar made the game virtually impossible to progress easily in.

Subsistence - much better effort all round.

I'm sure this has been said before in another thread. I'm having a déjà vu.

Where's Platinum games effort? It's gone a bit quiet on that front.

It was heavily promoted at E3! It looks good. Early 2013.

So is MGS 3 Subsistence much better then? I went on a MGS binge about a year ago, having never played any of them much before. Played through the PSone original, then went straight on to MGS2 and loved both, even if the plot of number 2 went totally batshit. Then I stuck in MGS 3 (the original version) and gave up. Losing the radar meant I just could not get on with it at all. I found it really hard to believe people were saying it was the best of the bunch - I never even got past the introductory mission.

Never played 4, despite owning it. I kinda feel I need to get over my issues with 3 first.

Anyway, I'm planning on making the HD collection my next Vita purchase, because if nothing else, a replay of MGS2 would be just the ticket for all those moments when I'm hiding in the shitter at work instead of actually doing the tasks I'm paid for.

The new camera makes a huge difference. Instead of the restrictive fixed view camera it's a proper moveable third person camera. As for the lack of radar, you've got to use your kit. You get a heartbeat sensor, sonar and motion detector. You also get a directional microphone. It's all about remaining hidden and using these tools to map out where the enemies are. It slows the gameplay down a fair bit, but once you fathom it all out, it's pretty intuitive. Personally I think it makes it a far more satisfying stealth game.

Also, moving with the d-pad allows you to move silently!

Yeah, losing the radar means you almost literally rely on your equipment in the original MGS3.

In Subsistence, your equipment is still important but because the camera's actually decent, you can see what's going on in your surroundings (the draw distance is amazing) which means you're not quite so reliant on the tools.

Zio, never put MGS4 in the console. Ever. Seriously, you'll hate all MGS games and it'll destroy any fond memories that might be lingering. Seriously. Never. Worse game ever made, or at least up there with the best/worst of them.

I've never played any MGS games (although I watched a mate play bits of the first one back in the day) and I've got MSG4 in my 'to play' pile; is it really that hateful? It certainly reviewed well enough...

Yes. Sinister wrote an incredibly accurate review: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=960&p=47412#p47412

Where is he nowadays?

That comes across as 'most of the game is actually good fun but there's a massive number of awful cutscenes and some weird design decisions near the end' which isn't the most damning review I've ever read. Indeed now I want to see how awful the cutscenes are so I can giggle at them until bored and then hit the skip button.

He flounced.

I think they're unskippable.

Assuming this is correct they are skippable, which would go a long way to minimising their impact on the actual 'game' part of the game

MGS4 isn't *that* bad. It's still a Metal Gear Solid game underneath, it just goes too far with the cutscenes.

Calling it the worst game ever is ridiculous.

It does?