Snake needs a rest (A Metal Gear Solid V blog)

Ah, Metal Gear Solid. What can I say about it that hasn't already been said? Hideo Kojima's signature franchise that started all the way back on the MSX computers but didn't make the popularity until the PS1 days with the first MGS game that added a layer of stealth, story telling, characters and a cinematic presentation to boot making it one of the best games on the system and the franchise continued with multiple sequels, spin-offs and ports onto various consoles (i.e. Twin Snakes on the Gamecube and both Subsistance games on the PS2 and Xbox).

I haven't been the biggest fan of the series but have been playing a lot of the games as far as I can remember as Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty being my favourite despite it being called the black sheep of the series by the die-hard fans and while I can understand why at certain points, they don't detract me that I just couldn't stop playing it over and over again back in the day.

After the 4th game in the main series subtitled Guns of Patriots on the Playstation 3, I thought it would be the end of Snake's legacy and Kojima and the rest of his production company as well as publisher Konami can leave the series behind to work on something fresh and new.

I was wrong...Dead wrong.

First shown sometime last year as Ground Zeroes then later as The Phantom Pain at the Spike Video Game Awards to finally announcing the true title at GDC earlier this year. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a new game in development from Kojima. While a lot of people will no doubt be excited for this game, I can honestly say that I am not one of them and I'll explain why.

First off, why do we need another Metal Gear game? Most of the plot points that lead up to the 4th game were pretty much wrapped up as far as I can tell so why does the entire series need to be extended even more? Well to be fair, from what I've gathered, this game is meant to take place after the PSP exclusive game Peace Walker as it's more has to do with a different Snake rather than Solid Snake, so it could mean like Big Boss or a different Snake altogether but that being said, does the back story of his character and others like Ocelot need to be further developed? I feel it's rather unnecessary, mainly because I don't think many people have played Peace Walker considering it was on a platform that not many people owned compared to the Nintendo DS but that said, the game was also included with the HD collection on the PS3/Xbox 360.

Another reason is that Kojima has stated in the past that he wants to do another Zone of the Enders game and personally, I was more excited for that than another Metal Gear title but alas, that's not going to happen as the release of the HD collection for Zone of the Enders kinda fell short in terms of a few promises and left the game on indefinite hold for the time being which I find that to be rather disheartening as I did like what I played from the first game on the PS2 back in the day, even if I did get it to play the MGS 2 demo.

That being said, will he work on something new then?...Well....

Anyone who knows Kojima from reports online that he's very "careful" of this franchise and doesn't want anyone screwing it up, even if he did let a different developer work on a game in relation to the franchise but to be fair it was a spin off (MGR: Revengeance is awesome btw), so I can't really fault him much for that. But what also baffles me on how Konami wants him to keep going with the franchise as it's the only thing they have left (aside from Castlevania) because in this day and age, new IPs don't sell very well because developers and publishers want to rely on franchises that they know will make a profit rather than taking risks which is something I might have to rant at another time but not right now.

So it really hurts me on how a developer like Kojima with a huge level of talent is locked up like a slave in order to work on something that he's best known for, whenever it's his decision or not. I just feel he needs to break out of the series and do a new IP and the more he and the rest at Kojima Productions as well as Konami hears this, the better (imo).

Now with my negative statements towards MGS V, I'm not saying it'll be a terrible game. From what I've seen in the Red Band trailer (WARNING: Shocking content featured), it does look very impressive with the tone, graphics, new mechanics and other aspects that we know and love of the series are in this game even if it's odd hearing Keifer Sutherland voicing as Snake in this game rather than David Hayter.

So I'm not writing it off completely, I'm just not excited for it as much as other people are because I feel the series should have been done with he 4th game and I'm very burned out on the series as a whole. I will play this one but won't be getting it within the first few weeks.

That's just how I feel and I hope Kojima can work on something new in the future.

My stance on the new-gen consoles

After the announcement of the two consoles at E3 along with their games, prices and dates (which are still a bit unclear at this point) as well as Microsoft's sudden change of heart to remove the DRM policies they had. The Xbox One and the Playstation 4 are ready to head out full force at the end of the year.

But that being said, I don't think I'll be an early adopter for both of them due to other lack of certain information, mostly regarding to launch titles that I've asked about in a video I posted a few days ago. There's also other details that also need to be address like a specific release date but I'm not worried about that because I won't be an early adopter.

The software makes the hardware and while both systems have games that I would like to play, most of their confirmed games are multiplatform titles (i.e. Watch_Dogs, Battlefield 4, Dark Souls II, etc.) and the exclusives they have, most of the ones I want the most are released later in 2014. So with that said, I don't feel like spending over $500 on a console that only have at least one launch game (as they've mentioned so far) which isn't enough for me to pick up at launch.

Now before you ask me, which system I'm getting, it's most likely the PS4 since one of my most anticipated games for the system is a launch game and it is better priced than the Xbox One, but as said before I won't be getting it at launch due to lack of launch games that grab me (besides maybe Knack but still unsure about that game). Maybe get it as a Christmas present but we'll wait and see.

As for the Xbox One, there are actually are a few launch games that have my attention but I'm very weary about them for various reasons which I will discuss later in this blog because I feel it's worth mentioning that some of these details need to be addressed before release.

So without further ado, let's talk about what I know on each console and discuss what games that interest me the most.

 Playstation 4

Sony's successor to the Playstation 3 really showcases a lot of promises to rectify their original release of the PS3 which didn't go over so well at the beginning until much later. They want to make it more open with it's PC-like architecture, encouragement and support of indie developers who wish to make games for the platform which they've been doing that with the PS3 and PS Vita and lot of intriguing features like recording, sharing and streaming footage and screens of the games you're playing online to others as well as a few tweaks to the controller and interface to make it more fresh, up to date and accessible.

As for the games, already the system has me sold with Killzone: Shadow Fall as a launch title with the system but the other two, leave a lot to be desired like Knack since I'm not sure if it'll be enough to entice me over but after looking into it a bit more, it has a level of intrigue but will wait and see and as for Drive Club, I don't care for since I dislike driving simulators.

The sad part about this that if my most anticipated game on the system which is Infamous: Second Son is not a launch title, it'll be out in Q1 2014. The other exclusives like The Order: 1886 aren't as interesting to me even with their debut trailers at E3 this year.

Rest of the game list that is confirmed as of this blog are mostly multiplatform titles as I've mentioned earlier but that said, some of them I would probably get on PS4 like Batman: Arkham Origins, Diablo III (even though I got it on PC a while ago, lol), Final Fantasy XV and Oddworld: New 'n Tasty.

So while the system does have a lot going for it in terms of support, it's not enough for an early adoption of the system at launch for me, even if it's retailed at $550. I'll most likely to get it as a Christmas/Birthday present or wait it out for a bundle instead. But I do plan to get this system first over the Xbox One.

And speaking off that...

 Xbox One

I know some people are going to be biased about this console and while I can understand why due to the stupid DRM policy bullshit that Microsoft had going at first before changing it as I've mentioned earlier, it doesn't mean it's a bad console (despite it's stupid name)...or at least, in a different sense.

The system has a lot of neat things going for it, similar to the PS4 with extras that while I wouldn't use like switching to TV but it's a nice addition. However the mandatory Kinect that is bundled with the system, the Day One patch to remove the DRM policies, mandatory game installs, irremovable hard drive and the controller still using AA batteries hurt the system but not so much that it really bothers me to a huge extent. But what does hurt me is the $600 price tag which is a bit too much to ask to sell your console.

For the games however, they did show the exclusives and a lot of them I'm rather interested. My most anticipated is Quantum Break by Remedy which little details have been shown but Remedy has been like that since their Max Payne days so hopefully, we get more information down the road and how it's mean to be tied with a TV series that they're producing. Although, they're mostly known for PC titles at the beginning, so chances of this game going to PC via Windows 8 could be a possibility.

The one that also got me is Killer Instinct. A revival of Rare's fighting game franchise from the 90s to the new-gen system but while it does look and sounds impressive, there are things I'm worried about such as the fact that Rare hasn't don't much good in years since they've been bought out by Microsoft, it's being co-developed by Double Helix Games (the same people that gave us Silent Hill: Homecoming, the Green Latern game and the Battleship movie-based game) and their approach to selling this game is rather confusing like selling it in physical and digital form but also including a odd "Free-to-Play" version of it.

Other exclusives like Ryse: Son of Rome, D4, Below and Sunset Overdrive also have my attention but some of those feel like not much detail has been given which makes me go for a more "wait and see" approach rather than go with my guts and hope for the best. Especially Below as that game could easily pass off as an iOS game instead.

But what really hurts the Xbox One is that when it comes to indie developers, they're very picky and not very encouraging when compared to the PS4 and the Wii U which are very happy to let indies showcase what they have on their platforms. Not so much with Microsoft's big box. Especially when Fez creator Phil Fish had a painful time with the original XBLA version of the game on the 360 since there was a save-deleting bug in the game and couldn't be fixed due to not having the funds to allow a patch for it. Very greedy, Microsoft.

So as you'd probably guessed, I do think there is a good level of potential within the Xbox One and their exclusive titles but that said, their minor issues like the mandatory Kinect, tacky support for indie developers and the pricing of the system at $600 is what really makes me not too keen on the console. Will most likely get it used, when there's a price drop or at the very least, when Quantum Break comes out.

Final Verdict:

So in the end, both systems has it's fair share of games and features that really interest me but not worth a day one purchase as I believe Adam Sessler was right about in this video about the lack of information on both systems.

While I'm more inclined to get a PS4 over the Xbox One, I'm not sure if it's worth adopting it day one at this moment even with a cheaper price than it's competitor.

Well, that's pretty much all I have to say for this, thanks for reading and let me know what you think. Do you plan to get one of the new-gen systems at launch and if so, which one and why?

Final Thoughts: The Last of Us

WARNING: May Contain Spoilers

Said to be one of the final games on the PS3 before Sony's next-gen console comes out later this year, they have at least two games under their belt to showcase before they move on and one of the two is Naughty Dog's cinematic-survival adventure, The Last of Us.

Set in a post apocalyptic America, due to an outbreak of an cordyceps-like infection. The player takes control of Joel who was given a task by the leader of rebels known as the Fireflies to export a young girl named Ellie across America who has a secret under her sleeve, immunity from the outbreak.

This is the 4th game from Sony's first party developer Naughty Dog who has been with Sony since the very beginning on the Playstation and while their last series of games which was the "Uncharted" franchise had a level of deep maturity within it's light-hearted tone that the developer has been known for, some may think that they can't do a deep and serious game with deep characters and a rich story backed up with solid gameplay.

Well, they delivered that promise. Now mind you, the whole premise actually reminds me of The Walking Dead, mostly because of it's setting and how it's played but it's not entirely a direct clone or anything and it may come across as a bit biased because the level of characterization that I got from Telltales game based on the same comic book and TV show feel similar in The Last of Us, however while The Walking Dead is a point 'n click adventure in Telltale's usual style. The Last of Us is a solid blend of action, survival, stealth and adventure rolled up into one and for the most part it works really well.

One of the best aspects of the story is that while it does tread on tried and true formula of the post-apocalyptic world filled with infected as the infected themselves aren't from the cliche'd virus zombies that we keep seeing time and time again in video games and media but with a level of a natural element to it which some of the infected known as clickers have a unique but ugly design to them that makes the game stand out in terms of presentation that is also well presented with it's cinematic quality.

The characterization between Joel and Ellie is the big highlight of the game and it really shows that is what the developers were intending. They start off rather rough because Joel lost his daughter at the first scene of the game and he saw Ellie as nothing more but cargo for the Fireflies but as he and she continue, they become more relatable to each other and the deep banter between them is what really makes these characters stand out, combing with wit and strength to make them relatable and likable without being complete idiots.

The other characters do have their spot in the story like the previously mentioned Tess and Joel's brother Tommy but they're mostly there to drive the story forward rather than being characters of their own. It may be a downer for some but that's because they didn't want you to focus on them, only on Joel and Ellie alone. Nothing less, nothing more.

So onto the gameplay, it's a seemless mix of action/adventure and survival horror and works very well. The controls feel similar to Uncharted but not nearly as freely which isn't a bad thing because it's mostly responsive and the inventory system is nicely handled where you can switch weapons on the fly by highlighting the weapon and holding X to allow you to switch what guns you have in your inventory.

The crafting system is very well done where you can scavenge items and able to craft them via the select button without having to go to a work table is very refreshing and useful as most of the items like nail bombs, smoke bombs, shivs, health packs, etc. are all very useful in this game. The work tables are used to upgrade your weapons but some of them you need to find a tool box that can upgrade on how much you can upgrade your items with the scavenged items you got. There's also a section where you can upgrade Joel with pills you can find to upgrade your health bar, crafting speed, etc. Also helpful.

The ally AI is very helpful as Ellie and/or other characters you meet help you out and react to your actions, like helping Ellie to get up to a ledge, etc. As well as they're helpful in combat when you need to bump enemies off. However sometimes they can be a bit too patient by not catching up to where you are and sometimes can be visible to the enemies which would seem to be easy for them to spot you but they don't seem to react which is strange.

The enemies ranges from human Hunters and the infected, the humans are just as what you'd expect, they're very co-operative on how they react to your prescence but not so much to the ally's prescene as they're not alarmed in the slightest when they notice them. It may be a nit-pick but still feels a little odd. The infected can be a challenge, especially against the clickers where you can get past them by not making any sound but if you get close to them while attacking, good night. But don't worry as the developers are awfully generous with a good amount of checkpoints so once you die, you don't have to go very far.

The presentation is very cinematic as I've previously mentioned with the style that the cut-scenes are shown makes it feel like you're watching a film but doesn't distract you from the fact that you are still playing the game. The graphics are very similar to Uncharted 3 and that's a good thing because the texture and polygon quality is just as excellent but also added some minor details like footprints, water splashes and blood splatter on certain terrain adds a level of effects to sweeten the look.

The character designs are well designed and animated like Uncharted so nothing to complain about, the environments are also nicely designed with plenty of cover to hide and different ways to explore for items and getting around enemies without being noticed. The setting has a very Enslaved feel where it's post-apocalyptic but also colorful unlike the brownish landscapes we've seen in Fallout 3, etc.

The sound design is also a gigantic highlight as the music by Gustavo Santaolalla is excellent and fits the bleak, eerie and sentimental tone of the game. The voice acting is also top-notch with the new Nolan North, Troy Baker who has already established himself with games like Catherine, Persona 4, Tales of Vesperia and more recently, Bioshock Infinite does a sublime performace once again as Joel and Ashley Johnson as Ellie is also very well done. The rest of the cast does great for what they were given and Nolan North has a role in there somewhere. The sound effects are nothing special but they're also just as good as the rest of the sound, so no complaints there.

If there was another problem that I've had with the game is that there's a long load time before you start the game and it takes almost like 3-5 minutes before the game actually loads but it's the only load screen you'll encounter in the game so it's only minor and it's rather impressive that the game doesn't load at all throughout the entire main campaign.

There is also a Multiplayer mode but I won't explore into that as I'm not really an MP kind of gamer but I did play a match and while it's a bit more slower paced than Uncharted, it still was rather enjoyable.

So in the end, The Last of Us may be one of the best final games for the PS3. While I don't think it has me teary by the end of it but I can understand the praise it got. I don't think it'll qualify as the best game of the year but it certainly is one of the best games I have played with it's gratifying story with two strong main characters, solid gameplay and a well directed cinematic presentation.

While there is Beyond: Two Souls to look forward to but for now, this is highly recommended. Thanks for reading.

E3 2013: Predictions & Expectations

Well, it's that time again. Click here to see my latest video where I talk about what I hope and expect to see at this year's mecca of gaming expos.

Sorry for it being a brief blog but wanted to share my YouTube channel :D I'll be back with a new blog soon!