Metal Gear Musings: Words, Words, Words...

As stated before, my love of this series knows no bounds. The complexity, vastness, and the nuance in which science fiction, fantasy, and real-world history are all merged together to create the world these characters populate is fascinating. I've played just about every game in the series, save for non-canon PSP games and poor, poor, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. Having said all of this, I am also keenly aware of many problems that the series has. The convoluted story, the constantly shifting tone, but most polarizing of all...the sheer volume of exposition that is dumped everywhere in this series.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Hideo Kojima can't shut up, and neither can his characters. Allow me to explain why this is actually not as bad as it seems.

The storytelling style of Metal Gear has always been delivered in the form of Codec conversations, Mission Briefings, and conversations with other characters within the game itself. The latter is done through scripted cut scenes that can go on for some time. On one level, I would have to say that the critics are correct. The placement of cut scenes is definitely awkward. Oftentimes, it can even ruin the flow of the gameplay and stop all momentum dead. There have been plenty of times where I've just finished an intense firefight, or an amazing boss battle, only to be bombarded with an extremely long cut scene.

Now when it comes to Kojima cut scenes, I've found that they fall into three categories: Stuff That Happens, Bang-Bang-Boom, and The Master Plan.

Stuff That Happens is exactly what the name implies: they are very long cut scenes where important things happen. Character motivations are explained, background stories are revealed, and major plot points are developed. One of the common complaints about Stuff That Happens is that these scenes are often too long, too confusing, and too boring for their own good. Now, I can see why watching two people stand in a room and talk while stock footage plays can be boring. However, I do not think Stuff That Happens is a bad thing. When it works, what you end up getting are well-plotted out scenes that accomplish one of the following goals:

1. They set the scene and build the world which the characters live in. This kind of detailing also helps define what is at stake and why things matter.

2. They can reveal details about setting, scene, or character that would be difficult to reveal in any other way. For example, you can't understand just how complex the relationship between Naked Snake and The Boss is unless you sit through their first conversation. Additionally, this kind of arch-building is best done in a non-interactive way.
   
   
3. They are important for adding extra detailing and characterization to the cast that isn't relevant to the plot. As an example, in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, your game is saved by Para-Medic. After each saved game, she goes into a diatribe about movies. These sections of dialogue are ultimately pointless with relation to the bigger events that transpire, but they add more dimensions to the character and (hopefully) make them more endearing.

The next is what I lovingly call, Bang-Bang-Boom. These are action pieces that are similar to something you would see in The Matrix or a Die Hard movie. These are probably the ones which anger fans the most. The reason for this is because they demonstrate these huge action set pieces that the player has no real involvement in. This is kind of a love it or hate it kind of thing. As part of an attempt to try and create a cinematic experience, you end up getting these action sequences that you can only stand by passively and witness. Since video games' biggest selling points as a form of art is the interactive experience, you'd think adding an action scene that the players can't contribute to would be pointless. To be honest, it can get a little self-serving. Still, while not my favorite of Kojima's methods it can serve a purpose.

The last is my favorite kind of Kojima cutscene, The Master Plan. It is exactly what you think it would be: the main villain/villains of the game rant on and on about their master stroke. This is extremely evocative of both cartoons and Silver Age comics. Those comparisons may not seem like compliments but I have to admire the writing quality of what goes on in some of these. They serve a secondary function in that they tie in all the loose ends of the story, discuss the core themes and philosophy of the games, and allow the main villains to really chew some scenery. I'm not even kidding when I say that some really over-the-top, but awesome stuff happens with this kind of Kojima scene.

To summarize, The Metal Gear Solid series isn't for everyone. It pushes the envelope too far and often pushes the spectator aspect of its games further than the actual game play. With all of this said, you'll be hard-pressed to find a game series with as rich of a world, characters, and themes as this series covers. Again, the complaint is valid, but the technique does have merit. I strongly stand by the stance that while the constant barrage of non-interaction in this game series is a problem, it is also undeniably one of its greatest strengths.