Metal Gear Solid - Help a n00b out!

[Ziggy]

I beat MGS3 last night and I have to say, I'm very impressed. It might be my favorite yet, tied with the first game. But now I understand what every one is talking about regarding 2 and 3. It is clear that MGS1 and 3 are just in a different league than 2, no contest. I really enjoyed 3, and I think I'm gonna replay it. I'm thinking about replaying 1 and 2 first.

[CFFJR]

You should definitely run through them again. Particularly MGS1 before you get around to playing 4, just so its nice and fresh in your mind. There are events in 4 that are ridiculously cool when you remember 1.

[Ziggy]

Well I kinda played through 1 twice already, because I played Twin Snakes and then immediately played through the original.

[CFFJR]

Ah yes, I forgot you played both. You should be good then.

I'm glad you've been having fun with the games. I've never actually beaten MGS3, come to think of it. I should do that soon.

[emwearz]

I own 1 (PS1) and 2:Substance (Xbox), I have tried quite a few times to get into the first game but just don't seem to be able to enjoy myself.

I put 2:Substance in for 10 minutes just to check the game worked, and so far from the little I played, it seems to appeal to me more than the first.

Once I knock back a few games I am currently playing I think I might try and jump into 2.

[Ziggy]

^ Do you have a Cube or a Wii? If so, you should definitely check out The Twin Snakes. It's a remake of the first game. It basically IS the same game, only with graphics like the MGS2 and a few extras.

Just so you know, if you try and play 2 without playing 1... MGS2's story is just completely fucked, ask any one. Being that it's a direct sequel of the first MGS, you might be even more confused if you don't know the story. I mean, MGS2 has some seriously wacky shit that's hard to wrap your head around even when you know MGS1's story.

But if you can't seem to get into MGS1, 2 or Twin Snakes, you really should check out MGS3 Subsistence. There's a lot of aspects I liked about MGS1/Twin Snakes, but in terms of raw features and gameplay, MGS3 is in a different league.

[emwearz]

I have a Wii and a Cube, but Twin Snakes (or at least PAL/ in Australia) is not that common or cheap.

Maybe I will give the first one a go again when I can commit to it.

[Ziggy]

Ah, that sucks. It's not that cheap here, about $20 give or take (from what I've seen), but I guess that's not a lot either. I actually downloaded Twin Snakes just so I could check it out in comparison to the original but ended up liking it so now I'm looking to buy a copy.

I did enjoy the PS1 version, but it's a little hard for me to get into some of the dated graphics on the PS1. I think I would prefer playing Twin Snakes for the much nicer graphics. But if that's not something that you would care about, they really are the same game (aside from being able to aim in first person in Twin Snakes).

[Xeogred]

Yeah, I know a few people that aren't too big into the series, but they enjoyed MGS3. In a sense you could play that one first... though I wouldn't totally recommend it. Still worth a shot if you're not enjoying the others though.

You going to hit up MGS4 Ziggy? It ties in a lot of stuff from MGS2 pretty well, and well all of them. As others said above it's very powerful when you have MGS1 fresh in the back of your mind.

If you made it this far I'm sure the cutscenes won't bother you. It's definitely worth seeing through.

[Ziggy]

Yeah, I know a few people that aren't too big into the series, but they enjoyed MGS3. In a sense you could play that one first... though I wouldn't totally recommend it. Still worth a shot if you're not enjoying the others though.

I think the reason why you should play them in the order they were released (and not the order they make sense in chronologically story wise) is because MGS3 added so much to the gameplay, which is exactly what I expected to happen. If you were to play MGS3 first, then 1 and 2 would seem really bland and dated. I suspect MGS4 probably adds more to the gameplay as well.

But then again, yeah, if you're not enjoying 1 and 2 then I recommend trying 3 out before abandoning the series.

You going to hit up MGS4 Ziggy? It ties in a lot of stuff from MGS2 pretty well, and well all of them. As others said above it's very powerful when you have MGS1 fresh in the back of your mind.

Yes, definitely gonna give it a go. I just started to replay Twin Snakes, actually. Gonna play through it, then 2, then 3 again. I'm really looking forward to play through 3 again.

Speaking of the story though, I read up on the story of Portable Ops, Peace Walker, Metal Gear, and Metal Gear 2. Wow, it really ties the story up between MGS3 and MGS1. That whole thing with Zanzabar land and Gray Fox, everything. Pretty neat.

That being said, I haven't yet decided if I'm gonna play through the PSP or MSX2 games. I'll make a decision once I'm done replaying MGS3. But after that, then I'll play MGS4.

If you made it this far I'm sure the cutscenes won't bother you. It's definitely worth seeing through.

You know what it is, I think I've "grown up" a little bit. Back when I first tried MGS1 on PS1, I really didn't have the head for a stealth (sit and wait) type of game. Let alone one with long cut scenes. Now that I'm older, I think I have a little more patience, and have more appreciation for the story and gameplay. That being said, I'm still NOT a fan of long cut scenes. But I'll tough it out through them in the Metal Gear games, mostly because the story is pretty good (when it's not being cheesy, and not including MGS2 ).