Thread by @MetalGear_OOC

Why it is okay to play the 8-bit Metal Gear games last.
[A thread]

If you've known me for one second, you'll know that I have adamantly recommended the 8-bit Metal Gear games to newcomers, even saying to play them first.

However what I didn't understand was that a lot of people on this app aren't accustomed to 80's retro games.

I've religiously stayed to this belief that in order to see the series at it's best, you must play it from the very beginning.

But that would mean having newcomers subject themselves to a game that mostly needs a guide to traverse it.

And as for MG2:SS, a game that has aged pretty well and doesn't need a guide to fully complete, it's still a pretty difficult game, making it a hard entry point.

And even with the Easy modes included in the HD releases, they're still pretty tough.

I still have a strong belief that to be fully immersed in the expansive Metal Gear Saga, you must play the MSX games at some point. I think the next best place to play them is at the very end of the release line up.

There's a lot of good narrative weight to it this way.

Metal Gear Solid in itself is a good entry point to the Saga.

The gameplay is easier than MG2:SS because of limited enemy vision and is in general more forgiving on several gameplay elements that were egregious in previous entries.

Narratively, it's also a good place to start.

There's a lot of backstory stuff in the game that could come across as mysterious.

Who is Gray Fox? Who is Big Boss? Snake mentions he had previous run ins with Metal Gear? There's even direct references to Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land, the locales in MG1/2.

But since MGS1 immerses you so much in a newer cast and conflict, it's story ripples more into the coming games than the MSX titles do.

Afteewards you hear more about Big Boss in MGS2, get to play as him in MGS3, board a place called Outer Haven in MGS4, and in Peace Walker-

you are building the very Outer Heaven that was merely mentioned in previous titles.

Then we reach MGSV, the final released game which fully cements the construction of Outer Heaven and sets up the conflicts for the two games you haven't played at this point.

The MSX games.

In a full circle way, the MSX games are like the sequels to MGSV.

All of the soldiers you recruited in Peace Walker and MGSV are technically present in Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land. You even fight the protagonist of MGSV at the end of MG1.

And even moreso, these games will feel a bit like a prequel to MGS1 since you'll meet Gray Fox in both games.

You'll even meet Colonel Campbell and Master Miller in MG2:SS, characters that you are more interested in at this point.

And even better, since you've been playing all these games with Big Boss as the star, seeing how heroic he is and fighting for his cause, the final boss of this playthrough of the Saga will poetically be...

Big Boss himself.

After hearing how bad he was, playing his humble beginnings, watching his heartfelt redemption scene, and keeping nuclear war from happening, you'll be enamored with him.

And yet, in MG2, Big Boss is at his most objectively villainous point in the whole saga.

It's like the final puzzle piece to understanding why Solid Snake felt so unsettled by Big Boss, even when he was a thing of the past.

And even better, Big Boss tests the players skill in the biggest aspect of this franchise: sneaking.

After the final battle, the ominous image of the helicopter flying to the sun plays with the credits rolling.

And with that, you're back where you started at MGS1.

MG2 ends flying into the sky away from the battlefield, MGS1 starts underwater going towards the battlefield.

As a final game, MG2:SS works just as effectively as MGSV in being a game that ties itself into the next story in a non-linear fashion.

It's a beautiful conclusion in a way. It further helps that an MSX2 can be seen in the Truth ending of MGSV.

It's Kojima's way of saying "to appreciate the story to it's fullest, you must return to the roots."

And this goes without saying, MGSV's ending also ties directly into the beginning of MG1. It's like the game itself is beckoning you to check out the older titles.

[End of thread]

I cannot BELIEVE I have to clarify something.

I said it is OKAY to save the games for later. This is an alternative take on the order that allows someone to play them after they are more informed on the story so they can keep motivation when playing the games.

You guys know me. I spent months crusading for the MSX games to be noticed. And when someone's first impression of a series is a rock hard and obtuse maze with soft locking potential, it's not very beginner friendly.

Once again, I think the ideal games to start with are the 8-bit games, but by modern standards, it helps to get some backstory to feel motivated to actually play them.

Or just play the games right after MGS3. That would be considered the "USA/UK Release order" since it was the first time they were officially localized outside Japan.