Metal Gear Scanlon: 2 - Part 06

@goddamnfool: Someone on the last episode thread made (and posted) a video showing just that. I wonder if Drew saw it.

@goddamnfool:

I don't understand why people keep suggesting to shoot the radio.

The speed and precision required to shoot a radio is greater than that needed to just take out a guard, and the benefit is less. There's just no reason to ever do it unless you're messing about.

@bisonhero: The dialogue being contextually unreasonable is kind of my point - with the way the whole world is deconstructed at the end of the game and the whole Plant section seems like a VR mission. It comes across like just bad writing, but I think there are plenty of fairly convincing reasons as to why it might have been done badly on purpose.

As a fan of the game I am happy to assume the latter, however the game is still good either way.

Interesting! They recorded new lines for that opening Raiden - Rose dialogue.

@zalathar:

You can still shoot the radio after they're KO'd via the m9. That way you won't get the 'WHAT'S GOING ON??!! RESPOND!!!' alert sweep

I think people are just trying to be helpful - I don't see people calling Drew stupid for not understanding a few of the niche things (like shooting a radio) that you only find out by accident/experimentation/looking-it-up.

@drugged: Helpful for what though? The point to me it seems is that he tackles these games fresh, people can help but pointing out things that were figured out from hundreds of hours of play and a decade of information doesn't add to that. I enjoy watching him play through the game as a newcomer, not as a guide of the best way to play the game. It isn't like he is stuck or not progressing because he doesn't know that information.

@kid_gloves: I agree. I have pointed out things I think he could be more aware of (like observing an area in 1st person and keeping a closer eye on the vision cones etc.) but I think any of the more unusual things it would be better if he figured out himself.

But that's just personal preference - some people like seeing his reaction to some of the quirkier stuff but some people would want him to just stumble upon it without being prompted. Hard for them to get a balance.

Man...I must be tired lol, while I was watching this video, I was convinced I saw a weird thing when Drew threw the chaff granade. I thought there was like a hidden man that appeared when the chaff exploded and he was looking in first person at it.

I decided to try and trace the image in MSpaint to see if I could get a clearer image of it...but eh...the more i filled it in, the more i think it was my imagination lol

Bomb about to explode? lets piss about jumping off railings, crawling in ducts and turning on nodes.

Jokes aside, vast improvement over the travesty that was part 5

@ockman: Kaz has returned from the grave!

Man all those little hints that are dropt in the codec calls, I never noticed them before.

I can't be the only who loves the Raiden/Rose dynamic, especially when it's revealed Rose was working for the Patriots and was manipulating Raiden until the final moments where her suppressed guilt gets the better of her.I love their ridiculous conversations for that very reason because they're completely fake for the most part, used to manipulate Raiden (someone who obviously hasn't had a deep 'relationship' with a woman before) into revealing more of himself to the Patriots. That and the other insanity is why MGS2 remains my favourite.

I'm disappointed that Dan hasn't made a Bob Seger reference with all this talk of "struts".

I've never played MGS2. How many more episodes are there? I just want to see Drew in MGS3

@mikachops: In concept, sure, but bad writing is bad writing and stilted awful dialogue is just as indefensible. It could have been better written and better delivered and the payoff would have been all the better for it.

Working grave usually blows, but getting home to this always brings a smile to my face!

We love you Drew, and while you may occasionally frustrate us we're loving every waking moment of this series.

I do sometimes feel bad for Jason, I can only imagine how many times he's grabbed a stun knife and begun to walk towards Drew in the other room before he catches himself.

@goddamnfool said:

Ah, thanks for the explanation.

Also, it makes no sense at all that this would work. Kojima!

@bushlemon: We're less than half way through the Plant section, which is much longer than the Tanker was. Lots of regular gameplay and boss battles to go.

@aleksandr: think in this case the 'bad writing' is in the eye of the beholder. Totally get how some can't stand it but given the plot reasons and being someone who enjoys camp, I can't get enough of those absurd conversations.

@aleksandr: @mikachops:

Drew reads the comments so we should probably put all these conversations in spoiler tags.

Guys, I was thinking, is it just me or does Pliskin look a lot like Snake?

@csl316: Nope, completely different person.

THAT'S GOING A BIT TOO FAR!

Man, I CANNOT BELIEVE that bit with the cardboard box! How did that work?!

Either way, good job @drewbert. You're pretty good. As a Metal Gear Expert, I'm proud of the progress you showed in this episode!

Great series I just subscribed for a year mainly for this, here's a couple of tips that might be useful,

- You can just shoot in 3rd person, it's quicker, if they are on the same level and in front of you quickly tap square three times and that should put them to sleep.

- Also, you can use the boxes in the strut E, jump unto the conveyor belt and use a box to move you to different struts depending on the box type, just like MGS1.

@danryckert I think the mine detector is in that warehouse room with the nerd that Drew kept missing last time.

@danryckert Ryckert Dantis, Ryckert Ocelot, Donald Trump, Vulc-Dan Ryckert puns are fucking stupid and brilliant fun.

Peter "Peg-Legged Pete" Stillman pushing the poetry button:

http://mgsbox.ytmnd.com/

Forget the book club or Alex and Rorie, Drew and Dan should do something with films.

These quote exchanges are fantastic.

@drewbert Fun fact, the squiggly things on the harrier cockpits are explosive charges for the ejection system

@roundlay: Well now we know where Brad gets his "whah heh hehhh" "high-dude" impersonation: 00:20

Pomp and Circumstance should have been playing after that sick cardboard box move.

If Dan is the Colonel, and Drew is Solid, isn't Jason Mei Ling?

There's a site that lists the average time "time to beat" for games. It said Metal Gear Solid is ca. 11 hours long. Drew beat it in 11 episodes with some lasting longer than an hour. MGS2 is ca. 13 hours long. I guess we should expect 13 episodes at the least.

I also look forward to MGS3. It's much closer tonally to MGS1. Not that I don't appreciate how batshit crazy MGS2 is in all aspects.

Wow that was a huge improvement. Great job Drew

Well done Drew for taking on board everyone's comments.

I'm pretty sure that if you save the game during a countdown, you have to start at the beginning of the countdown where it started once you load that save. That means Episode 7 will begin at the top of the elevator on Strut A. It's possible that Drew will have to reacquire the socom suppressor as well.

@kingvietkong: Jason is Rose.

I was going to go to bed but how could I sleep knowing the Danime is live!

3 Sleeping Dudes, but it now on DVD.

I think MGS2 has a very vocal, psychotic, following (like Jeff) that has tricked him into thinking anything past Tanker is good.

The ending is the best part of this game. Really want to see what Drew thinks

This episode was so much better. Use the Codec even more! You missed (I think irrevocably) the part where Pliskin tells you that Vamp's name doesn't refer to vampirism per se, but to his promiscuous bisexuality, and that he was banging Fortune's dad (the Marine Commandant, incidentally) before whatever his deal currently is with Fortune. There's all sorts of loony stuff like that hidden in the game.

Some superfans of this game try to pretend that all its faults are intentional and part of its postmodern aesthetic. They're full of it. People weren't supposed to hate Raiden and Rose; they were supposed to identify with Raiden and feel a connection with Rose. It's in the translated design documents. The creators just screwed it up. Nobody got the meta-joke/point about what the "VR training" is referring to, either.

The game is better, more clever, and massively more ambitious than people give it credit for, but when you're trying to push a message/theme and absolutely nobody gets it because they're too busy hating the characters you wanted them to like, you messed up somewhere.

this is gonna make me late for work....worth it...

Yeah I think Kojima said that Rose was the only character based on someone he knew. Rose is an unintentionally awful and poorly designed character that I don't think anyone liked and that certainly wan't the intent. It's especially annoying since Mei Ling was fun to listen to.

I was really disappointed by the Fortune fight when I played this back in 2002. It looked cool with the destructible environment but in terms of gameplay you just kinda avoided stuff a little and waited it out.

@roundlay: @development: As a HUGE Interstate '76 fan I can't believe I never noticed that!!!

@larrydavis said:

I like MGS2 because the environments are still confined corridors and small, uniform spaces which is where I find MGS and stealth games in general work best. The more open outdoorsy stuff is absolutely not my cup of tea and I can't stand 3 or 4 because of the wider areas.

Not that MGS2 doesn't have a psychotic fanbase... and goodness some of this dialogue.

Something Drew or Dan haven't figured out/remembered is that you can shoot out the cameras with the gun.

That box !