Ah, but it wasn't "VIDEO" - just replace that "V" with an "H."  I'm telling you: bonkers ingenuity personified.

So, this one's clearly an oldie..... but I had totally forgotten what I was:

http://www.metalgearnamegenerator.com/

My codename is "Echidna Pirannha."  What's yours, comrade?

Atomic Mongoose.

not that bad.

And mine is . . . Gaseous Bluebird. f---. And "Hideo"? I could've sworn one version or the other had "Video". I could be totally wrong, though.

Mine?  Chocolate Ladybug.  O.o

Manganese Crocodile

Nice.  We just need one more person to make up our six-man unit.  Any takers? :)

Took down Sniper Wolf on her first battle.  I would say that sniping was one of the greatest improvements from MGS1 and MGS2.  Here, sniping is quite restrictive in that you can't zoom, and you always have to be in a lying prone position.  And boy, are your hands shaky in this one; you definitely need your diazepam to be able to shoot accurately at all.

Now, I'm facing the interrogation sequence..... and the decision to endure or succumb.  I've always preferred succumbing, thereby resulting in the Otacon ending.   It feels more real, more emotionally engaging to have Meryl die - and it further bonds the comradeship between Snake and Otacon.  But now that it's canon that Meryl lives, I'm wondering if I should endure this time?

What say the rest of you?  Do you prefer the Meryl or Otacon ending?  Which should I choose this time?  I'm leaving her fate in your hands.....

let the hooker die.

Alright, that's a little harsh. I did very much like Meryl, after all. But you're right. I felt that Snake and Otacon's relationship kinda hit a high peak with her death. And also, letting her die nets you the optic camouflage (if I'm not mistaken, like I've been known to ) which is several times cooler than the bandana.

That actually reminds me of that scene from MGS2, during the Big Shell part of the game, near the end, where Snake gives Otacon a big hug when he's goin' through that little bit of character development. That felt kind of like the climax of their relationship a bit where the two were no longer just war buddies, but genuine friends who cared about each other. Kinda hard to put into words without sounding like a big sappy idiot.

o_O  I can understand saying that 'bout Eva..... but Meryl?

Yeah, I think that was another reason I've always went with the Otacon ending, for the far more useful stealth camo.  I see the bandana's infinite ammo as a better asset in MGS2, since they've refined the weaponry so that you'd want to abuse the hell outta them for fun ;)

Certainly one of the most unforgettable moments of MGS2 for me.  The reprisal of the MGS Main Theme with the scene brought it all back to the original.  I love Otacon, really.  I missed him in MGS3, but it looks like he'll be back in full force in MGS4.  I keep secretly hoping it'll be him who'll kill Vamp, for Emma.

And I can't wait to hear this so-called geeky conversation from him about his college days, a cubicle, and jelly beans.  ^_^

Well, the majority hath spoken: she's history.  Hey, if it makes anyone feel better, I did endure for the full three times before hitting Submit -- if only because I wanted to hear Ocelot's dialogue in between tortures.  (Other than, "Don't even THINK of using auto-fire, or I'll know!")  Those bits of dialogue may actually provide glimpses into his final plans for MGS4.  In any case, corny yet endearing Dave and Hal joke, comin' my way!

And, I always found it interesting that you'd only find out that Campbell is Meryl's father ONLY if she dies.  I wonder if she ever figures it out in MGS4? 

Now comes both my favorite and least favorite part in the game: the Communications Towers.  The first staircase ascend up Tower A refreshingly leaves the stealth aspect of the game behind, pitting you against wave after wave of enemies as you make that intense climb up, FA-MAS a-blazin'.  (You'll want to have mastered that run 'n gun technique here.)  Then, once you've made the climb, it's time to make that glorious rappel down from the roof to Tower B.  Playing this particular scene back then was just about one of the greatest and coolest gaming moments I've ever witnessed.  Still is.

You know, I've often wondered what would happen if you never grabbed the rope at the very bottom of the tower.  I believe I tried it once before, and if you were unfortunate enough to save the game on the roof, I think you were pretty much screwed; you would need to run ALL THE WAY back down, grab the rope, and trek all the way back up in order to progress the story.

From this point, it teeters between lame and rad.  Lame, when you have to run up all those empty staircases (with a couple of security camera guns) in Tower B because the elevator stopped.  But then it ramps up the rad again when you have your showdown with Liquid and the Hind D.  Then, it tones down again by having you descend back down those very same stairs.  Then rad yet again when you face off with the stealth-equipped guys in the elevator.  Whew.

Atta girl.

I was looking at this at my local EB the other day and I couldn't help but be a little annoyed with the fact the front covers all have "a Hideo Kojima video game" written on them. With all the stuff I've read I honestly believe the man has a huge ego.

I believe they've been doing that since MGS2. I think the thinking behind it is to make the game sound as prominent as a film with a big director, but yeah, it does come off as a little pompous. Remember when game credits all had code names and no one had personal glory at all, just collective collaborative credit?

Dunno, from what I've read, Kojima sounds like a pretty humble guy - deceiving I know, given his place in the game industry.  Besides, I believe the decision to have his moniker on the games wasn't a choice of Kojima's himself, but Konami's PR and marketing departments.

That said, I'm actually hoping the moniker will show up on MGS4's cover, for consistency purposes.

.

Marionette Dolphin reporting for duty, or something. Oddly enough, putting 'David Hayter' into the name generator spits back Jockstrap Bison. I wonder if he knows?

I didn't get the Collection (since I already have the included games), but I have been on a Metal Gear kick myself lately. I just finished up a replay of Snake Eater via Subsistence, reading/watching Portable Ops story via GameFAQs and YouTube, and just a few minutes ago ordered up a Game Boy Player and copy of the GBC MGS (Yes, I know it's not considered to be canonical, but in fairness Kojima has never outright said so himself, and by the series' standards the possibility of two different Solid Snakes seems pretty tame; I'm preparing just in case). I'm moving onto Twin Snakes tonight (rocket surfing!) instead of the MSX Metal Gears because the danged second disk of Subsistence hates my PS2. And finally, I hope to start up Substance later this month so that when The Worst Girlfriend Ever asks me about 'tomorrow,' it'll actually be tomorrow. I guess this officially makes me a MGS dork, huh?

Criminy it's been awhile. You guys've redecorated and everything. Sorry for the lapse. In addition to some dedicated gaming, taxes, and some real-life drama, there was a thrilling period where the Internet just plain stopped working for me. Which was fun*. Or at least as good an excuse as any to gorge myself, game-wise.

So yeah. Let's gaming.

*Note - not actually fun.

Please tell me that it's not a blue bottomed CD game... I've been hoping to pick this up someday, but my American PS2 won't read CD-ROM games anymore.  Ico =

It's not, which makes it weird. It'll boot up the opening video (Metal Gear Online! But Not Anymore!), and then, if it goes to the title screen and subsequent menu, choosing Duel, Snake vs Monkey, or either of the MSX MGs will lead to a black screen with a rotating icon of a disc and question mark in the upper left corner about 95% of the time.
My best guess is that the disk was designed for those slimline PS2 with the internet adapter built-in, but I've nothing to prove that. I dunno.

Yes!  Okay, Mongoose, Bluebird, Ladybug, Crocodile, Dolphin..... I, Echidna Piranha, will lead our ops to victory! Break!

Ooh, brilliantly timed.  Indeed, I am in the true company of MGS-dorkage; I salute thee!

As for Subsistence's disc 2, yeah, it's definitely not a CD-ROM.  Appears to be on a regular single-sided DVD, but there is truth to it not functioning properly on original PS2 models.  I've attempted to run it on both original and slim models, and while it runs flawlessly on the slim, it does tend to chug quite a bit on the original.

I'm hoping MGS4's dual-layered (!) Blu-ray will be able to run smoothly on all PS3 models.  I sure don't want a repeat of the faulty-laggy Snake Eater.

I'll form the head!

Just polished off MGS, and the end scenes are all kinds of amazing.  The fights against REX, the revealing of Les Enfants Terrible, the hand-to-hand duel with Liquid, Meryl's death, the jeep chase..... it's one awe-inspiring sequence after another - an experience that all true gamers simply have to experience at least once in their lives.  Of course, it's important to note Naomi and Snake's conversation regarding FOXDIE at the end, as it's an important plot point that's apparently going to be addressed in MGS4.  Lying dormant for nine years, will it finally catch up to Snake in the end?

Looks like I'm gonna have to pick up the pace if I want to finish MGS2 and MGS3 in time for June 12th.  As such, I'll likely be dropping the progress posts.  (I know you'll all be upset, but please don't cry!  Piranha will always be here in spirit.)

Eh. I just played the final battle of MGS again this morning and after the REX fight the game went downhill. The last segments of the game were easily the worst parts, notably the drawn-out hand-to-hand fight with Liquid and the frustrating jeep chase scene. I guess it's satisfying once it's over, but the last 15 minutes of gameplay rank as my absolute least favorite part of the game.

I sold my copy of Essential Collections shortly after halfway through MGS. God bless the series and all that, but it wasn't until after I got that far that I realized that I played the hell out of all those titles when they first came out. So it was an impulse buy I kind of regretted making. Did MGS2 really need, like, an 8th playthrough, after all?

I have to agree with Zane on the jeep chase scene, is there anyway not to get nailed a million times at this point?

Bump!

I'm taking Angie up on her invitation to share my thoughts as I play through Metal Gear Solid for the first time (gasp!).  So far, I'm liking it.  Even if I have seen the Game Over screen 40+ times, the checkpoint system is forgiving enough so you don't get overly frustrated with the game.

I'm just at disc 1 - where I have to fight Liquid Snake in his helicopter.  Just grabbed the missiles, now "I've got to go swat a fly".

Some of the coolest things that I'm finding are the little touches here and there.  The fight with Psycho Mantis had already been ruined for me by countless websites, but was still really fun!  You've got to love when the screen goes black and all you can see is a green "Hideo" in the corner.  I freaked - literally!  Another was when you're fighting Sniper Wolf: after trekking back to get the damned sniper rifle, I kept dying when fighting her.  The cursor moved all over the place!  That's when I realized that I had some pills in my inventory to eliminate the trembles.  AWESOME!.  My favorite part, so far, was when you escape from being tortured and you're making your way back to the Communications Tower.  I just happened to peruse through my inventory and saw an inconspicuous Timer.  Thought nothing of it until I was about at said tower and I looked at it again.  The damned thing was counting down!!  I tossed it from my inventory and it exploded!  ....that devilish Ocelot!

I'm looking forward to playing through it this weekend.  Anyone have an estimated time of completion? 

Also, I'll be picking up a copy of MGS 2 and MGS 3 after these are done.  Go for the "Substance" and "Subsistance" versions or stick with the originals?

Get the original japanese version of MGS2 on ebay, the voice acting is far superior.

If you get the SUBSTANCE version, you'll find that the voices are back in English, so definitely go with the original version instead.

Glad you're loving the game. Easily in my top 5 PSX titles. As for MGS2 and MGS3, if you can find them, go for the Substance/Subsistence versions. They're getting harder to find (unless you have the Essential Collection, in which case, you already have them). Basically, they're expanded versions of their respective games. MGS2 was given new VR Missions, Snake Tales (think interactive fanfiction), and a whole ton of other stuff. MGS3 was given a second disc full of extras such as multiplayer, ports of the first two Metal Gear games for the MSX, and a whole ton of other stuff. For the main game, they just added a new camera mode (off the top of my head, can't remember what/if else).

Edit: I don't think they included the Subsistence 2nd disc in the Essential Collection version.

Also glad you're enjoying the game, Dustin.  Hey, did you soak up those Briefing Files before the game actually begins proper?  They really add quite a bit to the game's story and characters.  Certainly one of my favorite parts of the game.

Don't be ashamed!  Happened to me with every title in the series I've played; it isn't a MGS game if you don't see the Game Over screen a few dozen times before the mission is complete.  Funny thing is, once you get to know the ins and outs of the games (and assuming you're up for multiple playthroughs), you'll find that you get so deft at them, that you'll rarely ever see the Game Over screen again.  Even on a second playthrough you're liable to see tremendous improvement in your skills.

The inventory time bomb is a random thing.  Sometimes it happens, sometimes it won't.  I didn't get it the first time, but then my second, it managed to nail me before I even realized it was there.  One of the more genuine "WTF?" moments for me.

Estimated completion time?  I'd say anywhere between 10-15 hours -- assuming you haven't been skipping out on the cutscenes.

Also, the torture sequence: did you endure or submit?  Be aware that the ending is greatly altered as a result of your decision.

Go for the upgrades for sure.  More bang for the buck, but more importantly, you'll want the Subsistence version of MGS3 because the original U.S. version of Snake Eater was plagued with dodgy programming that resulted in glitchy, lagging problems when accessing the items menu and codec/radio sequences.  This was rectified in Subsistence, most thankfully.

You're certainly playing those "definitive" cards a lot lately, aren't you?  Putting aside the fact that your statement is entirely subjective, I'd say allyourbase will be better off with the U.S. version of Substance for two reasons.  1) Unless I'm mistaken, I don't believe there are English subtitles for the original Japanese MGS2 -- unless he can speak and understand Japanese, of course.  2) Upon completion of the first game, he'll likely be vested in the English voice acting.  Why skewer the continuity?

I endured.... that's a good thing, right?

Ended up on Disc 2 this afternoon!  All the plot twists and turns are rearing their heads and making for a much more interesting story.  Who can you trust?  The Colonel? Master?  Otacon? (I <3 Otacon!)

So I'm fighting the actual Metal Gear itself now.  F****** difficult!  I can get past the first section all right, but then during the second sequence I can't seem to dodge the missiles enough to land the hits I need. 

.... Also I'm thinking of changing my user ID to Mr. Base (thanks Shoe!).  Allyourbaseare was kind of a spur of the moment thing and isn't so unique anymore.  So if you see less ayba, and Mr. Base, then you'll know why.

Well, kind of. I like the toy you get when you start a new game if you submitted over the one you get if you don't submit.

Edit

Either way, you got to play through it twice - like Angela says, the ending and rewards differ depending what you do at that point.

I'm Shoe-RONICS when i post from my father's laptop, it seems that I'm permanently logged in here on the mother's pc.

Special shout-out to Kraig Kujawa of CAPCOM USA!!

Here's an MGS Fairy Tale:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/once-upon-hawp/52466

Didn't you get ze meme'?

It's und latest trend in gaming-schent, Hellooooo!!?

Ack, Shoe ees representink Deutschland! I sink you are trolling ze Angie on purpose, yes?