lux

The piece he interrupted because he didn’t remember it was We Suck?? If he had embraced me, I would have kissed her without hesitation! Sublime Lisa... :-D

Yes, okay, the second one was also narratively verbose and had some low points (even if it didn't hit rock bottom like the fourth one)... but I don't see what kind of inconsistency there would be in highlighting that. It's not that just because MGS2 had poor narrative ideas, the fourth one becomes untouchable. In fact, the fourth one, as already mentioned, is even worse. I consciously chose not to address the technical aspects. The assumption is that a video game with appealing graphics but stale gameplay remains a game with nice graphics but meaningless to play. So, what do I care about excellent (not always excellent, to be honest...) next-gen textures if the game is a mess?

Well... forgive me, but hypocrite about what? Did I perhaps write somewhere that I consider the script of MGS2 worthy of an Oscar? I don’t see why I should have focused on discussing the second one if the review is about the fourth, which is as bad as ravioli filled with diarrhea EVEN from a narrative perspective—not in terms of the plot (everyone tells whatever they want) but in how it’s narrated (over-the-top scenes, forced plot twists, etc... I don’t want to repeat myself). Then you bring up "objectively," a very dangerous adverb; I could respond that objectively this game shouldn’t be rated more than 2. The reasons are above, in relatively understandable Italian, so I believe you have all the means to not be out of the loop.

Well, it seems you haven't played much video games: Metal Gear, historically, takes about a dozen hours to complete... this one, in particular, you can finish in just 4 hours... all today's action games are completed very quickly...

Absolutely, I agree! Especially the "always."

Typical, when the games are unknown no one comments... I can't really remember either! Among the graphic adventures, I had a soft spot for Broken Sword 2.

47, "levels of cinematic art" and "playful meaning" are two very different aspects; the former does not pertain to the video game as such, while the latter definitely does, and that’s why the first MGS is a great game. It is clear, however, that the video game cannot be considered art, due to the playful-interactive component that demands entirely different requirements.

TOMGIL indeed FIFA 10 is the best purchase for a PS3 owner at this time! Waiting for 11.

Uncharted 2 that you mentioned (a game that is not exactly original in terms of gameplay), has, in contrast to MGS4, a fresh, ironic, and irreverent narrative support regarding the adventure (overly saturated like Indiana Jones, ok...) that tells the story effectively (thanks also to the "interactive interludes" that characterize it). It's true, however, that the term "interactive movie" is somewhat daring for these games. It would be more suitable for stuff like Heavy Rain.

Here we are again! So your argument is valid 47, the levels of cinematic artistry are distant even in the first Metal Gear, but I think the functionality of the intermissions changes: in the original, the cut scenes are simple introductory links between one gameplay segment and the next, where either people talk or you watch shootouts; they don't have any meta-narrative aspirations, let’s say. The only scene that can be called "choreographic" (this one particularly stands out in my memory) is the final one featuring the fight between Gray Fox and Liquid's Metal Gear, which, by the way, you don't see coming and marks the peak of the emotional climax of the game. In MGS4, on the other hand, we witness intermissions that become films with the presumption of being completely independent from the gameplay segments and claim a "high" value in themselves. Scenes like the apple that Eva throws to Ocelot (?), Akiba asking Meryl to marry him in the middle of a fight that's going very badly, discussing marriage between gunshots while almost dancing (??), Vamp breakdancing in his fight with Raiden (???), the marriage you also refer to, and the unaware nonsensical ending with the appearance of Big Boss and his two-bit philosopher rhetoric, featuring Zero in a wheelchair (that scandalous "plot twist"... laughs upon laughs!) are shining examples of Japanese trash that has lost its narrative compass, going on their own merely to elicit a "wow!" from the casual otaku, coming across as rhetorical when they’re not just plain silly. From this perspective, the limited technical capabilities of the PSX have paradoxically worked in MGS's favor: there wasn’t much that could be invented with 10 polygons at most, a resolution of 320x200, and robotic animations, however clunky, so, by necessity, the intermissions in MGS come across as at least more honest and without absurd pretensions.