Metal Gear Solid

[Sailor Star Dust]

Not sure which exact scene, but apparently something in Ground Zeroes was censored in Japan (I'd assume it's one of 2 possible scenes). Can't say I'm surprised, considering how super-serious this game gets. A few of the side missions have funny moments, at least.

If you didn't play Peace Walker, the game does brings you up to speed on the plot.

I found the ending of The Last of Us to be darker than Ground Zeroes, but that's just personal opinion. Looking forward(?) to Phantom Pain, hope it'll be out sooner than later.

...Though it's still weird not hearing David Hayter's voice.

[Fireball]

If you consider the ending of The Last of Us darker, Ground Zeroes must be for puppies.

[Monk Ed]

You people and your talking of games I don't have room on my docket for and the way it makes me want to get the game at full price just to have it now rather than later!

How long has it been taking people to get through Ground Zeroes, anyway?

[ZapX]

The first time, I really took my time to be cautious and explore, and that took about 2 hours. Now I can speed through it in about 20 or 30. The bonus missions added another 2 or so. If you play at a moderate to fast pace, there's about 3 or 4 hours in there (total), but only an hour or so of the story mission. You can explore or speedrun at your own pace, and there are lots of trials and a higher difficulty to unlock.

Also, I just found out there's a Ground Zeroes app. You can use your smartphone or tablet as a map and menu screen when you play the game. It functions just like your iDroid. I'll have to try playing with it tomorrow and see how it is.

[Sailor Star Dust]

If you consider the ending of The Last of Us darker, Ground Zeroes must be for puppies.

"Darker" meaning no traces of hope left (e.g. ending in The Last of Us). At least with Ground Zeroes, I think there's still some form of hope

Character  SPOILER: Show

Paz didn't give up hope despite the horrible shit she had to endure (rape, torture, and in the ending, on the spot surgery to remove one of her bombs),

even that scumbag Skull Face mentions people can't live without hope in one of the audio tapes.

[Fireball]

How is there no hope left in Last of Us?

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Yeah, a vaccine wasn't made, but that's subsidiary to the father/daughter theme with them finally finding peace in a colony. Hell, there may be someone who is going to find a cure without cracking up a kid's skull. I would consider it dark had Joel sacrificed Ellie.

[Sailor Star Dust]

How is there no hope left in Last of Us?

Last of Us Ending  SPOILER: Show

Joel killed everybody at the hospital as insurance they wouldn't go after Ellie. Joel then lied to Ellie about what happened--not a good basis for their relationship--and she's aware of it. And while I agree with Joel saving Ellie (not with him killing everybody at the hospital), who knows how long humanity has left without the vaccine?

___

Watched the E3 Phantom Pain trailer last night. Looks like it's gonna be an amazing game, can't wait for it.

And apparently, Ground Zeroes has a day/night cycle too? Didn't notice that.

[Fireball]

Last of Us Ending  SPOILER: Show

Joel killed everybody at the hospital as insurance they wouldn't go after Ellie. Joel then lied to Ellie about what happened--not a good basis for their relationship--and she's aware of it. And while I agree with Joel saving Ellie (not with him killing everybody at the hospital), who knows how long humanity has left without the vaccine?

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Honestly? Fuck the Fireflies. They were a ragtag group who experimented on others before and failed every time. The likelihood that the experiment could have failed and Ellie would have died pointlessly, or even if a vaccine was to be created and the Fireflies would only use it for their own interests made Joel's actions completely justified. They were just as shady as everyone else Joel had encountered. Yeah, Ellie is aware about Joel bullshitting her, but she is buying it because she wants to. She understands and will thank him when she gets a little bit older.

[Shinoyami65]

^ I concur.

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At the very least there is hope that one day they'll be able to make a vaccine without killing Ellie, or maybe Ellie will (maybe, in light of the Left Behind DLC) pass on the gene to her descendants, which would revitalise the human race, albeit at an extraordinarily slow rate.

[Justacrazyguy]

Just finished the main mission:

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Damn, talk about a low blow, I was really looking foward to see what the interactions with PaZ would be like and instead I get this.

Hideo Kojima, you bastard.

[Shinoyami65]

How long is Ground Zeroes, anyway? Is it just sneaking into Camp Omega and getting back out?

[Tankred]

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Damn, talk about a low blow, I was really looking foward to see what the interactions with PaZ would be like and instead I get this.

Hideo Kojima, you bastard.

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Sweet or sour?

[Stryker]

How long is Ground Zeroes, anyway? Is it just sneaking into Camp Omega and getting back out?

Generally, people report it taking 1hr30min to 2hrs. There have been speedruns of people doing it in 6min though.

[Justacrazyguy]

SPOILER: Show

Sweet or sour?

Huh? I have no idea about what you are asking.

[Tankred]

Huh? I have no idea about what you are asking.

You haven't heard the tapes?

[Justacrazyguy]

You haven't heard the tapes?

No, only the briefing ones. I haven´t had that much time to play yet.

[Sailor Star Dust]

Oh, God, the tapes... Well, one in particular is extremely Like I wrote back here:

Not sure which exact scene, but apparently something in Ground Zeroes was censored in Japan (I'd assume it's one of 2 possible scenes). Can't say I'm surprised

Initially I thought maybe

Don't read if you don't want any  SPOILER: Show

part of the surgery scene was censored but now I'm thinking it had to have been part of tape 4. Tape 4's rape sequence was disgusting to me, definitely fast forwarded through that one. The tape has a discussion going on here. I totally understand they wanted to show just what a sick son of a bitch Skull Face really is, as well as war atrocities in general, but...

I'm dreading yet interested in finding out just what happened to make Big Boss finally lose his shit and "go heel" in Phantom Pain.

By the way, for those who never checked out the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2, do yourself a favor and do so. The story in the second one really starts to get interesting.

[Monk Ed]

I don't shy away from certain things most people can't stand so I read SSD's spoiler and was like "whoa" then clicked the link to the topic and just sort of skimmed the first post trying not to take in too much and was like "WHOA". Pretty sure that's never been done in a video game before.

But now I wish I hadn't read the first post of that topic because now I've been spoiled. :( I was for some reason expecting that the incident in question wouldn't involve pre-established characters and so it wouldn't really be a spoiler but oh, does it.

Hrm, seriously reconsidering my reticence against d--

Welp, went and bought it and downloaded it, cuz I just have to hear this for myself at this point. The best way to deal with a shock like this is to confront the game head-on and experience it all as soon as possible before the fact of what I've heard has a chance to settle in. NO CONTEMPLATION, ACT NOW!

EDIT: Aaand I'm done with it. What SSD said and what that topic she linked to in her spoiler box revealed are far less disturbing and dismaying to me (on their own, at least) compared to the fact that

Multiple major Ground Zeroes ending  SPOILER: Show

Paz died. From that bomb in her vagina, of all things. That is truly horrifying. The torture, the rape... Those pale in comparison. Knowing that this is how Paz's story ends? That's truly the worst. Obviously it wouldn't have been as bad without the suffering beforehand, but the death is what seals it. Suffering is one thing, but Paz was young, and as long as she was alive (and not, like, a complete vegetable or anything) there could still have been hope. But death? Death is the ultimate tragedy.

So it looks like I'll need to hunt down all the tapes to find what I'm looking for -- all I got was the one that's provided automatically. This talk of tape 4 has me intrigued. Call it morbid curiosity.

[Shinoyami65]

^I already read most of the spoilers on the MGS wiki, but...

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I didn't know you had to actually hunt down tapes detailing the events (I thought they'd just be spoken of in dialogue or briefly shown through flashback). Urgh. Skull Face really is a depraved fuck. I can understand why they want to make the character unlikeable, but still...it gets worse when you consider that Chico is only around 13 when all of this is going on.

I heard that the bomb wasn't in Paz's vagina itself, but rather in her womb. Which makes it all the more disturbing, really.

Even worse is that I'm pretty sure that there's more to Chico's role as a 'Trojan Horse' than meets the eye. We'll probably get to see what he meant in The Phantom Pain.

[Justacrazyguy]

Looking for the tapes. Only found two in the main mission. Where the hell are the others?

Ugh, it´s my fault for trying to do things withouth the internet. This is going to be fun.