Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-5085906-20130627191357/@comment-95.44.240.193-20150311020044

In response to Jim Logan:

Yes, I am aware of that. What I was saying was that Kojima will need to provide an adequate explanation in order to insert a "new" significant character into the already well-defined Metal Gear lore. What I was saying was that it would be easier to do so if Skull Face is a pre-existing character as it will take more effort to shoehorn a brand new significant character into the Metal Gear narrative.

As regards your point about MGSV and the "descent into evil", I am regarding all of the pre-release information with unbridled skepticism. I believe Kojima has enough previous in this area in order to disbelieve much of what he says about an upcoming game, more often than not because he enjoys using half-truths to surprise gamers, which in turn I also enjoy and admire him for. In relation to your point about the evidence of the trailers concretely proving that MGSV Snake is Big Boss, what I am saying is that I wouldn't be surprised if MGSV does not simply show Big Boss "descending into evil" and becoming the "villain" of Metal Gears 1 and 2. What I think is more probable is that Big Boss' role is sanitized (somewhat) and the stories of Metal Gears 1 and 2 will be altered as a result. To what degree, I don't know, but I would guess that it will be to the same extent as the emergence of The Patriots at the end of MGS2 and the return of Big Boss at the end of MGS4. The reasons for my suspicions stem mainly from Kojima and Metal Gear's track record and the usage of terms such as "Punished Snake", "Venom Snake" and "V Has Come To" throughout the promotional material for MGSV. "V Has Come To" especially, in my opinion, suggests some kind of chicanery on the part of Kojima. Finally, I must admit that I enjoy that kind of story-based meandering and am generally hopeful that Kojima is up to something like that. I like Metal Gear best when it turns your understanding of the story on its head. This is why I enjoyed the ending of MGS1, most of MGS2 and certain parts of MGS4 (especially the return of Big Boss and the revelations regarding Zero). Also, the "Les Enfants Terribles" project is my favorite part of the lore and any further development of that plot point would appeal to me greatly.

In response to Adachi Did It:

You're right, but I find the references to "Punished Snake", "Venom Snake" and "V Has Come To" suggestive of some kind of trickery with the narrative. I couldn't say definitively why - I just have a feeling about that. Furthermore, I haven't mentioned that the fact that Big Boss ends up with FoxHound AFTER the events of MGSV surely suggests that something very odd happens during MGSV? There are many options, the most likely of which is that Big Boss' descent into villainy includes some manner of partnership with Zero, which runs contra to the trailer depicting Big Boss being chums with Skull Face. My instinct on that is that Kojima will devise some kind of surprise to explain all of this, which I believe most probably will not be what most people would expect (i.e. Zero convinces Big Boss to do a deal to defeat Skull Face because Skull Face is the greater of two evils, etc.). I don't know, I just have a feeling. And, as I said earlier, I am hopeful that Kojima pulls something unexpected during MGSV so that it does not play out in a predictable manner. Barring that, it would be good if Kojima engineered some entertaining cameos, similar to the appearance of Big Boss in MGS4. All-in-all, I just hope it doesn't go as predictably as the main story of MGS4 (without the appearance of Big Boss and the revelations regarding Zero), which should be quite probable as there are many characters who can influence the story of MGSV as they are still alive, unlike with MGS4 where Kojima painted himself into a corner by killing off so many interesting characters in previous games and was forced to dredge up everything and everyone imaginable in order to inject the story with some vibrancy (I wasn't a fan of The Beauty And The Beast Unit).