Childrens Toyshop
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Video Games : Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel (PSP)
Rating: 
- Fan Service
I'm pretty sure everyone knows the ins and outs of the story to the first Metal Gear Solid. This is its 3rd incarnation (4th if you count the fact that Son's of Liberty was meant to be a recreation of the first game to test GW... but that's just fanboy nitpicking) and it's still as gripping as ever. Told as a kind of semi interactive comic MGS:DGN once again pushes the boundaries of storytelling in 'videogames' to a point where you could almost call it a film, it's certainly a new entertainment form.
The Art of MGS comic artist Ashley Wood is brought to life in a kind of semi animated way that brings to mind a very well produced Flash Cartoon with far better artwork. Wood's work goes from impressionistic scribbling, to almost looking like blurred frames from the games cutscenes and often looking a little like the art of regular character and Mech designer for the MGS series Yoji Shinkawa. Once the bullets start flying DGN is a real eye opener, memorable moments include Snake's duel with Ocelot and being chased up the control tower by the guards.
Freed from the constraints of gameplay, the story actually makes more sense, Wood fills in a few blanks in the story line such as the reason for the ninjas actions and Liquid's plans for Snake. Some of the extra scenes fall a little flat though, the expansion of the relationship between Otacon and Sniper Wolf isn't really needed but overall the additions are welcome.
One of the features of the game is a 'Memory building mode' where by searching the frames of the comic of 'VR simulation', the user can find little pieces of infomation that connect together into a massive web of MGS based knowledge. While it's a nice idea, it's terribly implemented. It's impossible to navigate around and considering this is a piece of Metal Gear Fan service, doesn't really contain any infomation that any respecting MGS fan wouldn't already know just from playing the games.
The most exciting thing however is that the memory building 'web' or cube, extends to the beginning of Metal Gear Solid 2 with infomation on Raiden, The Sons of Liverty and Metal Gear Ray hinting that not only will there be a second Digital Graphic Novel but there'll be some connectivity between the two. Even more interesting is the fact that Wood's MGS2 comic fills in even more story from the 2nd (and far more complex) game. It'll be great to see more of Ashley Wood's interpretations on the events of the game.
Unless you're a MGS fan, DGN isn't worth your time but for anyone with more than a passing interest in the games it's a worthwhile purchase.
Rating:
- They changed too much
For me Metal Gear Solid is the best game ever made. I understand that they needed to cut some of the parts that were made for the game and not for the comic, but they changed the dialogue too. Snake appears as a different person, and that is bad. They didn't manage to capture the Shadow Moses feeling either.
On MGS games you always use the cicle as enter button and x as cancel button. When even that has changed it tells me that the crew that makes the real games didn't work much on this one. Hideo Kojima has showed many times that he is not able to say no. He should protect his baby better.
Anyway I just have to recommend everybody to play the original PS1 game. You can play it on a PS2, but you need a PS1 memory-card. The original story is amazing. If you still want to try this one and never played the original, keep in mind that you might be a Metal Gear Solid junkie even if you don't like this one.
There is some really nice looking artwork in there though.
Rating:
- Manga+Mgs1 storyline= brilliance
Pure Brilliance. i brought this thinking that konami wanted to cash in on the mgs4/mgs:po hype. How wrong i was, ive played through mgs1 a couple of time and this is just a fresh and entertaining way to get "involved" and following the gripping storyline scene by scene.
The drawings are in manga style with smalll animations here and there with ear cathing music and sound effects.
and for under 15 quid then its a bargain!
Rating: - Very good, but only for MGS Freaks
This isn't a game, but it is more than the title suggest. I like a little Manga, but only if the story line is good, this is. The story is lifted directly from MGS on the PS1. It covers all the events on Shadow of Moses (with a little before and a little after the original game). You can collect evidence by zooming in on the pages (cells) and noting objects and people, all this evidence can then be sorted out in a memory to construct the story. Its good, the story can last from 2 to 4 hours depending how comprehensive your evidence search. I preferred going through a few times and getting more evidence each time.
This will not appeal to any who is not familiar or even fanatical about the MGS series.
However I loved it... maybe because I wasn't expecting much.
For the price I recommend it!
It's well done, and with something so simple the control system can't help but work well.
- Fan ServiceI'm pretty sure everyone knows the ins and outs of the story to the first Metal Gear Solid. This is its 3rd incarnation (4th if you count the fact that Son's of Liberty was meant to be a recreation of the first game to test GW... but that's just fanboy nitpicking) and it's still as gripping as ever. Told as a kind of semi interactive comic MGS:DGN once again pushes the boundaries of storytelling in 'videogames' to a point where you could almost call it a film, it's certainly a new entertainment form.
The Art of MGS comic artist Ashley Wood is brought to life in a kind of semi animated way that brings to mind a very well produced Flash Cartoon with far better artwork. Wood's work goes from impressionistic scribbling, to almost looking like blurred frames from the games cutscenes and often looking a little like the art of regular character and Mech designer for the MGS series Yoji Shinkawa. Once the bullets start flying DGN is a real eye opener, memorable moments include Snake's duel with Ocelot and being chased up the control tower by the guards.
Freed from the constraints of gameplay, the story actually makes more sense, Wood fills in a few blanks in the story line such as the reason for the ninjas actions and Liquid's plans for Snake. Some of the extra scenes fall a little flat though, the expansion of the relationship between Otacon and Sniper Wolf isn't really needed but overall the additions are welcome.
One of the features of the game is a 'Memory building mode' where by searching the frames of the comic of 'VR simulation', the user can find little pieces of infomation that connect together into a massive web of MGS based knowledge. While it's a nice idea, it's terribly implemented. It's impossible to navigate around and considering this is a piece of Metal Gear Fan service, doesn't really contain any infomation that any respecting MGS fan wouldn't already know just from playing the games.
The most exciting thing however is that the memory building 'web' or cube, extends to the beginning of Metal Gear Solid 2 with infomation on Raiden, The Sons of Liverty and Metal Gear Ray hinting that not only will there be a second Digital Graphic Novel but there'll be some connectivity between the two. Even more interesting is the fact that Wood's MGS2 comic fills in even more story from the 2nd (and far more complex) game. It'll be great to see more of Ashley Wood's interpretations on the events of the game.
Unless you're a MGS fan, DGN isn't worth your time but for anyone with more than a passing interest in the games it's a worthwhile purchase.
Rating:
- They changed too muchFor me Metal Gear Solid is the best game ever made. I understand that they needed to cut some of the parts that were made for the game and not for the comic, but they changed the dialogue too. Snake appears as a different person, and that is bad. They didn't manage to capture the Shadow Moses feeling either.
On MGS games you always use the cicle as enter button and x as cancel button. When even that has changed it tells me that the crew that makes the real games didn't work much on this one. Hideo Kojima has showed many times that he is not able to say no. He should protect his baby better.
Anyway I just have to recommend everybody to play the original PS1 game. You can play it on a PS2, but you need a PS1 memory-card. The original story is amazing. If you still want to try this one and never played the original, keep in mind that you might be a Metal Gear Solid junkie even if you don't like this one.
There is some really nice looking artwork in there though.
Rating:
- Manga+Mgs1 storyline= brilliancePure Brilliance. i brought this thinking that konami wanted to cash in on the mgs4/mgs:po hype. How wrong i was, ive played through mgs1 a couple of time and this is just a fresh and entertaining way to get "involved" and following the gripping storyline scene by scene.
The drawings are in manga style with smalll animations here and there with ear cathing music and sound effects.
and for under 15 quid then its a bargain!
Rating:
- Very good, but only for MGS FreaksThis isn't a game, but it is more than the title suggest. I like a little Manga, but only if the story line is good, this is. The story is lifted directly from MGS on the PS1. It covers all the events on Shadow of Moses (with a little before and a little after the original game). You can collect evidence by zooming in on the pages (cells) and noting objects and people, all this evidence can then be sorted out in a memory to construct the story. Its good, the story can last from 2 to 4 hours depending how comprehensive your evidence search. I preferred going through a few times and getting more evidence each time.
This will not appeal to any who is not familiar or even fanatical about the MGS series.
However I loved it... maybe because I wasn't expecting much.
For the price I recommend it!
It's well done, and with something so simple the control system can't help but work well.