To commemorate the 200 page extravaganza, I feel as though it's a fitting time to post my stories now.
Back in 1999, I visited my cousin's home for a weekend and watched him play Metal Gear Solid from sunrise to my dweebish bedtime. It was unprecedented for me, watching the cinematic cutscenes crafted by what felt like a filmmaker and the then state-of-the-art AI hunt down Snake (which, no offense to my cousin's skill, was quite a bit). Moments before I had to leave back home, my cousin must have taken notice of my starry-eyed trance after witnessing MGS firsthand and decided to give it to me for free, which he admitted was "way too hard" for him. The car ride home was one of the most unbearable ones during my childhood; analyzing each page of the instruction manual, engraving gameplay cues and button prompts into my mind to prepare myself, and becoming enamored by the vibrant (and mesmerizing hand-drawn) cast of characters that I was sure to bond with during this experience. Sure enough, I found the characters to resonate with me as strongly as I'd first thought. While the subject matter of nukes and terrorists flew over me, the humanity of the characters is what rocked my core. The concept of sympathizing with villains (specifically Psycho Mantis) was so foreign to me, but MGS managed to instill that into me. if It only took me four or five days to beat the game in its entirety, and to commemorate I called up my cousin and told him I finished it. "Son, what took me months to get through one part took you a week to beat completely," was along the likes of what he told me. Thanks to Metal Gear Solid, I've been imprinted with a preference of meticulously crafted, narrative-driven games and a ubiquitous respect for storytelling and cinematic direction. I also became aware of the term "
*******" without understanding the meaning right before heading into kindergarten. Thanks a bunch, Otacon!
As for this thread, I've been stalking from the sidelines a few months before the Japanese 3DS version launched. Reading your guys' posts truly enlightened me on the Smash Bros. front; what felt like being the sole person in the Western Hemisphere who admired and longed for Snake's return wholly changed. The passion in this thread made me see that there's plenty of other kindred folk, folk who reinvigorated my optimism for Snake returning to the spectacular but incomplete roster of Smash 4. It wasn't until page 140-something or other that I decided to voice my thoughts on Snake's return, and while I don't post as often as I'd like, this campaign has been a blast to be part of. In the ocean that is the Smash community, I wanted to vocalize my thoughts, even if it made the smallest of ripples.
Bonus! I don't know if this video has already been posted here, but it's giving me the urge to mess around Ground Zeroes before Phantom Pain:
(hoping nobody thinks I'm being serious and gets offended)
