TUNE TUES! HERE'S TO YOU KOJIMA-SAN!

HERE'S TO YOU! (Joan Baez and Ennio Morricone)

METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES OPENING SCENE

Hideo Kojima, creator and creative mind behind the Metal Gear Solid franchise, might be the best or closest example of an auteur in the medium called "video games".

What is an "auteur"?

An auteur, literally French for "author", is the term traditionally applied to a filmmaker whose creative vision, personal ideals, and artistic control over a film are so great that they are regarded as the author of the work. This term is taken further in discussions of the medium so that, while often there are many hands and minds behind any given film project or projects, this auteur is credited as the true author of the works.

For example, Alfred Hitchcock's style permeates his films to the point where his creative vision is at the forefront and the films he worked on are regarded as "Hitchcock films".

In discussion of film, the term auteur is usually not awarded by critics to just any prolific director; they are afforded to directors with a catalog of film's sharing distinctive traits, from the dreamscapes of Akira Kurosawa to quirky storybook worlds of Wes Anderson, the works of an auteur make up their own world or idealogy. In short, they are a reflection of their creator's vision.

While some independent games are the sole work of a single creative, or a few, AAA titles like Bungie's Destiny or whatever Assassin's Creed game just came out, are the works of dozens of artists, writers, animators, programmers, testers, etc. to the point where Credit sequences in these games take on the lengths of short films. And yet, while the Metal Gear Solid series is the work of so many individuals, no one, besides perhaps Konami, would try to argue that the series wasn't Hideo Kojima's.

The series builds a dramatic world constructed from James Bond action fodder, giant robot anime, Italian spaghetti westerns, military vehicle model construction, geopolitical history, conspiracy theories, etc. that are all reflections of the things Kojima finds cool and come together into some simultaneously beautiful, gruesome, overwrought, genuine, fashionable and dorky creation that is uniquely "metal gear".

The conceits of the series can be rather striking in their contradiction, such as the inclusion of Metal Gear Solid: Rising Revengeance, a game that stands out from the other series by following a protagonist who seems to revel in dicing his enemies into tiny bits with a giant samurai sword, while also having a disturbing subplot about saving child soldiers from being coopted into cyborg killing machines. In a game where a ridiculously hard to miss cyborg samurai wears a sombrero and a poncho as a disguise, we're shortly thereafter greeted with a horrific collection of floating orphan brains in jars, still conscious as their eyes follow you across the room, and meant to illicit legitimate feelings of horror. I realize some might complain about the inclusion of Rising Revengeance in my little rant here but it illustrates, perhaps better than anything, what is "metal gear" and what is "Kojima-esque".

It revels in the ridiculous and yet, somehow, comes out the other side as something that is genuinely thought provoking and cool. Metal Gear is unique and it is depressing to think MGSV may be the last chapter.

GAME GRUMPS- MIGHT AS WELL JUMP!

Uh, well, I just gave you guys like a quick sloppy essay to try and explain my feelings about Metal Gear. So um, here is this and:

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE?

Go watch Rick and Morty.

That is all.

WORD OF THE DAY! 9/3/15!

METAL GEAR SOLID 5: THE PHANTOM PAIN TRAILER!

phantom pain [fan-tum-peyn]
noun
1. The description of the sensation of feeling pain or other stimulus from a lost limb or organ.

EX. My phantom pain? I don't have a copy of Metal Gear Solid 5 and I probably won't have it until Christmas...!

WORD OF THE DAY! 10/24/13!

METAL GEAR SOLID 5: THE PHANTOM PAIN TRAILER!

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER TRAILER! 

commando [kuh-man-doh]
noun

1.a. Any of the specially trained Allied military units used for surprise, hit-and-run raids against Axis forces.

b. A member of any of these units.

2. Any military unit organized for operations similar to those of the commandos of World War II.

3. A member of a military assault unit or team trained to operate quickly and aggressively in especially urgent, threatening situations, as against terrorists holding hostages.

adverb

4. To wear no underpants. 

 

EX. Captain America teamed up with the Howling Commandos in WW2, Solid Snake is the most infamous commando in video games, and 1/4 members of Ron Burgundy's news team is probably going commando.

ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES OFFICIAL TRAILER!

MUSICAL MON! LEAGUE OF LEGENDARY METAL GEAR SOLID PLASTIC ROCK BANDS!

THE LEAGUE AND I (LADY GAGA PARODY)- JONTRON

This week our Musical Monday is all about video games and first up I've gotta confess my newest gaming obsession, League of Legends. I started playing about three weeks ago after seeing some friends were playing it. I love playing multiplayer games and teamwork, especially with friends, so I hopped on the bandwagon. So far, my favorite champions to play are Support Alistar, Hybrid Carry-Mage Kog'Maw, and Tanky Garen. I hope that I can live up to my friend's expectations on the Fields of Justice.

METAL GEAR SOLID 5: PHANTOM PAIN TRAILER!

"V is awake." Hideo "Frickin'" Kojima is a master game maker and loves to play with his audience's expectations. This is the first time that I can truly appreciate his mind games, because this is the first time I can really, really call myself a Metal Gear Solid fan awaiting the announcement of a new Metal Gear Solid. Phantom Pain has been teased for a while, but it wasn't revealed until recently that it is, in fact, Metal Gear Solid 5.

The mystery surrounding the game is palpable, the new game engine is pretty impressive, but the first question I want answered is..."if not David Hayter, than who?"

THE STORY OF ROCK BAND

This would be time to get a little nostalgic and teary-eyed if I hadn't already accepted the downfall of music gaming with plastic instruments a couple of years ago. I suppose I need to explain my relationship with the biggest rise and fall of a subgenre in the last generation.

It started with getting my sister Guitar Hero 2 for her birthday. It didn't take long for us to bond over the game. The game that cinched our relationship with the subgenre was Rock Band. The guys who made Guitar Hero 1 and 2 possible, Harmonix, split off and began making their own games-- and not only were they awesome, they created a party game experience that couldn't be topped. With a singer, two guitars (one for guitar/one for base) and a drumset allowed you to simulate the band experience. Anybody could try Rock Band and everyone I could get to try it...did. Even my Grandpa.

Rock Band became an innovative series, adding instruments, adding more and more downloadable tracks, and finally allowing users to upload their own songs. Guitar Hero was still around and the genre became crowded by copycats that, blatantly, sucked. It was only a matter of time before people grew tired and moved onto the next thing. Rock Band hung around, releasing content, despite their last big release being way back in 2010.

But after a few years, Rock Band saw less and less attention as my sister seemed more and more busy. The plastic instruments lie in a corner of our entertainment room and, occasionally, I glance at them with nostalgic desire to return to a time when I could belt out hits (yes, I was the guy who sang), with my sister on bass/guitar, and two other friends picking up the pieces as we rocked for hours and hours.

It's been over 5 years since Rock Band 1 hit the shelves and, as of March 31, they released their last song to the Rock Band network, "American Pie". Time will tell the future of this subgenre and the giant that really made up the backbone of this party ain't going now where. Now, enjoy a picture of my dog sitting in front of my rockband stuff from a few Christmases ago...