Confronting Nostalgia in Metal Gear Solid 4

Memory can be a curious thing.

When I first played Metal Gear Solid back in 1998 on the PSOne, there was only one word that came to mind to describe the game - cinematic. Back then, using the word cinematic to describe a game actually meant something. Unlike today, when the term is used to limit the number of a game's frames per second (cinematic aesthetics), sell a game that's lacking in content (cinematic length), and forego complex play in favor of long cut scenes with a few quick time events (cinematic play), back when Metal Gear Solid was released, a cinematic game was one that featured complex narratives with multilayered characters, compelling visuals with interesting use of camera angles, symphonic musical scores performed by orchestras. Certainly, there were hardware limitations - however, a game was not considered cinematic based on hardware specs or visual resolution as much as for the elements outlined above.

Metal Gear Solid was, back then, a cinematic game. It featured a story about a military guerilla in possession of a nuke and a lone super soldier sent on a suicide mission. It featured characters with interesting back stories and personalities, memorable moments, and compelling play. I enjoyed every moment of it, and when I was finished, I put it on the shelf and never went back to it again.

When Metal Gear Solid 2 was released, I was excited. The opening scene in the boat was exciting, and I was looking forward to the game. Then, Kojima made a bait and switch and stuck me with Raiden, whom I didn't like. I placed my memories of the tanker mission in my "fond memories" section of the brain and stopped playing. By the time Metal Geat Solid 3 came out, I had lost interest in the Metal Geat franchise. 

I bought Metal Gear Solid 4 at around 2010, but I left it on the shelf until a few weeks ago. I found it incredibly enjoyable. The first mission in the desert felt odd in the sense that it felt closer to Call of Duty than Metal Gear, but I pressed on. I noticed the references and clever Kojima jokes here and there, and ultimately my memories of Shadow Moses came back. This is where memory comes into play.

In my mind, the cinematic Metal Gear Solid had incredibly detailed visuals just a step down from Metal Gear Solid 4. Consciously, I knew that my memories were wrong. I knew the PSOne couldn't output visuals anywhere near that of the PS 3, but I ignored my consciousness. Then, at one point in Metal Gear Solid 4, the game forced me to play through the opening moments of the PSOne. It was pretty shocking. I didn't remember that the game looked that pixelated. Shortly afterwards, the game had me go through Shadow Moses in PS 3 graphics for Snake's main storyline, and in my memories, that's how the PSOne graphics looked. 

That's all I wanted to share. In my memories, the old game looked as good as the new one. The progress of technology updated my memories and made it better than it actually was. 

I guess nostalgia can be quite a thing.