Deadliest Catch

Before I start ranting about the politics of acquisition in portable adventure games, I would like to mark a dubious milestone. This the 50th post on The Unbearable Lightness of Dutch. What started as an outlet for nostalgic musings has turned into a creative project in which I am now thoroughly invested. Hit or miss, there are some thanks that must be distributed:

• Alex Connolly, who created the banner for the blog and gave it a sense of identity.
• The opinionated few who comment regularly on each of my deliberations. Thank you for your support.
• Anyone who has read, or who is (hopefully) still reading my thoughts.
• Carly, my unofficial editor and love of my life

Reading the majority of critical ruminations regarding Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, I was stunned to see how many had protested that the difficulty curve employed in the portable actioner was too steep. This is not me attempting some 50th post, celebratory dick swinging, rather I believe this is a trapping of the storied franchise. Apart from the first instalment on the original Playstation, I've never thought that a Metal Gear Solid game had lacked a sufficient level of challenge. Whether it be the sneaking grind you play through for the majority of each chapter or the grand, attack-pattern heavy boss battles, I've had to replay sections of each title recurrently. I will concede that some of the boss battles are more prolonged than their home console forbears, the strategies one needs to utilize to attain victory haven't really changed as time has passed. You memorise attack patterns, and pummel your opponents when you can no longer hear/see  explosions or bullets ricocheting off of hard surfaces. These battles may be shorter and less challenging with the help of a friend (several reviewers have hinted to as much), but I'm afraid that I can't comment. If anything (and this is a concession made due to the fact Peace Walker is a portable game), some levels are so short that even if you do fail, it won't take long to progress past your last mistake. I would even go as far as to say that the regular sneaking action is punctuated so expertly and regularly, that I have not encountered anything akin to frustration.



I've read two reviews (funnily enough both from Australian sources) that have taken exception with the recruitment methods employed by Naked Snake on behalf of Militaires Sans Frontiers. Both also likened the process to that of the Pokemon games, each with its own redundant misappropriation of the franchise's battle cry: Gotta Catch 'Em All. Yes, you kidnap and brainwash enemy combatants, but how is it different to assaulting a wild animal and then poaching them with your Pokeball? I'm not defending the use of the Fulton Recovery System to abduct American (both of Central and Northern origin) soldiers, but Peace Walker isn't the first game that tasks players with the brutal subjugation of opposing forces. The alternative is far more troubling and guilt-inducing. For anyone who has ever played through the brilliant Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, there are consequences for firing a weapon. With the option to either kill or tranquilize Russian forces as you attempt to prevent Cold War tensions from boiling over, players are confronted with the faces of the fallen (combatants, even the animals you killed for sustenance) during one of the games later sequences. The result of spilling blood isn't so apparent in Peace Walker, the only noticable outcome being a reduced mission score. Still you would rather have these men alive and working with/for you as opposed to on your conscience.



The video lacks the effect of that when I first played through MGS3 and had racked up a regrettable kill count. There were so many apparitions of soldiers, boss characters and animals approaching me on my initial playthrough of the game. I believe this is one of the first post-modern boss battles which calls for reflection as opposed to observation and action. The Metal Gear Solid series has almost always presented significant challenges and features some of the more memorable boss fights that I've had the pleasure of playing through. Besides if you find it too hard, you can always lower the difficulty.



Care to share some memories of exemplary boss battles?