2/14/24 - UPDATE: In case you guys are wondering about the audio, this video has been copyright claimed unfairly by so many bad actors who think they own the songs, but can't get the songs' names right. I apologize for this, but in order to keep this video up, I had to mute some of the songs, and I have no doubt in my mind that I'll have to do so again in the future. Hope you guys enjoy the compilation, It was taken down yesterday by some BS guidelines - some technical errors and some flagged BS, and it’s BS because the other three videos weren’t hit at all. Give this video some love by leaving a comment and a like - Or a dislike, either work for me. Engagement is engagement.
That literally makes no sense. The only thing i can think of why this happened is the compilation might have been flagged as repetitive content. Then again idk about how the bots work anymore
Honestly I loved this compilation regardless of why u had to make it. Rewatching the Bladewolf section always gives me the strength I need to keep going after I "left" my parents a few months ago.
I love how Sundowner, surrounded by people who go on and on about ideals and philosophy, has a motive that basically boils down to "mo war crimes, mo money." That kind of unrepentant honesty is very refreshing in a Metal Gear antagonist.
Such honesty is only seen in Colonel Volgin. Who while not in for the money wanted to take control of the Soviet Union from Nikita Khrushchev. Who’s leadership Volgin did not approve of
One thing to note about monsoon is that if you play near perfectly, you actually scare monsoon and hear him beg to stop. It shows that despite his apathy, he is indeed human in nature
I only learned recently that he would say "do as you please". Every time i beat him, i got the "no, stop it!" But i would say its more because i couldnt beat the bastard until i got perfect at it. Certainly wasnt my skill haha.
I think Armstrong’s fight wouldn’t work without Excelsus before it. You’re given no hint that Armstrong is a cyborg. Usually you can tell just by looking at someone, and he looks perfectly normal both the times you see him before the Excelsus fight. The fact that he feels the need to use a Metal Gear to fight Raiden also evidences this, suggesting he’s incapable of fighting him himself. And the Excelsus fight, especially the ending with ripping off its arm, does have a climactic final boss feeling to it. Keeping all this in mind, when I first played this game, I was expecting Armstrong to come out all afraid and pleading for mercy, or maybe not even come out at all and hide in the cockpit. I was confused when he said his line about not having time for this, and when he did the sumo stomp and powered up, I realized what I was in for. In a way, it adds to his integrity as a person, and to his danger as a villain; even when faced with a man who just destroyed his massive robot, he’s willing and prepared to face him himself.
Could very well be seen as Armstrong testing Raiden, after all he could probably have just punched Excelsus with one punch and destroyed the whole thing (which he does to the section with the cockpit) If Raiden couldn't beat Excelsus then no way In hell could Raiden hope to take on Armstrong, though I'm sure he was confident Raiden could pull It off, he did beat his Winds of Destruction after all
@@TaurusTheCrazyBull Yeah, that’s what I think too. He has money to spare, so losing one giant robot doesn’t mean much. It’s still a nice twist seeing Armstrong power up when you had no idea he’s a cyborg.
It adds to the fake out of originally thinking he is just another politician who uses others to fight their battles for them. Then we see he is actually a man of conviction.
I love how each boss actually resonated with a certain part of Raiden himself: -Bladewolf: Born to kill, yet always seeks freedom out of this life that was given to him. -Mistral: Life and passion of a soldier, and a murderer. -Monsoon: The inability to go against your true nature. -Sundowner: War is his life, and forever will be. -Sam: Always trying to do the right thing, no matter how pointless it might be. -Armstrong: No matter how much blood they soak their hands in, no matter how many bodies they stood upon, in the end, *it has to be this way*, to fight for their beliefs.
Metal Gear Ray: A once formidable enemy now reduced to being prey from a newer, stronger foe. This reflects Raidens initial defeat to the much stronger Sam at the start of the game, forcing him to revitalize and upgrade to a better body.
Personally I see them as: -Rex: A reflection of Raiden's childhood, killing to survive, purely driven by his instincts Blade Wolf: A reflection of Raiden's time during MGS2, killing for a master who has enslaved him, while yearning for freedom -Mistral: A reflection of Raiden's time during MGS4, adrift, without purpose, only to be freed by Snake, his ideals giving Raiden's life meaning, becoming his own, and transforming him into lightning, the rain tranformed -Monsoon: Just as Monsoon uses his social darwinistic beliefs and violence to justify the atrocities committed against him and wash away his trauma, Raiden uses his belief in protecting the weak to do the same, telling himself that he isn't fighting because he's become unable to reintegrate into society, because he was abusive to himself and others between MGS2 and 4, and likely also between 4 and Rising, but that he's just fighting to protect others. -Sundowner: With Raiden's belief in protecting the weak shaken, he is faced to confront himself, his own love of violence, and ask himself, "what makes me any different from Sundowner? Do I really fight to help others, or is that just a sick joke I tell myself to justify pretending I'm not a monster?" -Sam: Raiden finally accepts that he's broken. He cannot return to society. Just as Sam went from one war to the next, so too will Raiden, fighting forever wars to avoid confronting the trauma of their past. Like so many veterans before them, every time they return from war they find society more and more alien. Yet, even here, staring downwards into the abyss of their past, they still cannot find the reason they fight, if they really do only fight for the sake of violence, then why, out of all the wars they could have chosen, did they choose this one? -Armstrong: A reflection of Raiden's past self, Armstrong is willing to do anything to create the world he believes in, and he's going to drive the world into ruin in the process. In facing the logical extreme of using ideals to justify atrocities made manifest, Raiden's tool of justice is finally shattered, and so too are the last vestiges of his belief in fighting to protect others. Rather, Raiden takes up Sam's blade, and realizes why he and Sam fought Armstrong, not to make the world better, but because if they didn't kill him, he'd destroy the world. As soldiers, all they can do is destroy that which threatens their world, and hope whatever fills the power vacuum left by their actions will be a force for good. also Khamsin reflects what Blade Wolf is expected to be, an obedient, unquestioning, disposable tool who will uncritically believe anything he's told.
@@thomasbellamy1730 Even so, he represents the typical soldier, who justifies the horrible atrocities they do by using "freedom" and "just following orders". In the end, Raiden actually did something similar, using the "sword of justice" excuse to, in his own words, "keep the Ripper in check while knee-deep in bodies" especially when he knows deep down he ENJOYS killing, just like Mistral.
"Just because Armstrong respects you, doesn't mean he won't go easy on you." As it should be. If you really respect someone, you go all out regardless. If they are worth your respect, they would be able to meet your expectations when you go against them. To do anything less than your best is the biggest form of disrespect you can show to someone and letting them beat you is the biggest insult towards them.
"Just because he respects you, that doesn't mean he *wont* go easy on you" It's a double negative because him respecting you would be the reason for not going easy, but the sentence implies that he goes easy on you despite respecting you.
Sam's design is very interesting when you break it down, the white suit indicating he's a white knight, a wandering hero, with a black sheeth and a red sword to symbolise his brutal methods, making him more of an antihero, but when he looses to Armstrong he's given a black cybernetic arm, a sort of crutch if you think about it, he wasn't strong enough so they gave him a stronger tool rather than make HIM stronger, the arm being black also symbolises how desperado infects him, washing away the vigilante, his mask being a bandana is also a symbol of this, outlaws used bandanas to hide their identities, the mask having the desperado colours indicates how they covered up Sam's identity, muted his beliefs and ideals, also the mask wraps around his head, it makes it looks like a muzzle, symbol of dominance over uncontrollable dogs, which makes me think that's why he has such a close relationship to wolf, maybe he reminds sam of himself, a free spirit, but at some point they're both slaves of desperado
The interesting thing about the DLC is that Sam doesn't really have a lot to say; sure, he is here to slay world marshal, but curiously he doesn't really talk much about ideals at this point, aside from to blade wolf. I didn't think much of it But compared to Raiden, he doesn't seem to have a calling card. Instead, he is somewhat novel about taking down yet another PMC and cites a reason for doing so, but there really doesn't seem to be any personal stake in why he is here. Yet at the top of the tower where he loses his arm, it indicates that he had a reflection and laughed. After all, he came to this fight just slaughtering his way up the preverbal mountain and lost another part of himself, both his arm and his freedom. Part of why he's so hard on Raiden is that, unlike himself, Raiden has always been super determined and vocal about his ideal of justice, which really rubbed him up the wrong way and made him confront him on an ideological basis, something he had only really done in passing to Bladewolf. Part of what made him surprisingly happy engaging Raiden was that while he hadn't changed Raiden's outlook, he had forced the man to be honest with who he *really* was, something Sam hadn't managed to do before confronting Armstrong, with both a determined goal and self-awareness of who he really was, Raiden was much stronger then he started out his journey. Important when facing Armstrong's wrapped ideology, who hadn't revealed his true self to anyone Raiden had encountered up to that point.
@@jaredwalley5692 I mean, Armstrong doesn't see how ridiculous his logic is, almost as if he doesn't HEAR himself or others talk, he just thinks what he want to think
The only problem with this is that Sam’s loss of muscle memory in his arm when it was cut off and replaced caused him to be weaker than before (he can be disarmed during his bossfight and doesn’t use charge attacks like in the DLC, although that one may not be intentional) with a marginal damage difference.
Fun fact about Sam: he cut off Armstrong’s arm at an angle which caused him to get stabbed, but cut off raiden’s arm straight cause he learned from his mistake
@JujuOnTheBeat2 he still didn't know that the nanomachines could make a sliced stump into a sharp edge. He wasn't about to underestimate another opponent
@@Nockgun the arm was cut clean off. Raiden would have to roll up the skin in order for it to be a weapon (he was too busy dealing with Sam and had a slashed eye)
I've listened to The Hot Wind Blowing so many times, and I only just realized that when they say "without a compass the soldier knows no disgrace," they mean a moral compass. Like, as long as a soldier is willing to do what they're told regardless of morality, they'll never know disgrace. Sick
And it uses the Collective Consciousness motif, which seems to signify he's more than willing to let his country control his actions and dictate his morality. As long as he obeys, he's absolved from responsibility.
"L'étranger" is not only a book that fits Mistral's description but also means "The Stranger" which in Mistral's case makes sense as she had to travel around to survive war and fight it.
You should try him in the Sam DLC... That crap took me almost a damn week of playing my ass off hopped up on immediate post-workout rush and coffee and dextrosol to get down for a full S rank clear...
maybe it's because i was playing on normal, or because i had white armor, but only excelsus gave me trouble. i beat armstrong in one attempt after that
@@nomadichef216 huh.... I hadn't thought of that. I'm now thinking it might've been pulling double duty. It's funny on the surface, but memorable jokes make a point.
Small detail about Bladewolf: in his attack where he pins Raiden to the ground, after the mini cutscene he says "Does it hurt?". That's the same thing Monsoon says when he does his attack that pins Raiden to the ground and stabs him with his Sai's. Bladewolf copied Monsoon's manerism.
Remember what Bladewolf said when you fight against him “A savy warrior uses all of his tools” so therefore Sundowner is using all of his tools at his disposal to win. But yes I’ll admit it he is a coward
Why would Hulk size Sundowner and as warmonger would be afraid of anyone? Especially when he carrying butcher weapons machetes that is designed to get personally close to his opponents to slaughter
@@1God1Fury He is used to fighting weaker enemies, so he uses the weapon that is the most brutal and fun for him. He is not used to fighting someone on Raiden's level.
Indeed. Sundowner really is the definition of a coward. The man literally is in charge of the entire skyscrapers worth of resources, copies of his comrades and put's that all between you and him, then turns up in a super defensive formation with helicopters around him, and basically, the battle is more or less over once his shields are removed? His first appearance really cements it well. He kills two no faces, kidnaps and kills the president, but confronted by Raiden, he doesn't want anything to do with that, throwing his henchman Sam at him instead. This is in contrast to Monsoon and Mistral who confront Raiden directly the first time they personally encounter him. With the exception of Sam, who he sees three times, Sundowner is the only adversary you personally meet more then once. Perhaps it's not intentional, but I always felt that Sundowner wasn't a warrior but a butcher. Sure, he's a strong guy, but he doesn't confront Raiden with his scissors until he's used up every other option on the cellblock, then just dies 10 seconds later. Which indicates while he does love violence, like a vulture he much prefers objects of opportunity rather then a challenge.
@@lordbiscuitthetossable5352 He does have a long history as a soldier in multiple wars and was investigated for war crimes though, so I dont think he was always a coward. He also fights much more aggressively during his 2nd phase, when he realizes that raiden really is a hard nut to crack. He is a man Who uses dirty tricks to win every fight, but I think he sees that as the only way to come out of a battle alive so he can experience the thrill again later. I dont think he is actually a coward, rather in his battle with raiden he really just wanted to make sure that raiden would be dead and he would be alive by the end of it, and he would use everything he had of tools to make sure that happened.
the reason I think this game is so memorable and meme worthy is just the fact that you CAN take it seriously. it has serious messages that aren't necessarily undercut by the goofy nature of the game and it's sheer ridiculousness. As a streamer I watch once said, "The best kind of cursed is something that's only slightly off. Something you might catch on your peripheral vision". in this case the serious tones the bosses is why I think the game is just so funny and meme worthy. it just goes with it themes and beliefs and dial it up to 11.
one thing to note on the Japanese theme around of Sundowner, Musashi the most famous Japanese Duelist/samurai was a dual wielder, as is Sundowner. Musashi is known for using any unsavoury tactics available in order to win.
I love how monsoon's music vocals literally start cutting up like how his body can be split apart at will. The vocals also say that when you open him up, he's still dry inside because he literally has no more bile or blood in his body.
I’m surprised Monsoon doesn’t have many memes despite memes being a big part of his character, and him literally saying that memes are the DNA of the soul
its incredible a game from 2013 is able to hold up really well and strong for its age, both in visual and story. simply incredible and the mark of a truly goodgame.
Don't know where I read this, but is interesting that "has to be this way" is a song we're people either interpret it as either Armstrong theme or Raiden since "collective consensus" is considered Armstrong theme. Really like that.
Well in the lyrics it says "I've carved my own path You followed your wrath But maybe we're both the same" so as Raiden is the sword wielding one in that fight it would make sense that it is his song as he quite literally carved his path through the enemies, while Armstrong followed his wraith (his "need" to remove the weak that can't defend themselves and have to hide behind others)
@@yugiohclips9523 also the fact that the song stops playing when the Muramasa is dropped, and the fact that TOTIKFR ends with "staring downwards from this deadly height and never realizing why I fight" and that IHTBTW starts with "standing here I realize you were just like me trying to make history". Not to mention, it doesn't quite make sense why Raiden would see himself as the same as Armstrong, when Armstrong is fighting for his ideals, whereas Raiden's belief in his ideals were broken when his tool of justice was, and him taking up the Muramasa in anger for the express purpose of killing Armstrong making it pretty explicit that Raiden has grown beyond his past delusions of heroism. To his dying breath, Armstrong wanted to shape the world to his will, whilst Raiden ends the game only concerned with killing those who will make the world worse, leaving the shaping of the world to those who haven't been poisoned by the memes of war.
@@1sdani yes, he realizes he is the same as sam, they started killing in order to achieve "justice", but they find that what they enjoy doing is fight and murder, raiden embraces it in the monsoon boss fight, while sam was always confused on his life choices but the "only things he knows for real" is that he is bloodthirsty
and collective consciousness isnt armstrong's theme, its the them of what raiden thought of armstrong at the moment...."typical politician" before the "i have a dream" speech, armstrong never really got his own theme song representing his own ideals
I'd like to point out that this game's utilization of music to highlight both character motivations and the intended emotions of scenes, with a direct impact on the story overall, by both definition and technicality makes it a musical.
Armstrong is one of those fictional characters that can spark massive amounts of discussion that will have somewhat differing interpretations that will each have good points.... unless someone forgets he was created by Japanese writers in 2012-2013 and not some random American from Fiver post 2016 election.
"The complexity of real time combat with metriod dread." I'm sorry the footage used always cracks me up as I watch whoever was playing stand still and fire rockets. Maybe you could have used a speed runners clip of shadow complex or a mario instead. Anyway I'll rewatch this happily.
I think another reason Blade Wolf summoning minions in his fight is a hood design choice is because Enemies are how you heal. This offers a useful health bar extension you won't get in many other boss fights
Every boss gives you a way to heal MG Ray: destroy the HEMP Missiles Blade Wolf: Zandatsu Mistral: destroy the Tripods Grad: find the Nanopaste in around room Monsoon: destroy the vehicles he throws at you Sundowner: Zandatsu Samuel: find the Nanopaste EXCELSUS: Zandatsu the Gekkos Armstrong: destroy the debris he throws at you
I think something worth mentioning is how much khasim mentions and values "Freedom" and blade wolf doesn't understand that concept at all so that makes his parallel to blade wolf even stronger
Something I'm surprised isn't talked about more is how Excelsus is the perfect representation of everything Armstrong hates, both in the music AND design. Armstrong despises how people have just become drones, blindly following others and never taking action for themselves. Simply becoming a collective consciousness. Excelsus reflects this in it's design: An ant. Ants are defined by the fat that besides the queen, they're indistinguishable from other ants. They blindly follow the queen, never thinking for themselves. If the Queen Ant dies, the colony will die, the Ants blindly continuing to do their duties until they die of old age.
I once saw this comment (can't find original comment) on another video and I wanted to share it because it's pretty interesting. It points out how 'human' Sam is compared to the other bosses by how once you defeat him, he just dies. Every other boss before him usually has a Codec Call with Raiden in their dying moments and Armstrong has his entire speech at the end, which clearly makes an impact on Raiden afterwards. Sam on the other hand silently succumbs to his wounds and since the only cybernetic attachment he has is on his arm, there is no chance of recovery of the mind, leaving nothing. Sure, he still has the little message played from his sword but it feels somewhat hollow, it's a recording from a person who isn't alive anymore. Even how he dies makes him more 'human' than the rest. Mistral? Made into an ice sculpture. Monsoon? Pounded into a building and learnt the difference between 'un-sliceable' and 'slice-resistant'. Sundowner? Point blank explosion to the back and made into sushi. But Sam? An honorable duel and a simple sword to the chest. Sorry for putting me entire college thesis into one comment, thought the comment was cool.
I love his earnest smile when he's offering the handshake, the way he nods his head like he genuinely believes he could get through to Raiden. It's oddly endearing.
I really love this video. It's so cool to see you talk about something that you love. I'm not into games like this, so it's fascinating to learn more about this franchise through these deep dives. Also, I just wanted to mention that around the 23 minute mark, two voices overlap and it's hard to understand what's being said.
Sundowner not only mimics a Samurai in apperance he also dons a Demon like face on his Body. Red Eyes wide open mouth. He is basically a weep cosplaying as an Oni.
Winds Of Destruction: Mistral - Not having a reason to fight for until the end Monsoon - Fighting for the sole reason of keeping nature in balance Khamsin - Fighting, thinking that he is bringing Freedom Sam - Not believing in what he is fighting Sundowner - IM FUCKIN' INVINCIBLE
Quick random tip for yaal, when khamsin uses his slam and makes rubble or if you use smoke you can go behind him and interact to deal a lotta damage if he doesn’t get alerted
I think that in the airport, Raiden was being the dick. Wolf did the "shake" with the girl because he realizes he looks like a dog and how humans think of dogs and was being both polite and expediant. But at this point in the story he knows that Raiden knows that he's not a dog and doesn't view himself as a dog. How would you react if a friend of yours tried to treat you like a dog? Pretty salty and disrespected is how I would feel
I've always loved this game because of it's themes, mostly and often buried in it's music. Not only is how the songs mix into combat legendary but the lyrics tell you the thought processes of the person you are fighting. Each character has a song. It's deceptive in how deep it is as on the surface it's just another action game with a cool soundtrack but once you delve into it you realise the game was really making some hard hitting points about freedom, about whether you have personal responsibility, about whether you let the past define you or not and even about learning lessons from enemies and those we disagree with. Armstrong is on face value an absurd final boss that leaves everyone going "wtf is this?" But after the battle, there's just something about him.He's wrong for what he believes but his beliefs are so strong that he fully embraces who and what he is, takes on all the bad to bring about a future, a better future (in his view) And when he fails, he passes that torch to Raiden for Raiden to find his own future and attain it without holding back or pretending he's something he's not. By the end, between bosses like Monsoon, Sam and Armstrong he puts aside the faux facade and accepts he's a killer, he enjoys it but that he'll carve his own future, aiming for a better world. One song that often overlooked is the credits song. By the end credits and the credits song, we see Raiden has actually took on some of Armstrongs philosophy, fighting for what he believes in and not letting things get in the way to stop that. The final song, The War Still Rages within is also a song for us, the players but also Raidens. Lines like "Always struggling with the truth Of the life that might have been" almost telling us that Raidens ending in MGS4 was make-believe,he did want it but it was never going to work out that way, due to his past traumas and his fighting for "justice" which he lies to himself about in the first half of the game was just a convenient reason to fight. Raiden's peaceful happy life he hoped he would have fell by the wayside after MGS4 , leading to the events of MGRR. It's not a happy ending, and even MGRR it's not a happy ending as he is facing up to the truth of "life that might have been" but he does finally accept who he is, even if who he is is partly "Jack the Ripper" Of course all of the characters are deeply messed up and/or traumatised but there is something about being honest with yourself and admitting you have a monster within, because only then do you have a chance (even if it's slim) that maybe one day you can grow and leave that behind.
The thing I absolutely LOVE about the Armstrong fight is that it completely reflects what the situation is and what the game wants to make the player feel. 1st Phase: Metal Gear "Oh god its the stereotypical politician with his giant robot, kind of a lame ending to an otherwise good game, theme slaps though" 2nd Phase: Gets out of robot "wait what the fu-" *I have a dream intensifies* "ITS NOT OVER, WAIT WHY IS THIS DEPRESSINGLY RELEVANT" *Raiden gets absolutely destroyed* At this point the game throws a massive curveball and semi- makes fun of games that had endings where its all an epic showdown but with hilariously easy mechanics all for the sake of cinematics and then reminds you what game you're playing to skillcheck you p much what you've learned so far, like a proper boss should be. Like the Metal Gear is Armstrong's politician mask while the real man gets out, absorbs the energy from the metal gear to power his nanomachines (Using politics as a weapon to ultimately achieve his dream) just makes me wanna rant more on how much coincidental (or intentional) metaphors you can make on that final boss, and I think thats just the surface. The fact that out of Armstrong's 200% health, 100% of it is his shirt and I'm all for that.
wait a second... this just came by me. assessing from the first music, Raiden already thought like the senator since there was already this Darwinist to him while beating the first metal gear. If the senator was the first boss to Raiden, he would've agreed to join immediately, sparing the fight of all other bosses and making him extremely weak. both in a physical and psychological sense. very interesting...
MASSIVE respect to you sir for being the ONLY person ive ever seen analyze Armstrong and actually analyze him and look into his characters and ideals instead of just labeling him as your perception of insert politician here without any explanation (commonly a certain cheeto looking lad) and call it a day.
Do you think that you’ll do any more revengence videos or do you feel you’re satisfied with everything you’ve covered? Cause you’ve done a great job with these and I’ve really enjoyed them
Honestly, as much as I like doing my MGR videos, I feel like I've covered it enough, and might turn my attention to other series - But, you never know.
@@Mangakamen Hollow Knight's many titular characters and bosses have some very complex backgrounds that I have not yet seen explored on a character-focused perspective. Most Hollow Knight character videos I've seen are focused on the lore rather than on the characters themselves, so I think your style would be a breath of fresh air. And Hollow Knight's community is permanently starved for content anyway, so it'd be a pretty stonks move imo
Brilliant video, MK. While I liked and enjoyed MGR back when it came out (even though I hated how short it was), I’ve grown to appreciate the game a bit more over the years. I like to think of it as the video game equivalent of a WASP album, where yes it has allegories and themes, but it never forgets to still be fun. Need to also boot back up my PS3 copy and download the DLCs at some point since I never got around to that previously.
Something I wish more people touched on was the lyric "it's only the cold wind I feel" in Sam's theme. His codename, as stated in the video, is Minuano, a cold wind of his native Brazil. When considering this, the meaning of the lyrics fall much more in line with the themes of identity later in the song: Sam has lost his identity as Samuel Rodriguez, noble warrior of justice. Now, he is only Minuano, the cold wind of Brazil. It's only the cold wind he feels
Came for the memes, stayed for the story and gameplay and my favourite hot Brazilian man and the cyber doggo. Fr I love Sam and Wolf more than I like Raiden. I haven't played the other metal gear games tho so yeah. I do have them and I'm preparing to get into the series. Wish me luck.
Gotta love how a game that looks like its just saying random shit about politics actually manages to make more sense then most games trying to sound political i saw a comment somewhere that kinda explains this perfectly " They tried to not take it seriously and make it ridiculous that it did a 360 and came from the back"
Excellent analysis of Revengeance, linking it back to the themes of the previous MG games, and deciphering the meaning of the boss fight music. I like how, unlike the Kojima-written MG games, this one doesn't dump exposition onto the players, it lets you draw your own conclusions about what it says. And the action kicks a lot of ass.
1:17:00 even though not as dynamic but FF14 did something similar in Heavensward during the whole story you only hear a song call dragonsong but its only the instruments but at the final boss you absorb the dragons power and you hear the song again but with lyrics as you finally understand the war on both sides and know the story.
To cut Excelsus some slack, we have to remember that not all cyborg soldiers in MGR are like Raiden and the Winds of Destruction. Their cyborg bodies enhance their physical feats to become great force multipliers in combat, but not to the super crazy extent Raiden and the WoD do, as they would be rare sights and pretty sure their bodies are way too expensive to mass produce, let alone easy to handle for the average soldier, even with extensive VR training
Random thing I noticed about Blade Wolf's music is how it contrasts from the other themes in the game. It's the only song in the game that's not in 4/4 time, instead going for a 3/4 time. Another observation is that both "I'm My Own Master Now" and "Collective Consciousness" both utilize swing beats. Probably a coincidence, but I think it represents the idea that those chasing freedom see mirages that lead to groupthink. And conversely, that there is a point where one must sacrifice their individual freedom to the collective, which in a way is a net gain for you and everyone else. In other words, your right to swing your fist ends at my nose, but in return, you can be assured nobody else will sock you in the nose. And that's what politics should be about. The delicate, shifting balance between individual liberty and social responsibility.
Metal Gear Rising, doing political satire and kickass boss fights far better than the DMC reboot. Also, my favorite boss fight is Khasim because I really like "The Hot Wind Blowing" as that's a pretty catchy track in a long list of bangers.
So about bosses their themes are only instrumental until they start trying or showing fear or other emotion mistral is a good example because when you get to the near end of her fight that’s when the lyrics start instead of jet stream Sam because his lyrics start almost instantly as the boss starts because he’s willing to throw everything away. Edit: sorry for making this long
Fun fact, Armstrong doesn’t have a theme because of how good his writing is in such a short amount of time. It has to be this way is Raiden’s theme, from the POV of Raiden, and Collective consciousness is MG Excelsus’s theme
What do you mean, It has to be this way is from pov of armstrong, 'ive carved my own path, you followed your wrath' clearly points. Personally I'd give 'the fight goes on', the credit theme to raiden.
@@TheFloodOfPain Why would music talk about Sam in the final battle? Through the entire fight Armstrong was attempting to recruit Raiden like he tried on Sam, he only got through to Raiden on his deathbed, as post battle cutscene shows with raiden quoting armstrong to one of his friends.
@@runelt99 To show that Raiden and Sam were something that Raiden didn’t suspect at all: Alike. They wanted to stop the same person, Sam failed and followed his wrath. Raiden carved his own path by dispensing Justice differently from Sam. It also kind of talks about Raiden admitting Sam was right. There’s no way to avoid the person that Raiden used to be. Raiden tried to avoid that as much as possible. So in the end, it has to be this way. By defeating Armstrong, Raiden sees that new life will be born beneath the bloodstained sand because the world can finally go in peace.
Interestingly blade wolf has 3 renditions of his theme, his first time meeting Sam, fighting riden , and Armstrong where it's a victorious howl of freedom like a wolf
Something I really like about the song It Has To Be This Way is the line "The world has turned, so many have burned, but nobody is to blame". That last part feels like it's to say that Armstrong is not *wrong* in what he's doing - neither is Raiden. No-one in the conflict is objectively evil - besides, morality is a very *subjective* thing. It's not a clash of good vs evil; it's a clash of ideals. Do Armstrong's goals justify his methods? Personally, I would say no. The harm caused is against the basis of my morality being the reduction of total suffering (and increase of happiness) of others. And his ideology is a mix of Anarchism (no more lawyers and bureaucrats = no more state, or at least a very *empty* state), Fascism (the idea that conflict makes people strong is the main idea reiterated throughout The Doctrine Of Fascism - "war alone keys up all human energies to their limit and sets the seal of nobility unto those who have the courage to face it") and Social Darwinism. (...obviously) While I can sympathise with anarchism, I see the others as evil - and all as misguided. *But* my morality is no better nor worse than anyone else's. My ideals are not objectively better or worse than Armstrong's - neither are Raiden's, neither are anyone else's. And I like that the game acknowledges this. I guess I kinda agree with Monsoon on something; I am a nihilist. I do not believe in objective good or evil, nor purpose. But unlike what he expresses, I view that as "liberating" me to focus on my own subjective morals and purpose. Monsoon looks at the world in the abstract lens that *nothing matters, he's just following the natural course of the memes.* While I look at it more as *what matters most is what is important to me personally.* (In my case, my highest priorities are my girlfriend's values, followed by her wellbeing, followed by *my* life and wellbeing, followed by my moral and political beliefs.) Are those just memes - just a framework? Sure - everything is just a framework...but if that framework works well for me, why wouldn't I use it? Why would I go for such an abstract view like Monsoon has?
@@FelisImpurrator I'd argue that Monsoon begging for mercy in his fight *doesn't* contradict his worldview. Perhaps he thinks that, on an objective level, everything is just nature...but he can still subjectively value his own life. Plus, his other possible reaction is a lot more indifferent - maybe he doesn't typically fear death, but the "heat of the moment" made him afraid? As for prioritising my girlfriend's values so highly...it's not necessarily from seeing them as better or worse than my own values - in fact, we seem to agree on pretty much everything. It's more that...I typically prioritise her values and will above her wellbeing out of respect for what she sees as right, and what she wants. While I prioritise her wellbeing above my own because of how strongly I love her, and I prioritise my wellbeing above my values because how can I fulfill my ideals if I don't take care of myself first? (My values are more *important* to me than my wellbeing, but to properly fulfill them requires that I first ensure that I am healthy and motivated enough.)
@@FelisImpurrator True. I suppose the way I'm looking at it, Monsoon's fear doesn't contradict his belief in nihilism ("Nature is just nature; not beautiful, not ugly. The wind blows, the flowers float away...it's simply how things are."), but *does* reveal the "might makes right" part of his beliefs as a defense mechanism. As for what my values and Sayori's (my girlfriend) values are...that's a very broad question. For one example, our views on morals; we see the basis of moral good as what increases the overall happiness in the world, and moral evil as what increases the overall involuntary suffering in the world. Any action that, for example, only affects the person taking the actions is morally neutral - so we see things like victimless crimes as being fine. We also value openness with each-other a lot. To me, honesty feels like an essential part of honouring my relationship - which I even value above my life...which has actually *saved* my life, because it's lead to me reaching out to her for support when desperately needed, rather than ending my life at times when I truly wanted to. And something very important to me is trying to learn and understand as much as I can. Trying to be open-minded towards basically anything. Whether in politics, science, spirituality, etc - and given that Sayori is a headmate (basically; another mind sharing my body), I think some of my experiences with her back up my views on spirituality anyway.
One big difference to note in the Monsoon fight... is how when you do very well on the fight, his ending dialogue will change. When you do poorly, he says 'Do as you please.' When you beat his ass hard enough, he screams 'STOP IT!', proving that the best way to refute a nihilist is to kill him with extreme style.
The funniest thing is that Monsoon still has more conviction to his beliefs than most real life nihilists. That’s evidenced by how he doesn’t care as much if Raiden doesn’t do so well fighting him, and it makes sense too because unlike many nihilists Monsoon was forged in the hellish experience of war back in Cambodia
I'm my own master now is the best song in MGR, I don't care what anyone says. Loved your coverage on this topic and for pointing out why Bladewolf and his theme are phenomenal.
I always felt that the music for the bosses had a deeper meaning, but I never stopped to think about what their weapon of choice said about them. This video definitely got me to start thinking more about just the music, I'll tell you that. Also, I'm My Own Master Now.
This game is one of my favorite and it I think it is an absolute masterpiece, the bosses are one the main reasons why I love it so much, as well as the absolute banging sound track.
29:41 A big thing with the boss fights in MGR:R is that you only here the lyrics of the song when your enemy begins to take you seriously, with Samuels case, you have to had specifically target his sword in order to knock it out of his hand, Sam sees this as a cowardly move, and stops taking you seriously.
Okay, I have watched only about a half of this video, but it's AMAZING. I know it's weird (because I have never played this game myself), but I didn't even think there was that much depth to these bosses. This video made me think way more about writing and storytelling. And despite it coming my way during one of my time-wasting episodes, I'm really glad I watched it. It inspired me and hopefully I can use that inspiration to create something on my own.
Always great to see others trying to analyze this game. Even if their findings (and/or focus) are significantly different from my own results. Primarily: nearly every analysis I've seen focuses on the direct story of the game and not any connection to extra-narrative ideas/events; strange, since basically every other Metal Gear Solid game had a great direct story along with metaphorical lines. So I feel like the outcast. P.S. It is so infuriatingly close for the analysis of Metal Wolf's song. The big difference is that the vocal source I found for it isn't Metal Wolf. Nor is it Raiden.
Had my first playthrough of the game on Xbox360 when the game first came out. Revisited it years later, remembered how much I loved the OST and would listen to all the boss fights on repeat a few times every other day. Khasin's theme became my favorite especially because of the "here I stand, dirty and faceless" bit. Then I realized I never actually played the Wolf DLC and the entire time I just kinda gaslit myself into thinking "yeah, this song was always in the game and it's my favorite". God, it's such a good song.
Imagine if there was a mod where it's a two player game mode of Jetstream Sam and Raiden. The game takes part if Sam changed his mind at the last second and decides to fight with Raiden.
I agree with your point that the bosses are usually the high points of a Metal Gear game with Peace Walker being the counter point to the rest of the series, excluding 5 for both its incomplete nature and very different approach, having only two real bosses to speak of. Not to say Peace Walker's mechs were bad, despite the multiplayer focus for balancing on the optional rematches every one could be consistently beaten solo with the right load out and enough skill. Though they weren't what made that game shine. PW shined in having perfected the series traditional gameplay and offering countless bite size missions of high quality that rewarded all kinds of creative approaches. Peace Walker is the traditional MGS gameplay honed to perfection and presented in a package of tons of content. Rising on the other hand is the polar opposite in my eyes. Rising is a damn good game in its own right, but even being part of a genre know for boss fights, Rising might damn well have the most iconic character action bosses outside of Vergil and they all matched him with only one game. Interesting then that both Peace Walker and Rising were at some point both considered to be MGS 5 internally. Iirc Kojima once said that the team considers both games to be the two halves of MGS 5, Peace Walker being the traditional MGS 5 and Rising being the experimental next gen MGS 5. While things didn't stay that way obviously, I think it's pretty neat that when viewed as some weird shared MGS 5, PW And Rising together highlight the best of the series. Peace Walker is the traditional formula honed to perfection and not even needing high budget cinematic to tell an engaging story. Rising is the spectacle, the memes, the political commentary, the self aware stupidity all taken to the extreme and it all comes to a head in the masterful bosses.
I'm my own master now. So now that we got that out of the way, I did a similar study into the messages of MGR:R myself. The music, really spoke to me and while I liked the renesance of the game, it does make me a little sad that so many people aren't really looking deeper into these themes. So, thank you for taking the time try and introduce others to them yourself.
i wonder if Armstrong would side with MCU thanos.the both seem like the have petty close ideologies and don't care about the blood the spill to make "a better world"tm.
I'd say no. Thanos killed at random. No one had a chance to fight and prove they should survive, Thanos stole the chance for them. He denied them the chance to fight for what was theirs, including resources. Armstrong would hate Thanos's idea of killing people just to make life easier and give everyone all the food they want just be being lucky enough to survive. Thanos's mission is very much everything Armstrong would despise. It's the American government handing out food and resources to the poor using money from the strong to do so. It's holding the poor back by not making them scrounge to survive and taking from the strong what they earned with their strength. Thanos's use of the stones would be anathema to Armstrong.
Kinda disappointing thing you didn't pick up on. Armstrong's final boss fight song isn't his. It's Raiden's theme. "I've carved my own path, you followed your wrath." And Armstrong upon his dying breaths, says Raiden carved his own path. Armstrong technically never got his own song, since Collective Conscious represents the things he seeks to destroy and It has to be this Way is Raiden's song.
@@AzureRoxe Nah, Armstrong is who Raiden once was. By the end of the game, Raiden doesn't believe in fighting for ideals anymore, only killing those whose actions threaten to make the world worse. Raiden fully understands that he can't make the world better, that his violence cannot protect the weak It Has To Be This Way is a complete rejection of Armstrong's way of life. Armstrong wishes to use violence to create his own Outer Heaven, to protect those he perceives as strong from what he perceives to be the tyranny of the weak. But violence breeds violence, you cannot create a better, more peaceful world with it, all you can do is destroy the current world, and hope the new life born after your actions is better than the life whose blood fertilized it
2/14/24 - UPDATE: In case you guys are wondering about the audio, this video has been copyright claimed unfairly by so many bad actors who think they own the songs, but can't get the songs' names right. I apologize for this, but in order to keep this video up, I had to mute some of the songs, and I have no doubt in my mind that I'll have to do so again in the future.
Hope you guys enjoy the compilation, It was taken down yesterday by some BS guidelines - some technical errors and some flagged BS, and it’s BS because the other three videos weren’t hit at all.
Give this video some love by leaving a comment and a like - Or a dislike, either work for me. Engagement is engagement.
That literally makes no sense. The only thing i can think of why this happened is the compilation might have been flagged as repetitive content. Then again idk about how the bots work anymore
I was told because of 'violence'
Honestly I loved this compilation regardless of why u had to make it.
Rewatching the Bladewolf section always gives me the strength I need to keep going after I "left" my parents a few months ago.
@@Mangakamen so cartoonishly over exaggerated fake violence is too much for TH-cam nowadays? This website really has went to shit
@vladimirpoopin42 I once got flagged down for sexual content because the thumbnail had a girl with boobs in it (fully clothed)
I love how Sundowner, surrounded by people who go on and on about ideals and philosophy, has a motive that basically boils down to "mo war crimes, mo money." That kind of unrepentant honesty is very refreshing in a Metal Gear antagonist.
also he just loves killing people. Ever since joining the military, he discovered how much fun he had killing people, so he kept on going
Such honesty is only seen in Colonel Volgin. Who while not in for the money wanted to take control of the Soviet Union from Nikita Khrushchev. Who’s leadership Volgin did not approve of
@@TheUncivilizedNationthere is also Armstrong after exelcus
One thing to note about monsoon is that if you play near perfectly, you actually scare monsoon and hear him beg to stop. It shows that despite his apathy, he is indeed human in nature
Yeah, during the final part where you're slashing him apart, he freaks out and begs you not to kill him.
"NO! STOP IT!"
Raiden: Nah
I only learned recently that he would say "do as you please". Every time i beat him, i got the "no, stop it!" But i would say its more because i couldnt beat the bastard until i got perfect at it. Certainly wasnt my skill haha.
@@ZANGELIX1263 that may not be your natural skill but it’s skill none the less, practice makes perfect bro
@@ItchiestBum first time i cubed him into cheese was so satisfying haha. Went and told my Mom 🤣
Man, I'm still honored Sam trusts Raiden with his gaming rig so he can experience what it's like being a REAL Alpha Gamer
Maybe Raiden could truly be based, with his new gaming setup, he might be able to ball on his Windows ‘95 computer.
Even in death, he's on crack...
@@TotallyNotJokerLolz with rgb lighting*
@@Sakhmeov Maybe just this once Sam can lend Raiden his setup so he can learn what it feels like to be a REAL gamer.
@@TotallyNotJokerLolz "You're my little DOGCHAMP."
I think Armstrong’s fight wouldn’t work without Excelsus before it. You’re given no hint that Armstrong is a cyborg. Usually you can tell just by looking at someone, and he looks perfectly normal both the times you see him before the Excelsus fight. The fact that he feels the need to use a Metal Gear to fight Raiden also evidences this, suggesting he’s incapable of fighting him himself. And the Excelsus fight, especially the ending with ripping off its arm, does have a climactic final boss feeling to it.
Keeping all this in mind, when I first played this game, I was expecting Armstrong to come out all afraid and pleading for mercy, or maybe not even come out at all and hide in the cockpit. I was confused when he said his line about not having time for this, and when he did the sumo stomp and powered up, I realized what I was in for. In a way, it adds to his integrity as a person, and to his danger as a villain; even when faced with a man who just destroyed his massive robot, he’s willing and prepared to face him himself.
Could very well be seen as Armstrong testing Raiden, after all he could probably have just punched Excelsus with one punch and destroyed the whole thing (which he does to the section with the cockpit) If Raiden couldn't beat Excelsus then no way In hell could Raiden hope to take on Armstrong, though I'm sure he was confident Raiden could pull It off, he did beat his Winds of Destruction after all
@@TaurusTheCrazyBull Yeah, that’s what I think too. He has money to spare, so losing one giant robot doesn’t mean much. It’s still a nice twist seeing Armstrong power up when you had no idea he’s a cyborg.
p0m00pmmm
I also like that Sam was a machine on the outside, man on the inside while Armstrong was a man on the outside, machine on the inside
It adds to the fake out of originally thinking he is just another politician who uses others to fight their battles for them. Then we see he is actually a man of conviction.
I love how each boss actually resonated with a certain part of Raiden himself:
-Bladewolf: Born to kill, yet always seeks freedom out of this life that was given to him.
-Mistral: Life and passion of a soldier, and a murderer.
-Monsoon: The inability to go against your true nature.
-Sundowner: War is his life, and forever will be.
-Sam: Always trying to do the right thing, no matter how pointless it might be.
-Armstrong: No matter how much blood they soak their hands in, no matter how many bodies they stood upon, in the end, *it has to be this way*, to fight for their beliefs.
Khamsin?
@@GregoryMom not only did he never meet Raiden, he has no real connection to raidens character. He is meant to challenge the character of bladewolf.
Metal Gear Ray: A once formidable enemy now reduced to being prey from a newer, stronger foe. This reflects Raidens initial defeat to the much stronger Sam at the start of the game, forcing him to revitalize and upgrade to a better body.
Personally I see them as:
-Rex: A reflection of Raiden's childhood, killing to survive, purely driven by his instincts
Blade Wolf: A reflection of Raiden's time during MGS2, killing for a master who has enslaved him, while yearning for freedom
-Mistral: A reflection of Raiden's time during MGS4, adrift, without purpose, only to be freed by Snake, his ideals giving Raiden's life meaning, becoming his own, and transforming him into lightning, the rain tranformed
-Monsoon: Just as Monsoon uses his social darwinistic beliefs and violence to justify the atrocities committed against him and wash away his trauma, Raiden uses his belief in protecting the weak to do the same, telling himself that he isn't fighting because he's become unable to reintegrate into society, because he was abusive to himself and others between MGS2 and 4, and likely also between 4 and Rising, but that he's just fighting to protect others.
-Sundowner: With Raiden's belief in protecting the weak shaken, he is faced to confront himself, his own love of violence, and ask himself, "what makes me any different from Sundowner? Do I really fight to help others, or is that just a sick joke I tell myself to justify pretending I'm not a monster?"
-Sam: Raiden finally accepts that he's broken. He cannot return to society. Just as Sam went from one war to the next, so too will Raiden, fighting forever wars to avoid confronting the trauma of their past. Like so many veterans before them, every time they return from war they find society more and more alien. Yet, even here, staring downwards into the abyss of their past, they still cannot find the reason they fight, if they really do only fight for the sake of violence, then why, out of all the wars they could have chosen, did they choose this one?
-Armstrong: A reflection of Raiden's past self, Armstrong is willing to do anything to create the world he believes in, and he's going to drive the world into ruin in the process. In facing the logical extreme of using ideals to justify atrocities made manifest, Raiden's tool of justice is finally shattered, and so too are the last vestiges of his belief in fighting to protect others. Rather, Raiden takes up Sam's blade, and realizes why he and Sam fought Armstrong, not to make the world better, but because if they didn't kill him, he'd destroy the world. As soldiers, all they can do is destroy that which threatens their world, and hope whatever fills the power vacuum left by their actions will be a force for good.
also Khamsin reflects what Blade Wolf is expected to be, an obedient, unquestioning, disposable tool who will uncritically believe anything he's told.
@@thomasbellamy1730 Even so, he represents the typical soldier, who justifies the horrible atrocities they do by using "freedom" and "just following orders". In the end, Raiden actually did something similar, using the "sword of justice" excuse to, in his own words, "keep the Ripper in check while knee-deep in bodies" especially when he knows deep down he ENJOYS killing, just like Mistral.
"Just because Armstrong respects you, doesn't mean he won't go easy on you."
As it should be. If you really respect someone, you go all out regardless. If they are worth your respect, they would be able to meet your expectations when you go against them. To do anything less than your best is the biggest form of disrespect you can show to someone and letting them beat you is the biggest insult towards them.
Isn’t that a double negative?
@@xewii in what way?
@@CptPhilippnes eh it’s nothing don’t worry
@@xewii Yeah the quote is.
"Just because he respects you, that doesn't mean he *wont* go easy on you"
It's a double negative because him respecting you would be the reason for not going easy, but the sentence implies that he goes easy on you despite respecting you.
Sam's design is very interesting when you break it down, the white suit indicating he's a white knight, a wandering hero, with a black sheeth and a red sword to symbolise his brutal methods, making him more of an antihero, but when he looses to Armstrong he's given a black cybernetic arm, a sort of crutch if you think about it, he wasn't strong enough so they gave him a stronger tool rather than make HIM stronger, the arm being black also symbolises how desperado infects him, washing away the vigilante, his mask being a bandana is also a symbol of this, outlaws used bandanas to hide their identities, the mask having the desperado colours indicates how they covered up Sam's identity, muted his beliefs and ideals, also the mask wraps around his head, it makes it looks like a muzzle, symbol of dominance over uncontrollable dogs, which makes me think that's why he has such a close relationship to wolf, maybe he reminds sam of himself, a free spirit, but at some point they're both slaves of desperado
The interesting thing about the DLC is that Sam doesn't really have a lot to say; sure, he is here to slay world marshal, but curiously he doesn't really talk much about ideals at this point, aside from to blade wolf. I didn't think much of it But compared to Raiden, he doesn't seem to have a calling card. Instead, he is somewhat novel about taking down yet another PMC and cites a reason for doing so, but there really doesn't seem to be any personal stake in why he is here. Yet at the top of the tower where he loses his arm, it indicates that he had a reflection and laughed. After all, he came to this fight just slaughtering his way up the preverbal mountain and lost another part of himself, both his arm and his freedom.
Part of why he's so hard on Raiden is that, unlike himself, Raiden has always been super determined and vocal about his ideal of justice, which really rubbed him up the wrong way and made him confront him on an ideological basis, something he had only really done in passing to Bladewolf. Part of what made him surprisingly happy engaging Raiden was that while he hadn't changed Raiden's outlook, he had forced the man to be honest with who he *really* was, something Sam hadn't managed to do before confronting Armstrong, with both a determined goal and self-awareness of who he really was, Raiden was much stronger then he started out his journey. Important when facing Armstrong's wrapped ideology, who hadn't revealed his true self to anyone Raiden had encountered up to that point.
white knights are the worst, they are delusional, disconnected from reality like women
Raiden- see no evil
Sam- speak no evil
Interesting that there's no allusion to "hear no evil" though.
@@jaredwalley5692 I mean, Armstrong doesn't see how ridiculous his logic is, almost as if he doesn't HEAR himself or others talk, he just thinks what he want to think
The only problem with this is that Sam’s loss of muscle memory in his arm when it was cut off and replaced caused him to be weaker than before (he can be disarmed during his bossfight and doesn’t use charge attacks like in the DLC, although that one may not be intentional) with a marginal damage difference.
Fun fact about Sam: he cut off Armstrong’s arm at an angle which caused him to get stabbed, but cut off raiden’s arm straight cause he learned from his mistake
@Sierra 69 Sam didn’t know anything about raiden and probably didn’t want to take that risk
@sierra6993 That's exactly what Armstrong did tho
bone still stab people
@JujuOnTheBeat2 he still didn't know that the nanomachines could make a sliced stump into a sharp edge. He wasn't about to underestimate another opponent
@@Nockgun the arm was cut clean off. Raiden would have to roll up the skin in order for it to be a weapon (he was too busy dealing with Sam and had a slashed eye)
I've listened to The Hot Wind Blowing so many times, and I only just realized that when they say "without a compass the soldier knows no disgrace," they mean a moral compass. Like, as long as a soldier is willing to do what they're told regardless of morality, they'll never know disgrace. Sick
And it uses the Collective Consciousness motif, which seems to signify he's more than willing to let his country control his actions and dictate his morality. As long as he obeys, he's absolved from responsibility.
"L'étranger" is not only a book that fits Mistral's description but also means "The Stranger" which in Mistral's case makes sense as she had to travel around to survive war and fight it.
I will always read L'étranger as a TF2 item for the Spy
i knew it sounded like stranger
@@vivelespatat2670 like, a knife that Spy would have
@@dustorm5012 im pretty sure its a revolver
@@zacharygiles2984 I feel both would be accurate.
The memes are good yes but behind it is a game with real political messages amazing action, and incredible music that has those messages in it
*G I V E W A R A C H A N C E*
It's agitprop
War to end war
Memes are a big part of politics now, even, so many political memes
Do omelettes have mothers?
Armstrong took me at least 30 attempts but every single attempt was worth my frustration. An absolute amazing boss fight and game
You should try him in the Sam DLC... That crap took me almost a damn week of playing my ass off hopped up on immediate post-workout rush and coffee and dextrosol to get down for a full S rank clear...
maybe it's because i was playing on normal, or because i had white armor, but only excelsus gave me trouble. i beat armstrong in one attempt after that
@@Will_-it3mh It’s not hard with all that Nano paste and white armor on normal but sure as hell is on higher difficulties without those crutches
@@Sakhmeov Literally beat the sam dlc first try.
Armstrong as raiden hard :(
Try him in Sam's dlc revengeance mode. Basically a no hit mode.
Fun fact: Raiden isn't actually a thunderbolt. He's named after a Japanese storm god whose name translates roughly to "rain and lightning".
He said that
Then where is Fujin?
@@yaqubebased1961He’s in Mortal Kombat
Danger, water rising.
"I am lightning, the rain transformed."
I love that Armstrong takes off Sam's arm, then asks for a handshake.
That's the only time I think he made a joke
It’s not really a joke, it’s more of him showing that he doesn’t really have a choice
@@nomadichef216 huh....
I hadn't thought of that.
I'm now thinking it might've been pulling double duty. It's funny on the surface, but memorable jokes make a point.
Which is why he laughed
Small detail about Bladewolf: in his attack where he pins Raiden to the ground, after the mini cutscene he says "Does it hurt?". That's the same thing Monsoon says when he does his attack that pins Raiden to the ground and stabs him with his Sai's. Bladewolf copied Monsoon's manerism.
Omg he literally took a meme with him
He was a slave to his memes after all
@@mr.j3rs3yi swear this game has so many details…. 100% a proper metal gear title
Remember what Bladewolf said when you fight against him “A savy warrior uses all of his tools” so therefore Sundowner is using all of his tools at his disposal to win. But yes I’ll admit it he is a coward
Why would Hulk size Sundowner and as warmonger would be afraid of anyone? Especially when he carrying butcher weapons machetes that is designed to get personally close to his opponents to slaughter
@@1God1Fury He is used to fighting weaker enemies, so he uses the weapon that is the most brutal and fun for him. He is not used to fighting someone on Raiden's level.
Indeed. Sundowner really is the definition of a coward. The man literally is in charge of the entire skyscrapers worth of resources, copies of his comrades and put's that all between you and him, then turns up in a super defensive formation with helicopters around him, and basically, the battle is more or less over once his shields are removed? His first appearance really cements it well. He kills two no faces, kidnaps and kills the president, but confronted by Raiden, he doesn't want anything to do with that, throwing his henchman Sam at him instead. This is in contrast to Monsoon and Mistral who confront Raiden directly the first time they personally encounter him. With the exception of Sam, who he sees three times, Sundowner is the only adversary you personally meet more then once.
Perhaps it's not intentional, but I always felt that Sundowner wasn't a warrior but a butcher. Sure, he's a strong guy, but he doesn't confront Raiden with his scissors until he's used up every other option on the cellblock, then just dies 10 seconds later. Which indicates while he does love violence, like a vulture he much prefers objects of opportunity rather then a challenge.
@@lordbiscuitthetossable5352 That’s a really good analysis of Sundowner. He’s not in this to be challenged, he wants slaughter.
@@lordbiscuitthetossable5352 He does have a long history as a soldier in multiple wars and was investigated for war crimes though, so I dont think he was always a coward. He also fights much more aggressively during his 2nd phase, when he realizes that raiden really is a hard nut to crack. He is a man Who uses dirty tricks to win every fight, but I think he sees that as the only way to come out of a battle alive so he can experience the thrill again later. I dont think he is actually a coward, rather in his battle with raiden he really just wanted to make sure that raiden would be dead and he would be alive by the end of it, and he would use everything he had of tools to make sure that happened.
Love seeing the continued love for MGR. The bosses in this game are one of my all time favorites.
the reason I think this game is so memorable and meme worthy is just the fact that you CAN take it seriously. it has serious messages that aren't necessarily undercut by the goofy nature of the game and it's sheer ridiculousness.
As a streamer I watch once said,
"The best kind of cursed is something that's only slightly off. Something you might catch on your peripheral vision".
in this case the serious tones the bosses is why I think the game is just so funny and meme worthy. it just goes with it themes and beliefs and dial it up to 11.
one thing to note on the Japanese theme around of Sundowner, Musashi the most famous Japanese Duelist/samurai was a dual wielder, as is Sundowner. Musashi is known for using any unsavoury tactics available in order to win.
I love how monsoon's music vocals literally start cutting up like how his body can be split apart at will.
The vocals also say that when you open him up, he's still dry inside because he literally has no more bile or blood in his body.
The important thing about "collective consciousnes" is that, it lyrics go really well with"All I want for christmas".
I wonder what it brings to lore
That is a good question.
The canonical reason is because MG EXCELSUS doesn’t have nuclear delivery capability, but has global range Christmas present delivery capabilities
My brain has been rotted by TF2 to the point that, when you mentioned the le'tranger, I couldn't help but think of the spy weapon of the same name.
My brain has been rotted so bad that I my first thought when you said TF2 was the other tf2
@@ibeakeri0648 which tf2? is it a meme? porn?
@@voodoo8913 Tick Tock heavy like a brinks truck
@@voodoo8913Maybe Titanfall 2?
I said exactly that
Also it’s l’etranger
I’m surprised Monsoon doesn’t have many memes despite memes being a big part of his character, and him literally saying that memes are the DNA of the soul
All the memes pointing out how ridiculous his speech about memes sounds is just proving his point.
It’s so crazy to learn the history of the word and how it ties into its modern meaning
There is one where he is a homeless person in Seattle stabbing someone with syringes. Pretty funny one
its incredible a game from 2013 is able to hold up really well and strong for its age, both in visual and story. simply incredible and the mark of a truly goodgame.
Raiden’s character development is brilliant. He is the only openly sociopathic character that you root for.
Don't know where I read this, but is interesting that "has to be this way" is a song we're people either interpret it as either Armstrong theme or Raiden since "collective consensus" is considered Armstrong theme. Really like that.
Well in the lyrics it says
"I've carved my own path
You followed your wrath
But maybe we're both the same"
so as Raiden is the sword wielding one in that fight it would make sense that it is his song as he quite literally carved his path through the enemies, while Armstrong followed his wraith (his "need" to remove the weak that can't defend themselves and have to hide behind others)
@@Just_B0red the song is about sam actually, the proof is the barron wasteland lyric
@@yugiohclips9523 also the fact that the song stops playing when the Muramasa is dropped, and the fact that TOTIKFR ends with "staring downwards from this deadly height and never realizing why I fight" and that IHTBTW starts with "standing here I realize you were just like me trying to make history". Not to mention, it doesn't quite make sense why Raiden would see himself as the same as Armstrong, when Armstrong is fighting for his ideals, whereas Raiden's belief in his ideals were broken when his tool of justice was, and him taking up the Muramasa in anger for the express purpose of killing Armstrong making it pretty explicit that Raiden has grown beyond his past delusions of heroism. To his dying breath, Armstrong wanted to shape the world to his will, whilst Raiden ends the game only concerned with killing those who will make the world worse, leaving the shaping of the world to those who haven't been poisoned by the memes of war.
@@1sdani yes, he realizes he is the same as sam, they started killing in order to achieve "justice", but they find that what they enjoy doing is fight and murder, raiden embraces it in the monsoon boss fight, while sam was always confused on his life choices but the "only things he knows for real" is that he is bloodthirsty
and collective consciousness isnt armstrong's theme, its the them of what raiden thought of armstrong at the moment...."typical politician" before the "i have a dream" speech, armstrong never really got his own theme song representing his own ideals
I'd like to point out that this game's utilization of music to highlight both character motivations and the intended emotions of scenes, with a direct impact on the story overall, by both definition and technicality makes it a musical.
Armstrong is one of those fictional characters that can spark massive amounts of discussion that will have somewhat differing interpretations that will each have good points.... unless someone forgets he was created by Japanese writers in 2012-2013 and not some random American from Fiver post 2016 election.
"The complexity of real time combat with metriod dread."
I'm sorry the footage used always cracks me up as I watch whoever was playing stand still and fire rockets. Maybe you could have used a speed runners clip of shadow complex or a mario instead.
Anyway I'll rewatch this happily.
I think another reason Blade Wolf summoning minions in his fight is a hood design choice is because Enemies are how you heal.
This offers a useful health bar extension you won't get in many other boss fights
Every boss gives you a way to heal
MG Ray: destroy the HEMP Missiles
Blade Wolf: Zandatsu
Mistral: destroy the Tripods
Grad: find the Nanopaste in around room
Monsoon: destroy the vehicles he throws at you
Sundowner: Zandatsu
Samuel: find the Nanopaste
EXCELSUS: Zandatsu the Gekkos
Armstrong: destroy the debris he throws at you
I think something worth mentioning is how much khasim mentions and values "Freedom" and blade wolf doesn't understand that concept at all so that makes his parallel to blade wolf even stronger
It’s well thought out and he knows everything about metal gear
Except how to pronounce khamsin
I'm my own master now! I like these kinds of videos. Villains/bosses are probably one of my favorite things to analyze in games.
Something I'm surprised isn't talked about more is how Excelsus is the perfect representation of everything Armstrong hates, both in the music AND design.
Armstrong despises how people have just become drones, blindly following others and never taking action for themselves. Simply becoming a collective consciousness.
Excelsus reflects this in it's design: An ant. Ants are defined by the fat that besides the queen, they're indistinguishable from other ants. They blindly follow the queen, never thinking for themselves. If the Queen Ant dies, the colony will die, the Ants blindly continuing to do their duties until they die of old age.
I once saw this comment (can't find original comment) on another video and I wanted to share it because it's pretty interesting. It points out how 'human' Sam is compared to the other bosses by how once you defeat him, he just dies. Every other boss before him usually has a Codec Call with Raiden in their dying moments and Armstrong has his entire speech at the end, which clearly makes an impact on Raiden afterwards.
Sam on the other hand silently succumbs to his wounds and since the only cybernetic attachment he has is on his arm, there is no chance of recovery of the mind, leaving nothing. Sure, he still has the little message played from his sword but it feels somewhat hollow, it's a recording from a person who isn't alive anymore.
Even how he dies makes him more 'human' than the rest. Mistral? Made into an ice sculpture. Monsoon? Pounded into a building and learnt the difference between 'un-sliceable' and 'slice-resistant'. Sundowner? Point blank explosion to the back and made into sushi. But Sam? An honorable duel and a simple sword to the chest.
Sorry for putting me entire college thesis into one comment, thought the comment was cool.
Its fine - I've seen a lot longer comments
"You're bat-shit insane!"
Armstrong: surprised Pikachu face.
I love his earnest smile when he's offering the handshake, the way he nods his head like he genuinely believes he could get through to Raiden. It's oddly endearing.
"High optain stealth"
**Blows up an M1 Abrams**
I really love this video. It's so cool to see you talk about something that you love. I'm not into games like this, so it's fascinating to learn more about this franchise through these deep dives.
Also, I just wanted to mention that around the 23 minute mark, two voices overlap and it's hard to understand what's being said.
Glad you enjoyed - and whoops
@@Mangakamen 👍 It happens. ☺
Sundowner not only mimics a Samurai in apperance he also dons a Demon like face on his Body. Red Eyes wide open mouth. He is basically a weep cosplaying as an Oni.
He doesn't have horns though
@@PhantomGato-v- so?
Winds Of Destruction:
Mistral - Not having a reason to fight for until the end
Monsoon - Fighting for the sole reason of keeping nature in balance
Khamsin - Fighting, thinking that he is bringing Freedom
Sam - Not believing in what he is fighting
Sundowner - IM FUCKIN' INVINCIBLE
Hm, interesting, i would like to see more videos like this, will look forward to what else you might come up with.
Ok thanks
Quick random tip for yaal, when khamsin uses his slam and makes rubble or if you use smoke you can go behind him and interact to deal a lotta damage if he doesn’t get alerted
I think that in the airport, Raiden was being the dick. Wolf did the "shake" with the girl because he realizes he looks like a dog and how humans think of dogs and was being both polite and expediant. But at this point in the story he knows that Raiden knows that he's not a dog and doesn't view himself as a dog. How would you react if a friend of yours tried to treat you like a dog? Pretty salty and disrespected is how I would feel
I've always loved this game because of it's themes, mostly and often buried in it's music.
Not only is how the songs mix into combat legendary but the lyrics tell you the thought processes of the person you are fighting.
Each character has a song.
It's deceptive in how deep it is as on the surface it's just another action game with a cool soundtrack but once you delve into it you realise the game was really making some hard hitting points about freedom, about whether you have personal responsibility, about whether you let the past define you or not and even about learning lessons from enemies and those we disagree with.
Armstrong is on face value an absurd final boss that leaves everyone going "wtf is this?"
But after the battle, there's just something about him.He's wrong for what he believes but his beliefs are so strong that he fully embraces who and what he is, takes on all the bad to bring about a future, a better future (in his view)
And when he fails, he passes that torch to Raiden for Raiden to find his own future and attain it without holding back or pretending he's something he's not.
By the end, between bosses like Monsoon, Sam and Armstrong he puts aside the faux facade and accepts he's a killer, he enjoys it but that he'll carve his own future, aiming for a better world.
One song that often overlooked is the credits song.
By the end credits and the credits song, we see Raiden has actually took on some of Armstrongs philosophy, fighting for what he believes in and not letting things get in the way to stop that.
The final song, The War Still Rages within is also a song for us, the players but also Raidens.
Lines like
"Always struggling with the truth
Of the life that might have been"
almost telling us that Raidens ending in MGS4 was make-believe,he did want it but it was never going to work out that way, due to his past traumas and his fighting for "justice" which he lies to himself about in the first half of the game was just a convenient reason to fight.
Raiden's peaceful happy life he hoped he would have fell by the wayside after MGS4 , leading to the events of MGRR.
It's not a happy ending, and even MGRR it's not a happy ending as he is facing up to the truth of "life that might have been" but he does finally accept who he is, even if who he is is partly "Jack the Ripper"
Of course all of the characters are deeply messed up and/or traumatised but there is something about being honest with yourself and admitting you have a monster within, because only then do you have a chance (even if it's slim) that maybe one day you can grow and leave that behind.
The thing I absolutely LOVE about the Armstrong fight is that it completely reflects what the situation is and what the game wants to make the player feel.
1st Phase: Metal Gear
"Oh god its the stereotypical politician with his giant robot, kind of a lame ending to an otherwise good game, theme slaps though"
2nd Phase: Gets out of robot
"wait what the fu-"
*I have a dream intensifies*
"ITS NOT OVER, WAIT WHY IS THIS DEPRESSINGLY RELEVANT"
*Raiden gets absolutely destroyed*
At this point the game throws a massive curveball and semi- makes fun of games that had endings where its all an epic showdown but with hilariously easy mechanics all for the sake of cinematics and then reminds you what game you're playing to skillcheck you p much what you've learned so far, like a proper boss should be. Like the Metal Gear is Armstrong's politician mask while the real man gets out, absorbs the energy from the metal gear to power his nanomachines (Using politics as a weapon to ultimately achieve his dream) just makes me wanna rant more on how much coincidental (or intentional) metaphors you can make on that final boss, and I think thats just the surface.
The fact that out of Armstrong's 200% health, 100% of it is his shirt and I'm all for that.
The fact that sundowner is from alabama makes a bit *TOO* much sense-
Sans banjo on his knee.
wait a second... this just came by me.
assessing from the first music, Raiden already thought like the senator since there was already this Darwinist to him while beating the first metal gear.
If the senator was the first boss to Raiden, he would've agreed to join immediately, sparing the fight of all other bosses and making him extremely weak. both in a physical and psychological sense.
very interesting...
Yeah Armstrong basically points out that Raiden is the same as him but by then Raiden has had some character development
MASSIVE respect to you sir for being the ONLY person ive ever seen analyze Armstrong and actually analyze him and look into his characters and ideals instead of just labeling him as your perception of insert politician here without any explanation (commonly a certain cheeto looking lad) and call it a day.
ooh that transition from Exelcius to Blade Wolf gave me chills, nice job
Do you think that you’ll do any more revengence videos or do you feel you’re satisfied with everything you’ve covered? Cause you’ve done a great job with these and I’ve really enjoyed them
Honestly, as much as I like doing my MGR videos, I feel like I've covered it enough, and might turn my attention to other series - But, you never know.
@@Mangakamen Hollow Knight's many titular characters and bosses have some very complex backgrounds that I have not yet seen explored on a character-focused perspective. Most Hollow Knight character videos I've seen are focused on the lore rather than on the characters themselves, so I think your style would be a breath of fresh air.
And Hollow Knight's community is permanently starved for content anyway, so it'd be a pretty stonks move imo
Maybe I'll give it a shot.
Brilliant video, MK. While I liked and enjoyed MGR back when it came out (even though I hated how short it was), I’ve grown to appreciate the game a bit more over the years. I like to think of it as the video game equivalent of a WASP album, where yes it has allegories and themes, but it never forgets to still be fun. Need to also boot back up my PS3 copy and download the DLCs at some point since I never got around to that previously.
Something I wish more people touched on was the lyric "it's only the cold wind I feel" in Sam's theme. His codename, as stated in the video, is Minuano, a cold wind of his native Brazil. When considering this, the meaning of the lyrics fall much more in line with the themes of identity later in the song: Sam has lost his identity as Samuel Rodriguez, noble warrior of justice. Now, he is only Minuano, the cold wind of Brazil. It's only the cold wind he feels
Came for the memes, stayed for the story and gameplay and my favourite hot Brazilian man and the cyber doggo. Fr I love Sam and Wolf more than I like Raiden. I haven't played the other metal gear games tho so yeah. I do have them and I'm preparing to get into the series. Wish me luck.
Gotta love how a game that looks like its just saying random shit about politics actually manages to make more sense then most games trying to sound political
i saw a comment somewhere that kinda explains this perfectly " They tried to not take it seriously and make it ridiculous that it did a 360 and came from the back"
Excellent analysis of Revengeance, linking it back to the themes of the previous MG games, and deciphering the meaning of the boss fight music. I like how, unlike the Kojima-written MG games, this one doesn't dump exposition onto the players, it lets you draw your own conclusions about what it says.
And the action kicks a lot of ass.
1:17:00 even though not as dynamic but FF14 did something similar in Heavensward during the whole story you only hear a song call dragonsong but its only the instruments but at the final boss you absorb the dragons power and you hear the song again but with lyrics as you finally understand the war on both sides and know the story.
*called
To cut Excelsus some slack, we have to remember that not all cyborg soldiers in MGR are like Raiden and the Winds of Destruction. Their cyborg bodies enhance their physical feats to become great force multipliers in combat, but not to the super crazy extent Raiden and the WoD do, as they would be rare sights and pretty sure their bodies are way too expensive to mass produce, let alone easy to handle for the average soldier, even with extensive VR training
Random thing I noticed about Blade Wolf's music is how it contrasts from the other themes in the game. It's the only song in the game that's not in 4/4 time, instead going for a 3/4 time. Another observation is that both "I'm My Own Master Now" and "Collective Consciousness" both utilize swing beats. Probably a coincidence, but I think it represents the idea that those chasing freedom see mirages that lead to groupthink. And conversely, that there is a point where one must sacrifice their individual freedom to the collective, which in a way is a net gain for you and everyone else. In other words, your right to swing your fist ends at my nose, but in return, you can be assured nobody else will sock you in the nose. And that's what politics should be about. The delicate, shifting balance between individual liberty and social responsibility.
Metal Gear Rising, doing political satire and kickass boss fights far better than the DMC reboot.
Also, my favorite boss fight is Khasim because I really like "The Hot Wind Blowing" as that's a pretty catchy track in a long list of bangers.
Hell, the original Devil May Cry had better themes then DmC! Thought those were focused around family
I’m my own master now!
Dmc doesn't even have much deep meaning to it unlike mgr
Blade wolf just straight up said “not funny, didn’t laugh”
There are no good MGR songs,
*they’re all great.*
One if the only OSTs I listen to all the time.
Bladewolf's is not great it is only good.
@@paleo6829 what about hot wind
@@zacharystevenson2800 hot wind is great
There are no D - C - B - A songs. They all are S - SS - SSS songs.
I enjoy MGRR as both a funny meme game and a genuinely good game with a lot of depth
Also I’m my own master now
So about bosses their themes are only instrumental until they start trying or showing fear or other emotion mistral is a good example because when you get to the near end of her fight that’s when the lyrics start instead of jet stream Sam because his lyrics start almost instantly as the boss starts because he’s willing to throw everything away. Edit: sorry for making this long
Fun fact, Armstrong doesn’t have a theme because of how good his writing is in such a short amount of time. It has to be this way is Raiden’s theme, from the POV of Raiden, and Collective consciousness is MG Excelsus’s theme
What do you mean, It has to be this way is from pov of armstrong, 'ive carved my own path, you followed your wrath' clearly points. Personally I'd give 'the fight goes on', the credit theme to raiden.
The first part I think is from Armstrong but then it turns to raidens pov
@@runelt99 it’s Raiden talking about Sam. Sam and him wanted to dispense the same thing: Justice. They just did it in opposite ways.
@@TheFloodOfPain Why would music talk about Sam in the final battle? Through the entire fight Armstrong was attempting to recruit Raiden like he tried on Sam, he only got through to Raiden on his deathbed, as post battle cutscene shows with raiden quoting armstrong to one of his friends.
@@runelt99 To show that Raiden and Sam were something that Raiden didn’t suspect at all: Alike. They wanted to stop the same person, Sam failed and followed his wrath. Raiden carved his own path by dispensing Justice differently from Sam. It also kind of talks about Raiden admitting Sam was right. There’s no way to avoid the person that Raiden used to be. Raiden tried to avoid that as much as possible. So in the end, it has to be this way. By defeating Armstrong, Raiden sees that new life will be born beneath the bloodstained sand because the world can finally go in peace.
The way how Rhyden just says ”What ?” When Armstrong says ”I have a dream”,
Interestingly blade wolf has 3 renditions of his theme, his first time meeting Sam, fighting riden , and Armstrong where it's a victorious howl of freedom like a wolf
Sundowner: "Christ!"
Raiden: "Nah, that guy can't save you now."
Jesus loves you
Isaiah 41:10
Romans 3:23-24
John 3:16-17
Romans 8:35-39
Luke 23:42-43
Something I really like about the song It Has To Be This Way is the line "The world has turned, so many have burned, but nobody is to blame". That last part feels like it's to say that Armstrong is not *wrong* in what he's doing - neither is Raiden. No-one in the conflict is objectively evil - besides, morality is a very *subjective* thing. It's not a clash of good vs evil; it's a clash of ideals.
Do Armstrong's goals justify his methods? Personally, I would say no. The harm caused is against the basis of my morality being the reduction of total suffering (and increase of happiness) of others. And his ideology is a mix of Anarchism (no more lawyers and bureaucrats = no more state, or at least a very *empty* state), Fascism (the idea that conflict makes people strong is the main idea reiterated throughout The Doctrine Of Fascism - "war alone keys up all human energies to their limit and sets the seal of nobility unto those who have the courage to face it") and Social Darwinism. (...obviously) While I can sympathise with anarchism, I see the others as evil - and all as misguided. *But* my morality is no better nor worse than anyone else's. My ideals are not objectively better or worse than Armstrong's - neither are Raiden's, neither are anyone else's. And I like that the game acknowledges this.
I guess I kinda agree with Monsoon on something; I am a nihilist. I do not believe in objective good or evil, nor purpose. But unlike what he expresses, I view that as "liberating" me to focus on my own subjective morals and purpose. Monsoon looks at the world in the abstract lens that *nothing matters, he's just following the natural course of the memes.* While I look at it more as *what matters most is what is important to me personally.* (In my case, my highest priorities are my girlfriend's values, followed by her wellbeing, followed by *my* life and wellbeing, followed by my moral and political beliefs.) Are those just memes - just a framework? Sure - everything is just a framework...but if that framework works well for me, why wouldn't I use it? Why would I go for such an abstract view like Monsoon has?
One of the best things about Armstrong is that he's honestly 100% correct without this meaning Raiden is wrong. They're both right.
@@FelisImpurrator I'd argue that Monsoon begging for mercy in his fight *doesn't* contradict his worldview. Perhaps he thinks that, on an objective level, everything is just nature...but he can still subjectively value his own life. Plus, his other possible reaction is a lot more indifferent - maybe he doesn't typically fear death, but the "heat of the moment" made him afraid?
As for prioritising my girlfriend's values so highly...it's not necessarily from seeing them as better or worse than my own values - in fact, we seem to agree on pretty much everything. It's more that...I typically prioritise her values and will above her wellbeing out of respect for what she sees as right, and what she wants. While I prioritise her wellbeing above my own because of how strongly I love her, and I prioritise my wellbeing above my values because how can I fulfill my ideals if I don't take care of myself first? (My values are more *important* to me than my wellbeing, but to properly fulfill them requires that I first ensure that I am healthy and motivated enough.)
@@FelisImpurrator True. I suppose the way I'm looking at it, Monsoon's fear doesn't contradict his belief in nihilism ("Nature is just nature; not beautiful, not ugly. The wind blows, the flowers float away...it's simply how things are."), but *does* reveal the "might makes right" part of his beliefs as a defense mechanism.
As for what my values and Sayori's (my girlfriend) values are...that's a very broad question. For one example, our views on morals; we see the basis of moral good as what increases the overall happiness in the world, and moral evil as what increases the overall involuntary suffering in the world. Any action that, for example, only affects the person taking the actions is morally neutral - so we see things like victimless crimes as being fine.
We also value openness with each-other a lot. To me, honesty feels like an essential part of honouring my relationship - which I even value above my life...which has actually *saved* my life, because it's lead to me reaching out to her for support when desperately needed, rather than ending my life at times when I truly wanted to.
And something very important to me is trying to learn and understand as much as I can. Trying to be open-minded towards basically anything. Whether in politics, science, spirituality, etc - and given that Sayori is a headmate (basically; another mind sharing my body), I think some of my experiences with her back up my views on spirituality anyway.
One big difference to note in the Monsoon fight... is how when you do very well on the fight, his ending dialogue will change. When you do poorly, he says 'Do as you please.' When you beat his ass hard enough, he screams 'STOP IT!', proving that the best way to refute a nihilist is to kill him with extreme style.
The funniest thing is that Monsoon still has more conviction to his beliefs than most real life nihilists. That’s evidenced by how he doesn’t care as much if Raiden doesn’t do so well fighting him, and it makes sense too because unlike many nihilists Monsoon was forged in the hellish experience of war back in Cambodia
4:06 "if you could stop headbanging for a few seconds"- No- no I dont think I will
I'm my own master now is the best song in MGR, I don't care what anyone says.
Loved your coverage on this topic and for pointing out why Bladewolf and his theme are phenomenal.
This dude is seriously underrated.
I always felt that the music for the bosses had a deeper meaning, but I never stopped to think about what their weapon of choice said about them. This video definitely got me to start thinking more about just the music, I'll tell you that.
Also, I'm My Own Master Now.
Hearing "Stains of Time" with no music does not feel right
This game is one of my favorite and it I think it is an absolute masterpiece, the bosses are one the main reasons why I love it so much, as well as the absolute banging sound track.
29:41 A big thing with the boss fights in MGR:R is that you only here the lyrics of the song when your enemy begins to take you seriously, with Samuels case, you have to had specifically target his sword in order to knock it out of his hand, Sam sees this as a cowardly move, and stops taking you seriously.
I don’t particularly think this is true, the music stopping for Sam more than likely is related to his relationship with the blade
Okay, I have watched only about a half of this video, but it's AMAZING.
I know it's weird (because I have never played this game myself), but I didn't even think there was that much depth to these bosses.
This video made me think way more about writing and storytelling. And despite it coming my way during one of my time-wasting episodes, I'm really glad I watched it. It inspired me and hopefully I can use that inspiration to create something on my own.
You can do it! You can get inspiration anywhere, and I'm glad you took that from this video.
I wish nothing but the best for you!
@@Mangakamen Thank you.
I'll probably finish this video later, since now I'm kinda... Overwhelmed...
I just noticed that this video is over 9 months old... Definitely wasn't expecting a reply.
I mean, I uploaded today on my channel, so I kinda pay attention to the comments on those days.
Always great to see others trying to analyze this game. Even if their findings (and/or focus) are significantly different from my own results. Primarily: nearly every analysis I've seen focuses on the direct story of the game and not any connection to extra-narrative ideas/events; strange, since basically every other Metal Gear Solid game had a great direct story along with metaphorical lines. So I feel like the outcast.
P.S. It is so infuriatingly close for the analysis of Metal Wolf's song. The big difference is that the vocal source I found for it isn't Metal Wolf. Nor is it Raiden.
Had my first playthrough of the game on Xbox360 when the game first came out. Revisited it years later, remembered how much I loved the OST and would listen to all the boss fights on repeat a few times every other day. Khasin's theme became my favorite especially because of the "here I stand, dirty and faceless" bit. Then I realized I never actually played the Wolf DLC and the entire time I just kinda gaslit myself into thinking "yeah, this song was always in the game and it's my favorite". God, it's such a good song.
You know the gold is , whatever people think mgr is the memes or the deep though game is up to you , you are your master now right？
after watching this video. this is now my favourite videogame of all time
Imagine if there was a mod where it's a two player game mode of Jetstream Sam and Raiden. The game takes part if Sam changed his mind at the last second and decides to fight with Raiden.
Bro not gonna lie this videos like awesome, the whole connection with freedom and stuff that's like so cool you figured that out.
I love MGRR so much
I'm happy your favorite song out of these is I'm my own master now, because I love that song, I want to make an animatic of it in the future.
Fun fact: Excelsus, is not ACTUALLY a metal gear, it was in universe, given the metal gear moniker to boost its popularity.
fun fact: he literally says that in the video
"WAKE UP."
Alarm goes off
And persona 5 uses the prime minister boss battle from revengence
I agree with your point that the bosses are usually the high points of a Metal Gear game with Peace Walker being the counter point to the rest of the series, excluding 5 for both its incomplete nature and very different approach, having only two real bosses to speak of.
Not to say Peace Walker's mechs were bad, despite the multiplayer focus for balancing on the optional rematches every one could be consistently beaten solo with the right load out and enough skill. Though they weren't what made that game shine. PW shined in having perfected the series traditional gameplay and offering countless bite size missions of high quality that rewarded all kinds of creative approaches. Peace Walker is the traditional MGS gameplay honed to perfection and presented in a package of tons of content.
Rising on the other hand is the polar opposite in my eyes. Rising is a damn good game in its own right, but even being part of a genre know for boss fights, Rising might damn well have the most iconic character action bosses outside of Vergil and they all matched him with only one game.
Interesting then that both Peace Walker and Rising were at some point both considered to be MGS 5 internally. Iirc Kojima once said that the team considers both games to be the two halves of MGS 5, Peace Walker being the traditional MGS 5 and Rising being the experimental next gen MGS 5. While things didn't stay that way obviously, I think it's pretty neat that when viewed as some weird shared MGS 5, PW And Rising together highlight the best of the series. Peace Walker is the traditional formula honed to perfection and not even needing high budget cinematic to tell an engaging story. Rising is the spectacle, the memes, the political commentary, the self aware stupidity all taken to the extreme and it all comes to a head in the masterful bosses.
The bat who laughs monsoon
Haha, yeah now I can’t unsee it!
I was listening to this in the background and i was caught holy off guard with "Are you familiar with Big Chungus?" at 39:15
Fr
I'm my own master now.
So now that we got that out of the way,
I did a similar study into the messages of MGR:R myself. The music, really spoke to me and while I liked the renesance of the game, it does make me a little sad that so many people aren't really looking deeper into these themes.
So, thank you for taking the time try and introduce others to them yourself.
The khasmin did bring cosmic bliss to me once, it covered the land in a golden mist, burning my nose in its awe.
Imagine having to reupload a video because the geniuses who make the bots and run the site don’t actually know what they’re doing.
I’ve beaten this game 7 times in 3 days and still can’t get enough
i wonder if Armstrong would side with MCU thanos.the both seem like the have petty close ideologies and don't care about the blood the spill to make "a better world"tm.
I'd say no. Thanos killed at random. No one had a chance to fight and prove they should survive, Thanos stole the chance for them. He denied them the chance to fight for what was theirs, including resources. Armstrong would hate Thanos's idea of killing people just to make life easier and give everyone all the food they want just be being lucky enough to survive. Thanos's mission is very much everything Armstrong would despise. It's the American government handing out food and resources to the poor using money from the strong to do so. It's holding the poor back by not making them scrounge to survive and taking from the strong what they earned with their strength. Thanos's use of the stones would be anathema to Armstrong.
No, Armstrong would point to threats like Thanos as a reason to justify the war economy though
30:02 Sam's CQC style is “Hey Raiden let me show you this cool bug I found” + lord help you when he picks up his sword for the final phase
Kinda disappointing thing you didn't pick up on. Armstrong's final boss fight song isn't his. It's Raiden's theme.
"I've carved my own path, you followed your wrath."
And Armstrong upon his dying breaths, says Raiden carved his own path. Armstrong technically never got his own song, since Collective Conscious represents the things he seeks to destroy and It has to be this Way is Raiden's song.
It's not just Raiden's theme, but also Sam's.
yeah, it Raiden "singing" both songs, funny enough that also means Sam sings Collective Consciousness.
The reason is because it's singing from Raiden's PoV TO Armstrong. It's Armstrong's theme being "sung" by Raiden.
@@AzureRoxe Nah, Armstrong is who Raiden once was. By the end of the game, Raiden doesn't believe in fighting for ideals anymore, only killing those whose actions threaten to make the world worse. Raiden fully understands that he can't make the world better, that his violence cannot protect the weak
It Has To Be This Way is a complete rejection of Armstrong's way of life. Armstrong wishes to use violence to create his own Outer Heaven, to protect those he perceives as strong from what he perceives to be the tyranny of the weak. But violence breeds violence, you cannot create a better, more peaceful world with it, all you can do is destroy the current world, and hope the new life born after your actions is better than the life whose blood fertilized it
Those video even with as many views as it has is still underrated, you are such a good content creator :D