A mask concealing compulsions and limits – SJBMCPRS Diagnosis

So now we get to the ‘C’ in SJBMCPRS; what does it stand for? It stands for compulsion and handling compulsive behaviours and actions. Now I’ll admit I’m not a being of rules and guidelines that if I were to break them; it would result simultaneously with being shot in neck with a bullet that severs the carotid artery and leads me to tumble over and bleed to death with Tobin Bell playing the character “Jigsaw” looking over from bedside uttering the words “game over”. No that doesn’t happen; instead I abominate myself a little bit more and might strike myself depending on the severity of my actions and behaviour going against what I wanted to follow. That said I won’t deny there’s a ‘routine’ I tend to follow which at times I am not aware of that I am doing, and other times when I am well aware of what I’m thinking and how I am behaving. Furthermore I am one that is meticulous and have a habit of doubly checking if I’ve done a certain task correctly in my perception or if someone else I know has performed a task appositely.

So what are these compulsive actions and behaviours that I notice? Hmm, let me see know…or rather list just a few that I know I am aware of about myself (drumroll please):

• Washing my hands as thoroughly as I can very often without being so extreme that I have a sterilisation room that makes me unsullied (although I wouldn’t mind such a room or contraption).
• Ensuring that everything electrical is turned off and removed from an electrical point (except the fridge!) when I am leaving for any amount of time because I am all too paranoid about the additional expenses of having anything being left on when its unnecessary.
• Double-checking any calculations numerous times in my mind and sometimes with the calculator app on my Samsung Galaxy S5; especially when it comes to preparing bill payments and shopping.
• Making notes and lists for numerous reasons which may be perceived as untimely and unyielding, such as preparing Christmas 2015 presents as early as the 2^nd of January (2015) after making an unforeseen start (which did happen on that very day in the HMV store in Bournemouth town centre at 12:38).
• Going into too much detail and being incapable of giving a straight answer. This is particularly easy for me as I overwhelm the people I associate with details that yield no purpose to share or point-out other than to unwillingly prove how obsessive I can come across (seriously if you’ve read my posts on the SJBMCPRS Report, or seen some of my fictional writing then you know exactly what I mean).
• Putting other people’s matters before mine even when I know I shouldn’t be doing so.  
• Declare war on the toilet in the bathroom of my flat (which I technically can rent out for a maximum of two (2) years (although there are acceptable exceptions)) whenever the smell and presence of sewage water makes me want to hurl or prove incapable of flushing!
• Being the source of negativity in any given situation and perceiving a given situation that involves me as ‘tainted’ and ‘ruined’ because of my presence.
• Listing my video games, DVDs, books, and food in an ‘appropriate’ order.
• Imagining the perspective of a person/character that is purely fiction and trying my best to ‘please’ or ‘do right’ by them.
• Over react!

That’s just a few that I know of and I’m as certain as an anaconda cannot consume the Eiffel Tower, the vastness of the Grand Canyon and the entire porn and drug industry in one (1) go and still be alive; that there are more that I am not aware of. So is it any surprise that I self-diagnose myself with a degree of OCD? Well yes actually because I’m not a psychiatrist or a doctor in any sense of the word. As it turns out however, it is implied on the session reviews I have with my psychiatrist that I have some degree of OCD as well as high-functioning aspergers (spelling of word may be incorrect), so I must be accurate.

So let’s literate; OCD generally is defined as ‘obsessive compulsive disorder’, and if I were to put myself under a microscope and determine if I reach the criteria for this particular mental disorder, then the answer would be a resounding success that gives people who ought to stay away from the World’s Nemesis even more reason to brick themselves in for their safety! Yes it’s the sign of the apocalypse! Sound the alarms, mug every politician, paint the ceilings of the heavens in pink, put Simon Cowell in a baboon suit and let him drown on the 2017 equivalent of the Titanic along with everyone who has appeared on Channel 5 News who has been stalked by a T-Rex with 964 billion Milky Way bars in its stomach!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, okay! Let’s not lose our heads because the reality is, is that it’s not the end of the world and the nonsense mentioned in the paragraph above is an example of me overreacting and going into too much detail of how to put the world right. …BUT that is a trait of my compulsive mentality. I have a tendency to fly off the handle and pulverise the Teletubbies every time I am antagonised. As for the more realistic compulsions such as washing my hands a lot; it is no secret that I prefer a clean space to inhibit and the same goes for my hands as I generally freak out mentally to myself when the context of another person’s hand (from a hand-shake for example) disrupts the known feeling of my hands.

In short then; I have numerous compulsive traits that define me as the being (of terror known as the World’s Nemesis) that I am. Therefore ‘compulsion’ is among the facets of SJBMCPRS; and for better or worse, this the way it is with me. Whether it be a fabled fact conducted by the baffling mentality of mine or an illusion, the process of diagnosing myself and identifying the numerous facets of my mentality has helped me understand myself better than I ever have.

Has discovering more about myself and sharing these facets of SJBMCPRS and my perception on various posts been a good thing? The answer to the question will be answered after the break.

Narrator: “Have you had enough of watching programs on the television or online or played a video game that you may describe as ‘eye-cancer’ and causes uncensored fury and bleeding of the ears? Are you tired of being disappointed by a form of media that has under-inflated your expectations? Then this is the solution that will put a stop to all of the misery: “Just turn it off”. That’s right; all you need to do is stop watching and interacting with the source of misery and just turn it off and do something else. It’s that straightforward! Do it now and feel better by not giving the source of your misery your precious time and making you worse off. Make more of your day and “Just turn it off””.

Welcome back from the break; the answer to the question depends on the perception of the person thinking about this. One (1) might perceive this like the unpeeling of an onion; the more and more of that onion that represents my mentality is peeled away, the more the scent of the onion causes tears to emerge. Like the unpleasant scent of an onion; the contents of these posts contain parts of unpleasant real life notions and circumstances that may hit closer to home for those reading.

For me expressing myself honestly here, it’s far from sobering/comforting having to come to the terms of how aspects of my being has not only lasting effects on my future but also the people I associate with such as family and friends. One (1) of the contributing reasons behind the creation of the SJBMCPRS Report is to inform the people I associate with about the traits that define me that I do not find easy talk about openly in front of them. And yet I owe it to these people because they see me as someone that I’m not and therefore the revealing of these traits are meant to inform these people of the person behind the mask that is worn to make it seem like I fit in and I have no problem with dealing with reality and being out in the open. By peeling away the layers of the onion that symbolises my mentality and uploading posts containing the true nature of mine; I am offering a perception of someone who underneath that mask doesn’t like socialising, feels intimidated and bitter about the world and its inhabitants, despises himself more than anything, and goes about his way as a means to take control of his life, getting along satisfactory and braving the so-called ‘impossible’ which has no real world definition but remains unobtainable to limits.

An example of mine where I attempted to get along while dealing with my nature such as compulsions was when I was working in the Asda café in Weymouth. The target of being ‘decent’ by my criteria and the member of staff I was employed to be was the so-called ‘impossible’. In reality there was nothing ‘impossible’ about the role I was meant to play among the team of staff there; I can wash up, I can cook and prep food such as scrambled eggs for the next morning shift, I can close down the café when work on that day was finished, I can retrieve and stock foods and products, I can wash tables, chairs and make the café presentable, and I can assist the public when required. However the limits of my ability meant that while I did all those tasks and battled with my unsuitable mentality for as long and as best I could, I couldn’t perform the duties and supress my struggles to the calibre desired, and the more I pushed myself towards my limits, the less and less I could cope. And instead of performing a ‘Limit-break” like the playable characters in the Final Fantasy main instalments, I reached my breaking-point and if I had pushed further, I would’ve snapped and been unable to contain myself.

Here’s the bottom line to people in general: “I can’t stand you”. I simply lost count of how many days I was performing with the mask on; knowing that the facets of my mentality were lining themselves together to shatter that mask and do the kind of things that I silently (and devilishly) relished in my mind.       

While the inappropriate time working for the Asda café in Weymouth has passed and I’ve taken myself out of the equation where I can zone-out and recuperate, I know what my limits are and how they can be breached once again. By understanding myself better and knowing what my limits are; I can be more accepting of what’s within my capabilities and what isn’t. I can manage the facets of my mentality when they are screaming from behind the mask, I can easily live with my traits such as compulsions, yearning to traverse into nothingness, while being paranoid. I can and will fly with broken wings, but once the mask has come off and my limits have been conquered; the World’s Nemesis will want to ignite and lay waste to whatever is deemed an obstacle. This isn’t intended to be a threat; it is simply the way it is.

To evade this is simple; I must avoid situations where inappropriate and the triggers that can cause me mental complications. Its straightforward logic and its one (1) I have adapted to over the years, alas it’s not always easy to maintain my cool and stay behind the mask which is used for everyone’s’ benefit. As bad as this sounds, there is a comforting thought at that is that at least I don’t pull any punches (in other words I’m being (brutally) honest about all this).

So there it is, the ‘C’ in SJBMCPRS has been unveiled, which means all the facets have been revealed. Whether these posts are of any use to readers or not, my posts are available to be read; just as long as it is understood that the writing on the SJBMCPRS Report are based on my honest opinion and shouldn’t be taken as fact. With that said, this concludes this post on the SJBMCPRS Report, and until next time; see ya!

Birthdays, more nostalgia and The Phantom Pain – SJBMCPRS Diagnosis

First off; my sincere apologies for the lateness of a new post on the SJBMCPRS Report, it’s not that I didn’t want to write/type up a new post. The reality is, is that while it would easy to share how volcano-erupting infuriated I can get when it’s the summer season, the weather is hot, sunny and there are far too many people about; that’s all my posts would contain and sometimes I’m too antagonised to create a post. So my method for stalling on this post was to wait until I had more to express and therefore more material for this long-awaited post. So; with this explained, it’s about time to talk about my recent experiences with nostalgia.

As it stands on the day of this post being uploaded (8^th of September 2015), it is one (1) day after the 7^th of September and I have turned twenty-six (26) years old. I am 365 days older then I was when it was the 7^th of September in 2014 and therefore 365 grains of sand in the hourglass of my life has passed on (picture a single grain of sand is the equivalent to a day and an hourglass represents life, then you should understand the reference if it wasn’t immeadiately clear). In other words I draw closer to my inevitable demise and that are what a ‘birthday’ to me represents, a milestone as it were to indicate the uncertain course and length that is my life. Grim thinking isn’t it? Alas that’s the scope of my perception when it comes to my birthday; gone are the days when a ‘birthday’ meant something exciting and more innocent much like Christmas and childhood (and trust me, my childhood was far more negative than it was positive). A time besides Christmas where one asks for or expects a particular present or money; is nowadays replaced where the money obtained on a ‘birthday’ is put straight into a bank account to pay for bills, rent and shopping requirements such as food and drink. Now it’s not all negative, it’s just that I’ve reached a point where the ‘magic’ and ‘wonderment’ that used to be associated with ‘birthdays’ and so on is replaced with ‘maturity’ and ‘responsibility’.

Admittedly I reached that point several years ago, but as the ‘birthdays’ come and go with each year, the more aware I became that I enjoy the ‘company’ of friends, family and people in general less and less because on a day that is supposed to be enjoyed and cherished; my perception is that its “another day that involves expenses” and I don’t care for when its “my day” or about myself in general. Therefore it’s really tedious and personally irritating when people wish me a “happy birthday” and give me a card, their best wishes and presents because I am mentally beyond the notion which seems childish (but not entirely meaningless) to me and part of me expects those people in my life to understand this due to the fact that the friends and family I have are wiser about life as well and may have a more logical approach to expenses.  I’m not saying don’t do it because if you really, really want to then that’s your decision and that’s acceptable. What I’m implying is don’t serenade me about “oh but it’s your birthday” or “it’s Christmas”, because to me it’s just another day and when you spend the money and effort on me, I will be thankful and grateful but at the same time its expenses both mentally and financially that are used up (wastefully in my opinion) on someone insignificant like me and therefore I perceive it as a negative. I’m completely fine on spending the time, mentality and financial expenses on the other people in my life when it comes to they’re ‘birthdays’ and Christmas because they’re lives are more significant and meaningful than mine. I am the ‘beast without beauty’ or the World’s nemesis after all so it would be better if this was accepted by friends and family and we move on.

And as I move on along the uncertain path that is not just my life but the perception of life in a nutshell; there is something that comes apparent with age besides the expected such as body disintegration. That certain something is nostalgia, and it’s been something I have perceived in different ways a lot since coming to terms with my independent living as it were. I may have referred to nostalgia in previous posts but bear with me. During the unbearable time known as the summer holidays where everybody comes out in the sunshine and therefore obscure my direction and path; I have been turning to the one (1) thing that I have been turning to for most of my life (so far) when I need some stress relief and amusement that won’t slow me down with technical issues (like my laptop) and that video games and consoles. Now like anyone I have certain nostalgic memories which I can rely upon with the perception that if utilised again would bring back pleasantness today just like back when I was younger where the nostalgia is. So what I did was get a PlayStation 2 console and brought (cheaply) the games I liked the most back then such as Tekken 5, Robot Wars Arenas of Destruction, Destruction Derby 2 (PS1 game), Dino Crisis (PS1 game) and Vampire Night.

This is where my perception different in regards to certain games and its significance on me back then and now. I am not going to lie and say “the graphics hold up well” and that I can overlook certain aspects because the reality is I have experienced more as I grew older and with that I’ve become more aware of things. The games have for the most part aged badly and the experience is not on par nowadays with the experiences I had years before. But while graphics, presentation, and controls haven’t changed (and they won’t change) and therefore acceptable given that these were products of their time; I on the other hand have changed and the perception of something back then is different to what it is now.

For example; I loved watching Robot Wars when I was younger and my passion for it led me to create models out of K’NEX and host my own championship tournaments with the models I made complete with sharp pieces of metal and elastic bands against the official toys of the robots seen on the TV series. My favourite robot was Mortis because it was different from other robots at the time with its tank tracks and formidable axe weaponry which in the early days really stood out against the robots with spikes as weapons. I liked the robot Panic Attack and grew to respect the honesty of its driver Kim Davis. I also liked Wheely Big Cheese, Wild Thing, Behemoth and Pussycat (especially the bout where Pussycat wrecked Razer), and naturally as a fan of Robot Wars; I owned and played various video game adaptations (the Xbox version ‘Robot Wars Extreme Destruction’ is the one (1) I thought was the best that I played). But now those days are gone and so too has the TV series I grew up with. Even though I can still watch episodes on Sky TV and on the internet, it is simply better to have known it back then when I was younger when all the things known about it was from watching it, as opposed to watching now when I know far more about what was going on behind the scenes, controversies and the ‘politics’ that went on. Back then when I was watching the second (2^nd) wars; I never questioned why Mortis was seeded no.2 when it didn’t get past the heat final of the first (1^st) war, but nowadays I question it because it doesn’t make sense when there were clearly other robots that did better in the tournament. It’s because of the robot was favoured so strongly to win the second (2^nd) wars that it was seeded no.2 and allowed to get away with happenstances that other roboteers couldn’t such as the team behind the robot Napalm which was downright unfair. While there are numerous other instances that help ruin Robot Wars for me, it was the hateful decision to allow the robot Tornado to compete for the championship in the sixth (6^th) wars against Razer with a blatantly unfair and deliberate ‘attachment’ that ensured Tornado would win. The final straw for me was with the nature the seventh (7^th) wars was presented with constant breaks for TV adverts and the way Craig Charles became repetitive when he was far more energetic and amusing in earlier wars. That said I didn’t mind the performance and ‘lack of knowledge’ of Jayne Middlemiss as the pit reporter and actually liked her in that position and making the most of what was a bad situation with Robot Wars being picked up by Channel 5 and everything that resulted because of it (I also think it’s unfair to point blame at her because she wasn’t Philippa Forrester and that’s where some of the nostalgia for other fans of Robot Wars was). The fact is Robot Wars and what it meant to me earlier on in my life is ruined and it’s an entity I cannot look back with pleasant nostalgia.

As for the PlayStation 2 game: Robot Wars Arenas of Destruction; I can very easily ignore what ‘fun’ memories I had back then and label the game as a “complete load of horrible s*** being forcefully poured into my mouth as if it were the beer that was used to kill people in the “Heavy Boots” episode of Ripper Street season three (3) mixed with liquidised piss from the developers who made this rushed ton of trash of a video game!!!!” Honestly look at it and experience it today and one can compare it to the rushed and broken games of today like Assassins Creed Unity when it was released.

Something real quick to add whilst talking about nostalgia; I remember when I was far younger (six (6) years old at the time)watching DuckTales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp, and recounting memories I have of particular parts that stuck out the most from watching back then prompted me to watch the movie again on Netflix a weeks ago. Honestly at the end of it all I could say is “meh…”. I remember thinking it had a much more epic feel and better music and sound effects when I was younger hence why parts like when Merlock transforms the Money Bin into his fortress in the sky stuck out vividly. Having re-seen the movie I find myself asking “why did those moments stick with me?” The answer wasn’t conclusive but it’s clear that I remember it meaning more to me back then as opposed to now because back then it was something ‘new’ and something that I hadn’t seen. I suppose after a couple of years’ time (if I make it that is) I won’t have the same kind of experience I have now of the frightening acceleration and the game-changing puddles experienced in playing the Forza Motorsport 6 demo…

Not everything however I got for the PlayStation 2 due to nostalgic significance is terrible today; Tekken 5 is perhaps the best example I have because while it’s not as fast-paced as later instalments of the Tekken series, it is still my third (3^rd) favourite Tekken game behind Tekken 2 and my favourite Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

I will say that Dino Crisis is still a great game despite it not scaring me like it did when I was younger and its apparent flaws that are more noticeable with hindsight that weren’t as clear to me back then. I bring up Dino Crisis in particular because now that Capcom developers have FINALLY realised the potential revenue of bringing older games back under so-called “remastering” efforts and are putting the ‘remastering’ effect to Resident Evil Zero (0), as well as announcing a Resident Evil 2 ‘Remake’, there may yet be potential for the Dino Crisis series to be revived sometime in the future.

Crazy thought: now that Hideo Kojima is ‘supposedly’ finished with the Metal Gear series and ‘done and split’ from Konami, wouldn’t it be interesting to imagine what could be if the cancelled efforts of Silent Hills went on to producing a remake of the original Dino Crisis?

…But as I implied with the paragraph about Robot Wars earlier; not all nostalgia or reinterpretations of something already established is good. Sometimes when something is interpreted differently from what fans loved and remember nostalgically, there is going to a form of backlash. The general fact in everything whether is video games, TV, cars, books and so on, is that you can’t please everyone and therefore there is always going to be a percentage that doesn’t like a new interpretation of something that exists. Movies are the most obvious form that comes to mind where there are different interpretations of something that’s already been done.  An example of a person’s re-interpretation is involved in an episode of CSI season nine (9) “A Space Oddity” that features a ‘reboot’ (which is another term meaning a different interpretation) of a fictional program known as Astro Quest which is ‘universally’ panned and dismissed by the fans attending the show (yes it is a fictional ‘reboot’ of a fictional TV show in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation which is a fictional TV programme, but it nevertheless an example to back this point in this post). A film about King Kong was done in 1933 and since then the titular character ‘King Kong’ has been featured into two (2) remakes; in 1976 and the most recent remake in 2005. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has had numerous different interpretations both in TV and movies with perhaps the most well-known recent interpretation or version being the 2014 film produced by (among others) Michael Bay. Regardless of whether the re-interpretations or remakes of products i.e. movies are loved or panned, there generally tends to be something different with each version or interpretation of something that already exists i.e. the use of CG (Computer Graphics) in ‘modern’ versions and interpretations.  

The point I’m trying to demonstrate is that there numerous (countless even) versions and interpretations of products such as movies and video games and so on which people and fans (more so) will remember and therefore into consideration when something new based on the said already made product comes out. Furthermore this isn’t a fad that will someday go away; this practise of having different or more modern variations of something that already exists has been a consistent through evolution throughout life, and while not everything will be remade or reinterpreted or passed on to future generations, there will be more and more versions and interpretations of something that exists. Heck it wouldn’t surprise me if in the future there is yet another interpretation of the Star Wars films on the same scale as episodes one (1) to seven (7) …or twenty (20) …or one-hundred (100) or whatever how many films of Star Wars there are (I’m not a fan nor have I watched a single film or any TV based interpretation so I wouldn’t know how many Star Wars related media products there are currently).

So if this is a well-documented fact both in life and the forms of media that we have access to, why is there backlash when fans in particular go against something that differs from expectations or something that exists? I mean people (at all) accept the existence of the fourth (4^th) season of Batman: The Animated Series despite the apparently less than stellar and ‘lazier’ character models for the likes of Batman himself and the cartoonish Joker, and terrible films like Scary Movie V (5) still made it to theatres and got a home media release; so why do people and fans (more so) hate certain things so much that it becomes so vocal? Technically I’ve already answered my own question here with what I mentioned in this post about nostalgia. People who have a passion for something will feel different from other people about certain aspects; for example, fans of Devil May Cry in general hated the ‘new Dante’ in Ninja Theory’s ‘reboot’ entitled: DMC Devil May Cry because what they saw early on in trailers and read was ‘radically’ different from the Dante in previous Devil May Cry games. I for one didn’t like what I was seeing and reading about this new Devil May Cry game either until it came clear later on that a reboot doesn’t necessarily mean it is to be featured in the same story arc of the previous Devil May Cry games. While it CAN be argued that DMC Devil May Cry is canon and serves as a prequel to Devil May Cry 3, I generally perceive the ‘controversial’ game as its own story that relates to the characters and settings of previous Devil May Cry games but differs somewhat like how Dante and Mundus meet is different from the original Devil May Cry. Once I accepted this, I wasn’t mad anymore, and after I waited a while for it to become financially accessible, I found that the game was awesome.

So if this example can work itself out (though I assume there are still haters out there) and demonstrate that the Devil May Cry property was in safe hands with Ninja Theory developing the said ‘controversial’ game; why are fans still falling for the same inevitable blunder of judging a book by its cover as it were when it comes to the eventual remake of Final Fantasy VII (seven)? When this was announced at the 2015 E3, the general reaction was positive and undoubtedly meant to Sony that a lot of keen eyes and potential future buyers of the PlayStation 4 console (which for their part is good business). And yet those same people who relished on the news of a remake turned hostile when it was announced that the battle system may be different from that of the original PS1 Final Fantasy VII (7). Why? Why are these people jumping the gun?

Is there going to be a similar reaction when trailers and further details are revealed about the Resident Evil 2 remake? My guess is “probably”, but what amazes me is that while there have been ‘bad’ follow-ups, reinterpretations and so on in things people have a passion for (i.e. Dino Crisis 3, Transporter 2, Devil May Cry 2 and so on), there are good variations out there but because of certain aspects not fulfilling the ‘requirements’ of some fans and so on means there is premature backlash made by these people who have YET to sample the finished product. Now while this isn’t anything new or in hindsight too much of an inconvenience to developers and publishers and businesses behind the specific media implied above if some people don’t like something and won’t invest, it is a more significant problem in theory when you take something that people love and reinterpret or remake the said product in such a way that those people don’t like and gets panned because the principal of making money on a remake or different interpretation is based on those people who are invested already for nostalgic reasons going through with the purchase of said new version.

In other words in order for Square Enix, Sony and whoever else is involved in the development of the Final Fantasy VII (seven) remake to make enough financial returns; the remake HAS TO satisfy the people and fans of all sorts so that they will buy the game (and undoubtedly the action figures, music and other merchandise associated). Without question the green light was given to a remake because, a lot of people wanted it to happen, nostalgia sells and it will make a lot of financial sense and potentially a huge boost in earnings and customer loyalty. If these companies alienate their fan base and people that will pre-order the game to the point that they don’t care, then that’s the key market for the game gone and subsequently the returns won’t be as good if not more crippling then beneficial.    

Now I should perhaps take a step back here before I am labelled a hypocrite because there would have been things past, present and future that I won’t and will not like something because it doesn’t do a certain ‘requirement’ ideally. Would I buy the next instalment in the Metal Gear series (if that is going to be a thing) if it is exclusively available only on mobile platforms? I doubt it, and that’s the very thing all people must take into consideration…

If something doesn’t seem like it’s worth your time and investment then don’t invest in it. Just because something doesn’t work for you, doesn’t mean it won’t work for others.  And if something nostalgic based like the Final Fantasy VII (seven) remake doesn’t appeal to you as hoped, there’s always the original or other video games out there. The same can be applied for other forms of media and life itself.

Finally there is the biggest gaming story to come out for quite some time which may have underlying effects for the people involved. Metal Gear Solid V (5): The Phantom Pain was released on the first (1^st) of September 2015 and without a doubt it is a real gem of a game. Now I have my copy on the Xbox One and I am very satisfied thus far; but I have not yet completed it like I would’ve had this been 2003 and I had Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty upon the day of getting it. The reasons are because The Phantom Pain is far larger in scope then Sons of Liberty, servers issues mean I STILL can’t transfer data from Ground Zeros to The Phantom Pain (which alas is to be expected in this day and age where video games are hastily released incomplete and patched later), and lastly because I want to savour the experience. Is it perfect? Nope, if I were giving an IGN-like review summary I would say:

“MGSV:TTP is the best possible gaming experience in the series’ history and a truly noble way to bow out with grace. Yet unfortunately like the rough diamond collected in the game, the one or two faults prevent this from being the perfect diamond it was destined to be, 8.9/10”

For a game heralded as a masterpiece, it might be peculiar that I don’t agree. My main gripe is the server issues and inability to connect online on all platforms from day one (1). Now while that as I mentioned above to be expected as such in this era of video games, I can’t forgive any game that is incomplete at launch. I know it’s a hopeless cause to rally developers to 100% their games and thoroughly test games for bugs, glitches, slow down, performance drop and so on when these companies need to turn a profit; but it doesn’t mean I as an investor should grudgingly accept an imperfect product especially when it was possible to do so years ago with the likes of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Now while online gaming is not my preference, it should be noted that gamers panned Halo: The Master Chief Collection for having online difficulties at launch as well so in all fairness I fault The Phantom Pain for the same reason. Now it could be that by the time I play The Phantom Pain again; I will be at last able to go online, connect to servers and transfer data from Ground Zeros, but as of the sixth (6^th) of September 2015, that has not been possible.          

Other faults include noticeable slowdown and screen tearing when there is too much happening on screen such as during sandstorms with multiple enemies about and during the chases from the Skulls/Parasite Unit. Now while these faults aren’t surprising given there is just too much going on, it goes to show that the developers were being ambitious and pushing the hardware of consoles to the limits. Perhaps that’s only experienced on the Xbox One side and I’m certain future patches will help remedy the faults. Lastly this is a personal preference but the non-linear approach and insistence of having credits roll for every main mission is a little jarring. This is perhaps nit-picking on my end and it’s probably unwise to compare two (2) different games, but if a game known as Final Fantasy X-2 originally released in 2003-04 can pull of in my opinion a better transition to non-linear style gameplay then I have to wonder why it hasn’t been bested by a game that is a decade later.  Faults and nit-picking aside though, MGSV: TPP is an awesome game.

But let’s be honest here, it’s not Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain that people are watching with debated breaths not sure what’s going to happen. The Kojima/Konami matter had somewhat overshadowed The Phantom Pain prior to its launch, and now that The Phantom Pain is released, fans and gamers alike going to be waiting eagerly as to what becomes of Hideo Kojima and Konami now that the business relationship is assumingly  over. How will Konami function on its path of seemingly creating mobile gaming or win back consumer confidence following the events such as the cancelation of Silent Hills and stories that cast Konami is a gloomy light? What will be Hideo Kojima’s next move be? Do I believe Hideo Kojima is finished with the Metal Gear series? I think so, however I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Konami requested Kojima’s assistance or involvement in another Konami game whether it be a new Metal Gear game or another game entirely. The working of Hideo Kojima and his development team have done a lot of good for Konami and undoubtedly a lot of keen eyes waiting eagerly for Konami’s next development. Now that the business relationships is at an end, keen eyes are still watching Konami but not for its next development because without the key people who created the Metal Gear and Castlevania series’; Konami is effectively firing cannons into its own ship and now its sink or swim for Konami and that’s what the keen eyes are waiting to see.

Okay, this wraps up this post on the SJBMCPRS Report. If there are any thoughts you wish to express then by all means feel free to do so. Please remember that is based purely on my perception and therefore cannot be taken as official. Until next time, see ya!