So in the end, Chapter 3 turned out to be almost twice as long as the first two chapters. Not sure if this is how things'll be from now on or if it's an isolated incident. I'm of the mind that a chapter ought to be however long it takes to give it a rounded feel, so contrary to how this paragraph makes it seem, I don't care too much about the length.

Been playing MGS. Not 4, as you might think (I don't have a PS3, nor do I intend to have one anytime in the near future), but rather I bought the recently released essential collection with the original PS1 game and the two PS2 games. I'd played the original a number of times back in the day, so it's not really anything new. It still holds up, though, if you ask me. The graphics are alarmingly low res when you first start playing, but you adjust pretty quick, I'd say. It's actually kind of refreshing to play a more primitive version of Metal Gear Solid games. The game mechanics are bare bones, which is kind of nice to be honest, given that I find more recent iterations are cluttered with gameplay elements that are flashy and interesting, but tend to be only used once or twice in frankly unimaginative ways.

Also there's the story, which yes, has the regular tropes of the codec and in depth cutscenes, but these aren't used to the excess that they are in later installments. Some people might still find that they're too frequent, but I think there's literally a perfect balance in this game. I'm not sure if Kojima had a less spineless editor back then or if he was simply more concise, but plotpoints aren't driven down your throat quite so often or repetitively. And for some strange reason, despite the presence of stealth camouflage, a cybernetic ninja, mind control, a man who can be hit with multiple stinger missiles and still not die, and a giant walking robot that shoots nuclear warheads from its back, the whole presentation just seem a lot more down to earth than later games. It's more believable, somehow, although I can't quite put my finger on why.

Anyway, I've started on MGS2 now, which is renowned as the one that is Kojima's very meta "F-You" to his fans and I can very much see why. The tanker section at the beginning is everything you'd ever want out of a sequel to the PS1 game, but just as things are getting good, the rug is ripped out from underneath you and suddenly we're in Raiden-ville. Population: one girly, whiny loser, a.k.a. you. I'm still having fun with it, though.

Anyway, I made another short animation. This one might give you a better idea of how Burning Soul Tempest works. Enjoy!