Well-animated retelling of Metal Gear

[Master Mi]

Normally, I'm not so keen on fan-made projects when it comes to retelling complex Japanese video game stories.

But this one really packs a punch:
 

It retells the story of the very first Metal Gear game for the NES in a very detailed and faithful way, apparently also containing a lot of information that was only mentioned in subsequent Metal Gear parts and turned the Metal Gear universe into a dense plot full of twists and turns.

The drawings here are also really on a first-class level (there are also some animations as well), so that you could almost believe that Hideo Kojima himself was involved in the project and had also written the script for the latest part of a "Metal Gear (Solid): Digital Graphic Novel".

The only thing that tarnishes the professional and passionate realization of the project are a few minor grammatical errors in the subtitles, which, however, do not cause any real problems in understanding the plot.

On the other hand, the extremely credible narrator role and really matching voices of the dubbing actors as well as the many atmospheric soundtracks, which apparently consist in part of original soundtracks from the Metal Gear universe as well as extremely successful arrangements (even the captivating intro with the ambient Metal Gear Solid Main Theme should give connoisseurs of the Metal Gear series goosebumps), really bring out the best in this retelling project.

And it looks like the creator or creators behind the project are also working on other retellings of subsequent Metal Gear parts (or other projects such as a retelling of the story of Final Fantasy 8):

https://www.youtube.com/@TheLoresmith

...

I'm almost surprised that Konami and Hideo Kojima haven't yet made any major and solid announcements about making a really epic movie of the Metal Gear series (preferably animated) or perhaps even bringing it to cinemas worldwide in several parts.

And before they dare to make a completely new Metal Gear game, I would also be very happy about a sophisticated next-gen remake of the first two (official) Metal Gear games for the NES and MSX2.

Edited December 16, 2024 by Master Mi

[Ramaniscence]

This is what appears to be almost entirely AI. There are a lot of typical tells regarding awkward animations and weird hand stuff (not to mention that the neural network voiceover is trying its best, but it's still pretty obvious). 

However, it's some of the best AI I have seen yet. The artwork is primarily consistent; most hands are delicate unless gripping something. This makes me feel several ways. On the one hand, it's pretty well done, and I'm confident it wouldn't exist at all without an individual user and some AI assistance unless you had some really, really talented artists working overtime. On the other hand, this only exists because of straight-up stolen art. They're still monetizing someone else's work. An argument could be made that it's not too dissimilar to machinima using the original models of a game, but generally, those game students consent to that. No one can consent to this.

I don't know...I want to like it because it is an excellent lore recap, but at the same time, I always feel dirty with this AI stuff...