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Bad news for those of you trying to get out of work this week to play The Phantom Pain… BAS possesses the ultimate cheat code: they can write themselves an SIQ chit.
If you’ve been with me this long, you probably already know that I’m a huge Metal Gear Solid fan. I mean, there’s video games, and then there’s Metal Gear fucking Solid. Today is the release of the 5th official entry in the series, The Phantom Pain. Perhaps what pains me the most at the moment is that I don’t think I’ll have time to actually play it right now.
Last week I announced the release date of The White Donkey, and there’s still a whole lot of work to do if that’s going to happen. So much so, I’m definitely not going to have the time I want to pour into Kojima’s newest masterpiece. It sucks, but hey, it’ll still be there in a few months. I was hoping to do a comprehensive review of the game for Terminal Lance, but I might just have to sideline it for the time being.
But simply put, Metal Gear Solid has been a huge part of my life since the first game came out back in 1998 on PlayStation. Not only has the series’ art director Yoji Shinkawa been my biggest artistic influence throughout my life, but Kojima’s writing and directing have impacted my own work just as well. If you’re familiar with the series, you’ll probably notice nuances of Metal Gear Solid throughout even something like The White Donkey–from the vague but curiously blunt title to the surrealist elements throughout–it’s no secret that I’m a huge Metal Gear Solid fan.
I want to remind folks that I read all of your messages and emails, even if I don’t respond. As for the book specifically, to answer the most common question: Yes, it will be available to purchase online if you did not back the Kickstarter. For backers reading this, please just hang tight for a bit and I will update you guys specifically on what happens next.
If I’ve been quiet lately, it’s simply because I’ve been doubling my workload trying to meet my goal for release. I’m still alive and well. I’ve stayed quiet about the book because, honestly, it stresses me out to talk about it. It’s the kind of thing that has taken so long, gone so much longer than I wanted, and drained me physically and emotionally that I am going to be admittedly happy to be done with it. I have a lot of plans, and this book wasn’t supposed to take this long.
If you picked up The Phantom Pain today, please don’t send me any spoilers, or I will phantom pain you in the balls with my foot.
If you’re reading this and you don’t play video games and you’re going to post some stupid comment like “man TL totally going downhill no one cares about Metal Gear TL sucks now omg,” I implore you to go fuck yourself. I think the first time I ever read a “TL used to be good, going downhill, etc” comment was back in 2010. Yeah, good call, random internet douche.
Here’s a badass trailer.
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