Was the "S3 Plan" MGS2 Itself?

[@Jose-se9pu]

This game was written in 1999. Never forget that part.

[@swirling0panda]

And 20 years later it is still remembered as the truest of memes.

[@БогданКрименюк]

@@swirling0panda MEMES JACK

[@nopehere3467]

He isn't wrong there

[@unknownartist0101]

Killer stuff were written since 1900, apparently in 1999 was already enough time for a new medium to catch up to philosophical weight that was mostly debated in philosophy, political and social thought. For example music and films were already contributing for years

[@Silenthilltoo]

pre-9/11.........that's important

[@harrisonmckinney7659]

In my opinion this is the greatest game ever written. I could talk about it all day but I know literally nobody that would do that lol. I’m so glad you make these videos about MGS2!

[@sytran666]

Mgs2 = goat

[@NotASpyPootis]

i would.

[@DEVeloper_ACE]

Lmao same

[@John_shepard]

Took a long time for many to realize it, myself included. I compare it to the book 1984

[@jb111082]

I can sing this game's praises literally forever!

[@RossOfRoni]

Re: the meta-ludo-narrative: I believe you are correct, that MGS was conceived explicitly as this type of game. The way Twin Peaks operates as a kind of distillation (filter) of the metanarrative of TV, MGS operates as a filter of the metanarrative of games.

[@DeuceClubs]

I've never been to Twin Peaks. People tell me the wings are good.

[@frijolescolados]

@@DeuceClubsthe thighs are better.

[@ScottGarcian]

What you said around 26:55 about the Patriots AI being an interpretation of the dead Patriots' Will really clicked for me, as the entire series is predicated on the Will's of Big Boss and Zero interpretating the Will of The Boss. It's like a beautiful dance of interwoven symmetry. I love Metal Gear *feels good man*

[@ScottGarcian]

Btw: What an ending!!

[@AlexandeRSciswoR]

Yep, and people say that the Patriots twist was bad, it obviously made it x100000 better.

[@Americansikkunt]

Well, the AIs become “The Will” of The Patriots. And each had a different role (GW filtered and censored information, etc)...But how was Big Mama, Ocelot, Big Boss’s will interpreted by the AIs? Big Mama, BB, and Ocelot are considered part of The Patriots, after all...

[@charlietownsend2826]

@@Americansikkunt | This wasn’t a factor at a time the story was written, they weren’t yet meant to be The Patriots and The Philosophers never existed. The point of the game, in it’s *context,* is that whoever the Patriots are never really mattered, they’re just some dead dudes from a century ago and their will, what they passed on, got interpreted just like anything else. We’ll never get an "objective" measure of what it was, only what we can derive or interpret.

[@ergoproxy-gx2cq]

​​​@@Americansikkuntthese three member are only original ones. They left the group after big boss had a falling out with Zero. By the time the AIs were created the only Patriots still involved were Zero, Paramedic, and Sigint, who believed in Zero and did as he was told. Paramedic was not involved with the AI project but worked on Les Enfants Terrible and the genome soldiers.

[@DeltaTempest]

I love how relevant this is today.

[@justincoggins694]

I don't because it's too relevant.

[@Abdirahman_Mohamed]

Who knew that after school on the ps2 in 2004 would be receiving lessons about the future

[@shade8889]

Metal gear is always relevant lol

[@BizarroJoe]

It's worse today 😬

[@WLivi]

I'm suddenly reminded that, in the earliest trailers for the sequel to Metal Gear Solid, the early logo they were using identified the game not as MGS2, but as MGSⅢ. MG, S3...

[@simonemancuso3576]

MGS3= MG S3? MGS3 is a simulation? Who knows...

[@jamesgaines6468]

I wonder if that is also why MGS3 is the beginning of the timeline for this series. Not only is it first but it also could be seen as the beginning of the S3 program or the need for it by the Patriots?

[@4kduck947]

a simulation in the same way as mgsv? with unknowing actors?

[@ittybittyboat9017]

It's incredible how far ahead of it's time MGS2 was, Kojima and Tomokazu Fukushima are geniuses.

[@Arrowtomahknee]

I love this, but I noticed a mistake, you said at 14:00 that Scott Dolph was the Commandant of the Navy, however he is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, not the Navy. In his speech during the Tanker chapter, he mentions that the Navy is opposed to Metal Gear Ray due to it making Aircraft Carriers less effective and less important.

[@FuturasoundProductions]

Good catch!

[@Arrowtomahknee]

@@FuturasoundProductions Like I said, I love the video none the less, especially because I'm a huge MGS2 fan, and I love your analyses.

[@JellothePallascat]

Lol Calling a Marine just a Navy dude! They may be on their ships but they take pride in not sleeping in cots with three hots.

[@NachozMan]

God the amount of work you put into these videos on metal gear just shows your bleeding passion for the subject matter, love it so much.

[@Martin-jk2ng]

I am always amazed by your ability to succinctly lay out the themes and narratives of these games in an easy to digest manner. MGS is as dense a story as can be tackled, and you have done a superb job doing that.

[@FuturasoundProductions]

Martin Hyatt thank you, that means a lot! I put everything I have into my work so it’s great to see some of that pay off, Boss :)

[@_caustics_]

Psycho Mantis was data mining you in the 90s. Turning your data into a personal profile to be used against you.

[@YoungMachette]

This ending changed my life, this was my favorite game narrative of all time. I thought Koji was right, imagine as the world started becoming like my jaded Koji world view. Thinking that this was going to happen, knowing that I needed a strong filter in the age of information, became paramount to me. One of the most important things I'm going to pass on to my kids is how to properly process information.

[@ThexXxXxOLOxXxXx]

I agree this is the most important skill nowadays. Maybe it always has always been the most important to see truth through the lies, to know how to survive without being taken advantage of.

[@ThreeDaysOfDan]

this game teaches you how to properly identify context , information processing is usless if you can't see the context around you.

[@wolves_blade4788]

Describes our society today to a t. It's creepy. This game is legendary. I remember playing it when I was a kid over and over not realizing all this stuff until I got older and played it.

[@jbmrni4846]

I can never get enough of Futurasound's Electronic Essays, keep them coming, man! If you enjoy doing anything else, even unrelated, feel free to share it with us, Peace !

[@Kinos141]

This game predicts social media near a decade before it happens.

[@MooseheadStudios]

MGS2 still continues to haunt. Its just to accurate.

[@darkmerc02]

Too bad we’ll never get to see the events that led to cyborg Raiden. All we get is a snippet of text stating it was another Patriot experiment and the price he paid for saving Sunny.

[@elChirrinChirriondelDiablo]

That would be awesome, I was so thrilled when I heard that it was the plot of Rising, unfortunately, like you said we never got it

[@ThexXxXxOLOxXxXx]

@@elChirrinChirriondelDiablo Metal gear rising was weak, good gameplay but no storytelling.

[@wesleyeberly228]

@@ThexXxXxOLOxXxXx all gameplay and no story

[@ThexXxXxOLOxXxXx]

@@wesleyeberly228 I mean that'd be ok if the game released on PS2 era but a X360 and PS3 with almost no story is quit bad.

[@ThreeDaysOfDan]

@@ThexXxXxOLOxXxXx metal gear rising as made by platnum, threw away kojimas original story

[@BJ-zd2or]

These videos have made me think clearly of mgs2, it's been a topic that after you played it (got it in 2005) makes you wonder and see things differently. Plus it's made me focus and kept me busy. Especially the Hollywood episode. Thank you.

[@snake3lr28]

You have single-handedly revived my passion for a childhood love that’s MGS. More than that company and its thousands of employees. Thank you boss.

[@KimJongTed]

It is crazy to think that video game would be so meta to the point where it even commentates on it’s own purpose(s) and how that plays a part in society. MGS2 was and still seems to be ahead of it’s time

[@honkerdoodles2764]

My gf and I have been playing through the MGS series chronologically and we're halfway through MGS2. She has no idea about this part being in the game and I've been excited for her to lose her shit to it for a while now

[@EdoloChannel]

So, how did it go?

[@honkerdoodles2764]

@@EdoloChannel she was sadly underwhelmed because she somehow has an ability to see plot twists before they're there :^/

[@EdoloChannel]

@@honkerdoodles2764 She wasn't terrified when the colonel started going bananas? You sure she's not an AI?

[@darkgreenrifleman4871]

@@EdoloChannel lmao.if she is then you need to run.the la li lu la lo are no joke.

[@kaanaltntas3966]

Damn, she has a VERY good perception. Even though the game more and more resembles MGS as it goes on, the AI part came out of nowhere.

[@jamsch5692]

how do you not have hundred of thousands of subs by now? You definitly deserve them more than many youtubers.

[@robinpimpin190]

The Patriots were kinda right regarding this. Scary how the times changes. Even Big Boss warned us about the times being the biggest bad guy of all in Peace Walker.

[@pappymagee6556]

I truly enjoy your essays sir,this being my favorite game series for the past 25 years makes this fact even more so.

[@sirdanielfortesque5812]

Yay! Proud to be in notification squad for this channel. Keep on keeping on!

[@MegaSolidninja]

KEEP ON KEEPING UP!!!👍

[@mac88white]

Spectacular content, man. Thank you for making these. Far and away my new favorite KZbin channel.

[@waqararshad9946]

Man, I could watch videos about mgs2 all day. Such a deep game. Thanks for uploading

[@jb111082]

That's exactly what I've been doing!

[@shroompoleon]

The videos that you make are really relaxing to watch and i love it. Keep doing what your doing, its truly great.

[@uqbar42]

"A legend is nothing but fiction. Someone tells it, someone else remember, everybody passes it on". This is an epic line of dialog

[@DeathblowMateria]

Your analysis and effort in producing this series is some of the best content I've watched over lockdown 👏

[@Ikcatcher]

Like how the Patriots used S3 to test if they can manipulate people on a large scale, MGS2 can basically be seen as Kojima’s version of S3, manipulating all of his fans on a grand scale.

[@djbeema]

I'm just replaying mgs2 right now (haven't played since like 15 years ago)

[@tioross3035]

Excellent Snake, age hasn't slowed u down one bit

[@DialloMoore503]

Still holds up!

[@Lord_Flash94]

Your videos are the best MGS analysis on the internet by an Arsenal Gear mile. Please keep it coming.

[@knot3d_]

Nice one Futurasound! Yet ironically, it was the "by-product" of MGS2; our extent of enjoyment (or the opposite of it) which has in turn, shaped MGS3. You might remember Kojima's response to the audience's reception of the MGS2 bait & switch; He pretty much said in an interview "It is MY 'Metal Gear, I can destroy it if I so choose" - which in no way hides at least some bitterness on his part. So the by-product of the users, did indeed force the big Patriot (Kojima) to alter his grand plan & direction and actually innovate the MGS gameplay template with things such as abandoning the Soliton Radar to make the overall gameplay loop change from binary to analog (change from detected or not, to a gradient spotting mechanism).

[@damienvandepol]

I'm also sure Kojima wanted to end the series with mgs 2, but Konami wouldn't have any of it.

[@knot3d_]

@@damienvandepol Konami just wants to make more pachinko machines

[@sygos]

@@knot3d_ From what I remember MGS3 was developed for a while without even Kojima on the project. He wanted to be done with MGS2, but when MGS3's development wasn't going well they pulled him back in.

[@knot3d_]

@@sygos Nice info but it' s beside my point. What I am saying is that MGS2' s reception and feedback...ergo the extent of audience enjoyment of it, is what resulted into the type of game style/design MGS3 ended up to be. So, I am not contesting whether a next MGS installment would or wouldnt be made with Kojima' s involvment.

[@sygos]

@@knot3d_ I'm just not sure of how much of MGS3's changes were up to Kojima, or how long his involvement on it was, such as the more primitive sensors and camo system. I am not 100% but I seem to remember he was brought back to tie the story together. I need to read up again on its history.

[@Damin-Danger-Ledford]

From 7:27 all the way to 9:08, both the text on the video, and the narrative dialog spoken over these mgs2 segments describe our world exactly as it is today. It almost gave me a sense of simmering beyond Deja Vu, and lucid dreaming. This work done about Kojima & the MG saga is phenomenal.

[@johnsilverman656]

God this game really did completely predict 21st century social media and digital culture. SCARY

[@Gh0StF1sHy]

it only dawned on me the other day- the scene after you first meet vamp; when 'Pliskin' is introduced, is somewhat reminiscent of Snake meeting Grey Fox in Metal Gear.

[@tmantonytv1166]

Never stop making metal gear videos

[@Kaadmon]

What an amazing channel you have! I'm binging through all the MGS videos right now, I've bee looking for this kind of content for a while.

[@nomad6737]

I think in the overall timeline mgsv venom was a mental copy of big boss and raiden was the vr version of solid snake the patriots creating a copy without the need of cloning since the children of big boss took years to mature as soldiers but creating certain conditions anyone can be turned into snake , situation manipulation through experience which takes moments instead of years , control through command , manipulation through experience to control the soldiers narrative, if that makes sense.

[@inkanus5jg]

Was the "S3 Plan" MGS2 Itself? Of course it was!!!!!! And not only MGS2, almost every game is.

[@zackrida5452]

This is a treat! Thanks boss!

[@copilots3159]

SO Raiden and Rose are literal proof that love can indeed bloom on the battlefield....damn Kojima.

[@djgreggo8216]

Thanks for another great video :)

[@zuran6633]

Damn dude I love your analysis... I find myself picking details out of them like I do the games regularly. I've had a metal gear theory I've been mulling around for a few years and this video made 2 solid points that lend inadvertent credence to that theory. I wish I had the platform and influence you do so I could get that theory out there.

[@Awkward_Runner]

I love how deep you analyze me this game!

[@chrysm6842]

Why the Patriots are said La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo? If I remember well, it's La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo because the nanomachines censor the true name (the Patriots), but, from time to time in MGS 2, you can still hear The Patriots so what to make of it? Also, when Snake is on the tanker he hears the Marine Commandant say La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo (instead of the Patriots) but he's not wired with all the Patriots' nanos, right? So that doesn't make any sense.

[@kokujinblack77]

2:55 Its too bad that the Patriot AI Campbell and Rose couldn't fathom the idea that that maybe most of early human history is examined through its architecture and Items left behind by other people and not just through symbols or tablets or records. But I guess when you are a super AI that can only experience life through a computer screen you would just naturally be ignorant to other ways of collecting data that extend beyond 1's and 0's.

[@ulcam64]

Great video. Found that Karl Rove comment very interesting

[@elChirrinChirriondelDiablo]

It’s scary how contemporary mgs2 is nowadays and how S3 seems to be “necessary” in this times we live in.

[@ddg8561]

This is just one example but there have been articles suggesting that only a mere 10% of twitter users make up atleast 80% of tweets. I know Twitter isnt the entirety of the web, but im thinking that other sites or information is being spread in a similar way.

[@crisunjackalD]

@@ddg8561 The vast majority of said tweets are also junk data in the form of unhelpful half-truths and lies, opinions that as a whole contribute very little, or self-perpetuating hotbeds for manipulative activism borne out of misinformation and the echo chamber effect. And all of it can be, as the AI Colonel says, "preserved in all its triteness", archived and passed around memetically to anyone anywhere with very little regulation but with all the power of influencing global society.

[@ThexXxXxOLOxXxXx]

​@@crisunjackalD From social media you can get pieces of info and piece it together but never the whole picture xD

[@greenhowie]

So... in a way, the reason why MGS2 was so good yet so weird was to kind of ensure that for years to come some people would simply see it as a fun game that was way ahead of it's time and tell everyone about it... which leads to others analysing the sub-subtext, making interesting videos and telling others about it and how it relates to information in general, thereby changing their perception of reality which they will inspire others with in different contexts, propagating the meme? Hmm that doesn't feel like I grasped it fully but my head's overheating now. Good video.

[@ThexXxXxOLOxXxXx]

MGS2 has always been relevant but today with the appearance of real authentic AI systems and big data it's just becoming more real.

[@DeltaTempest]

In 2021 listening to this has become downright SCARY.

[@Xamry]

25:10 The shot of those city people in 2023 would be everybody walking while scrolling on their phones

[@sirdanielfortesque5812]

Game and story analysis that isn't about TLOU2, just what I needed.

[@brandoncloutier7999]

Futurasound Productions you said part 8, part 8 or mgs2? I can’t find a playlist on your main KZbin page of 7-8 videos to watch them all? I believe maybe cause I’m not following/subscribed and the last video I’ve seen was the breakdown or how the script was changed I don’t remember exactly, but I can’t find a playlist of 7-8 videos of mgs2, can you send me a link or a way to find them I’d love to watch them please.

[@brandoncloutier7999]

Nvm I found it, I’ll Delete this waste of space comment If you don’t get to it in good time, sorry.

[@ste887]

anyone know the music around 1:50? I really like it and would like the whole piece without the colonel talking over it

[@Yarblocosifilitico]

jeez! Reminds me of Spec Ops: The Line, which I just finished today. It also has some subtle meta-commentary about the player, his attitude towards games, and how that feed back loop creates mindless content.

[@riggelaliothdehesazazueta9957]

Hey Jorin; good video as usual. I was thinking about the state of video games as a medium and realized that video games can’t be compared to art forms like movies or novels, not because they can’t contain the artistic value of said forms, but because video games (the medium) have more similarities to video or books than the art forms themselves. An example of this would be the many forms a video can take; from movies to a top 10 list, sport events or even an electronic virtual essay like yours. In the same way, video games are not limited to just one type or form; they can be about puzzles, racing, sports, story (these are the ones that come closer to other art forms), etc. Have you ever thought of this in any way? P.S: Keep on keeping on!

[@sygos]

Maybe video games should be more classified as an activity or (e)sport, not just a passive consumption of a media but an active activity of playing, and the transitive effects your control has over the game are what make games more transformative than most "media" that is consumed.

[@HamzaTuranKubulay]

1:11 Eminem & Royce lol. Ps. Don’t forvet that, Not only the MGS series predicted all but the MGR predicted Donald Trump (Discourse of Senator Armstrong) lol.

[@ggcfgv2413]

Finally a good fucking monday. Wish everybody could have such a monday

[@Americansikkunt]

The Big Shell is actually symbolizing Sephirot. Kaballah Tree Of Life

[@dontcare3]

They aren't lying about AI being behind the scenes running the show. They just don't tell you who's controlling the AI.

[@ArikGST]

Kojima can see the future confirmed, this game pretty much described what the world is today.

[@3Xmedic]

I know I'm super late to this party but had to add this. The black box theory is genius. Because if I'm not mistaken but wasnt the ps2 at the time of this games launch also black and box shaped? Amazing 20 years later and we are still delving deep into this games lore which like wine gets better as it ages. Bravo good sir! Bravo.

[@darkgreenrifleman4871]

Love that you are teaching us. Please continue before the la li lu la lo eradicates deep thought.

[@nivlacyevips]

Another great one!

[@herbertpocket8855]

Makes me more sad about the emptiness of MGSV

[@YoungMachette]

I don't think it's empty at all, just not close to a great. Moments in MGSV were some of the teams best work at the time. Just got a good total package.

[@zaberfang]

Collect all the tapes, listen and see how "empty" it is.

[@ThexXxXxOLOxXxXx]

@@zaberfang Yeah the entire story is encapsulated in the ingame casets, that's why we say the game is unfinished bruv!

[@aidenschneider2327]

@@ThexXxXxOLOxXxXx hell nah you must be british

[@SilverVoide]

this is still such a good vid my man

[@Aceg13579]

Thank you, Futurasound.

[@johnnymotahere7066]

Would it be possible to add the part number in the title or a playlist to make it easier to watch these in order? Thanks in advance

[@simonemancuso3576]

It is! The game is an instrument, made of data and bits of information, designed to reprogram you and make you question your relationship with reality. It worked with me, definetely changed my perspective in a lot of ways

[@chengzhou8711]

I need to play this yet again it seems

[@sygos]

Part 8? Part 8 of how many? Are you just going to keep doing this until you're dead? I'll keep watching if you keep putting them out, some of the best content on youtube is here.

[@gwendeerlin]

4chan is the real world equivalent of Arsenal Gear isn’t it?

[@miguelrinconorellana8734]

So apparently raiden at the end of the game he grasp the meaning of he need to follow afterwards he embraces his "new" freedom" but look in what way he came into scene in Mgs4 a semi-cyborg because his endless battles embracing anarchy and his "own" will getting drunk every night accordingly what rose said via coded with snake... So Like cambell said... This is maybe the prove of his incompetence... Remeber When he quoted that when he revealed the s3 plan... Maybe we’re Better under some rules... And raiden is the prove

[@sygos]

Do you think Jack's life would have been better and happier if he was simply a slave to the Patriot's orders his whole life?

[@noodle_knight]

In Raiden's case though, it might have been less a lack of a guiding hand or rule set and more of a very deep level of self-loathing. Jack The Ripper is Raiden's true self and one he's subconsciously aware of, and I think that causes him to be in a near-constant state of self-destructive depression.

[@confusername]

Love the video!

[@meyerpictures]

These are so beautiful

[@SeanWMODonnell]

Check out the DARPA Blimp Carriers., Flying Arsenal Gear....

[@SuprMikey64]

>gets notification for this video Actually yells "FUCKIN PUMP IT INTO MY VEEEEINS."

[@Masenken]

This that good sh**. You sound like the SCP guy, imo, in your speech cadence and sound, but I was nonetheless captivated. Subbed

[@Zathreana]

Maybe Kojima is trying to say something with death stranding as well.

[@elChirrinChirriondelDiablo]

Maybe? He sure is and actually it is also quite relevant today but there is his point and what can we get from it.

[@zeek7779]

Every MGS game needs a proper remake

[@felixmonroe2295]

I love how this is still relevant to today.

[@KheranSmith]

wow you really done your research 😊

[@swaggalikechrist]

Maybe I missed it but why is Raiden and Snake both called Jack?

[@chrysm6842]

Snake's first name is David since he revelas his nickname Dave to Meryl, at the end of MGS 1 (on provided that you saved her, of course).

[@7atmalj]

@@chrysm6842he talking bout big boss

[@ogpimpwildin6897]

What exactly is arsenal gear? I get it’s like a mobile fortress but what was the point of it exactly?

[@Calvin_Coolage]

It was a big data processing center too. Plus it's also the prototype for the vessel that would later be Outer Haven in MGS4.

[@ThexXxXxOLOxXxXx]

Thing is i never know is this game based on in game story progression or was it all playing raiden who's playing a game in virtual reality!

[@HeliosGreek]

Keep up the great work

[@shilohwhite9467]

This is ridiculous. I feel lucky to be one of your first subscribers

[@wo0t7]

Can someone explain to me like I'm 5 this video? I really don't get understand it. I am not saying the speaker is wrong, but I don't understand. First, you've got the whole Patriots trying to see if they can handle molding someone through particular experiences, especially ones in which they can't completely control. But then, the speaker tries to tie the whole personal growth of Raiden throughout the story and his realization of "freedom" and willing what he desires as ALSO somehow a part of the patriot's plan, which just doesn't make sense to me at all - not that Raiden doesn't do that or learn that, but that he was somehow "meant" to learn that by the Patriots the whole time. The patriots want to control information while simultaneously wanting someone to be free? Well, if they are free, then they can't exactly be a puppet. You can make an argument about Solidus being a puppet in the end, someone who actively tried to deny the Patriot's will, but if Raiden could then go on to help Snake destroy the Patriots in MGS4, I don't think the Patriots are as clever as the speaker is letting them on to be. The way I look at the ending, Raiden becomes what Solidus wanted to be, a father, and free. Before he was a puppet, to the patriots and to his own ego, but now he has the "freedom to decide", as the track that is played during the cutscene suggests. The connections this has with the player himself should go without saying. Where I disagree with the speaker then is I believe he thinks that this was *also* intentional, why I do not think it was. Another point of evidence I should say, when the Colonel AI talks to Raiden, he call's Solidus "the Patriot's Creation," and Raiden "Solidus's Creation,". This might on the surface seem like a funny joke, doesn't that mean that Raiden is a patriot creation too? But I don't think so, and I think that naming is deliberate. Raiden might have been a puppet, but he was an ace in the hole as well. Then, because of those disagreements, I really don't understand that last portion of the video, talking about the realities and the real S3 being MGS2. In fact the only thing I really understand aside from MGS2 causes people to have opinion on it is that quote, which I think is interesting topic to think about but is spoiled by self-masturbatory existentialism. Obviously, the thing that they are arguing about is "truth" and "reality", is what is true what is actually true, or what people believe, or what people make happen (especially in relation to biological genes)? But we already have words for this in the english language, one is truth, and the other is (evolutionary) fitness. What I find interesting in the quote rather is a totally separate idea that the Bush administration is "acting", while the journalists are "reacting". In some way, the Presidency is superior, stronger, because they act and create their own reality, while the journalist reacts to what they are doing. But then is what the journalist thinks about and writes about the situation a "new reality"? Or, even greater, what irony would there be if the journalist found something that could oust and stop someone in the administration for good. Then he would be the real "actor", for what he wrote created significant change!

[@FuturasoundProductions]

Thank you for watching, thinking about it so deeply, and commenting! I'll do my best to respond. So where I think there's a disconnect here is between freedom and responsibility. Raiden both before and after the Big Shell has a certain freedom: but only afterwards, and contrary to Solidus, is he actually able to see that this freedom impacts others...that his interpretation, his choice of what to freely believe in, is just one of many possible choices: that it is at bottom a leap of faith. He's more willing to confront the things that cause him personal pain or discomfort in the name of something bigger. In that respect, he is more aware of a deeper sense of the word freedom: one that has consequences, a liberty that is not free of them. He can't just ignore the consequences he dislikes, or cling to an identity that's less than real. If the world was left to people like Raiden was at the start, prior to his deprogramming, it would fall apart. The Patriots, as the President realizes, right or wrong, have built a world in which they remain necessary for it to keep stability. But their ability to think for We the People is under threat: and the masses could never be trusted to make decisions for the good of the collective, when the Digital Society rewards flawed reasoning and fosters narcissism. But the difference between Raiden and the society the S3 Plan is designed to deprogram is that Raiden, as a test subject in an experiment, at the end is debriefed: he's told all the reasons why his deprogramming was necessary, before he's allowed to think and live for himself. As I mention in the video, this is the big difference between him and the masses once the S3 plan goes into effect. They'll never know about the Patriots, yet Raiden, due to his close personal relationship with the Patriots and Solidus, had to learn of their existence for the full effectiveness of the S3 Plan to be tested. I do think this reprogramming was the ultimate intention of the S3 Plan, least of all because it's in the name - Selection for Societal Sanity. If the masses can be reprogrammed, they can then be trusted to make decisions that will still serve the Patriots and keep alive the status quo. Raiden in the end of MGS2 gives up on trying to fight the Patriots, or untangle the reality they want him to see from the reality they want to keep hidden. Because the Patriots have co-opted all sides, there's no real way to resist. 'Without free will, there is no difference between submission and rebellion". Raiden accepts this, and gives up on figuring out THE truth, which could threaten the Patriots - focusing only on HIS truth, which never could. So yes, Raiden is free to decide what really matters to him, in other words what to pass on: what to reproduce and let evolve in his stead, after he's gone. But that means also accepting a certain passivity: a certain lack of liberty, for the good of collective security. It means accepting what he can't change, and instead of trying to change it, passing on the experience of failing to do so. The way they rewrite Raiden in MGS4 puts a fly in the ointment somewhat, but I still believe this compromise is what Raiden originally was meant to accept. So ending with the Bush stuff was a way of fleshing out the nuance here: though we're free to decide for ourselves what matters, that doesn't mean we're free to create our own reality. There's still a grim aspect to this wiser take on reality where certain aspects to modern life can't be responsibly altered: which we lack any true 'liberty' to change or control. I like the distinction you made between acting and reacting: I'd say we could also call it acting and interpreting, or, the medium and the message. Whatever Raiden decides, that will be him: yet whatever that will be, will only be by virtue of the Patriots, and what the world they've built will allow to be possible as a 'reaction', an 'interpretation', a message. In that way, though Raiden does have personal freedom, the Patriots in the grand scheme of things maintain control. Raiden's journey goes from passive acceptance, to active questioning, to finally, active acceptance. Roughly speaking, this seems to be the trajectory for every subject of the S3 Plan - again, minus the part where they learn everything's built on self serving lies and non-democratic means. I don't know if any of this makes my video easier to understand, or harder. Anyway, thanks again for commenting!

[@lankykong9000]

YES! SO GOOD!!!

[@wazzupsters]

So what I gathered from this S3 was doomed for stagnation from the very beginning, a idea that was developed in the times. As a type of distraction akin to the principles of "Bread & circuses" but instead "conflict for distraction". I didn't really think that the patriots were on a verge of total infighting but it does make sense why they would conduct the biggest smoke and mirrors in human history that ascended or should I say, descended to it's own consequential fate. Like a man desperately holding onto water power leaked from their cold miscalculating hands and they wouldn't stand for it. But in the end, not even the most conducted AI could find a way to eternally maintain their control.

[@Duddypup34]

I love your video man

[@netoxis3258]

can it also be that every game could be a separte S3 plan?

[@InfiniteBeak]

Haven't watched yet, but your series are fucking rad, as a massive MGS lore nerd this is the kind of stuff I want to watch :') any plans for other games? Snake Eater deserves a series like this

[@FuturasoundProductions]

MGS3 will be next for sure! There will be one or two more MGS2 vids though, stay tuned!

[@PcCAvioN]

I've been watching a bunch of your videos but I'm confused about how Raiden is a narcissist. Are you arguing he is covert? As a victim of narcissistic abuse, it feels incredibly disingenuous to give Raiden such a clinical diagnosis I'm not saying he isn't self centered or narcissistic at all

[@arkoisagoodboy]

Kojima was telling us early on what was going on around him. The man spent years in the entertainment industry that was not far removed from being a nationalist tool of the Japanese government. He likely had an epiphany the way Orwell did when the latter was writing propaganda for the UK government. The more social media and media technology itself advances, the more I'm reminded of what I learned from MGS2

[@kyoki86]

Kojima is/was apart of the elites which is how he has the script to tell us

[@Wildcat144]

Kojima on another level man

[@Feenix102]

Yes, all true. However, I think there's an even more fundamental level - everything is a product of something else. This video, for example, is a product of the game (without it there would be no video discussing it). We can only describe an experience to any meaningful extent after having had it - we can describe things and experiences in the abstract, but we don't know if they're "true" or not until we experience them, which is why the experiment is conducted in the first place. I think I'm saying some of the same stuff that you brought up in the video, just in a different way, but it is my reaction to having watched it. :o)

[@ItalianJoe83]

0:43 It may also have some analogies with the "Metal Gear Solid V Experience"