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Reviews
Metal Gear Solid: Bande Dessinée (2006)
Any fan of the game needs to pick this up
In late 2003, I first experienced the Metal Gear world when a friend of mine let me borrow his copy of Metal Gear Solid 2. After just one play-through, I was addicted to the franchise's pulse-pounding action and constantly evolving storyline. And despite the MGS2's bogus cliffhanger ending, I wanted to see how it began with Metal Gear Solid 1. So again, I borrowed MGS1 from my friend (A die-hard fan of the series) and played through it as well. And then came MGS3 and its bad spin-offs for the PSP, but in 2006, I spotted an article about a Digital Graphic Novel based on MGS1. I didn't think it would work, but sure enough, I bought the "game" and became more than I ever thought it could be.
The story itself is told quite nicely with panels from the actual comic book animated in such a way that has never before been done. Every hallmark scene from both the comics and the game is beautifully recreated as what all comic book enthusiasts visualize when they read them. Some sequences even look next to 3D when in motion, giving the illusion of an animated film. Overall, the game is pretty long with over 2 hours of movie to watch, and the urge to watch some cool scenes over again. Some sequences are downright intense, like when the main character gets into a one-on-one gun battle with one of the many villains. This game is also a great way for newcomers to get involved in the series, and people who love movies will dig this too.
There is, however, no dialog. All words must be read out of speech bubbles, even when the video has some amazing audio and sound effects. Overall, though, anyone can pick this up and enjoy it just for all the hard work the creators put into the amazing visuals, and the wonderful story beneath it. Kudos to the series's creator, Hideo Kojima.
Surface (2005)
This is AWESOME
Surface is one of those rare gems in which you find yourself hooked from the very first time you see it, and manages to grip you from beginning to its annoying cliffhanger "end". That aside, for a low budget show on NBC, the actors and characters seem very natural in their respective roles in the story. I often found myself relating to certain characters (Myles"Carter Jenkins" most of all), or spotting similarities to people I know within "Surface"'s universe.
"Surface"'s story is very well written and well thought out too. I especially liked how it involves things like government conspiracy and has a new twist or hook with each new episode that will make you hate yourself if you miss the next. That said, I do hope this comes to DVD mainly because it just seems made for people who need a reason to drop what their doing and get completely absorbed in this roller coaster of a show.
********SPIOLER ALERT********* The ONLY complaint I have with "Surface" is that its end BLOWS. All of the characters don't even meet until the last five minutes of the last episode. For the love of God, I hope they make another season or I'm gonna be really F@*#-ing mad.
But don't let that discourage you from experiencing this hidden treasure, and because it's still active, I'm sure they'll make more when come fall.