State of the Arc Podcast

On his way to rescue President Johnson, Raiden is confronted by the terrorist commander, who claims to be Solid Snake. Enraged by this, Pliskin reveals himself as the true Solid Snake and fires on the imposter from a helicopter. Utilizing an advanced exoskeleton, the terrorist leader evades Snake's attack and boards a Harrier being piloted by Vamp. Snake then tells Raiden to shoot it down, throwing a Stinger missile launcher down to him. After Raiden takes it down, the Harrier plummets, only to be caught by Metal Gear RAY. RAY proceeds to launch missiles into the air, destroying sections of the Big Shell and damaging the Kasatka, forcing it to land. RAY then departs into the ocean, taking the Harrier with it. After recovering from RAY's attack, Solid Snake contacts Raiden, introducing him to Otacon. They reveal they are there to stop the terrorists from using the new Metal Gear prototype. They also tell Raiden that Otacon has another reason for being in the Big Shell: to rescue his sister, Emma Emmerich. Raiden then proceeds to rendezvous and rescue President Johnson. Once Raiden finally gets to the President, he is told about the Patriots, a mysterious organization that secretly rules over America. He also explains that the terrorist leader was his predecessor, the 43rd U.S. President George Sears, known by the codename Solidus Snake, a clone of the legendary soldier Big Boss, created in the "Les Enfants Terribles" project. Johnson adds that Solidus orchestrated the Shadow Moses Incident in 2005 but was removed from office by the Patriots. Solidus wanted to challenge the Patriots, unlike Johnson, who had simply wished to become one of them. Johnson also confirms that the Big Shell is merely a cover-up for the construction of Arsenal Gear, a gigantic mobile fortress that employs mass-produced unmanned Metal Gear RAYs to defend itself and can fire nuclear warheads from anywhere on the planet. It also has access to the Military's Tactical Network, granting it absolute control over the nation's armed forces and nuclear arsenal. However, Arsenal's true purpose is to filter information from the internet and other forms of digital communication using an AI called GW. By doing this, the Patriots hope to shape history as they see fit while maintaining the secret of their existence. Johnson’s last request is that Raiden locate GW's main programmer, Emma Emmerich, and provide her with a computer worm to eradicate the AI. Afterward, feeling he has said everything he needed to, Johnson suddenly grabs Raiden's gun, asking Raiden to kill him. Raiden resists, but Revolver Ocelot soon intervenes, shooting Johnson before Raiden can stop him.

The Switch 2 has been announced. The board is set, the pieces are moving. Now is the time for gamers to decide what their future will be. Or will it be decided for them? Is this a contest of pure power? Or can finesse and convenience win the day? Only time will tell. But the Switch 2 is shaping up to be a serious contender for best console of all time. The only questions that remain for Nintendo are, will it be enough? And the biggest question for gamers: What's on the inside? Remember to subscribe and join us on Patreon! Time Codes: 1. **We're Now On Spotify**: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gIzzvT3AfRHjGlfF8kFW3 **Listen On Soundcloud**: https://soundcloud.com/resonantarc **Listen On iTunes**: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/state-of-the-arc-podcast/id1121795837 **Listen On Pocket Cast**: http://pca.st/NJsJ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/resonantarc Subscribe Star: https://www.subscribestar.com/resonant-arc Twitter: https://twitter.com/resonantarc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/resonantarc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resonantarc TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@resonantarc

After Raiden and Pliskin disarm the C4 planted within Shells 1 and 2, Raiden receives shocking news from a now-mobile Peter Stillman. All the C4s (planted in places where severe damage could not be done to the Big Shell) were nothing more than diversions for the real explosives, large enough to disturb the structure's integrity. Additionally, the real bombs were programmed to activate after all of the smaller C4s had been disarmed. Although Raiden is able to disarm the Strut A bomb, after returning to the deep sea dock, the Strut H bomb detonates, killing Stillman. Pliskin, on the other hand, is able to survive unscathed. As Raiden prepares to leave Strut A, he is confronted by Fortune, who had been expecting to find somebody else. Nevertheless, she asks Raiden to "bring her death." Raiden, unable to harm her, can only evade her attacks. Shortly thereafter, Vamp arrives to inform Fortune that Fatman has gone rogue. Taking advantage of the distraction, Raiden takes another shot at Fortune, but the bullets are deflected and hit Vamp in the forehead and lower chest. While Fortune cradled Vamp in her arms, lamenting that she cannot follow him in death, Raiden escapes. However, moments later, Vamp awakens, having shrugged off this seemingly fatal attack. With the bomb's countdown having already begun, Raiden heads to the heliport and neutralizes the explosive. He’s then confronted by Fatman, who professes his disinterest in the terrorists’ goals. Fatman is also suspiciously unaware of the ransom demands for $30 billion. His only wish is to surpass his former mentor, Peter Stillman, and become the most famous bomber in history by destroying the entire Big Shell. Challenging Raiden to stop him, he places multiple explosives in the area, utilizing his quick speed. Raiden is forced to neutralize each bomb with coolant spray while simultaneously fighting Fatman. The perseverance pays off, with Fatman collapsing from his injuries. After informing Raiden that he has yet to disarm the "biggest bomb in the place," Fatman dies. Raiden, however, discovers the last bomb, which had been hidden beneath Fatman’s body.

A plot twist is an interesting thing. Many stories try to pull off such a feat, few succeed. In terms of video games, Final Fantasy VII is one that pulled off its twist remarkably. We were going to talk about a few other games, but the time was well spent in focusing mostly just on FF7. And the Metal Gear Solid example is mid-game. That game pulls off its own twist with flying colors but we used a smaller moment in the game to illustrate how a twist can be done poorly. Remember, we have Patreon pages with additional content. Thanks for watching! Time Codes: 1. Beginning (0:00) 2. SPOILERS for FF7 (19:37) 3. SPOILERS FOR Metal Gear Solid 2 (51:19) **We're Now On Spotify**: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gIzzvT3AfRHjGlfF8kFW3 **Listen On Soundcloud**: https://soundcloud.com/resonantarc **Listen On iTunes**: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/state-of-the-arc-podcast/id1121795837 **Listen On Pocket Cast**: http://pca.st/NJsJ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/resonantarc Subscribe Star: https://www.subscribestar.com/resonant-arc Twitter: https://twitter.com/resonantarc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/resonantarc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resonantarc TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@resonantarc

Two years after the sinking of the USS Discovery, with Solid Snake confirmed dead and framed as the primary suspect, new FOXHOUND recruit Jack (codenamed Raiden) is sent to infiltrate the off-shore decontamination facility known as Big Shell, constructed shortly after the sinking of the Discovery, which, according to the government, spilled thousands of gallons of crude oil into the New York Harbor. Raiden is given orders to rescue the President of the United States and other hostages from the Sons of Liberty, a terrorist group who have seized control of Big Shell. The terrorists demand 30 billion dollars and claim that if this demand is not met, they will destroy Big Shell, igniting the oil spill in the harbor and burning the chlorides used for cleanup, creating high levels of dioxins that would wipe out the bay’s ecosystem and become the worst environmental disaster in history. Meanwhile, US Navy Seal Team 10 carries out its own rescue mission, which is quickly thwarted. After coming face to face with Vamp, one of the terrorists with the Sons of Liberty, Raiden meets Iroquois Plissken, a surviving member of SEAL Team 10, who takes him to Peter Stillman, an explosives expert who reveals that Fatman—his former student now with the terrorists—has rigged Big Shell to explode. *Quick Note* One extra point to add about the conversation regarding Plissken and "spoilers" is that my first time playing the game--just a month ago for this series--was the Substance version, and then again with the latest HD collection release on PC. Because of this, I didn't see how the original Sons of Liberty release asked players whether they had played the first game or not. If you say that you have *not* played the original, you skip the Tanker sequence and would not have that part of the story for context as you meet Plissken, nor would you recognize the legendary Solid Snake if you were to see him face to face. This definitely changes things, and even in the game's latest release, you could skip the Tanker sequence and go straight to Big Shell. Still, I'm not sure why you would do that, and so under the context of the modern gaming landscape, and considering we have already covered Metal Gear Solid 1 on this podcast, it seems silly to pretend we don't know what's going on with Plissken. I appreciate your understanding.

What does the word underrated even mean? We've never been big fans of the words underrated or overrated, but we figured that if we define our terms we can actually have a decent discussion! Lots of games have, for one reason or another, evaded the public consciousness; despite being incredible games! If the only way we can talk about some of these games is to use the word underrated, so be it. We hope you enjoy this next episode of the State of the Arc Podcast! Remember, we have Patreon pages with additional content. Thanks for watching! **We're Now On Spotify**: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gIzzvT3AfRHjGlfF8kFW3 **Listen On Soundcloud**: https://soundcloud.com/resonantarc **Listen On iTunes**: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/state-of-the-arc-podcast/id1121795837 **Listen On Pocket Cast**: http://pca.st/NJsJ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/resonantarc Subscribe Star: https://www.subscribestar.com/resonant-arc Twitter: https://twitter.com/resonantarc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/resonantarc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resonantarc TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@resonantarc

Snake returns in our analysis of the very beginning of Metal Gear Solid 2. This is exactly what players wanted and Hideo Kojima delivered on it big-time... with a bit of a twist. We play up to end of the boat mission, where everything ends in chaos. Not only the characters, but the player as well. This exciting sequence is packed with symbolism, references and hard hitting thematic material that not only hints at what will come next, but also can be applied directly to your own life. Follow along, and take this journey with us as we make our way through Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Time Codes: 1. Intro (0:00) **We're Now On Spotify**: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gIzzvT3AfRHjGlfF8kFW3 **Listen On Soundcloud**: https://soundcloud.com/resonantarc **Listen On iTunes**: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/state-of-the-arc-podcast/id1121795837 **Listen On Pocket Cast**: http://pca.st/NJsJ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/resonantarc Subscribe Star: https://www.subscribestar.com/resonant-arc Twitter: https://twitter.com/resonantarc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/resonantarc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resonantarc TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@resonantarc

We couldn't play everything we wanted to in 2024 but as luck would have it, there will actually be another year starting soon! It will be called 2025 so that means we get a whole extra year! But with this unexpected extra time comes with its own hurdle, apparently even though we didn't get to play everything we wanted to play in 2024, there will still be yet even MORE games coming out in 2025. Luckily, however, not quite as many. So that's good news. And while we are typically not fans of remakes and unplanned sequels, the new games we really want to play next year often include exactly those, oddly enough. Enjoy our year end review, and in 2025... take luck! **We're Now On Spotify**: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gIzzvT3AfRHjGlfF8kFW3 **Listen On Soundcloud**: https://soundcloud.com/resonantarc **Listen On iTunes**: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/state-of-the-arc-podcast/id1121795837 **Listen On Pocket Cast**: http://pca.st/NJsJ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/resonantarc Subscribe Star: https://www.subscribestar.com/resonant-arc Twitter: https://twitter.com/resonantarc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/resonantarc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resonantarc TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@resonantarc

Metal Gear Solid 2 went through a grueling process in development that lead to big changes needing to be made. Kojima got to tell the story in his style, of course, but was more constrained in the type of story he was allowed to tell. But something shocking happened towards the end of development that changed the course of the game, and all of history along with it, forever. Come along, and let's talk about one of the most acclaimed games of the early 2000's. Time Codes: 1. Dev History (0:00) 2. SPOILERS (41:22) 3. Spoilers are now over (1:02:32) **We're Now On Spotify**: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gIzzvT3AfRHjGlfF8kFW3 **Listen On Soundcloud**: https://soundcloud.com/resonantarc **Listen On iTunes**: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/state-of-the-arc-podcast/id1121795837 **Listen On Pocket Cast**: http://pca.st/NJsJ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/resonantarc Subscribe Star: https://www.subscribestar.com/resonant-arc Twitter: https://twitter.com/resonantarc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/resonantarc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resonantarc TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@resonantarc

Why do you like the things that you like? Can good art be objectively measured? Is nostalgia really such a bad thing? We tackle questions like this in our latest episode of the podcast. Look, guys, we recorded this after midnight on a Friday like 4 days before Christmas, give us a little slack. We love you and hope all is well! Enjoy our fun discussion that we'll probably have to revisit another time. **We're Now On Spotify**: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gIzzvT3AfRHjGlfF8kFW3 **Listen On Soundcloud**: https://soundcloud.com/resonantarc **Listen On iTunes**: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/state-of-the-arc-podcast/id1121795837 **Listen On Pocket Cast**: http://pca.st/NJsJ Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/resonantarc Subscribe Star: https://www.subscribestar.com/resonant-arc Twitter: https://twitter.com/resonantarc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/resonantarc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resonantarc TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@resonantarc