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!

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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)

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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!

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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)

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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.

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Next week, on Christmas Day, we'll be beginning our deep-dive into Metal Gear Solid 2, Hideo Kojima's follow-up to the PS1 stealth action masterpiece. In this video, I explain why you should play (or replay) the game alongside us.

Which Final Fantasy games start off with bang, and which ones whimper pathetically on the floor? Which intros propel these games to legendary status, and which ones would the games be better off without? We discuss the qualities at the beginning of each game and rank them in order, from best to worst. It turns out, Final Fantasies all have pretty great intros, so even the least of these games here on this list is still probably above average. But there are a handful of games that shine brighter than the rest. Leave a comment with your list!

Hironobu Sakaguchi interview Mike mentions:

Edited: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRf6sqVv4_o

Unedited: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3PoBiBb_HU

Time Codes:

Intro (0:00)

Setting The Stage (1:29)

15 (4:39)

14 (11: 25)

13 (17:49)

12 (19:19)

11 (24:16)

10 (35:44)

9 (41:00)

8 (46:44)

FFXII SPOILER (53:28)

7, also XII Spoiler is Now Over (58:21)

6 (1:02:15)

5 (1:05:35)

4 (1:10:17)

3 (1:16:52)

2 (1:24:45)

1 (1:39:11)

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The votes are in! The patrons have chosen! But which game will we cover next for a long-form analysis on our podcast? Metal Gear Solid 2? Terranigma? Why not both? Will we EVER cover Final Fantasy 9? Find out today!

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The intro to art is often the most important part. Video games are no exception. If a dev team can pull off a good intro, they likely will be able to pull off a good game. To craft the perfect intro takes a lot of coordination between the directors, producers, musicians and the dev team. When it's done right, it almost always spells success for the rest of the game. In this episode, we dip back into many of the games we've covered on this podcast. Games like Xenogears, Bioshock, Vagrant story and more!

Time Codes:

Intro (0:00)

Honorable Mentions (3:11)

1 (9:07)

2 (17: 27)

3 (22:15)

4 (28:08)

5 (34:22)

6 (46:11)

7 (54:12)

8 (1:00:26)

9 (1:08:19)

10 (1:18:59)

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In today's episode, we're covering Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece, Princess Mononoke. Set during Japan's late Muromachi period and incorporating fantastical elements, the tale centers on Ashitaka, a young prince of the Emishi people, as he becomes entangled in a conflict between the forest's spirits and the humans exploiting its resources. The film explores a recurring theme in Studio Ghibli's works: environmentalism, presented as a response to the effects of industrialization, framed within the traditions of Shintoism, animism, and folklore.