Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Once A Villain
If you read what is being said you will see that I'm the one coming at this from a stance that is critically unbiased. I'm making solid points.
|
Where?
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Once A Villain
Ok I'll make it easy on you. Why don't you explain how the Metal Gear Solid games are science fiction when the villains have nothing to do with science (even fictional science), and EVERYTHING to do with fantasy, comic books, anime, etc.
|
For one thing, as I've already stated, the comic books and anime you're referring to ARE science fiction. Fantasy, too, is often viewed, most liberally as a subdivision of science fiction, but is at the very least a relative of science fiction. Fantasy is distinguished from science fiction more by an overall look and feel than anything else--a look and feel that Metal Gear Solid is distinctly lacking.
So how is Metal Gear Solid a science fiction story? Let's see.
Robots? Check.
Genetic engineering? Check.
Clones? Check.
Set in the future? Check.
Alternative history? Check.
Those are all pretty standard scifi elements.
Or we can look at specific definitions of science fiction. Wikipedia provides the most commonly used definition:
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Wikipedia
In defining the scope of the science fiction genre, we speak of the effect of science or technology, or both, upon society or persons
|
Well, what do you know? That's what pretty much ALL of Metal Gear Solid is about.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Wikipedia
Alternatively, the society might be ordinary and human, but the individual man or woman might be an unusual person (for example, a mutant or a telepath) who responds exceptionally to otherwise ordinary events.
|
Again, this is exactly what we have in Metal Gear Solid--an extraordinary individual (in this case, Snake) in an otherwise ordinary society very similar to our own.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Wikipedia
The society and persons in the story may be ordinary, but faced with bizarre circumstances such as the invention of teleportation, or the discovery of a new chemical element with unusual properties (such as "Cavorite" in The First Men In The Moon).
|
Same thing here. The society is otherwise ordinary, but it faces with the consequences of an unusual technology. In this case it happens to be Metal Gears rather than teleportation.
Just because the story is unrealistic doesn't mean it's not science fiction. The kind of time travel described by H.G. Wells is also unrealistic, but I don't know of anyone who would say that The Time Machine isn't a science fiction story.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Once A Villain
So they're better defined as fantasy. Exactly.
|
No. They're better defined as soft science fiction. Which is why they have that name.
mag
