Development of Characters

In this post I tasked with chosing a charcter of importance from each decade, or in my case possibly a couple depending on the series. This is due to the fact that I chose to feature the lead chracter from each of the main release titles of the Metal Gear series. Since this notorious series is old enough and consistent to have at least one instalment in each decade since the 1980s.

First released in 1987 in Japan, Metal Gear was the first instalment in a series that would span decades until its latest instalment this year. With a story so epic and convoluted it could possible to say that I've chosen to simply look at the development of one character over the course of a few decades and several iterations. However, I prefer this as it means we can focus directly on the changes with time, experience and better creative technologies. Plus with a narrative whereby the protagonist of each game is either the original Big Boss or one his clones, the distinctive characters seem arbitriary for the development of asthetic.

1980s: (Metal Gear)












1990: (Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake)

(Metal Gear Solid)

2000s: (Metal Gear Solid 2)

(Metal Gear Solid 3)

(Metal Gear Solid 4)

2010s: (Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker)









 
(Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes)

(Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain)

Image Sources:

Metal Gear (1987)

http://videogameshistory.wikispaces.com/file/view/6a00d83452989a69e20105355435cc970c-800wi.jpg/303764204/6a00d83452989a69e20105355435cc970c-800wi.jpg

Metal Gear 2 (1990)

http://geekti.me/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/119809-metal-gear-2-solid-snake-msx-screenshot-here-you-absolutely.gif

Metal Gear Solid (1998)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/25/MGS_screen_psx.jpg

Metal Gear Solid 2 (2001)

http://gaming.fm/video-games/Image/covers/metal-gear-solid-2-sons-of-liberty/metal-gear-solid-2-sons-of-liberty-image803331.jpg

Metal Gear Solid 3 (2004)

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gV70TkRYlWw/maxresdefault.jpg

Metal Gear Solid 4 (2008)

http://cdn3.dualshockers.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/mgs4cap00004_psd_jpgcopy.jpg

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010)

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Technology/Pix/pictures/2010/6/14/1276526671687/Peace-Walker-006.jpg

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (2014)

https://doigetxpforthis.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/snake.jpg

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)

http://cdn.wccftech.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/mgs-v-the-phantom-pain-screen-1.jpg

Seven Basic Plots

In the book 'The Seven Basic Plots' by Christopher Booker, he theorises that plots there seven basic category of story. Below I have chosen a game for each type of story that I believe fits:

Spyro The Dragon (Developed by Insomniac)

Overcoming Evil/The Monster - The protagonist fights that which threatens the innocent.

Rollercoaster Tycoon (Developed by MicroProse and Chris Sawyer)

Rags to Riches - The protagonist accumulates a form of wealth.

Super Meat Boy (Developed by Team Meat)

The Quest - The protagonist sets out to achieve a goal.

The Last Of Us (Developed by Naughty Dog)

Voyage & Return: The protagonist goes on a journey and returns with experience.

Tales From The Borderlands (Developed by Telltale Games)

Comedy - Typically light, with a main focus on humour.

Bloodborne (Developed by From Software)

Tragedy: A story that evokes emotion, often with the suffering of a character.
.

The Binding Of Isaac (Developed by Edmund Mcmillen and Florian Himsl)

Rebirth: The protagonist experiences something that drastically changes them.