"Suddenly He Felt A Rise In His Own Body Temperature..."
February 07, 2006
Several months ago a bold Everything2 member risked his own sanity to discuss the Castlevania II: Simon's Quest entry in the Worlds of Power book series. Now another by the name of Glowing Fish has taken the same gamble to review the book based upon the original Metal Gear. Surprisingly, this installment doesn't resort to the old "young teenager dropped into the world of his favorite game" and actually follows the adventures of Solid Snake on his bleak mission to kill traitorous soldiers and a kidnapped scientist.
The seriousness of the book is further heightened by the pragmatic, less than heroic nature of Solid Snake's mission. In his original briefing, in chapter one, he is informed that many of his friends have been tortured and may have turned traitor, that he will probably die on his mission, and that he is expected to kill the kidnapped scientist Doctor Pettovich. All of this puts a grim tone on the book.
Sounds like all kinds of fun, eh? Twenty years ago we were lining up to buy these books. Today's kids gobble up Pokemon merchandise instead. Circle of life and all that, I suppose. Still, it says something about the quality of our heroes. As children we idolized Simon Belmont and Solid Snake, two gritty guys with a mission and determination (plus a bunch of neat weapons and items). Today kids get Pikachu. Who's coming out on top in that trade, hmm?