Even if the camp didn't actually exist I think the Guantanamo style facility fits cold war politics pretty well.

Big Boss turned heel in Peace Walker. Not GZ or TPP.

It is impossible not to think about reference to Deus Ex in helicopter scene.

"- Oh my God! JC, it's a bomb!
- A BOMB".

"you should stop worrying about canon and learn to love subtext" sounds familiar , doesnt it goerge?

After having played both GZ and TPP and looking deeper into the themes of GZ, I've come to realize, Skullface's comments about society murdering the innocenthas nothing to do with big boss or the MSF

Skullface is talking about Chico and Paz, much like Sacco and Vanzetti are innocents, their only real crime being following Big Boss and the ideals he represented, while Paz herself was a Cypher agent, she was ultimately another casualty of war as TPP's tapes would reveal, my best guess is that this was supposed to establish the consequences of Big Boss's actions, how this cold war between him and Zero are causing innocents to die

Wich is great and commendable if it wasn't for how little real screentime Chico and Paz get... Chico even gets reduced to a namedrop in the tapes with both their deaths getting buried in the major plot of TPP

'If you are not a hardcore Metal Gear Solid fan, this video is not for you'

Well, you're wrong there. I've somehow gone without playing a single Metal Gear game, yet I could follow this analysis perfectly well and thoroughly enjoyed it (as I have enjoyed all of your other analyses). Great job, and thanks for turning me on to an interesting looking film as well

7:28 Chico is not standing. He is kneeling on one of the seats.

Big Boss: Is rescuing Chico and Paz

Skull Face: "I'm in your base, killing your dudes"

I guess I'm just used to Japanese entertainment and how strange yet serious they can be. I'm a fan of Neon Genesis Evangelion which deals in a lot of heavy adult themes and ideas... yet is still a show with a monster of the day scenario, fan service, giant robots, quirky humor, etc. So I dunno, Metal Gear has always had that same air about it for me and Ground Zeroes isn't really all too different. It's sort of like how people say that the series has changed so much since it began, but it kind of hasn't. It's still an infiltration game, with the mechanics and technology evolving with each iteration.

"Nowhere in Russia looks like this"

Look up pictures of the area around the Ussuri River in Primorsky Krai.

I gave the video a thumbs-up, not because I agree with most of it, but because of how well you expound your viewpoint. You must have put a lot of thought and effort into making it.

Your assessment is pretty well constructed. I just don't share the same philosofy. I can take Metal Gear as serious as it wants to be, I am personally not affected by the disparity in tonality between GZ and the previous Canon. In fact, I can take all the things you list as "ridiculous" and "campy" at face value.

It's funny to come back to this video and read all the comments defending the story in Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain (which hadn't been released yet), arguing about how Kojima should be applauded for taking the series in a dark new direction and dealing with taboo subjects and themes.

I say it's funny because since then The Phantom Pain was released, and it ended up delivering absolutely fuck all on the supposedly taboo subjects on top of having the sorriest excuse of a story in the entire series.

I think its kind of funny that people are okay with paz getting her chest cut open so a bomb could be put inside it, but they are outraged because its implied another bomb was put in her vagina.

Also Batman has years and years of goofy canon, but people can still take things like The Dark Knight seriously.

You lost me when you simply couldn't separate the fictional existence of Camp Omega in 1975 and the actual existence of Guantanamo, starting in 2002.

"How is that possible?!"

love the insight to all the videos I watch that you put out..greatly appreciated

I always believed the side ops were just nightmares snake would relive , that’s why the npcs say some of his lines from past games and one mission even has you killing two special soldiers who in code name resemble snake and kaz

I always love your videos. I never played a MGS game in my life (however it is getting higher on my to do list) but you were able to be able to tell me all of your thoughts on this game flawlessly with me being able to understand everything that you stated.

Very interesting video. I do have one objection though :
The fact that Boss is a 'villain' (as the mercenary, nuke-crafting warlord that he is) does not mean you can't feel any sympathy for him and his hardships. Anyone who has ever read Shakespeare's Macbeth knows you can empathize with even the most traitorous and vile antagonists. Hell, some people (including me) even consider Macbeth to be a hero, and not a villain, which seems to be strongly wanted by the author given the way he wrote his character. The fact that a story's character shows ruthless and immoral behavior doesn't prevent you from appreciating his ambitions, or justifying his means by considering his goals, or even feeling pity for him when his unavoidable demise comes. What's often the strongest source of admiration for a villain is the strength of will that villain deploys to accomplish his dreams, because we tend to value determination and loyalty to one's cause. This is true for Big Boss too.

Incredibly well-spoken and well thought out.  Always enjoy your videos.  Great job!