The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Friday, October 2, 2015 — 5
‘MSGV’: Old Dogs
learn new tricks
New open-world
series entry is clever
and innovative
By JACOB RICH
Daily Film Editor
Since the dawn of cinema, art
critics have been arguing about
the concept of specificity as it
relates to a medi-
um. If a film has
cinematographic
specificity (artis-
tic qualities that
are unique to cin-
ema), does it have
inherently more
value than a film
that doesn’t?
Now,
critics
have begun to
carry this argu-
ment over to the
interactive medi-
um. Is a game
with more player
agency
more
worthwhile, because it excels in
ways only video games can?
This critical dilemma is the
heart of the discussion surround-
ing the “Metal Gear Solid” series.
The popular stealth action fran-
chise’s first four numbered games,
while all critically acclaimed,
have received flak from fans and
critics regarding their cinematic
influences. Some have argued the
series relies too much on cutscenes
and linear narrative. Others have
argued that “Metal Gear” ’s cin-
ematic influences are extraordi-
narily compelling, and are part of
what makes the series great.
That’s why it’s so fascinating
that “Metal Gear Solid V,” the fifth
numbered entry in this wildly
popular series, completely aban-
dons the focused narrative struc-
ture of the previous major games.
Instead, it relies almost entirely on
open-ended, emergent gameplay,
favoring a high degree of player
agency in problem solving over
scripted sequences.
The vast majority of “MGSV”
is a military open-world game
that takes place in two humon-
gous areas based on real-world
locations: Afghanistan and the
Angola-Zaire border region of
Africa. As a member of military
NGO “Diamond Dogs,” the player
is tasked with completing military
objectives. But, rather than cram-
ming its open world full of side
activities and collectibles as many
of its contemporaries like “Assas-
sin’s Creed,” “Grand Theft Auto”
and “Mad Max” do, the world of
“MGSV” is mostly empty wilder-
ness, save for numerous guarded
outposts.
This lack of extraneous content
is undoubtedly a positive thing.
With few distractions, Kojima and
Konami were able to hone “Metal
Gear” ’s core gameplay — infiltrat-
ing and exfiltrating guarded areas
— into the finest stealth action
gameplay the genre has ever seen.
This is due to the incredible degree
of control the player has over his
or her avatar, the sheer number of
tactical options the player can use
in combat, and the flexibility of the
AI in how it reacts to the player.
So, whether you’re focusing
on efficiently completing a mis-
sion or just dicking around in the
open world, the joy of “MGSV”
is discovering the clever, brutal
and often hilarious ways you can
interact with enemy soldiers. The
exhilaration of trying something
new and having it succeed or fail
gloriously is the joy of “MGSV.”
The mission structures are gen-
erally quite engaging and often
act as a creative spark for encour-
aging experimentation with the
mechanics.
Further expanding upon the
already excellent gameplay is
the “buddy” system, an entirely
unique ally mechanic that adds
yet another layer of options for in/
exfiltration. At any time, the player
can call upon an eclectic mix of
helpers — a horse, a dog, a sniper
and a robot — all with interesting,
powerful and upgradable abilities.
The buddies each add a new angle
of strategy to gameplay, and their
most interesting uses are so fun to
discover and play around with that
they should not be spoiled here.
When “MGSV” ’s full toy chest
of weapons, buddies, vehicles and
abilities are unlocked, there is no
doubt that it becomes the greatest
open-world sandbox game ever
made.
However, the road to this
heightened state of emergent
gameplay is a rocky and somewhat
unsavory one. “MGSV” employs
a progression and unlock system
straight from “Metal Gear Solid:
Peace Walker,” a game for the
PSP that, by most accounts, very
few people played. To unlock new
weapons and items, the player
must navigate a complex system
of recruitment, staff management
and research & development, none
of which is particularly compel-
ling, and all of which requires
grinding. It’s the kind of mediocre
menu-based gameplay one would
find in a mobile companion app for
a game, more “addicting” than fun.
The most bizarre facets of this
system are the completely pointless
countdown timers that make the
player wait unreasonable amounts
of time after unlocking weapons to
be able to use them. These feel like
remnants of a scummy microtrans-
action system that was scrapped
late in development.
While the narrative of “MGSV”
is far, far less central than in the
other games, it still maintains
something of a presence. The nar-
rative in this game is kind of like
Ethan Hawke’s divorced dad char-
acter in “Boyhood.” He shows up
once in a while with a few cheap
presents under his arm, and it’s
usually pretty fun and interesting
when he does, but you never know
when he’s going to ring your door-
bell. Him, and it, have consistency
issues.
It’s worth noting that the
cutscenes in this game are shame-
lessly catered to the heterosexual
male gaze. The way the camera
zooms in and lingers on female
body parts will elicit at best eye-
rolls and at worst legitimate dis-
gust from many players. It’s a huge
bummer the direction isn’t more
inclusive.
But hey, at least its chauvin-
ism runs at a great framerate. On
PS4, this game runs at a rock-solid
1080p 60FPS, a visual standard
that few games on the console have
met, but more should.
The voice acting in this game
is
strange.
Kiefer
Sutherland
(Fox’s “24”) is excellent as pro-
tagonist Snake, but the character
is mostly silent throughout the
game. There are several scenes
that almost require Snake to talk,
but he stands there, mute. Snake’s
comrades do the vast majority of
the talking, suggesting that there
may have been contract or budget
issues with Sutherland picking up
the part.
One more nitpick: the back third
of the mission menu in this game
is rife, confusingly, with optional
“extreme” versions of earlier mis-
sions. While fun, these should have
been confined to a separate menu.
While “MGSV” has its share
of problems, it’s still the boldest
and most original game the open-
world genre has seen in many
years. Swinging from one extreme
end of the “linear vs. open-ended”
spectrum to the other is no small
task, and the late Kojima Produc-
tions pulled it off swimmingly. It
will be fascinating to see whether
this game attains “classic” status
among fans as its PlayStation pre-
decessors have, because upsets in
structure this huge rarely do well
by internet fandoms. Until then,
“MGSV” is a fascinating beast
that demands to be experienced
by the curious and worshipped by
the established open-world gamer.
Few games are as risky, beautiful
and brilliant. Savor this one.
“Metal Gear Solid V: The Phan-
tom Pain” was reviewed using a
post-release digital copy provided
by Konami.
KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS
Let’s just hope he doesn’t pull a Fetty Wap.
A-
Metal
Gear Solid
V: The
Phantom
Pain
Kojima
Productions
PS4 (Reviewed),
PS3, Xbox One,
Xbox 360, PC
By KENNETH SELANDER
Daily Arts Writer
In light of the recent Jew-
ish holidays of Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur, I think it’s the
right time to express my dis-
taste for Lil Dicky as a person of
the Jewish faith. I do not con-
sider myself highly religious,
but I am proud of my heritage
and identity as a Jew.
The history of the Jewish
people has been one of eter-
nal struggle. Over thousands of
years, the Jewish people have
been enslaved and harshly dis-
criminated against and, between
1939 and 1945, six million of my
people were systematically mur-
dered in the Holocaust. Things
have been rough.
I’ve been far luckier in my
own life. I haven’t had to face
the multitude or intensity of the
struggles my ancestors have had
to embrace in the quest for social
and religious freedom. I grew
up in an unusually Jewish area,
where two massive temples are
just a short drive from my house.
And the University provides
many resources for Jewish stu-
dents, such as Hillel, the Jewish
American Resource Center and
even a Chabad house just down
the street from me. Despite these
welcoming environments, I’ve
still had to deal with negative
Jewish stereotypes on countless
occasions in my life.
I have been aware of Lil
Dicky’s music for some time
now, and he has acquired broad
mainstream attention with his
debut album Professional Rapper.
His recent music video for “$ave
Dat Money” is getting plenty of
coverage, too. I wouldn’t write
this article had he not achieved
some level of success — and to
my great surprise. According
to Billboard he had the number
one Rap Album in America in
early August around the album’s
release on July 31.
Lil Dicky is exploiting his
Jewish
heritage
for
satire.
“$ave Dat Money” is a direct
appeal to the stereotype of Jews
being cheap and petty about
money. I’ll give him some credit
— it was a wise career decision
to get Fetty Wap and Yo Gotti
on the track. The concept of
making a rap music video for as
little as possible is comical, too,
but the fact that this endeavor
is qualified as a product of his
Jewishness is what ticks me off.
The soliloquy where he makes a
fuss about being double charged
for a refill of coffee is unimagi-
native and insulting.
In “$ave Dat Money,” he
drops the line “I’mma get on
Yelp in a minute and review /
This piece of shit place like only
a Kike know how.” The reck-
lessness with which Lil Dicky
plays up Jewish stereotypes
isn’t a one time deal. In “All K”
he proclaims “I’m a K-I-K-E.”
“It’s OK because he’s Jew-
ish,” fans (aptly known as
“Dickheads”) might claim, or
“It’s satire, you just don’t get it.”
I’m sure some readers think
I’m making a big deal out of
nothing, or am being too sen-
sitive, but whenever I hear Lil
Dicky’s music I’m brought back
to my own personal experi-
ences with Jewish stereotypes.
I cringe at Lil Dicky’s music
because of the connections
between the stereotypes he
laughs about and the prejudice
I’ve experienced in my own life.
At one of my soccer buddies’
catechism
celebrations
back
in the day, one of the family
friends in attendance started
ranting about Jews. The one
particular topic I remember
was how “Jews aren’t good at
sports,” because they’re weak
and unathletic. He continued
on with other wild accusations
of Jewish people and Israel that
he sincerely believed. I would
estimate this guy’s age at 55
years — a full grown adult with
plenty of grey hairs. I was 12 or
13. I proudly identified myself
as a Jew and defended myself,
leaving shortly after in extreme
discomfort. My friends’ parents
simply brushed his remarks off
as not a big deal. This would not
be the last time I had such an
experience.
While this event is particu-
larly salient in my mind as
one of my earlier experiences
with outright anti-Semitism,
all throughout my life I have
encountered
people
making
remarks based on negative ste-
reotypes of Jews that aren’t
necessarily rooted in an out-
right hatred like that guy. I can
laugh at myself or jokes about
someone’s overbearing Jewish
grandmother and use of half-
assed Yiddish, but sometimes
it’s different.
Playing travel soccer in high
school, I recall on a couple occa-
sions an opponent muttering
about us being “spoiled Jewish
kids.”
My first week at college, I met
some kid on my hall. I intro-
duced myself and told him my
hometown.
“Oh, so you’re a spoiled Jew.”
I
nervously
laughed,
“I
wouldn’t say ‘spoiled.’”
I didn’t appreciate his tone or
diction. I would never see that
kid again, anyway.
Other times in my life I have
experienced even more moder-
ate occurrences in everyday life
situations.
“You still owe me $10, I’d
appreciate it if you paid me
back.”
“You’re such a Jew, haha.”
I’m not one to always take
such comments lightly, as much
as others might not like to make
a fuss. Sometimes I angrily
respond to such comments, typ-
ically surprising or upsetting
the person. They too are quick
to excuse it and brush it aside.
“It’s not a big deal.”
“It’s just a joke, relax.”
Other times I’m simply too
tired to say much more than a
half-hearted “F*** you.”
I’d like to reiterate the fact
that I have always gone through
life with a strong Jewish minor-
ity around me in my commu-
nities, or, very infrequently, a
majority. I can imagine it would
only be worse being one of three
Jewish students at a school of
2,000, like some of friends at
my temple in high school, or liv-
ing in parts of the U.S. where
people my age have never met a
Jewish person prior to college.
I think Lil Dicky’s self-depre-
cating shtick gets old, but that’s
not what I’m here to discuss. I
can appreciate his goofy antics
to some extent, but not how Lil
Dicky uses negative Jewish ste-
reotypes to carve out his come-
dic persona as a rapper.
And it isn’t a challenge for
him to achieve this image. He
has Sephardic physical attri-
butes that listeners likely asso-
ciate with Jewishness — curly
black hair, a black beard, etc.
In relation to Lil Dicky feed-
ing off of stereotypes, there’s
something to be said of Black
rappers using the N-word and
perpetuating negative stereo-
types, but I don’t believe it’s
my place to say much because,
as a white person, I don’t know
what it’s like to experience that
discrimination. I do know that
in “All K” Lil Dicky claims that
if Black people can “say the N
word / I sure as fuck can say
Kike / Do something about it,
pussy.” I suppose socially speak-
ing this may be true, but that
doesn’t mean you should. As
Dave Chappelle reflected on
his time with “The Chappelle
Show,” his sketches were “funny,
but socially irresponsible.”
Lil Dicky is purposefully uti-
lizing hyper-exaggerated Jew-
ish stereotypes as one of the
primary pillars of his career.
And there doesn’t appear to be
a silver lining — he’s not using
these
stereotypes
ironically
to break them down. Listen-
ers might be laughing, but as
Dave Chappelle realized before
deciding to cancel “The Chap-
pelle Show,” there’s a certain
way a group may be laughing at
a joke that makes it not so funny
or satirical. There’s a difference
between people laughing with
you and people laughing at you.
Lil Dicky exploits
Jewish stereotypes
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
LIL DICKY
Nice Ray Bans, dick.
VIDEO GAME REVIEW
From the first look, we knew
Miuccia Prada was mixing busi-
ness with pleasure for SS16.
Though the death of her aunt pre-
vented her from seeing the show
in its live grandeur, we can only
imagine the insight behind her sar-
torial articulation of the modern
woman. It’s clear she designed for
a woman of conflict — potentially
one for a socialite who’s facing an
identity crisis — Well, yes, power
lunch at 12:30, but what about the
ladies, are we lunching? The for-
mer version of the modern woman
could easily be seen donning any
of the collection’s precisely tailed
power suits, while her alter ego
outshines the #squad in the wispy
emerald number topped with
the oversize statement trench.
Modernized pencil skirts of
the transparent, patchwork and
asymmetric
varieties
radiated
cheekiness
typically
exclusive
to the brand’s little sister line,
Miu Miu. Still, pantsuits reigned,
proving the label’s everlasting
contingency to the intellectual
vibe of Dr. Prada herself. Accents
of otherworldly adornments like
colossal ear baubles and slashes
of gold lipstick contrasted any
seriousness of structured silhou-
ettes. If this is the norm in cor-
porate Prada cubicles, I want in.
The
collection’s
whimsical
overtones appeared throughout
the show, ranging from trench-
es accented by vertical, gilded
pinstripes and models donning
multi-colored pumps to all those
go-go’s. Accessories played a key
role in the coquettish, yet bookish
vibes, as the line traded in iconic
Willy Wonka-esque sunglasses
for pastel-rimmed spectacles. An
overarching ’70s color palate of
oranges, tan and muted greens
and browns taught us that the
era’s trends are now cemented.
However, I’m still trying to figure
out those fishnet necklaces, or are
they meant to be scarves? Dickeys,
perhaps? Alas, Miuccia continu-
ally throws us for a sartorial loop.
- CAROLINE FILIPS
PRADA
MILAN FASHION WEEK
Max Mara provided a fresh
set of cool classics to lure in
all ages. Creative Director Ian
Griffiths settled on a nauti-
cal line for spring/summer,
yet nothing feels boring or
routine about this collection.
The fabulous basics are there
— stripes, sailor trousers, pea
coats — fixed among a sea
of edgy star knits, maritime
prints on silk and modern jack-
ets. The pacing of the show
was excellent — one moment
red summer stripes and the
next a tasseled skirt paired
with a nude starry knit. The
fact that the show could move
effortlessly
from
a
classic
striped jacket and pant combo
to summer whites onto an
edgy black power outfit can be
attributed to a perfected Max
Mara trademark of simultane-
ous dependability and novelty.
Every
look
that
came
down the runway had amaz-
ing craftsmanship, luxurious
fabrics and beautiful move-
ment. The classic cuts syn-
onymous
with
Max
Mara
paired perfectly with this
season’s trends (primary col-
ors, stars and stripes). This
look of striped yellow sail-
or pants and cropped star
knit with edgy round shades
and killer flats shows how
in touch Griffiths is with
the modern woman’s needs.
- MARA MACLEAN
PRADA
MAX MARA