Integral Shenanigans
👋🏻
So a month ago now, I went down a fun rabbit hole while looking for a very specific save file. As you may know, my next essay is about Astro Bot and the Fourth Wall. I need some primo examples of games that break the fourth wall for the opening-ish segments. My brain immediately goes to the legendary Psycho Mantis boss battle in Metal Gear Solid.
I want to use footage of Psycho Mantis reading my PS1 memory card, but the problem is I don't have a save slot before the Psycho Mantis fight. And given it is half-ish way through the game, I don't really want to dedicate the time to get back to it. To the Internet!
My go-to spot is GameFAQs for old save files, but I didn't see any dedicated to fighting the man with powerful psychic abilities. Searching the web at large didn't really help either until I searched for a save editor. I didn't find one, but that search terminology brought me to metlagearspeedrunners.com.
I found an entire resources page built around helping people practice speedrunning the game; including
"Console Integral Save Files (All Bosses and Any%): A .rar file containing 16 memory cards for MGS Integral with save files located in key areas both for Any% and All Bosses% for ALL difficulties. Created by Tromboncino."
This was exactly what I needed...but what is "Integral"?
Turns out that Metal Gear Solid had an expanded edition of the game in Japan, just like Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance and Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. Integral was packed with the changes from the NTSC version, English VO, and all of Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions. It was basically a patch and DLC for the game in 1999.
Now a new problem emerged...I don't have a Japanese PlayStation. But I do have a MiSTer. I loaded up the game and the save onto my little console that could using Transmit, which is my favorite file transfer app on the Mac. I was able to load the memory card no problem. The only catch I came across was that I'll need to remember to copy over my Castlevania: Symphony of the Night to that card before I play so Psycho Mantis, you know, does The Thing™.
I'm toying around with the idea of capturing the game off-screen on my CRT for the proper effect of the HIDEO moment. I have this idea of practically switching scenes of the CRT and pushing in on the frame, but I'll have to test it out first.
I'm excited to have found a solution. There are so many moments in the entire Metal Gear Solid franchise that break the fourth wall, but this is the one I wanted the most (Octacon talking about Blu-Ray discs is a close second). Thank you speedrunning community and your thoroughness. I owe you one.
Until next time...
This letter is one block from the newsletter Memory Card by Max Roberts. Thoughts? Send me an email at max@maxfrequency.net.
Max is the writer and producer behind Max Frequency. cultivate and curate curiosity—both for himself and for others—by delighting in the details and growing greatness from small beginnings.
He's written a rich history and dive on the making of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II, celebrated the 15th anniversary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl with the voice behind its hype, and examined how Zelda "stole" Fortnite's best mechanic.
Memory Card is a real-ish time, raw, drip feed newsletter of his creative process for telling these stories. It’s how The Thing™ gets made.
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