Philips Magnavox Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution Trigger Happy - Manual (Page 336)

Trigger Happy
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power-up, but as we saw it’s also a special case of the
dreaded “functional incoherence.” By contrast, Metal
Gear Solid superbly combines a large number of
gadgets with a delicious freedom as to how they are
used and reused in various situations. You may use a
simple cardboard box to hide in, or to get yourself
transported unwittingly by the enemy in a truck. When
you meet your sharp-shooting nemesis, Sniper Wolf,
for the second time, you can choose to battle her with
the sniper rifle, or throw gallantry to the wind and fire
off some Nikita guided missiles instead. If your aim is
shaky, you can pop a tranquilizer, or smoke a cigarette.
If you need to make some alarm beams visible, you can
smoke a cigarette or use your infrared goggles— and so
on.
A great game, we can say for the moment, will
probably have one or both of the two semiotic virtues
identified. The first is to set challenges that involve
complex, rich interactions of signs. And the second is
continually to expand the player’s own vocabulary, to
present the gift of freedom in negotiating those semiotic
thickets.