I'm sure if you have spent long enough playing games you have heardof the Metal Gear franchise. Even just a few months in the gamingworld would have you knowing the name of the next instalment in thelong running franchise, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. As aseries Metal Gear has been around since the late 80's with theoriginal Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. But it was thethird entry in the franchise, the first to make the jump to 3Dgraphics, the first to hit the Playstation console and the first togain the series recognition and praise as one of the greatest gamesever created. That game was 1998's Metal Gear Solid.
Presented much like a film rather than a game, Metal Gear Solid is acinematic stealth action game and often cited as the game thateffectively created the stealth genre. You play as Solid Snake, asecret agent and legendary infiltrator. Set in 2005, you are taskedwith infiltrating Shadow Moses island in Alaska. The site has beentaken over by a terrorist group called FOXHOUND, led by Liquid Snake,a man who shares the same genetic code as you. The terrorists havecontrol of a nuclear equipped mech and are threatening the U.Sgovernment if the body of their former leader Big Boss is notreturned to them.
Your goal is to neutralise the members of FOXHOUND (Decoy Octopus,Vulcan Raven, Psycho Mantis, Sniper Wolf, Revolver Ocelot and LiquidSnake) as well as find the nuclear weapon and neutralise it, MetalGear REX.
Metal Gear Solid's storyline has been a subject of praise ever sinceit's release in 1998 and its understandable to see why. The level ofcomplexity in the narrative had never been seen in video gamesbefore, this coupled with its cinematic direction and lengthy, almostmovie like cutscenes provided a gaming experience unlike any otherbefore it's time. It is one of the earliest examples of video gamesmaturing into the art form it has grown into today. Covering topicssuch as the changing face of war, human experimentation, the everincreasing reliance on technology and the concept of revenge inextremely adult ways.
The game's deeply fleshed out characters have interesting andmeaningful interactions not only with Snake, but also with eachother. Allowing for more unexpected plot twists and explosive actionfilled moments to take place the further the story progresses. It's agame with superb pacing and some simply jaw dropping action sequencesunlike any you will find elsewhere on the original Playstation.
MGS' practically invented the stealth genre, with the heading on thefront of the box saying 'Tactical Espionage Action' it gives you apretty clear idea of what you're getting yourself in for. But as thegame progresses so does the basic gameplay, requiring you to adapt toless stealthy situations. At the start of the game you have limitedequipment access and must sneak around guards rather than face themhead on. But as your presence on the island becomes known and yoururgency to complete the mission becomes even more paramount itbecomes just as viable an option to tackle the soldiers as it is tostealth past them.
The camera is usually in a static position either above Snake and theenvironment or attached to a wall much like the style used in theearly Resident Evil and Silent Hill games. The camera does alsofollow Snake in more open areas and in more cinematic sections itdoes follow him as if it were a third person action game as well asallowing some sections of the game to take place in first person.Though there can be issues with this style of camera placement ingames, Metal Gear Solid handles it very well with the only exceptionsbeing in some of the more hectic action sequences towards the end ofthe game when you have to deal with large quantities of enemies atthe same time.
For weapons you'll often find yourself relying on a silenced M9pistol, stun grenades and chaff grenades to blind cameras or disablegun turrets, however you also have access to a FAMAS assault rifle,Nikita and Stinger rocket launchers and various explosive devicessuch as C4 and Frag Grenades. You'll also come into contact withequipment such as thermal goggles, mine detectors and...cardboardboxes.
Boss battles, of which there are several, require you to identify howto take down an enemy rather than tell you what to do beforehand.With most its often a simple procedure of using particular weaponssuch as the battles with Revolver Ocelot and Vulcan Raven. Howeversome boss battles are particularly special and require you to thinkabout playing games in a very different way to how you normallywould, battles such as Psycho Mantis and Sniper Wolf are unlike anyyou will have likely to have encountered before, even 17 years afterthe release of MGS these are some of the most unique battles you willever come across.
The game itself will last you anywhere between 10 and 12 hoursdepending on how well you can adapt to certain situations the gamethrows you into. It's certainly a learning curve and remains to beone of the most unique video game experiences you will ever have.
Visually Metal Gear Solid is no work of art, especially after 17years. However, it has aged reasonably well considering. Compared togames such as the original Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid hasretained some of its visual appeal thanks to its relatively accuratepredictions about technology and its superb level design. Thecharacter models are less impressive. Faces have no detail on themmeaning that characters are eyeless, mouthless freaks, not to mentionthey probably only have around 3-4 polygons in their entire bodyjudging by the blocky and sharp models. Nonetheless for a game thatwas among the first to venture into 3D, it doesn't look all that badand manages to retain a lot of it's visual charm.
Voice acting is on par with the greats of today. With top of the linevoice talent and genuinely believable performances from each andevery single one of its cast. Something that was practically unheardof in video games during the late 90's. Metal Gear Solid was arevolutionary game in its audio/visual presentation.
Metal Gear Solid earned itself places in almost every video game hallof fame ever created and is often cited as one of the mostinfluential and most important games ever created and it's easy tosee why. From its mature, complex, cinematic storyline that was yearsahead of it's time as well as it's near flawless stealth/actiongameplay all the way to its groundbreaking audio/visual standard thatset the standard for all story focussed games to come, a standardthat more often than not was not achieved until years after itsrelease.
Metal Gear Solid is one of the few, rare games that come along thatchange the way gaming is seen, the way games are played and raise thebar of what it means to be a video game. I think it's fair to saythat if you haven't played this game yet, you owe it to yourself toplay it.
MetalGear Solid – 10/10
+Mature,Complex and Explosive Storyline
+BlockbusterCinematic Experience
+IntenseStealth/Action Gameplay
+High3D Visual Quality
+ExcellentVoice Talent
