How does one review Metal Gear Solid? Well actually what I should say is how does one re-review Metal Gear Solid, as this will be my second time reviewing the title. The first review was written many moons ago and is long lost to the ether, and my memories of playing the game for the first time almost a decade ago are faint at best. But I remember the game had a profound impact on me back then, and I’ve been meaning to replay it ever since. It’s one of the most iconic franchises in all of gaming history, and one that is fraught with behind-the-scenes woes as creator Hideo Kojima would often express his desire to leave the property be rather than continue making entries to please fans and satisfy publisher demands. But 1998’s Metal Gear Solid is the start (sort of) to one of the most incredible gaming franchises of all time. So, I shall begin once again, to explain why I adore this game so much.
Legendary infiltrator and saboteur Solid Snake has been tasked with sneaking his way into Shadow Moses island, a nuclear weapons disposal facility that has fallen under control of the terrorist organisation FOXHOUND. His mission is to locate and disable a mobile tank capable of launching nukes from any location on the planet known as Metal Gear REX. But standing in his way are the elite assassins that form FOXHOUD, Revolver Ocelot, Vulcan Raven, Sniper Wolf, Psycho Mantis, and their leader, Liquid Snake.
Legendary infiltrator and saboteur Solid Snake has been tasked with sneaking his way into Shadow Moses island, a nuclear weapons disposal facility that has fallen under control of the terrorist organisation FOXHOUND. His mission is to locate and disable a mobile tank capable of launching nukes from any location on the planet known as Metal Gear REX. But standing in his way are the elite assassins that form FOXHOUD, Revolver Ocelot, Vulcan Raven, Sniper Wolf, Psycho Mantis, and their leader, Liquid Snake.
A story of government conspiracies, nuclear stalemate, and genetic experimentation, Metal Gear Solid is nothing short of bat shit crazy. But despite its innate campiness, it manages to tell its story in an incredibly straight-faced manner and not come across as too silly. Sure, the dialogue that feels like its ripped straight from a Japanese anime can be wildly overdramatic and have the subtlety of an air raid siren, but despite this Kojima has managed to craft a story that even by modern videogame standards has an incredible amount of emotional depth.
Story was not something that videogames had really begun to master until the mid to late 00’s, and even now there’s plenty of story driven titles that pale in comparison to the kind of quality seen in film and TV. But Metal Gear Solid was one of the early torchbearers for videogame storytelling, with its narrative that is ambitiously complex even by modern standards.
A lot of what makes Metal Gear Solid’s story so great is the fantastic characters. Solid Snake is a cold and emotionally detached killer whose sole purpose is to get the job done. He’s a soldier, gruff and to the point, as well as cool under pressure. He’s supported via codec link to a team of highly skilled individuals who can help him with his mission, first up is mission leader, Colonel Campbell. Campbell knows everything about the mission and the members of FOXHOUND that Snake will need to come up against, but his personal attachment to the mission puts him under a great deal of emotional duress. Dr. Naomi Hunter is a specialist in nanomachines, but there seems to be something this woman is hiding. Mei Ling is a data analyst who you’ll contact to save your game, as well as discuss some of the more philosophical quandaries presented by MGS’ story. Then there’s Master Miller and Natasha Romanenko who can provide Snake with specialist knowledge on enemies, weapons, and combat tactics.
Plus, there’s those that Snake meets along the way to help him out. Meryl is your stereotypical tough chick who ultimately becomes a love interest for Snake; and Otacon is a geeky tech expert who knows the Shadow Moses security systems inside out and can provide you with useful insight into the Metal Gear REX project.
Combine this eclectic cast with the members of FOXHOUND who are all just as fleshed out and you have a lot of secondary characters to bounce off of Snake’s comparatively restrained personality.
Story was not something that videogames had really begun to master until the mid to late 00’s, and even now there’s plenty of story driven titles that pale in comparison to the kind of quality seen in film and TV. But Metal Gear Solid was one of the early torchbearers for videogame storytelling, with its narrative that is ambitiously complex even by modern standards.
A lot of what makes Metal Gear Solid’s story so great is the fantastic characters. Solid Snake is a cold and emotionally detached killer whose sole purpose is to get the job done. He’s a soldier, gruff and to the point, as well as cool under pressure. He’s supported via codec link to a team of highly skilled individuals who can help him with his mission, first up is mission leader, Colonel Campbell. Campbell knows everything about the mission and the members of FOXHOUND that Snake will need to come up against, but his personal attachment to the mission puts him under a great deal of emotional duress. Dr. Naomi Hunter is a specialist in nanomachines, but there seems to be something this woman is hiding. Mei Ling is a data analyst who you’ll contact to save your game, as well as discuss some of the more philosophical quandaries presented by MGS’ story. Then there’s Master Miller and Natasha Romanenko who can provide Snake with specialist knowledge on enemies, weapons, and combat tactics.
Plus, there’s those that Snake meets along the way to help him out. Meryl is your stereotypical tough chick who ultimately becomes a love interest for Snake; and Otacon is a geeky tech expert who knows the Shadow Moses security systems inside out and can provide you with useful insight into the Metal Gear REX project.
Combine this eclectic cast with the members of FOXHOUND who are all just as fleshed out and you have a lot of secondary characters to bounce off of Snake’s comparatively restrained personality.
But one thing to remember is that Metal Gear Solid is the third entry in the Metal Gear franchise, despite in a lot of ways being the first entry in its own sub-franchise of Metal Gear Solid. The Metal Gear franchise started in 1987, following Snake’s exploits against Big Boss, and its 1990 sequel, Solid Snake, followed suit. They were top-down stealth titles that for the time presented complex stories and worlds, but were held back by technological limitations of the time. Metal Gear Solid meanwhile was the first entry of the franchise to be fully 3D, though due to the series lack of popularity in the west ‘Solid’ represents a good entry point for newcomers to the series. The events of previous games are certainly spoken about at length in MGS, but in a way that newcomers will be able to follow.
But like its predecessors Metal gear Solid retains the stealth first approach. Snake cannot survive head-to-head combat for long, especially in the game’s earlier stages, so avoiding detection is the best way to progress. Metal Gear Solid utilises static camera angles and tank controls, similar to the early Resident Evil titles, as the technology for active cameras was still in its infancy. However, this style of gameplay adds to Metal Gear Solid’s cinematic style. Everything is designed in a way to look great, as well as give you the best possible vantage of your environment. You can also shift the camera to a first-person perspective for a different perspective, however you can’t move around in this view. To aid you further, your radar provides you with enemy positions, as well as their field of view and alert status, allowing you to keep track of what’s going on.
Snake will also collect a vast array of items and weapons to aid him in his infiltration of Shadow Moses. Whether it be items like thermal goggles, mine detectors, or the iconic cardboard boxes; or weapons such as pistols, assault rifles, and even rocket launchers. You’ll need to become a master of everything you acquire in order to progress, particularly in the latter stages of the game that will put your reflexes and inventory management to the test.
But like its predecessors Metal gear Solid retains the stealth first approach. Snake cannot survive head-to-head combat for long, especially in the game’s earlier stages, so avoiding detection is the best way to progress. Metal Gear Solid utilises static camera angles and tank controls, similar to the early Resident Evil titles, as the technology for active cameras was still in its infancy. However, this style of gameplay adds to Metal Gear Solid’s cinematic style. Everything is designed in a way to look great, as well as give you the best possible vantage of your environment. You can also shift the camera to a first-person perspective for a different perspective, however you can’t move around in this view. To aid you further, your radar provides you with enemy positions, as well as their field of view and alert status, allowing you to keep track of what’s going on.
Snake will also collect a vast array of items and weapons to aid him in his infiltration of Shadow Moses. Whether it be items like thermal goggles, mine detectors, or the iconic cardboard boxes; or weapons such as pistols, assault rifles, and even rocket launchers. You’ll need to become a master of everything you acquire in order to progress, particularly in the latter stages of the game that will put your reflexes and inventory management to the test.
Depending on what version of Metal Gear Solid you play depends vastly on what kind of visual experience you’ll get. The original version for PlayStation looks very dated now with its low polygon graphics and crude character models, however it retains a particular charm thanks to its distinctive art style that’s somewhere between Hollywood action movie and an anime. In stark contrast, the GameCube version of the game (subtitled The Twin Snakes) is made in Metal Gear Solid 2’s engine allowing for much greater character and environment detail. Both look amazing, and whilst The Twin Snakes is arguably the superior version, it’s like gold dust trying to get hold of a copy so I have only ever played the PlayStation original.
The score composed by Kazuki Muaoka and a number of Konami’s other musicians is simply sublime. It manages to toe the line between poignant, creepy, and blood-pumping action perfectly; it fits into the games themes of the world being on the brink of nuclear war amazingly and just every single track is incredible. Of course, the opening sequence and the alert phase music are perhaps the most iconic pieces of music from MGS, but believe me when I say that every track is pure gold.
Metal Gear Solid is borderline perfect, I have nothing negative to say about the game. I’m sure many other critics have been able to say much more, and in a much more eloquent fashion than I have. But if you’re yet to play Metal Gear Solid then I cannot recommend it enough. It’s a title that any self-respecting game should seek out and play. It helped usher in the era of cinematic story driven games (for better or for worse), and spawned the Metal Gear Solid sub-series which ran for seventeen years until Hideo Kojima’s leave from the franchise in 2015. Why are you still here reading? Just go and play it.
The score composed by Kazuki Muaoka and a number of Konami’s other musicians is simply sublime. It manages to toe the line between poignant, creepy, and blood-pumping action perfectly; it fits into the games themes of the world being on the brink of nuclear war amazingly and just every single track is incredible. Of course, the opening sequence and the alert phase music are perhaps the most iconic pieces of music from MGS, but believe me when I say that every track is pure gold.
Metal Gear Solid is borderline perfect, I have nothing negative to say about the game. I’m sure many other critics have been able to say much more, and in a much more eloquent fashion than I have. But if you’re yet to play Metal Gear Solid then I cannot recommend it enough. It’s a title that any self-respecting game should seek out and play. It helped usher in the era of cinematic story driven games (for better or for worse), and spawned the Metal Gear Solid sub-series which ran for seventeen years until Hideo Kojima’s leave from the franchise in 2015. Why are you still here reading? Just go and play it.