Metal Gear Solid (1998)

This was my first real experience with the Metal Gear series — I only knew about Solid Snake from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Back then, I loved the codec calls on the Shadow Moses stage, and I always wondered what that was all about. After seeing Metal Gear Solid pop up on so many “PS1 must-play” lists, I finally decided to give it a try… even though I’ve always been a bit hesitant about games that look gray, dark, and stealth-focused.

But I thought: It would be a shame to call myself a true gamer and never play MGS. I’ve heard so much about Hideo Kojima’s genius and David Hayter’s iconic voice acting — and yeah, both live up to the hype at least in my opinion.

First Impressions

The game immediately throws you into the mission with little hand-holding more or less. I wasn’t sure what to do at first — I even clicked “Briefing” in the menu just to understand what was happening. Thankfully, that helped a lot since I had zero context about the lore or why Colonel Campbell was contacting Snake. The presentation was cinematic and mysterious, and the story pulled me in quickly.

The controls, however, were tough to get used to — especially compared to modern setups. I died a few times at the very beginning, just trying to sneak past the genome soldiers near the elevator. The game really forces you to learn through trial and error, and once you realize that, it becomes incredibly satisfying. It’s designed so that rushing in will always get you killed. You’re meant to think, adapt, and use your tools smartly.

Gameplay and Mechanics

What I love and hate is how many mechanics the game never explicitly tells you. You just discover them. A guard won’t move? You can choke him out — the game never explains that, you just have to figure it out. Turrets shooting you down? Toss a Chaff Grenade and they’re blind...and later at the end of the game i found out you can just shoot the turrets with the stinger.

Every encounter feels like a puzzle. At first, it’s frustrating, but then it becomes addicting once you “get” how the game wants you to think. It’s challenging, but fair once you understand the logic behind it.

The boss fights, though? Brutal for a newcomer. I played on Normal, and almost every boss wiped me multiple times. I had to look up guides — which didn’t even help much since they mostly said “just dodge here” or “use this weapon.” You still need solid reflexes and patience.

The Sniper Wolf fight especially tested me — taking Diazepam to steady your aim while she dodges like crazy was tense as hell. But when I finally beat her, it felt amazing.

Characters and Story

The characters are incredible — Snake, Otacon, Meryl, Ocelot, Liquid Snake… and more every one of them leaves an impression. The voice acting and writing are top-tier. The story constantly twists and turns — betrayals, conspiracies, revelations — at some point, I was completely lost but in the best way possible. You feel like a pawn in a massive game, but Snake always finds a way to push through.

The Codec calls are easily one of my favorite parts. They make the world feel real — filled with genuine military details, background info, and human touches. It almost feels like reading a tactical report, not just a video game conversation.

And then there’s Psycho Mantis… that fight blew my mind. I won’t spoil it, but the “gimmick” behind it must’ve been revolutionary back in the day. Playing it on original hardware must have been an experience.

Atmosphere and Sound

The dark, industrial tone of Shadow Moses is unforgettable. The soundtrack is haunting, and the sound effects — from alerts to Codec beeps — are iconic. It’s a game that completely defines the word atmosphere.

Everything feels cold and tense, but that’s exactly what makes it so immersive. The sound design makes you feel the isolation and danger.

Final Thoughts

I saved Meryl in the end — apparently, that’s the good ending (you can let her die if you give up during Ocelot’s torture… who the hell would give up?!).

The game frustrated me at times, and the controls definitely feel clunky, but once you adapt, it’s pure brilliance.

Metal Gear Solid is not beginner-friendly, but it’s rewarding, deep, and full of soul. I completely understand why it’s considered a masterpiece. I’ll definitely continue the series — I’m hooked.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5 / 5) A clunky but genius classic that made me fall in love with the Metal Gear saga.

Metal Gear Rex kicked my ass a bunch of times, but then after using a combination of chaffe gernades and stinger missiles, I was able to get him in the first part.

The second part, if you just get under his legs enough where the radar turns blue and he can't lock on, you can hit him easily with missiles in the cockpit.

Almost finished. I can see why this is such a renowned classic.

That sniper fight with Wolf was not easy. You have to take a medication to not shake, then you have to get down and aim, but if you get hit, your aim gets all out of whack, and then you have to keep your ammunition up, as well as your energy. I eventually won, but took a few tries.

And then that torture scene... I like that the game breaks the fourth wall, but I can see why this game was so groundbreaking in the mid 90s. It was a game made for adults. Mortal Kombat isn't for kids? This game is not only violent, but it has deep, dark, disturbing themes that make Mortal Kombat look like a cartoon. I definitely see why it's a classic, but I can also see why it's not meant for kids.

I have no nostalgia for this specific Metal Gear Solid game. I have played all the other mainline games and mostly enjoyed them (MGS2 especially). MGS1 is everything I hoped it would be, but also falls short in ways I didn't expect. The 4th wall breaks that happen throughout the game, always left me feeling unnerved. Just as the government is controlling Snake in order to do their bidding, I am controlling Snake to experience the Spy Thriller power fantasy.

       The game is painful when you know that Snake is being tricked into starting Metal Gear Rex.  The enemies leaving the room the player needs to be in to do this felt ridiculous. Its almost making fun of the ways games break the promise of the experience they are offering to make the game more playable.  In this story though, the moments of illogical gaminess are the enemy getting the upper hand by tricking Snake. The player is forced to commit these errors even if they see the truth of the situation. 

Reviewing this game is hard because you could spend weeks on the consequences of each purposeful design decision. I have been thinking about these aspects since I finished the game. A lot of the antiquated boss fight mechanics have been mostly forgotten. Old school in that games don't often have boss fights that are beaten once specific best way; it always feels cheesy. Playing this game didn't answer many of the mysteries the later games had me wondering about, but I think this is still an essential experience.

I was pretty enthralled with the introductory areas of Metal Gear Solid. The dock area provides a good simple area to practice the stealth mechanics and get used to the controls. It was also rewarding to gradually explore and find more useful items and learn more about the characters and setting. As I continued and got more than a couple boss fights into the game however, I started to develop a powerful love/hate dynamic with some of the various elements of the game.

Pros:

• The cast of characters, setting, and concepts explored are interesting and makes for a fun action/stealth game experience.

• The general stealth mechanics and weapons/tools you get access to feel impactful and fun to experiment with.

• Some areas are fun to explore and experiment with approaches. Some of the bosses are also super fun to try out different strategies with.

Cons:

-I always knew MGS lore was crazy and that Hideo Kojima liked to emphasize narrative, so I was expecting a lot of talking, but instead of getting a steady stream of dialogue and new information I got an avalanche. Every new conversation tends to open up a bunch more plot threads while closing none for most of the game. Characters will go on and on in melodramatic speeches or engage Snake in seemingly out of nowhere philosophical discussions. Less is more applies strongly here and the general pacing and pull of the story would have benefitted from about 70% less than what it gives. I can appreciate silly and over the top storybeats but MGS does even this to excess.

-The over the top style camera angle is a nightmare, even with a dedicated button to peek in front of you. It was awkward aiming and gauging enemy distance for my whole playthrough, especially in areas where you can't rely on the radar.

-Despite a couple really fun boss fights, the rest in contrast felt very tedious and frustrating to get through. I can understand some matching the feeling of the kind of battle they are, like a sniper duel feeling stressful and unnerving, but the way they play out doesn't make for a fun gameplay experience. Even when you know what to do it's not engaging in way that would ever make me want to do them again. This could be attributed partially to the controls, and some to the ways the game just doesn't feel fair or friendly to the player, like letting you still take damage and even die as the game transitions to a mid battle cutscene.

After 15 years of playing videogames, it felt like a sin to have never played any game in the Metal Gear series. And what better than to start with... the third one.

The good thing is that the game itself tries to make you understand everything, you even have dozens of pages to read the stories of the previous games in the saga, Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2, although you may still get lost at some point since it is still a game written by Hideo Kojima. But it still is an interesting story to experience, more than 25 years after its release date.

What is kinda problematic is its gameplay. The controls have not aged well at all and most of the time, the most difficult enemy is not the characters on the screen but the complicated and clunky controls. The inventory is a kind of prototype of what we now know as the "weapon wheel." but more confusing. The movement, while not being tank controls, is still confusing sometimes. Add to that that the camera sometimes likes to pan or move arbitrarily and that can result in a Game Over. A lot of things like these could be said, but then again, they could also be said to the majority of the games from this era, when developers were still trying to set a standard to 3D gameplay.

Valid to play it due to its historical value and its importance within the saga, but I don't think I will revisit it in the near future.

Writing this review as I watch the final cutscene. It feels a little strange as I hardly ever play through games in their entirety if I don't largely enjoy them. I can understand how some of the things that this game does with the presentation and story might have blown people's minds back in the day. This voice acting is still really good for a video game. I love the Hal and Dave bromance (worst ending!). I don't fault the graphics at all either. I grew up during this era and always find the awkward polygons oddly charming.

The reason that I'm giving it two stars is that the gameplay blows straight chunks. I realize that sounds overly harsh, but I figure if I might as well be as honest as possible. Every element of gameplay, whether it's the stealth, combat, or even just trying to climb up a ladder, feels janky and unpolished in complete contrast to the presentation. I can understand that some may feel differently, but I had almost no fun outside of listening to Codec conversations and watching cutscenes.

Maybe it's just an issue of expectations as I've played other more modern stealth combat games that I've enjoyed tremendously. However, looking at this game in the present context, I really can't recommend playing it. There are just far better experiences out there that won't have you pulling your hair out.

Go on Youtube and watch someone else play through this game or play Resident Evil 2 if you want a PS1 experience that still holds up. Just don't play this.

Just replayed this and I was shocked how this game felt more like a boss rush than anything else. I thought this would feel more like an extended MGS2 Tanker mission but 90% of the gameplay was bosses and cutscenes/dialogue. Thankfully the story is fun as hell. Maybe when I played this as a teen I spent more time in the world just messing around, but I feel the true "tactical stealth" experience is to be felt through the VR missions. Anywho, still worth revisiting.

My playthrough highlights:

Also I know I literally just posted a status. But. I'm so surprised by the Metal Gear Solid news. I've never seen a company announce that they're making a remake and bringing the original (ish) to modern hardware in the same announcement. That's wild.

It's also wild because I've been playing through the series with a first timer, not-big gamer and the surprise on her face during the Psycho Mantis segment was absolutely something. I showed her some of Castlevania SOTN beforehand at some point, because the acting is hammy and we've watched Castlevania together. When Psycho Mantis mentioned it, she looked at me to make sure she wasn't crazy.

Seeing someone truly be surprised by Psycho Mantis was an absolute joy

Right after I finished playing Metal Gear Solid I actually had quite a difficult time to form an opinion on what I have just experienced.

My first reaction was somewhat mediocre as some of the game's annoyances were still in my recent memory. I was mostly frustrated with some quite difficult boss fights that really tested my patience with given controls that can be quite clunky.

Speaking of controls: They aren't that bad actually. Controls are as you would expect them to be from an early 3D game. Quite complicated at first, but you can get used to them. There is definitely a lot of item switching and different buttons for various actions that you can mix up. Quite the opposite from the straightforward and fluid controls that you can find in a good platformer. But in a way I feel like such controls fit quite well to the strategic nature of the game. Most of the game is quite slow as you need to be patient and prepared when you sneak pass the guards. So really the controls are only rather complicated when you need to react quickly. Which is mostly when you fight bosses.

When ignoring the annoyances related to the controls, boss fights are quite good and memorable. Especially when paired with the very good cinematic introductions. Although some fights might feel a bit broken when fighting with quite overpowered Nikita cruise missile launcher. The boss fight that I really hated was the fist fight at the end. ugh.

But the real reason why this game is so special to me and to so many people is of course the story. The story was also quite difficult for me to reflect on. On the one hand the characters are quite one dimensional. Men are all having this "tough guy" who is kind a jerk persona that supposedly all the girls in the game are really attracted to. Generally speaking I am quite allergic to such cliches as I find them unbearable. But in the case of Metal Gear Solid I found them really comedic just because everything is delivered in so serious tone. But on the other hand, among this comedy, it did caught me off guard when the game managed to paint quite deep and profound moments.

The ending also left quite an impression on me. It was memorable and powerful enough to make me reconsider the overall rating of this game. While it wasn't very mind blowing when I first finished it, on the long run I feel like it was actually better than I first taught. To a degree that I keep thinking about it and the themes that the whole story arc is build around. The dilemmas about blindly following the orders in the name of loyalty and the idea that there are governments right here and right now that have the power to completely destroy this world with insanely overpowered weapons that they posses. Those are really powerful themes that remain relevant. And this is also why Metal Gear Solid's story unfortunately remains relevant.

So yes I do recommend this game and I am very glad that I played it.

Just one more advice: Get the "bad" ending. Its sooo much better than the cheesy "good" ending. When you come to the torture part - just give in. Trust me.

This is my favourite game ever. Never did I think I could ever be told such a cinematic story on a PlayStation 1. I played the opening level on a demo disc (yes those existed) with top gear 5 on it I think and was hooked immediately. So I gave my buddy back his ps1 and asked mom for one for Christmas and got one with MGS! The story is the best thing about this game any metal gear fan will tell you. It’s a mix of real life with supernatural elements and themes. Hideo Kojima is the creator of metal gear solid and this game touches on nuclear weapons/war, government corruption and to characters like Psycho Mantis who can levitate and use telekinesis and other psychic abilities. So you have to go into this game with an open mind. I won’t go into specific details about levels and bosses too much because I would hate to spoil things for a younger generation who hasn’t played this yet, but the one thing I will say is this, when you start the game and hear the music and see how well presented everything is for 1998 it’s an incredible feeling.

Ok so about the game. It’s about a character named solid snake who is sent to Alaska on a mission to stop a bunch of “bad guys” from a group called foxhound. A group of terrorists who are threatening to do some really bad things. Snake talks to a bunch of people along the way over a codec device mostly a colonel who helps him here and there(and others I can’t really mention without giving away too much). Along the way there are twists and double crosses here and there that are superbly written. Every character in the game is pretty much likeable which is a rare occurrence these days. The game itself has many different modes or mechanics in certain areas too for instance shooting a Nikita missile launcher and having to guide the missile in first person, a sniper battle, a tank battle, a fist fight, a chopper battle and more. What I enjoy most about metal gear solid is the wackiness of everything really. It’s so out there but it’s so fun to play. The fact that they told an amazing story on top of that is a really big bonus. There are many things I haven’t mentioned like the cool gadgets and weapons you get to play with and incapacitate enemies with in multiple ways as an example but it’s best to experience them yourself and come up with your own conclusions. Metal gear solid twin snakes was a remake of MGS for the GameCube that gave it some upgraded visuals and is worth checking out as well.

This was my opinion, I may have gotten a few things wrong but that’s because metal gear’s timeline/storyline is insane....in the best way.

I picked up the Metal Gear Solid Legacy Collection recently and this entire series is one of the reasons I wanted to get a PS3. The prospect of being able to play through almost all of these games on one platform without an emulator is extremely compelling to me.

And now I've just finished the first entry, which I have to say was quite impressive. There were so many parts of this game that I loved, I actually can't think of anything I didn't like besides having to set the controller to analogue mode everytime I start the game :/

The first thing I want to mention is how awesome the meta writing and meta moments of this game are. Specifically I remember finding the moment the Colonel asks you to look for Meryl's frequency on the game box just plain hilarious. At first I thought he meant on the cd of the metal gear data, but then I was like: "no could it be the actual manual of the game?" - indeed it was and I just really liked that moment. Perhaps the most impressive meta moment was when you fight psycho mantis and you have to change the controller to a different port. Since this was running on a ps3 that meant changing a setting but even the prospect of someone moving a controller to a different port was enough to make me die of laughter on the inside. I can't think of any other experience like this in a game, nevermind one that was executed so perfectly. If I was playing this on an actual ps1 when the game came out, well I would've probably been too much of an idiot baby to get the meta humor, but if I had played it a little later - I think my brain might have exploded just at how endearing the whole experience of physically moving a controller to get around a controller reading boss. I will say I didn't totally get the "HIDEO" screens, but they were cool enough that I didn't really care. Was it just a pun on HIDEO/VIDEO? Either way, loved this moment. And then there were the little sprinkles of meta like Mei Ling telling you that you should be grateful for the free time you have to play video games. These were so adorable.

Turning to a completely different part of this game: The Boss Battles. I think the battle with the Ninja is the part of this game where I really started to enjoy/love it. I somehow struggled my way through the first battle with ocelot and was not sure how I was going to beat the Ninja. Indeed, this is exactly what ends up happening and I just plain suck and am dying over and over extremely early on in the battle with Ninja. I felt like I was trying literally every weapon in my inventory and it took me quite a while before I decided to punch him, and that was just the first step, because it took me even longer to figure out the exact animations I had to watch out for in the first "round" to realise when I could punch him without dying immediately. And then after I finally got to the second round I was kind of enjoying myself, but again it took me super long to figure out just how to beat an invisible Ninja. Am I supposed to use the chaff grenades now? Rinse and repeat for the third round and by the end of the level I was shocked at how much I loved the fight. Is this the first boss battle I have ever liked, it legitimately could be.

The process of iterating on moves in a fight to find the one where not only do you inflict the most damage, but you are so good at timing the attacks, it is so easy that it feels like you are cheating, when just a mere 30 minutes ago you weren't sure if you weren't sure if you were actually going to have to cheat because the level is so hard - is such a fun experience that is concentrated and produced so well in this boss fight, and coming in at a close second in the metal gear fight. I just can't explain how much of chore these boss battles felt like they were going to be at the start, and how much fun they turned out to be at the end that they were maybe my favorite parts of the game.

I also loved the process of getting more and more gear and more and more experience running through rooms which initially seemed like were going to be super hard to get through, but now feel like you could do them with your eyes closed because you have gone through them so many times. After I finished the fight with liquid at the end of the game, I was thinking to myself that I half want to try punching my way through the entire game because I feel so good at punching now.

Suddenly I'm remembering that I have to mention that I didn't love the torture sequence because it kinda hurt my index finger, but I did love the fact that Ocelot says "no continues." I was legitimately nervous I would have to start from the beginning of the game. And waiting in the cell I was really anxious for Dr Emmrich to rescue me because I hated the torture chamber so much. So thanks Kojima for actually torturing me IRL I guess 10/10.

I want to briefly say that the graphics of this game are so aesthetic and I just love them. There is something so charming about them even now - they just do not look bad to me. I especially love the super compressed archival footage.

In terms of the story, I think I really liked it. The only minor annoyances were that even after reading the previous missions section, I still didn't feel that I fully understood the first two games and even now I do not know if fox hound are the good guys are the bad guys. But I think I followed it enough for me to like it and to be engaged with wanting to find out what happens next. I have to say I especially loved the last few words after the end credits. I just can't even picture what is going to happen in MGS2.

So yeah all in all I was going to give this 4 stars but after writing this review I can't think of any reason not to give it 5. Oh yeah, skipping cutscenes before boss battles is kinda annoying, why can't we just start at the boss battle itself? But that's definitely not reason to lower the game by a full star. 5/5 .

J'avais joué à MGS1 étant gamin, en version anglaise à une époque où on était obligé de traduire mot par mot dans un dictionnaire physique classé par ordre alphabétique (un gros livre quoi)... j'avais jamais capté toutes les nuances du scénario MGS1 d'autant plus que je n'ai pas réussi à finir le jeu à l'époque.

En bon gamer que je suis et pour pouvoir enchaîner sur le reste de la série MGS dans les règles de l'art, il était impensable pour moi de ne pas recommencer ce bon vieux MGS1 et de prendre ma revanche sur le passé et sur moi-même.

Le jeu a mal vieilli graphiquement sur console (Playstation 1-3) avec des pixels qui piquent les yeux à notre époque de TV 4K et HDR. J'avais donc deux options, me tourner vers l'émulation PC ou la version PC du jeu (malgré les critiques). Au final, j'ai choisi la version PC pour sa simplicité "plug&play" après avoir appliqué un patch graphique pour corriger quelques soucis graphiques et avoir le jeu en HD.

Passé les premières minutes de jeu où on galère à se réhabituer au gameplay assez rigide de MGS, le jeu s'avère vite très envoûtant avec une histoire entraînante digne des meilleurs studios Hollywood. Je me suis surpris alors à enchaîner les heures de jeu, et à prendre mon pied à redécouvrir ce scénario (en version française) que j'avais zappé étant plus jeune. Je me suis aussi attaché aux personnages, et je comprends mieux l'engouement qu'il y a autour de la série des Metal Gear.

Au moment où j’écris cette critique, je suis déjà à 5-6 heures de jeu et je dois avouer que j'ai hâte de découvrir le reste de l'histoire. La difficulté est un cran au-dessus des jeux actuels et il faut prévoir plusieurs Game Over (Snaakee Sanaaaake!) avant de finir un boss ou de passer certaines étapes du jeu. Mais cela s'avère aussi très gratifiant pour le joueur, quand on arrive à trouver (tout seul) la bonne mécanique pour buter ce foutu boss après une dizaine de Game Over...

Au final, je mets la note de 4* ce qui n'est pas mal du tout pour un jeu datant de 1998 joué en 2019 (soit plus de 20 ans après) et j'invite tous ceux qui n'ont pas encore joué à ce classique à le découvrir. C'est un must!

Oh boy was this an adventure. The over the top action plot was entertaining/tedious at the same time. I could tell how this game was revolutionary for the PS1 era, but the controls have definitely not aged well and I found myself frustrated more times than not.

Some bosses were hard to beat just because you aren't able to aim your attacks in a way that makes sense. I did like the concepts/motivations behind most of these bosses, but they were too difficult due to the bad controls. By the end of a game I shouldn't feel lucky when beating a boss. I should feel proud about having gained the skills necessary to succeed.

I probably would have liked this game much more had I played it closer to release, but I don't think Metal Gear Solid has aged well.

Played on PC

I debated for quite a while after finishing this game. On one side, this is one of the best games I've played, with one of the best stories available in gaming history. On another, some aspects haven't aged well, and some of them can be really annoying. So, for the first time, I'm gonna write my thoughts on the game, read them and then decide the final rating.

Question: Did you ever watched a 007 movie and wondered: "Why hasn't anybody done a game about espionage where you secretly enter a place full of villains and start take them out one by one?" Well Metal Gear Solid is the game you are looking for. Or it seems that way, at first. Instead of using a fun and cool, but overused story, Metal Gear Solid plot continues to develop as you play, and I definitely consider it one of the most intelligent and well written stories of all time. The characters, both villains and protagonists feel real and are constantly developed throughout the entire game. While the voice actors certainly stand out, it's the fact that both the characters and the story are seemly ageless that makes the story so unforgettable. It's twist after twist and betrayal after betrayal, and that's everything I could have hoped for in this game. While maybe it can become a bit to complicated, and the lengthy cutwoulds can sometimes drop too much information on the player, it's still a great experience and one of the best out there.

But I sadly don't play videogames just to see cutscenes. And with that said, let's move on to the gameplay. And a heads up, this game is old. Really old. And some parts can overcome the passing of time, others can't. And that's what's gonna be a deciding factor in my final rating. Because, had I played the game when it came out, I would have known it from the beginning. But I haven't, so let's get it over with. One of the coolest things about this game is that he goes there unarmed. You are the one that needs to find and pick up the weapons you are gonna use during the game. When it comes to weapon variety, this game is perfect, having an immense amount of weapons you can chose from to engage your enemies. The problem is the way the shooting collides with the camera angles. Talking about the latter, while Metal Gear is a 3D game, the game is still played from a top down perspective, meaning that you don't have control over the camera. So, when you shoot, if the enemy runs off screen, and starts shooting you, you won't be able to shoot back imediately, which will lead to some losses of health and annoyances. Once you get used to it, it becomes fine, but I think that I'm right when I say that this game will imediately put some modern players aside. Not just because of that, but because of the stealth too. While it's great, you can't walk or slowly walk, and for some reason I just feel like the first soldiers you encounter are more intelligent than the others you found on during the rest of the game. However, if you pass that, and have a good patience to learn how the game works, you will find a very good stealth and action game, and what I like most about it is that the game never leaves the stealth behind for the action. And then you have the boss fights. There are three that stand out, bur the rest are great too. One of the three is so genius that I don't know how Kojima even thought about it on the first place.

And to end, a small discussion about the graphics. They haven't aged well. It's the true. At the time, this was the best graphics that they could have imagined for the PS1. Which makes me wonder why developers and "modern gamers" feel like the best graphics are the best thing ever. It's great, but unless you have a game that uses a art style, the game will get outdated. But I've seen worse. And honestly, these graphics aren't gonna ruin the story or the gameplay. Unless you let them.

After all of that, and having read to myself what I wrote, Metal Gear Solid characters and story surpass any minor flaws the game shows because of it's age. And even with those flaws, it's a fun game to play that doesn't hold your hand and treats you like a smart gamer. So, despite the minor issues I mentioned previously and the fact that at first the game may feel dated and a bit rough, if you are a true player you will keep playing. And if you do, the game rewards you with one of the best games of all time. I give Metal Gear Solid a 5/5 stars.

Metal Gear Solid had excellent potential, but as someone who didn't really play it back in the day I think time has been really harsh to it. The controls and mechanics are generally clunky, outdated or infuriating, though the story remains very good and the main saving grace. I can see the appeal here but actually playing the game felt more like a chore than entertainment.

Story

There’s much to like about Metal Gear Solid’s plot and storytelling. It’s got a unique semi-real setting which is awesome as someone that likes alt-history sort of stuff and it has an incredible amount of depth and history. Almost all the characters both friendly and hostile are very interesting and unique, this is perhaps the thing that surprised me most about Metal Gear Solid. The dialogue is great here and is a good mix of humour, conflict and philosophy. The game features several 4th wall breaking moments, which I’m not convinced by. On the one hand it makes the game quite unique especially at the time, though the cost is that it breaks the fantasy and literally draws you out of the game.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Metal Gear Solid is a mix of good and bad, but unfortunately the bad greatly outweighs the good. The two main strengths I found in Metal Gear Solid were the codec, which is a very elegant and intuitive way of getting more information and engaging with the characters on your own terms. I think the codec is a very immersive and natural way to teach and guide the player. The other main strength in Metal Gear Solid is the stealth moments throughout the game, hiding behind obstacles or using the cardboard box is really fun and getting caught is super intense because you cannot fight your way out of it.

Unfortunately the dated nature of Metal Gear Solid’s gameplay marred the enjoyment I could get from the game. The game features tank controls which were the standard for the time but I just absolutely hate it, Snake is unnecessarily difficult to control he doesn’t stop quickly enough and his turning circle is awful. This is all made worse by the dreadful camera which is way too close for you to have any situational awareness. Luckily you have the radar which shows off-screen enemies and their direction but for large parts of the game it’s disabled. The other main piece of criticism is how awful the inventory system is, it’s alright at the start but as you collect more equipment you have to cycle through all this junk you carry around. All of this makes the ‘action’ moments of the game a complete chore to play, including many of the boss fights because you don’t have precise control over Snake’s movement, you are unaware of the enemy's position and you spend time sifting through all the weapons and equipment you’ve picked up along the way. Unfortunately this destroys my enjoyment of the game and I had to force myself to play.

Presentation

I played Metal Gear Solid as a “PS Classic” on my Vita. The graphics are a mixed bag but ultimately good for the age I thought. Textures were really low resolution especially on characters which have almost no face and also a blocky shape (but not Final Fantasy VII bad). The positives were some interesting and detailed environments and a pretty good use of lighting effects. The game features really quality voice acting which is great for a foreign title and I think it really adds to the relatability of the characters, thankfully there is also a lot of lines here. There are several great cutscenes and set pieces especially during the later half of the game but I’m glad these weren’t excessively used. The music is incredible as well and really adds to the tense or uncomfortable nature of the game.

Long ago I didn't like the MGS demo. I didnt have a psx but played a friend's. it was actually a big factor that led me to decide to NOT get a PSX. I didnt' like the controls and couldnt get used to it. I couldnt quite get the hang of the combat mechanics either, with fists or the pistol. The demo itself was not straightforward i found and I also had a different expectation about what this game was about and where it would go. I liked the metal gear on NES (despite being clueless on how to play that game as a child) and i even had gotten through most of that game by the time i had seen this, and even thought it was better. For me, metal gear was a fad for the next 20 years that i didnt pay attention to and ignored. I decided to play the windows port out of the blue (MGS: Integral) after watching videos on youtube comparing to PSX, i couldnt see a reason not to go for the port. Fresh from my playthrough of Snatcher, I was excited (i've wanted to catch up on this series so i can play the new games and appreciate them) and was immediately pleased with what i got.

First of all, if the demo for MGS was simply the briefing 'intro' combined with the opening sequence i would have likely been nuts about psx, it's one of the most interesting and well done intros since Gordon Fremman's Tram Ride. and best of all is it builds from the original game stylistically very similiar.

Indeed, it does the classic 'cinematic' intro that was on the demo (but has more context when watching post-Briefing) This is a great way to provide some context and feel for the game as well. Everything about the game builds a big and grand premise and really goes for the cinematic feel, and the music really fits well through and through (another thing i really did like about the NES 'port' was the sound) This game builds really nicely off the old games in fact in various ways at times.

A lot of references to old games (and other works of kojima, i wont post spoilers but just open your eyes in this one) and many ideas are expanded. I think my favorite is the cardboard box. What's better is a lot of the things that really were crap on NES (like building A, Buiilding B, keycards A-Z, etC) flow and evolve naturally and provide the game with a good and workable structure the player can navigate and otherwise resolve puzzles in realistically. This alone would make the metal gear solid a good game but it's surely like a small sliver of what anyone who played it thinks of when they reflect of this game! the more functional moving around via keycards and buildings, elevators etc is also compatible with the setting of the game and as you go from one place to another it just feels better. Everything about the design and style of this game moves nicely and seems compatible with each other. It's a fantastic game to play in the first person mode, take screen shots of and a great game to play around in (there are easter eggs in suprising places/context i found). It's easy to find yourself addicted to taking screenshots in this game because every angle and shot is great. And there is what? at least an hour of cutscene time? (And surely even more if you count the radio calls) Oh yes the radio calls... This is another evolved element from previous ideas in kojimas earlier games, it could easily be imagined to actually make a whole visual novel or manga out of these transmissions alone. we have great art, emotion, voice acting and plot development that occurs over these calls. It's hard to not like whats done here over snatcher despite it's relative flatness (no motion etc) becuase its still very good and there is more content. It's also stylistically unique. Also the dissociated and incomplete feeling of a broken transmission or 'jammed' areas on your radar goes great with the way this game's story develops Again, everything in design seems compatible with everything else.

Back to the windows port. I like it overall it looks nice and i think that matters a lot for a game that has so many cutscenes and whatnot. I dont like the 'blur' that some psx users seem to be fond of (such as the hind scene, where it is very apparent) and generally turn stuff like blur, bloom, weird lighting effects and even HDR off in games because it generally just doesnt do much for me and often it even gets on my nerves. I still don't like the way the PSX looks either in general and never did. For me, the higher resolution is a no brainer, however there are some unfortunate scenes about 3-4 where the game plays some kind of FMV video that my rip/version/win 10 couldnt play back and we are left with this image. It would very likely seem to be some kind of flavor clip that is mostly just voiceover. There are also other elements that I would say are simply dealbreakers and make this game likely better on the PSX over the other options (i wont mention the boss fight but it DOES NOT translate into the PC version at all, and its maybe the most creative concept for a boss fight ever in a game?) I dont feel i'm missing much but at some point i will go back and either play this again on PSX or watch a youtube playthrough of it to refresh myself with this huge epic yarn of a story (will do this after i make major headyway through MSG 4-5)

I wasnt actually expecting a Y2K vibe but oh my the VR mission disk is Y2K gold. I played the VR mission disc for about 2 hours and enjoyed the pacing but after some time i wanted to play the actual game. (this disc is also better on PSX from what i've read it doesnt make you progress through the training/work through it and all content is unlocked at the beginning) I also enjoyed the bonus things. How funny. I liked Messiah but this game along with Deus Ex are some of the best high quality games with a Y2K vibe I've yet to see. It's a good fit too considering it's full of these classic features become expanding with a technological premise such as the soliton radar and the codec and other major spoilers (which is an evolution of a previous game feature/technology. I do hope to see more of this theme) this off the rails tech seems to be a nice gimmick that provides for continual rich backstory and potential plot elements/device. The nuclear dilemma is addressed at some point in the game in a debate about end of the millenium marking a new era free of nukes. Nope. haha.

I still have mixed feelings on the controls. I feel the exact same way i did when i first played it as best i can tell. the controls lead the player into frustrations at times and (i find this to be the case with lots of games like Dark Souls i find very hard in this regard) the player has to be both fast and know exact the right button to press. Despite the brilliancy in letting the operator 'pause' when switching items and weapons i still find myself fudging controls and death by switching to items or other weapons is frustrating. death from not knowing how to get back up is frustrating. walking faster than you expected into a searchlight is frustrating. having a little hiccup with the cardboard box as... snake rests his haunches at the end of the animation is frustrating. I am not used to playing games with controllers but i at least had the decency to do that. If you do play this game for the love of all that is anime and manga play it on a controller! Still, i find that i suffer for it anyway, because like dark souls i find the experience a tricky one to remember which button to press when.

being an action game i find the controls to be a bit of a bottleneck but my complaining pretty much does end there. Fortunately for losers like me there is a VERY EASY mode on the PC port of MGS integral. which gets you an MP5 that is silenced with INFINITE AMMO. YES. Best of all is this doesn't make the game feel cheap. And I did not need to cheat to get through it. At least to me, the game is challenging and i have no idea how anyone could complete this in 3 hours with or without infinite ammo.

I'm tempted to say this is maybe the greatest game i've ever played since Half-Life and it may seriously even be arguably better. I dont know of anything like this game i've ever played in terms of design, every element works together within itself like a huge complicated machine. It feels like a massive game experience in a small, dated body. Previously this was done to some extent in policenauts and snatcher but with those games being that they were adventure games/visual novels there was a limit and a ceiling to them despite how great the story and writing could get, what the player could dicate, and what creative elements where taken with the presentation of media. Here, things change left and right between some new element or aspect of gameplay. Really everything feels like a game, or is at least 'playfu'l in some respect. Part of the beauty is in the way it operates on many layers and in contexts that go beyond a 2.5-D action game. You have what seem to be basic elements in the game: the radar element, and a very hotline miamiesque interface of engaging with edges of the screen, then the element of engaging in things right on the screen (such as spotlights, booby traps, walls, various places to conceal yourself, etc) And finally there is the first person perspective mode, which really shines imo through the sniper rifle and the whole sniper minigame and the various nuances in how that works. But best of all is how there are basic elements and what seems like an endless amount of emerging 'stuff' that will just come out of nowhere. The game excels at doing this in what feels very natural and improvisational way. The sniping mode is a good example of this kind of phenomenon. Remember how cool it was to jump on the chain link fensce and 'bop' the gate to flip to the other side? I found this game to have a lot of things that emulate that experience. Half is gameplay and half is just kojima's directing or storytelling. You have rotating camera scenes where you go up a stairwell, or other odd perspective scenes. This gives it the feeling of a very involved game and it is still fun to play. It's also a really nice evolution of old ideas in the older games, even if it's just hiding in the back of a 'jeep'. These throwbacks seem to be themes as well in kojima's games from what i've read. The game plays like a movie and is filled with movies, and starts out letting you read a voice acted script, litters your adventure with Easter eggs and humor, rewards fans, and provides space to 'play around in'. The game has many strengths that make it shine, possibly timelessly.

However, there are parts of the game that suffer from similar games of it's ilk of the era. You have some ugly textures and it's not fair to blame the PC... Games like goldeneye, winback, syphon filter, and other pseudo shooter, that play from a third person perspective can get ugly if you look at spots too close, in this game it is minor, but in some places (like air ducts) its a bad memory (despite the strange feel of the air duct scene in Snatcher) Even beyond that 'datedness/aged well' test tThis game is certainly not perfect. It has it's quirks. It has bits of weird engrish type mistranslations that are (perhaps) deliberately comical, then it has other parts in the story that dont quite make sense or add up (or are at best farfetched) Or just seem downright hokey! Other times I found that the maniacal grandiosity of this story was just maddening, and it takes things too far.

Most of the puzzles are pretty nice. Certainly nicer than previous in the series. Rough spots where things seem hard can be made harder if like me, you struggle with the controls. I'm very glad this game has a very easy mode. It still took me somewhere close to 30 hours to get through it.

How I missed this game I dont know. It's a shame that I didnt like the demo, and it gave me the wrong idea what this game would really focus on. I was a fool to dismiss this series as overhyped as it seems that some of my favorite games borrowed heavily from this game in some way, or at least was right there in the thick of it when it was released. I actually feel strongly about this and it's one of the few regrets I have in my life as I wish I had played this windows port when it came out, and gotten on board sooner instead of uncovered it with my metal gear detector 15 years later. Not only for the context and hisorical value of this as well as understanding where games came from/inspired by it (that I like), but it's simply a good game that's fun to play and has a rich experience. In any case, even though my life is ruined and wasted shambles and i developed wrongly for my lack of metal gear. I'm going to make things right now and play the rest of this series.