Metal Gear Solid

"A rough diamond that shines nonetheless"

Metal Gear Solid is an Action\Adventure developed by KCEJ. Hyped game. Too hyped if you ask me. I've enjoyed it but I cannot explain the kids that go crazy, (or worse), when they hear the words “Metal” and “Gear” in the same sentence. To make it simple, Metal Gear Solid is a well developed, full of various interesting details and innovations game and behind all this is a developing team that truly loves its work. However a game isn't a good game… if it isn't a game… and MGS isn't a game!

Story: 8/10
Presentation: 8.510

Its no secret… the main deal in Metal Gear Solid is its story. MGS isn't a videogame… it's an interactive movie, so if you've come here for the gameplay you'll be disappointed. However those who like these kinds of games prepare for one of the few masterpieces of its kind. The plot at the beginning is very simple and typical. You are the total badass super-soldier and start a one-man mission to stop some terrorist group lunch nuclear missiles in the free, (ahem), world. However as the story progresses, you'll meet a lot of key characters that are very interesting and quite believable. Even strange characters like Cyborg ninjas and strange almost magic villains are presented in a way that they look good and not just a bunch of “cool” stuff to impress us little boys, (ahem again). You'll see great cutscenes, (a lot of them), that have a very good cinematic feel to them, with great dialogues and animation. Another great thing that adds to the realism of the game is your Codec with which you talk with some characters like the CO if the mission and some other helpful characters that not only tell you stuff about your mission and the plot, but also say different things to you depending in what you are doing, for example if you are smoking, Naomi Hunter. a doctor, will tell you a great deal of scientific reasons why cigarettes are bad and after that the protagonist will just say, “You don't know how good a cigarette is in the morning”.

Apart from the overall presentation MGS is good for the actual plot itself. The MGS world is our world, presented in a realistic and cynical way. Super weapons and soldiers might sound cheesy, (blame movies for that), but they are part of our war-obsessed rotten world and Metal Gear Solid tries to delve into these subjects, things like secret companies dealing with weapons, genetic enhancement of humans and nuclear weaponry. WAR… that is the main theme of MGS and although sometimes the game is full of cliches in some areas, it manages to make the gamer think a bit. Anyway I'm not good at words, (“Then why are you writing a review you jerk?”), so I'll just say this, the plot-is-great!

Gameplay: 5/10
Replay Value: 2/10

I'll say it once more… MGS isn't a game, it's a movie with some interactive parts in between. The game was heavily hyped about its innovative stealth tactics but the truth is a whole different story. You view the game from a bird's eye view, and move your character in various areas try to avoid enemies or kill them… but mainly avoid them. Let me describe the stealth part of the game: You have a radar that shows you where you are, where your enemies are and how far they can see, (strange that these super-soldiers can only see some feet ahead). Stealth tactics are quite simple… avoid the enemy's view radius… that simple. That for the most part is very easy and just needs a bit of careful observation of the soldier patrolling paths. Soldiers also respond to sound, meaning that they can also hear you when you step on wet floor or various other floor types and come near to see what's going on. They also respond to other stuff like traces you leave behind and other various stuff but all these are quite rare and are there just to impress the player. Oh, by the way when you do get found by enemies all you have to do is run in a safe area for a couple of second and that's it!

Apart from the “stealth” what else is there? Nothing great. You'll find many weapons but you'll rarely use them, since most of the time you'll be using the various gadgets like chaff grenades, gas masks and many other stuff. The boss fights are better since they are a pleasant change from this action-less game, but even these parts have the same problems MGS has… they look good but in reality they get boring pretty fast. Generally the game is full of various little extra info, conversations, secrets and Easter eggs that I've checked, enjoyed but never done again in my life. After completing the game once and see through all the otherwise great cutscenes and conversations the second playthrough will take you less than three boring hours of a linear game.

Graphics: 8.5/10
Design: 9.2/10

No complain here. MGS looks very good something that comes as no surprise due to the great designing team behind it. Nice character design, with nice animation and excellent level design, very detailed and full of that war\army feel of the MGS franchise. There aren't many areas you'll visit but those few look great and have a nice atmosphere. There are parts of the game where you are out in the cold Alaska's air or in a freezing facility and believe me just by watching through your TV set makes you feel cold too… yes the game looks that good! Since MGS is more a movie than a game, prepare for long in-game cutscenes full that are all well directed and get you into the gam… err, movie! Generally MGS looks a great and have unique style of its own something that resulted in later games following its example.

Sound: 8.8/10
Music: 7.2/10

One thing I love about MGS is its overall sound quality. By now I've explained how Metal Gear Solid is a more like movie and not a game, so we need something more than just good voice acting, we need perfection and believe me MGS has achieved perfection in that area. All voice actors are true professionals and give life to the wonderful characters of the game, even the less important ones. The rest of the sound effects are very good too and create a nice gaming experience. The music is great too but not something catchy. Most of the tracks are low-tempo music themes that just help in creating a movie like feeling and they do that just fine.

Positives:
-Great plot dealing with war. Great characters
-Very good graphics with a unique style
-Excellent voice acting
-Great amount of various little entertaining secrets

Negatives:
-Extremely small and linear
-An interactive movie, not a game
-The stealth tactics are nothing special

Also Play:
Metal Gear Solid (Series)(PS2,GC)
Syphon Filter (Playstation)

Overall: 7.1/10

So is this game any fun? Well, I truly love it… but I love it for the thing it is and not what it is supposed to be… and MGS is a movie that was supposed to be game… So for those of you who want something to play and not to watch avoid! The rest of you comic fans, Cinemaniacs, etc. buy it now.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/24/09

Game Release: Metal Gear Solid (EU, 02/26/99)