Metal Gear Solid

"What can I say… this game was jaw dropping!"

The Metal Gear series sort of has history. Of course most people who have played Metal Gear Solid for the PSX thought and still think that it is the first in the series. In fact, it is the third (or fourth depending on the way you look at it) in the series. The first was Metal Gear for the MSX, which made its way to the NES. Then came Metal Gear 2 and Snake’s Revenge. Snake’s Revenge was not an official addition to the Metal Gear Series; it was simply a game that featured Solid Snake. Hideo Kojima is a master at producing great and wonderful games, and time and time again, he has proven that. And one of his best was Metal Gear Solid for the PSX…

Basically, Metal Gear Solid’s story starts out with Solid Snake swimming into an underground area where you must wait for an elevator to take you to ground level. Metal Gear Solid was originally released back in 1999, and for that period, the graphics are visually stunning. For the Playstation’s graphical capabilities, everything is accurately represented. Water puddles splash when you run in them, footprints appear when you walk in snow, and even your breath appears when you are outside. Graphically, the CG sequences are also dazzling, since almost every detail was looked into. Also, Metal Gear Solid has a wonderful score of music, particularly the main theme song. If you ask me, the music is great! The sound of footsteps, depending on what terrain you walk on, usually sounds different. The sounds of the Socom, the FA-MAS, and the other weapons sound realistic from what I can tell since this production team spent a great deal of time researching this. The game has some of the greatest voice acting ever. Most of the game’s conversation lies in the Codec. This is a special device imbedded in Snake’s ear where he can make conversations, and only he can hear this dialogue.

Initially, you start out the game with a pack of cigarettes and a scope. You might ask, why do I need a pack of cigarettes? Believe it or not, but as the game progresses, the pack of cigarettes proves themselves quite useful, as does the scope. There are approximately ten weapons in this game. Each one has its own attributes and power. The weapons consist of a pistol, an assault rifle, C4, grenades, chaff grenades, claymore mines, remote controlled missiles, stun grenades, stinger missile launcher, and a PSG1 sniper rifle. Also, Solid Snake depends on his life gauge to survive… if it goes down to zero he dies. So this is were rations come into play. Rations are basically “health.” When Solid Snake eats one of these rations, his life magically restores itself. But be cautioned, when outside in the icy tundra of Alaska, the rations may freeze, and then they are deemed uneatable. The life gauge always increases in size right after a boss battle. It is kind of odd that Snake becomes more resistant to enemy attacks after he has completed a boss battle. Of course, if you ever do play Metal Gear Solid, you have to use to the cardboard box. (Yes, it deserves its own part of the paragraph.) It looks incredibly hilarious with Solid Snake running around with a cardboard box on his head, making him look like a dork. The cardboard box was intended as a last resort in case you have no other place to hide.

”You’re Solid Snake and you’ve got to single handedly infiltrate the nuclear weapons disposal facility which is being occupied by a group of terrorists. If the enemy spots Snake, they will call in reinforcements and go after him. You can’t win in a firefight against superior numbers, so try to avoid unnecessary battles whenever you can.”

Yeah, that’s right, stealth is the main portion of the game. Metal Gear Solid is not about getting in the guard’s line of fire, like Syphon Filter portrays. You must stay in the shadows and away for the guards, or you could silently sneak up on the guards and break their neck or kill them with the favorite weapon of your choice. However, the less guards you kill, the better since later on, it may count against you. The story is fairly simple, you assume the role of Solid Snake, a legendary militaristic figure, to disarm a group of nuclear weapons in a nuclear disposal facility. The story is superb, and the game seems like it should be made into a movie. In fact, the game plays somewhat like a movie since there are so many CG sequences. That is really my only complaint since there are more cut scenes than there is actually gameplay. It’s kind of frustrating when you think you are coming to a climax, that you have to watch it, instead of playing it.

Gameplay is very solid; however, for a two-disk game, Metal Gear Solid is incredibly short. On my first try on normal difficulty level, I finished the game in eleven hours and my second try was near four hours. Metal Gear Solid consists of four difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Extreme, which can be later unlocked. As the difficulty level increases, the guards become much more alert and deadly. In addition to tougher guards, the life gauge does not increase as much after a boss battle anymore like it does on the easier difficulty level. When and if a guard catches you, there are two “modes” that describe the guard’s “hunger” for finding you. For instance, when first caught, the game goes into alert mode. The radar becomes unusable and a countdown timer begins once you make it out of the enemy’s field of vision. Once the countdown reaches zero, the game enters the evasion mode. In this mode, the guards are actively looking for Snake. But be warned, if you are discovered again, the alert mode starts, and the whole process repeats itself. Once the timer reaches zero, the game enters the Infiltration mode, the normal mode where the guards are not looking for you.

At points of the game, the gameplay becomes quite monotonous. For example, on the second disk, there is a great deal of backtracking, which can become quite boring, I might add. Also, you are often left to find weapons that you must have for a certain boss battle, and you must make sure you have the correct level key card for accessing certain doors. Boss battles can be quite spectacular and memorable. There was many times where I remembered everything a certain boss said. Not many games can give you those memorable moments.

As a bonus, the game features VR Missions. The purpose of the VR Missions is to get the player acquainted with the game. Also, if you wanted, you can improve your sneaking skills, or your weapon skills. But there’s nothing much other than that to say about the VR Missions, though.

Metal Gear Solid features great and wonderful gameplay that plays more like a movie than anything else. Putting that aside, MGS includes four difficulty levels available for any player of any skill. If you ask me, the game has so much replay value, that it’s unbelievable! Trust me, I beat it 47 times (I counted). Maybe I’m a fanatic though, but there are two different endings. Anyways, Metal Gear Solid is a one of a kind game since not many games feature only espionage. Many people may not enjoy stealthily games, but it is worth picking up. Hey it’s twenty bucks, and I think this game is a must buy. It’s got to be the best game ever for the Playstation console.

Pros
Great Gameplay
A lot of weapons
A badass Main Character
Good voice acting
Interesting cut scenes

Cons
Plays more like a movie
A great deal of back tracking.

.........Gameplay: 8/10
.........Story: 10/10
.........Control: 10/10
.........Visuals: 10/10
.........Sound: 7/10
.........Fun Factor: 10/10
.........Overall: 10/10

Buy the game just for the replay value. :)

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/05/03, Updated 01/05/03