Metal Gear Solid

"Solid Snake returns to Nintendo."

It's been a while since a Metal Gear title was released on a Nintendo platform. In 2000, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan presented Game Boy Color owners with Metal Gear Solid, which turned out to be an excellent experience.

Take note that MGS is not a port of the PlayStation version, but for the record: Snake lives in Alaska here, too. A different story with a familiar setting is introduced. Solid Snake, who left Fox-Hound three years ago (the game takes place in the early 21st century -- 2002 AD I'm guessing), gets an unexpected visit from ex-commandant Colonel Campbell (first seen in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, he is also retired but called in Snake because he knows him well -- and supposedly has a secret of his own to uncover). Offering the colonel a drink, Snake automatically realizes he's here because there's trouble. ''The world is on the brink of a nuclear holocaust,'' the colonel says, followed by ''We came to request your help.'' It seems a group of terrorists, known as the Black Chamber, has hijacked the C-5 Galaxy transport plane which was originally headed for South America on a field exercise. Now, the problem isn't the plane. It's the cargo that worries Campbell. ''Nuke,'' Snake knowingly says. ''Metal Gear'' comes out of the Colonel's mouth followed by a dramatic piece of music. The player is then briefed on Metal Gear, the terrorists, and their location. The enemy fortress is known as Galuade, and thus begins the player's mission to destroy Metal Gear. The game's place among the series is moot. Snake carries the bandana from the PlayStation game, and his efforts in Outer Heaven are noted, but this is contradicted when the player finds out that Snake is meeting Mei Ling for the first time here -- as he did during his Shadow Moses mission (the PlayStation MGS).

MGS features the elements of the PlayStation game along with MG2:SS (the MSX2 sequel to Metal Gear and the predecessor of MGS for the PlayStation) -- along with a few new methods of infiltration. Players control Snake from screen to screen, avoiding guards along the way and picking up weapons and other items when necessary. Stealth is the name of the game, and along with hiding behind walls and cardboard boxes, Snake can also hide in tall grass and large portions of deep mud. Familiar tactics like knocking on walls to lure guards also return. As you make your way through the fortress, Snake will receive help from Colonel Campbell and Mei Ling. Campbell will remind you of your current objective, and Mei Ling saves your mission data. Other characters, like Weasel, talks about survival and has a knowledge of weapons and will tell you about your currently equipped weapon. CIA operative Brian McBride informs you of the geography of Gindra (where Galuade is located). Then there is Delta Force Sergeant Chris Jenner who gives details on the enemy fortress. So, with them backing you up, finding Metal Gear shouldn't be a problem, right?

You will also come across different kinds of obstacles throughout Galuade. When you are outside, the objective is to enter the fortress without being seen. Simply avoid the guards. Inside, along with guards and cameras to avoid comes obstacles like floors with holes in them to echo your footsteps to alert guards, gas-filled rooms and rooms filled with infrared lasers (you can get past them using the cigarettes -- excuse me, the fogger) and more. There is one obstacle I found to be a bit frustrating, where you collect boxes of different colors and have to travel through a series of conveyor belts of different color codes to determine which box goes where. So, if you come across the transport with a blue/yellow marker, and you have the blue box equipped, you will go on that belt, and etc. Equip a totally different box and you're at the starting point of the belts. I've gotten lost a few times on that trip. Of course, any time you come across these rooms for the first time, Colonel Campbell will be there to tell you how to get past them, except for that box puzzle. Of course another way to get past guards is to knock them unconscious or, with an arsenal of weapons, kill them. From a Five-Seven to a Nikita missile launcher, you can eliminate guards to clear your path and easily make it to the next goal. But save the ammo for the bosses. You will come across a Black Chamber member from time to time like the boomerang-wielding Slasher Hawk or the flame expert Pyro Bison.

Now that I have the gameplay covered, let's talk visuals and sound. Seeing a 2-D MG should bring back a few memories of the MSX games (or the NES games for that matter) and it's presented quite well, though honestly the environments, characters, etc. aren't as good as MG2:SS's graphics. Some of the music in the game comes from the original Metal Gear games -- beautifully done in MGS: The VR Missions, along with some fresh in-game music that isn't bad at all.

Of course to keep the replay value alive, the VR missions were included for you to beat (unlocking a sound test menu) which features several modes of infiltration, weapon use and target training, along with a time attack mode for a challenge. There is also a two-player competition (which I never get a chance to try out), but players must collect three data discs on a stage and then head for the goal.

It's obvious that dedication was put into making this game, and it paid off. MGS is a game you must play.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/16/01, Updated 12/16/01