Beat this for the third time since first playing it last year, and it's still a very fun game with some hilarious moments, extremely polished gameplay and maps, and some very out-of-place philosophic waxing from characters in the middle of an intense mission. There seem to be so many secrets and little things that happen in the game that I'll never find, I always pass on calling people on the codec in different situations but whenever I do they have something to say. It feels like they thought of everything and I can't believe the game fit on to two discs back in the day.

Man, I don't even know where to start with this one. I think if I had owned a playstation, had played this game whenever it was brand new, I would have adored it. It would have been a foundational text around which my whole taste in media and personality would have revolved. Like, it's Metal Gear Solid. People talk about this game in reverent whispers. It's often on "Best games of all time" lists by both respected video game tastemakers and average, everyday gamers (at least, those of a certain age).

I'm supposed to love this game. And maybe I do! After hitting credits, I found myself thinking more positively about it, highlighting the things that really worked for me. The frank and intelligent discussion about nuclear proliferation and the military industrial complex. The seemingly contradictory fascination with military hardware and how cool it is, which highlights the cognitive dissonance that fans of action cinema often have to hold in their heads while consuming that media. The confused, but ultimately interesting discussion of genetics and human nature. Revolver Ocelot. There were a lot of things in the story that didn't work for me, for example I found everything about both Otacon and Sniper Wolf awkward and offputing, but I ultimately like where it lands.

But still, a lot of my enjoyment of those elements come from reflecting on the game now, after I've seen credits roll and put down the controller. Actually playing the game was a different story. I constantly felt like I was fighting the controls, I never got a good grasp on the stealth system, boss fights were tedious, too long, and bookended by long cutscenes and codec call segments that took multiple minutes per attempt even when fast forwarding through. I said "fuck this game," out loud to my CRT television multiple times while playing, and that frustration definitely left a mark on how I think about it.

Ultimately, I like Metal Gear Solid. It takes big swings, and not all of them work out, but a lot do. I don't know if I'll ever replay it, but i'm looking forward to trying the sequels. Maybe they'll iron out some of my frustrations with the gameplay, but in the end I just want to see what you do after.

You played metal gear solid for the story

I played metal gear solid for the sexual tension between snake and otacon

We are not the same