I decided to try out Metal Gear Solid(MGS) for the 4th time to see if the game can hold my interest. I tried it on a whim for ten minutes. Those ten minutes became thirty minutes then an hour, then close to 2 hours before I needed to sleep. So suffice it to say, MGS has taken hold of me and won’t let go. Until I completed the game. So here's my review after the end credits are rolling.
Story-wise I found it very engrossing. Beyond a simple rescue mission and whether or not Snake can determine if the renegade unit called FOXHOUND have the capability to launch a nuclear strike. And stop them if they do. These two mission objectives I found were very clear cut in the beginning, however, there are many threads intertwined that keep the mystery and suspense piling up into I would say well-executed plot threads to intrigue the player on what’s underneath the surface of Shadow Moses in Alaska. You play as Solid Snake, a legendary infiltrator and saboteur. You can learn more about his past during his time on Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake in the menu. Alternatively, you can read them here. The game also has an exclusive cutscene if you linger in the main menu and briefings option to give players more context on Snake before the mission begins.
You don’t have much when you start the game. So exploring can help you in the long run like finding a cardboard box to evade enemies who do not realize an intruder is inside, ballistic weapons to shoot the soldiers in case you're caught and even C4 and grenades are here. If you need a bit more explosions to help matters. I love the Soliton radar system since it displays the enemies' range and you can see how far that extends in the environment. Thereby allowing the player to move Snake along pathways and nearby walls to evade enemy detection. Sound is also key, so you can’t expect to run everywhere. Soldiers can hear you running so it is a good idea to wait for them to walk away before moving along.
Stealth-wise I didn’t have much difficulty evading the enemies' patrols since the soliton radar system displays pretty much all I need to know about current enemy whereabouts. There are even items like the chaff grenade and stun grenade to jam cameras and stun all enemies which are very handy to abuse. Players can even choke enemies which I didn’t realize was an in-game feature until I read the manual after the end credits rolled…Cue facepalm… Be that as it may, I feel the beginning can be a bit rough for newcomers on where to go.
But, calling operation members in your codec is a nice way to refresh your main objective at times. I also deeply appreciate candid conversations whenever you talk to anyone on your codec. From Master Miller, you’ll receive tips on what to do. Campbell will remind you of your objective with Naomi chiming in. Mei Ling is the save option and positive reinforcement member of the operation, always there to lift your spirits. And more come along as you progress further into the game.
I often found myself calling my operation members after a major event or boss fight to see if they can offer any insightful tips/hints to solve my current dilemma.
To my delight, every boss encounter is given careful attention not to give too much away while also not being too vague. It strikes a delicate balance I found appreciated time and time again. I will admit I had times I wanted to google what to do, but I decided to make calls on my codec before I did. By the time the end credits rolled around, I noticed I finished a blind playthrough! It’s been so long since I made a genuine attempt at one. I can’t remember the last time I did. And man it is such a great feeling you were able to finish a game without getting spoiled on how to resolve a troublesome situation here. Although, I should note there is nothing wrong with using walkthroughs either. I usually use them when I'm in a pickle.
And yet here I am very surprised I withheld the urge. Due to the codec calls saving me every time. I wish more games had this feature implemented to allow the player to call an in-game hotline to help them. And I felt the codec calls were implemented in such a way I found naturally and not out of place since conversations occurred fluidly.
Levels are small; generally, you do have a somewhat linear path to follow with other areas to explore around Shadow Moses. Usually, when you're in an elevator you can access different floors that can range from filled with soldiers on patrol to not so many soldiers on patrol. These floors have low to high-clearance rooms. You can only enter if you have the correct level keycard. As you progress further into the game you will attain more high-clearance cards. This makes backtracking in the early and mid-game, not a big deal. And I found my time passing by quickly due to the bite-sized levels. It is pretty cool finding additional items along the way if you enter the prone position and first-person view to see tucked-away items, you don’t normally see from the overhead camera view.
However, I would like to point out there were two points that kinda soured my experience with the game. Not so much to make it a big deal. But it caused the pacing to halt in a way. One occurs midway to the endgame where I have to backtrack to the first location to retrieve an item essential to progress. The other time required me to keep coming back and forth. This occurred very late game and honestly wish the backtracking could’ve been lessened. It’s not a big detriment, but it's like putting the brakes on the story content and makes the player go through filler in a way. And to progress past that hurdle you need to go back to certain areas multiple times. Granted, after thinking heavily on the matter for some time, I realize Kojima probably added it in to give characters a bit more room to flesh out due to the codec calls you receive. Which provides massive ramifications to the game’s storyline being unfolded. So ultimately I have mixed feelings regarding that. Not a positive or a negative. A more well known reviewer @Drax touches upon that aspect more in their review you can see here. And I agree with their suggestion on new areas instead. Fair warning it does contain spoilers throughout the game.
That’s the only major critique I found for the game and in a minor aspect the slight jank in shooting and movement controls. The latter was a bit alleviated by switching to analog mode on my PS3 to make use of the analog sticks instead of the directional buttons. I think I would’ve appreciated a bit more rations(they are the only items to restore my health as far as I know) just in case my health went under. I had to abuse ration locations and re-enter the area to refill my stock of them.
Still the game holds up pretty well besides these issues I stated above.
On Snake’s character I found his demeanor and habits to be a refreshing take on protagonists I've seen thus far in the series. He’s gruff, honest, really loves to smoke and engages in casual flirting, but also doesn’t like shady bullshit which I love. You learn quite a bit about his character in various codec calls and the people you meet during your infiltration. One encounter made me nod my head several times concerning two males and one female he meets along the way. Without going into spoilers, the female encounter with Snake and subsequently throughout the game is one I found to be one of the game's strongest points. We see Snake take on a different role I love to see. And one I feel demonstrates so much more than his character of being a ‘legend’ so to speak. One male he meets displays a different side to Snake and while he doesn’t get a lot of attention I found his character and development to be interesting as well as genuine. I can’t help but root for the guy ya know. The final character is one I deeply respect for their encounter with Snake while unveiling parts of a ‘character's’ background and relationship I didn’t expect.
It is these encounters with Snake and more that transform him from a “Legend” into something deeper.
Speaking of going deeper, I'll hit the ‘throat’ of the game so to speak. There’s quite a bit of villain monologue here which I didn’t mind since I love long cutscenes. They can range from under five minutes to over five minutes. And granted villains don't always monologue. Sometimes conversations will occur on codec or when Snake talks to someone in a cutscene. So bear that in mind when playing the game. Speaking of cutscenes, I love how they’re done in the game. And see why it's warmly and fondly praised among the fans. They can range from intense action scenes to interesting conversation encounters. Adding tension and mystery where scenes needed it. And even FMV clips are included too! Honestly, seeing the cutscene work here reminded me heavily of my time playing through Vagrant story. I can see how much cinematic work was involved there and how that inspired Yasumi Matsuno during development because of Metal Gear Solid. You can read more about that here. Where Matsuno has a long conversation with none other than Hideo Kojima.
During my eleven-and-a-half-hour playthrough on normal difficulty. I felt the game played like a spy action thriller with many intense cutscenes in the game. And those moments only enhanced my experience with the game greatly. So kudos to you Kojima and your team for all the wonderful cutscenes. And the music during those moments spliced together wonderfully providing a mix of cinematic music, and orchestral at times. Graphically, I think the PS1 version of the game holds up. And many voice actors here performed very well. David Hayter voicing Snake is the most memorable to me. But the villains also hit a lot of notes I found to be menacing while almost comical to me. Snake’s codec calls to various members are also pretty good.
In conclusion, Metal Gear Solid is a fantastic game from Hideo Kojima on the PlayStation 1 and one I feel touches on a lot of relative themes concerning current world events in 2022/2023. Had a blast and the countless “Snakeeeeeeeeeeeee!” Being heard on the screen never got old to hear. Worth a playthrough for any newcomers curious about tactical espionage action games or want to dive into a Kojima game. Really looking forward to playing Metal Gear Solid 2 when I get around to it.
8/10
- For those who have played the game already. I’ll hint at the character’s name I mentioned above in my review here.
The female with the starting letter M and ends with L
The first male with the starting letter O and ends with N
The second male with the starting letter G and ends with X
Story-wise I found it very engrossing. Beyond a simple rescue mission and whether or not Snake can determine if the renegade unit called FOXHOUND have the capability to launch a nuclear strike. And stop them if they do. These two mission objectives I found were very clear cut in the beginning, however, there are many threads intertwined that keep the mystery and suspense piling up into I would say well-executed plot threads to intrigue the player on what’s underneath the surface of Shadow Moses in Alaska. You play as Solid Snake, a legendary infiltrator and saboteur. You can learn more about his past during his time on Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake in the menu. Alternatively, you can read them here. The game also has an exclusive cutscene if you linger in the main menu and briefings option to give players more context on Snake before the mission begins.
You don’t have much when you start the game. So exploring can help you in the long run like finding a cardboard box to evade enemies who do not realize an intruder is inside, ballistic weapons to shoot the soldiers in case you're caught and even C4 and grenades are here. If you need a bit more explosions to help matters. I love the Soliton radar system since it displays the enemies' range and you can see how far that extends in the environment. Thereby allowing the player to move Snake along pathways and nearby walls to evade enemy detection. Sound is also key, so you can’t expect to run everywhere. Soldiers can hear you running so it is a good idea to wait for them to walk away before moving along.
Stealth-wise I didn’t have much difficulty evading the enemies' patrols since the soliton radar system displays pretty much all I need to know about current enemy whereabouts. There are even items like the chaff grenade and stun grenade to jam cameras and stun all enemies which are very handy to abuse. Players can even choke enemies which I didn’t realize was an in-game feature until I read the manual after the end credits rolled…Cue facepalm… Be that as it may, I feel the beginning can be a bit rough for newcomers on where to go.
But, calling operation members in your codec is a nice way to refresh your main objective at times. I also deeply appreciate candid conversations whenever you talk to anyone on your codec. From Master Miller, you’ll receive tips on what to do. Campbell will remind you of your objective with Naomi chiming in. Mei Ling is the save option and positive reinforcement member of the operation, always there to lift your spirits. And more come along as you progress further into the game.
I often found myself calling my operation members after a major event or boss fight to see if they can offer any insightful tips/hints to solve my current dilemma.
To my delight, every boss encounter is given careful attention not to give too much away while also not being too vague. It strikes a delicate balance I found appreciated time and time again. I will admit I had times I wanted to google what to do, but I decided to make calls on my codec before I did. By the time the end credits rolled around, I noticed I finished a blind playthrough! It’s been so long since I made a genuine attempt at one. I can’t remember the last time I did. And man it is such a great feeling you were able to finish a game without getting spoiled on how to resolve a troublesome situation here. Although, I should note there is nothing wrong with using walkthroughs either. I usually use them when I'm in a pickle.
And yet here I am very surprised I withheld the urge. Due to the codec calls saving me every time. I wish more games had this feature implemented to allow the player to call an in-game hotline to help them. And I felt the codec calls were implemented in such a way I found naturally and not out of place since conversations occurred fluidly.
Levels are small; generally, you do have a somewhat linear path to follow with other areas to explore around Shadow Moses. Usually, when you're in an elevator you can access different floors that can range from filled with soldiers on patrol to not so many soldiers on patrol. These floors have low to high-clearance rooms. You can only enter if you have the correct level keycard. As you progress further into the game you will attain more high-clearance cards. This makes backtracking in the early and mid-game, not a big deal. And I found my time passing by quickly due to the bite-sized levels. It is pretty cool finding additional items along the way if you enter the prone position and first-person view to see tucked-away items, you don’t normally see from the overhead camera view.
However, I would like to point out there were two points that kinda soured my experience with the game. Not so much to make it a big deal. But it caused the pacing to halt in a way. One occurs midway to the endgame where I have to backtrack to the first location to retrieve an item essential to progress. The other time required me to keep coming back and forth. This occurred very late game and honestly wish the backtracking could’ve been lessened. It’s not a big detriment, but it's like putting the brakes on the story content and makes the player go through filler in a way. And to progress past that hurdle you need to go back to certain areas multiple times. Granted, after thinking heavily on the matter for some time, I realize Kojima probably added it in to give characters a bit more room to flesh out due to the codec calls you receive. Which provides massive ramifications to the game’s storyline being unfolded. So ultimately I have mixed feelings regarding that. Not a positive or a negative. A more well known reviewer @Drax touches upon that aspect more in their review you can see here. And I agree with their suggestion on new areas instead. Fair warning it does contain spoilers throughout the game.
That’s the only major critique I found for the game and in a minor aspect the slight jank in shooting and movement controls. The latter was a bit alleviated by switching to analog mode on my PS3 to make use of the analog sticks instead of the directional buttons. I think I would’ve appreciated a bit more rations(they are the only items to restore my health as far as I know) just in case my health went under. I had to abuse ration locations and re-enter the area to refill my stock of them.
Still the game holds up pretty well besides these issues I stated above.
On Snake’s character I found his demeanor and habits to be a refreshing take on protagonists I've seen thus far in the series. He’s gruff, honest, really loves to smoke and engages in casual flirting, but also doesn’t like shady bullshit which I love. You learn quite a bit about his character in various codec calls and the people you meet during your infiltration. One encounter made me nod my head several times concerning two males and one female he meets along the way. Without going into spoilers, the female encounter with Snake and subsequently throughout the game is one I found to be one of the game's strongest points. We see Snake take on a different role I love to see. And one I feel demonstrates so much more than his character of being a ‘legend’ so to speak. One male he meets displays a different side to Snake and while he doesn’t get a lot of attention I found his character and development to be interesting as well as genuine. I can’t help but root for the guy ya know. The final character is one I deeply respect for their encounter with Snake while unveiling parts of a ‘character's’ background and relationship I didn’t expect.
It is these encounters with Snake and more that transform him from a “Legend” into something deeper.
Speaking of going deeper, I'll hit the ‘throat’ of the game so to speak. There’s quite a bit of villain monologue here which I didn’t mind since I love long cutscenes. They can range from under five minutes to over five minutes. And granted villains don't always monologue. Sometimes conversations will occur on codec or when Snake talks to someone in a cutscene. So bear that in mind when playing the game. Speaking of cutscenes, I love how they’re done in the game. And see why it's warmly and fondly praised among the fans. They can range from intense action scenes to interesting conversation encounters. Adding tension and mystery where scenes needed it. And even FMV clips are included too! Honestly, seeing the cutscene work here reminded me heavily of my time playing through Vagrant story. I can see how much cinematic work was involved there and how that inspired Yasumi Matsuno during development because of Metal Gear Solid. You can read more about that here. Where Matsuno has a long conversation with none other than Hideo Kojima.
During my eleven-and-a-half-hour playthrough on normal difficulty. I felt the game played like a spy action thriller with many intense cutscenes in the game. And those moments only enhanced my experience with the game greatly. So kudos to you Kojima and your team for all the wonderful cutscenes. And the music during those moments spliced together wonderfully providing a mix of cinematic music, and orchestral at times. Graphically, I think the PS1 version of the game holds up. And many voice actors here performed very well. David Hayter voicing Snake is the most memorable to me. But the villains also hit a lot of notes I found to be menacing while almost comical to me. Snake’s codec calls to various members are also pretty good.
In conclusion, Metal Gear Solid is a fantastic game from Hideo Kojima on the PlayStation 1 and one I feel touches on a lot of relative themes concerning current world events in 2022/2023. Had a blast and the countless “Snakeeeeeeeeeeeee!” Being heard on the screen never got old to hear. Worth a playthrough for any newcomers curious about tactical espionage action games or want to dive into a Kojima game. Really looking forward to playing Metal Gear Solid 2 when I get around to it.
8/10
- For those who have played the game already. I’ll hint at the character’s name I mentioned above in my review here.
The female with the starting letter M and ends with L
The first male with the starting letter O and ends with N
The second male with the starting letter G and ends with X
5 Comments
@Nightmare_0mega - Thanks! This was a fun one to write about and one I think of fondly from time to time about whether I should've raised the score higher than what I initially rated. Yeah, I'm someone who will most of the time prefer analog over D-pad unless the former's controls are atrocious for me.
Dang man went all out for the longest series of cutscenes. Looking forward to seeing those in the future.
Hell yeah. Great to hear about that. Couldn't get enough of them here. Oh man, I forgot MGR had them too. Was my first unofficial gateway into the series many years ago. Followed by ground zeroes then phantom pain before heading back in time with MGS here. Been a wild ride so far, but very enjoyable.
Dang man went all out for the longest series of cutscenes. Looking forward to seeing those in the future.
Hell yeah. Great to hear about that. Couldn't get enough of them here. Oh man, I forgot MGR had them too. Was my first unofficial gateway into the series many years ago. Followed by ground zeroes then phantom pain before heading back in time with MGS here. Been a wild ride so far, but very enjoyable.
@Detectivefail
When it comes to THOSE particular cutscenes, they're better enjoyed if you've played the series up to then. So, yeah, Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2 (both played preferably through the MGS3: Subsistance version), MGS1,2,3, and maybe Portable Ops. Lots of lingering questions get answered and certain things made crystal clear. Hideo Kojima wanted this game to be THE final game in the series, so he went all out with lore and tying up loose ends... until Konami saw dollar signs.
Also, Metal Gear Rising is as an official gateway to the Metal Gear series as any of the official numbered games, my dude. It's only a spin off in the fact that it's a different genre and done by a different dev team. Unlike AC!D 1 and 2, MGR is canon, taking place directly after MGS4.
When it comes to THOSE particular cutscenes, they're better enjoyed if you've played the series up to then. So, yeah, Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2 (both played preferably through the MGS3: Subsistance version), MGS1,2,3, and maybe Portable Ops. Lots of lingering questions get answered and certain things made crystal clear. Hideo Kojima wanted this game to be THE final game in the series, so he went all out with lore and tying up loose ends... until Konami saw dollar signs.
Also, Metal Gear Rising is as an official gateway to the Metal Gear series as any of the official numbered games, my dude. It's only a spin off in the fact that it's a different genre and done by a different dev team. Unlike AC!D 1 and 2, MGR is canon, taking place directly after MGS4.
@Nightmare_0mega - Gotcha I'll make a note of those games to play before MGS4. metal gear acid looks interesting to play.
Ah I see. I didn't know that. Didn't want to research MGR too much in case I got something spoiled accidentally back then. Thanks for letting me know its canon.
Ah I see. I didn't know that. Didn't want to research MGR too much in case I got something spoiled accidentally back then. Thanks for letting me know its canon.
@Detectivefail
Due to major gameplay changes and story departures Metal Gear AC!D and AC!D2 are... mixed bags for fans, honestly (seriously, the stories of those two games can get pretty bonkers, even for Metal Gear standards). Some like them, some don't. Also, they mostly follow their own canon separate from the series at large, so many fans, whether they like or hate them, don't count them among the rest of the series.
Anyway, good luck checking some of them out, and I hope you enjoy the absolutely bananas saga that is Metal Gear.
Due to major gameplay changes and story departures Metal Gear AC!D and AC!D2 are... mixed bags for fans, honestly (seriously, the stories of those two games can get pretty bonkers, even for Metal Gear standards). Some like them, some don't. Also, they mostly follow their own canon separate from the series at large, so many fans, whether they like or hate them, don't count them among the rest of the series.
Anyway, good luck checking some of them out, and I hope you enjoy the absolutely bananas saga that is Metal Gear.
Nightmare_0mega
4 months ago
Considering the game was made right around the time when the dual analog stick functionality was starting to get popular, I'm not surprised that Metal Gear Solid plays better with them rather than the D-Pad. I honestly didn't really noticed before since I had been an analog stick junky on the Playstation for years.
Also, comparing it to a spy action thriller is quite apt, as Mr. Hideo Kojima was a big fan of film and this was one of his main outlets to express his love of complex stories and film. Hell, some of us fans like to joke that the entire series can be seen as several VERY long films with bursts of gameplay between them. Personally, I disagree with that extreme, but I understand where the sentiment comes from. After all, MGS4 holds the record for the LONGEST series of cutscenes in gaming, as far as I know.
As for codec, you should be happy to know that it's a series staple, and goes FAR beyond simply objective reminders, lore dump, and gameplay hints. Jokes, character banter, character backstory, easter eggs, and all sorts of other conversations are found in the codec calls, and half of them very much are situationally sensitive. It gets even more absurd and complex as the games go on with more things to do/interact with, places to be, and characters to encounter. Even the spin-off hack'n'slash game "Metal Gear Rising", where stealth takes a back seat and long conversations are a direct antithesis to high-octane action, Codec remains as untouched and context sensitive as ever with hours of conversations about everything under the sun. My point is, experiment with Codec as often as you can. You never know what kind of "fluff" dialogue you might find.
Also, Meryl, Otacon, and Grey Fox