Metal Gear Solid is often regarded less as a game and more as a vehicle for Kojima's own peculiar brand of storytelling. I think that assessment is a bit unfair, however. The gameplay (mostly) survives the test of time, rudimentary as it may seem when compared to its sequels. The player controls Solid Snake, and must sneak around the Shadow Moses nuclear storage facility, which has been taken over by Foxhound, Snake's old unit. While primarily a "stealth action" game, the player's progress is impeded several times through the game, requiring them to find new weapons and items to proceed. It has some search-action qualities to it, and similar to those types of games, I find Metal Gear more enjoyable on subsequent playthroughs when the route through Shadow Moses can be better optimized. It gives you a good sense of conquering the game, and each run is a bit more rewarding than the last.
The camera, however, is the biggest impediment to enjoying the game. Much of the action takes place from overhead, mimicking the perspective of the original two Metal Gear games. This can make it a bit too easy to careen right into a trap if you're not being careful. Thankfully, the "Soliton radar" alleviates some of this. Enemy's LOS (Line of Sight) is represented by cones projecting from small dots, which both give you positional information as well as an area to avoid being spotted. Enemies also patrol in set patterns, making each room its own sort of puzzle.
This sort of thoughtfulness extends to the story as well. Yeah it has its pants-wetting otakus and Cyborg Ninja, it asks you to read a frequency off the back of the box and it'll read your memory card. I think too often this is what the story is reduced down to, though. The actual meat of Metal Gear Solid's plot is a lot more layered, complex, and comes from a place of genuine concern. MGS concerns itself with legacy and what we pass on to the next generation, for better and for worse. Many of the main characters grapple with this theme in some way, such as Snake's familial connection to Big Boss and Liquid Snake, or Otacon reckoning with his family's ties to nuclear weapon development. This is all set against the snowy backdrop of Alaska, which is beautifully represented despite the graphical shortcomings of the Playstation hardware. I really love the look of Metal Gear Solid, in all its blockiness, with all its warbling textures.
Enhancing this experience is some of the best voice acting of the era. In particular, I really like David Hayter's more subdued portrayal of Snake. I think his voice becomes a bit of a caricature of itself in later games, and while his growl is still here, there's more of Hayter himself slipping through the performance. It makes Snake more believable as a human than later games, and perhaps that works in the overarching Metal Gear narrative. MGS deals the most with who Solid Snake is as a man and a soldier, and Hayter's acting goes a long way in helping connect the player to the character.
I think Kojima's strongest work can be found earlier in his career. Metal Gear 2 and Snatcher are both favorites of mine, but Metal Gear Solid might be the peak. This isn't to say anything less of fan favorites like Snake Eater (which is an amazing game), but there's something more grounded and heartfelt about the story in Metal Gear Solid, and something more meticulous and tight about its gameplay that has me coming back to it annually. It's easily among my favorite games of all time.
The camera, however, is the biggest impediment to enjoying the game. Much of the action takes place from overhead, mimicking the perspective of the original two Metal Gear games. This can make it a bit too easy to careen right into a trap if you're not being careful. Thankfully, the "Soliton radar" alleviates some of this. Enemy's LOS (Line of Sight) is represented by cones projecting from small dots, which both give you positional information as well as an area to avoid being spotted. Enemies also patrol in set patterns, making each room its own sort of puzzle.
This sort of thoughtfulness extends to the story as well. Yeah it has its pants-wetting otakus and Cyborg Ninja, it asks you to read a frequency off the back of the box and it'll read your memory card. I think too often this is what the story is reduced down to, though. The actual meat of Metal Gear Solid's plot is a lot more layered, complex, and comes from a place of genuine concern. MGS concerns itself with legacy and what we pass on to the next generation, for better and for worse. Many of the main characters grapple with this theme in some way, such as Snake's familial connection to Big Boss and Liquid Snake, or Otacon reckoning with his family's ties to nuclear weapon development. This is all set against the snowy backdrop of Alaska, which is beautifully represented despite the graphical shortcomings of the Playstation hardware. I really love the look of Metal Gear Solid, in all its blockiness, with all its warbling textures.
Enhancing this experience is some of the best voice acting of the era. In particular, I really like David Hayter's more subdued portrayal of Snake. I think his voice becomes a bit of a caricature of itself in later games, and while his growl is still here, there's more of Hayter himself slipping through the performance. It makes Snake more believable as a human than later games, and perhaps that works in the overarching Metal Gear narrative. MGS deals the most with who Solid Snake is as a man and a soldier, and Hayter's acting goes a long way in helping connect the player to the character.
I think Kojima's strongest work can be found earlier in his career. Metal Gear 2 and Snatcher are both favorites of mine, but Metal Gear Solid might be the peak. This isn't to say anything less of fan favorites like Snake Eater (which is an amazing game), but there's something more grounded and heartfelt about the story in Metal Gear Solid, and something more meticulous and tight about its gameplay that has me coming back to it annually. It's easily among my favorite games of all time.