Katamari at its core always has a perfect gameplay loop, but the vibe and setting of this entry are the best in the series. The King has a tragic backstory! The Katamari fans are excited, but ultimately just as demanding as the King was in the first game. All this makes the King soften towards the Prince, and their relationship is actually nice this time!

The final level is utterly serene and brilliant in how it lets you roll up the other Katamari and stardust that you've previously created. A wonderful send-off to a lovely game.

MGS is a series that I've been wanting to get into for a while now. My first exposure to MGS is MGS 4 back in 2009, and I loved it. Since then I have played (and enjoyed) Portable Ops, Peace Walker and V. Now that I have the PS3 MGS Legacy Collection, I can play the rest of the mainline titles.

Even after finishing this game, it still amazes me that a game of this kind, a story-heavy 3D action game with high levels of detail and personality, can exist on the PS1. There's just so much to play with here, and it's a thrilling ride from start to finish.

Let's get the controls out of the way first. It definitely takes time to properly adjust yourself to how this game controls, especially if you're used to the newer games like me. Snake can feel clunky to control at times, and you might also accidentally use the wrong weapons or items when you're switching them. As long as you understand how to do things in the right way, you'll get through the game just fine. The game doesn't demand hyper accurate actions too often, and is quite forgiving overall (on Normal). Also, the checkpoints system is fantastic, and you won't be set back too far when you do something wrong, intentionally or not.

The game tells a story about how important someone's past can be to them, and shows how people with dark pasts live with it. The dialogues, mostly told through the Codex, are well written in a cheesy but fun way, and it is decently acted, just enough to make you care about the characters involved. Some interactions between some characters (like between Otacon and Snake) can be a bit hard to watch, but it's nothing too bad. There are also cutscenes, which are charmingly animated with the PS1's limitation in mind. One of the best things about the story is that future events are smartly foreshadowed, and it gives you enough info to let your imagination run wild, yet not too much to make it too predictable. Twists and hidden threads are at large, and overall the story is an exciting tale of personal struggles, love, and political secrets, featuring memorable villains and allies.

The game's structure is interesting, considering the "Tactical Espionage Action" tagline. While sneaking around is highly encouraged, there will be many times where you need to go loud and take the battle to the enemies. The game mostly consists of two kinds of gameplay: exploring the playable area, and set pieces that mostly involve boss fights. Exploring thoroughly is very important, since there are very helpful items scattered here and there, and sometimes you might need to return to a previous area to progress. This might be bothersome to some, but considering the relatively small size of the playable area, I don't think it's a big concern. As for the set pieces, they can range from somewhat irritating to blood pumping. Each boss requires different strategies to fight, and you can either find it out yourself or get some hints from the people you can contact in the Codex. I think this leads to one of the game's best qualities: it rewards players who are curious and willing to try things, but it's also generous enough to players who simply just want to progress and having troubles with it. It's a very inclusive game, in a way.

Lastly, the music is great, and it is of no surprise that many of the motifs are already iconic in the world of video games. The vocal tracks especially are quite emotional, and the game leans to them quite a bit in certain scenes to heighten their impact.

MGS 1 is an ambitious game that successfully channels the limitation of the hardware it exists on, letting the quirky personality of its creators shine bright. It has pushed the medium forward in its time, and in the present, time has not done enough to wear it out.