janky as hell, with a particularly gruelling and demanding final few levels (this game REALLY doesn't know when it should end), but everything else here is golden. the control scheme does take some getting used to, but it's fun to use once you do. the charm is plentiful, the soundtrack is very good, and there's just a vibe resonating through this game that i really dig yet can't quite put my finger on exactly what makes it so special. lots of quirk and personality, too. plus we have some british voice actors for the PAL release which is very nice.

what can i say? this game's legendary status is more than earned. i cannot imagine playing this for the first time in 1998, it must have been absolutely mind-exploding. playing it for the first time in 2024, sure, there are some rough edges. some of the bosses aren't great and the gameplay leaves a little bit to be desired.

but, when you have a story as good as this, when the voice acting is as great as this, when you have the brilliant ability to balance comedy and drama and sometimes seamlessly combine the two, when the music is this great, when the codec conversations are probably the best out of any MGS game (thanks to yoji shinkawa's incredible character portraits), when you have the brilliant fourth-wall shattering, and when the overall atmosphere and colour palette is one of the most immersive of any game i've ever played in spite of the aged graphics, fucking hell man. i cannot help but adore this game. hideo kojima is a horny little genius.