Metal Gear Solid REVIEW

As many people know, Metal Gear Solid was a superb release for the PS1 in the 1990’s. It was revolutionary; instead of blindly killing people, you took a different approach by hiding from them. Blend this game-play with an amazing story and you get Metal Gear Solid. Read the full review after the jump.

A terrorist group based on Shadow Moses island off the coast of Alaska is threatening the US with a nuclear attack unless their bizarre demands are met. Your character, Solid Snake is the only person who can stop them. He is taken out of retirement and told his mission objective: he must rescue the DARPA Chief and Arms Tech President (organizations you will learn more about by progressing through the game) and find out whether or not the terrorists actually have the ability to launch a nuclear weapon. If they do, Snake has to stop them. With years of blackmail being held against him, Snake accepts his mission.

Snake must sneak around the terrorist base without being noticed. If he is, of course he must kill. The fact that you actually have this choice, to me seen and fight, or hide in the shadows and lurk, is one of the things that makes Metal Gear Solid unique.

Snake soon finds out there is more to the terrorists than meets the eye. They possess a type of weapon called the “Metal Gear”. It is a bipedal tank armed with a nuke on of its arms. But this isn’t the worst of it. The Nuke is invisible and cannot be detected by radar. So if the terrorists attack, the US wouldn’t know what hit them and where it came from.

The good thing is, Snake has friends to support him throughout his mission. The mission commander, Colonel Cambell tells you your objectives.  Team doctor, Naomi hunter, who monitors Snake’s vitals. Cambell’s “Niece” and Snake’s love interest, Meryll, who uses her butt as a plot device.  Otaku Scientist, Otacon, who designed Metal Gear not knowing it would be used for nuclear warfare (Otacon plays a big part of the game, as he helps snake navigate the base, find items, and get out of areas). The engineer of snakes communication device, Mei Ling, saves your progress and tells you an encouraging Chinese Proverb. The man who trained Solid Snake, Master Miller, tells you health and safety warnings. Russian weapons specialist, Nastasha Romenenko, tells you what weapons are the best to use in certain situations. And finally, the mysterious “Deepthroat”, who tells Snake how to avoid being killed in certain areas.

Boss fights are innovative and cinematic. One boss fight can only be won by switching your controller to port 2 to avoid your mind (controller) from being read. Another must be fought on top of the Metal Gear itself.

Cut-scenes are absolutely stunning and cinematic for a PS1 game. All are fully voiced and fully computer animated in engine. Of course, detail is at a minimum because of the PS1’s limitations, but they are still great. Instead of characters opening and closing their mouths to talk, their heads shake up and down in a similar motion to someone talking. The sound design for the game is amazing as well. The orchestrated soundtrack adds to the cinematic and emotional storytelling.

The camera angle favors a top-down style, like the first Metal Gear games for the MSX.

The game has its funny parts, too. Director/Producer, Hideo Kojima, really knows how to lighten the mood of a serious espionage game. Things like using Meryll’s butt as a plot device and making Otacon an anime addict really make the player love Metal Gear Solid even more.

When you have all these elements, you get a wonderful game that everyone should play. Modern technology has made MGS an easy find. You can buy it on a PS3, PSP or Vita from the PlayStation Network, buy the original copy, or play the remake (Twin Snakes) for the Gamecube. Whatever you have to do to play it, you will not regret it.

Screens (Click to enlarge):

Top-Down angle	Top-Down angle (again)
Codec Communication	The origins of Otacon’s Name
Meryll’s butt is pretty nice…	One of Otacon’s most iconic sayings.
The cinematic intro	Snake? Snake?! SNAAAAKKEEEE?!?!?!