Review
Release Date: 10.21.1998
Platform:
PlayStationDeveloper:
Konami Computer Entertainment Japan Co., Ltd.Publisher:
Konami of America, Inc.Reviewed by
Mikey Dowling on 8.29.2005
| Review Rating: 10/10 | User Rating: 9.07/10 |
A group of terrorists calling themselves "The Sons of Big Boss" have taken over the nuclear warhead disposal facility, Shadow Moses Island in Alaska's Fox Archipelago. They are being lead by members of Special Forces Unit Foxhound; the unit that you, Solid Snake, and your CEO for this mission, Col. Roy Campbell, were both members of at one time. You have two objectives: first, rescue the DARPA Cheif Donald Anderson and Armstech President Kenneth Baker. Second, find out if the terrorists have the capability to launch a nuclear weapon; and if they do, stop the launch.
Thus is the story of
Metal Gear Solid for the PlayStation. During the course of the game, you will be taken on a roller coaster ride like none that before it's time. MGS is an action game like no other that has spawned countless imiations--as any other great game will, see:
Final Fantasy VII and
Grand Theft Auto III for futher proof. It was among the first games to really show where the video game entertainment industry was going to head with more power backing developer's stories.
MGS was also a herald of firsts for the industry. Releasing rather shortly after
Sony launched their Dual Shock controller, MGS showed that you could do more with the Dual Shock than simply make it vibrate when you were hit or fell in a game. Whether it be imitating a heart attack, or healing your arm after a rough button mashing session, the controller was used as a cinematic device that is still copied to this day. It gave a reason to get the Dual Shock if you didn't already have one.
The writer and director of
Metal Gear Solid, Hideo Kojima, wanted to make the game a cinematic experience. In doing so, he did some things that most thought were absurd at the time. One, he didn't want to take the player out of the realm that the game was in by throwing in CG, so he opted for everything to be done with the in-game engine. The graphics in the game are some of the best on the PlayStation, so this choice is not a bad one by any means (though, if you have a PS2, playing MGS with the texture smoothing feature is pretty sweet). Second, he wanted to make sure that the game had stellar voice acting to back up its story--because honestly, a great story is nothing if the cast who is telling it sounds like they don't care. So, thanks in part to Kojima wanting the game to be a grand vision, and in part to a wonderful localization team at
Konami, MGS is graced with one of the best casts to ever perform in a video game.
Every character is believable and is played with emotion and feeling that was unheard of in the industry prior to the game's release (at least in such a large scale way). Even the smaller characters, such as the Genome soldiers that you'll face a bulk of the time in the game, are given their own dialog--though, the extent of it is, "Whos foot prints are these?" What was that noise?" and, "It's just a box," but it's done well none-the-less.
Yet, all of the nifty little features that Hideo Kojima put into the game would really mean nothing if the game-play wasn't great. And trust me, it is. MGS plays like a dream. Everything that Solid Snake can do is easy to learn and doesn't take tons of practice to pull off. Whether it's shimming against a wall, then tapping on it to lure an enemy soldier into that direction. Or engaging in a gunfight against several enemies, you never feel over encumbered by the controls. In fact, I only have a couple of complaints about the control and they aren't major by any means. First, though it was made to support the Dual Shock controller in terms of vibration functionality, MGS wasn't made to really support analog control. This means that even when you press slightly on the analog stick to make Snake move, he'll still charge headstrong into action as if you were holding it down. This makes using the analog stick a little confusing at times so I just stay away from it. Second, if you are familiar with how the new
Metal Gear games play, you'll know about first-person shooting. This is a mode that I wish would have been included in the oringinal, but since it wasn't there to begin with I can't really gripe about it too much.
Also, if you want to familiarize yourself with how the game plays, you can always go into the VR Missions that are available right away from the start screen. In the VR missions, you will go into a "virtual world" that will allow you to take Snake through a set of sneaking missions (get past the guards without them seeing you) and then a set of SOCOM missions (kill all of the guards in the area with your SOCOM pistol) They are simple, but addictive. In fact, you may find yourself playing this mode more than the main game sometimes just trying to better your time on certain levels.
Next is the level design. This is another area in which the game shines--and considering that all of the levels were designed with the help of Legos, it shines even more. With the exception of about five areas in the game, every level is designed with stealth in mind. After all, this is supposed to be a sneaking mission. The first area has you slipping past two, then three guards to get to the rest of the game. You are given ample room to hide and get the basics of the stealth principles down, and just get a general feel of the game.
The progression of the game is gradual, as it lets you get used to new elements and weapons that you see and obtain. It never feels like it is holding your hand, either. It is linear, as Shadow Moses isn't one of the biggest bases ever, and there is some backtracking involved mid-game; but the general design and layout of everything is wonderfully done.
The score is another high point of the game (there really aren't any lows). Though not as grand of a scale as the PS2
Metal Gear games or the Gamecube remake of this very game,
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, it serves its purpose well and introduced the gaming world to two themes that will long stick with those who are fans of the game, the "Metal Gear Solid Main Theme," written by Tappy--who did the rest of the soundtrack--and "The Best is Yet to Come," performed by Rika Muranaka.
Another thing that makes this game so great is all of the little things that make it more than just the run of the mill sort. For instance, there is a boss battle where the boss will be able to "read your mind." This basically means that the game scans your memory card for certain Konami game saves. So if you have a game save for
Suikoden,
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night or even
Azure Dreams the said boss will tell you that you like those games.
Another way he reads your mind is by actually knowing what your going to do by reading the movements of the controller (which answers my question on how the computer always knows when to block in a fighting game). In order to combat this there are two methods. One is long and tedious, the other has you simply switching the controller ports. This is activated by the screen going black and the word HIDEO goes in the top right corner of the screen (get it? Hideo. Video. Great stuff) thus making the boss unable to "read" your mind any more.
There are a few other instances where MGS goes toward unconventional. One involves you looking at the back of the CD case to find out a frequency number for one of the characters. Another has you hiding in a cardboard box in a cave full of wolves, causing them to urinate on you so you can go by them without them attacking you since you have their scent on you. It's little things like this that really show how much fun the development team had while working on the game.
Metal Gear Solid is, in my opinion, a product of gaming perfection. From its excellent cast, and its memorable cut-scenes and dialog ("So you're the one that the boss keeps talking about."), MGS is a game that everyone who calls themselves a gamer should play. It can be played at a slow pace, sneaking around the environments, not being seen. Or you can go in Rambo style, guns blazing and taking names, it's really up to you. But was really sells the game is the story. Never in an action game has a story been told the way the one in MGS is. For that reason alone, it deserves a look. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.
