Okay, Metal Gear Solid (Playstation, 1998) was one of my favourites back in the day. Just the fact that the game’s story took up two discs made me I was gonna get so much in this game. And boy was I right. Being eight years old playing this game with my brother, I thought it was groundbreaking. In ways, it was. It created a new genre with its focus on stealth and infiltration. At the time, the graphics were unbelievable. You couldn’t believe that they had developed all of this; it was like a movie, unlike anything I had seen before outside of movies. Looking back at it nowadays, the game is still great. But most of the things I thought were incredible are now annoying to me, having seen the developments in videogames throughout the years. But I’m gonna look at the game and not judge it based on today’s standards.
Gameplay:
One thing about MGS is that it is really hard to pick up and play. If I was to give this game to someone and say play this, they wouldn’t know what to do. The controls are fun and interesting, especially with the inventory being mapped to the L2 and R2 rather than in the pause menu, but they take some getting used to. The mix of perspectives while playing is a little daunting, particularly when you constantly change your 3rd person perspective from top down, to forward, then to first person for certain parts. One part in particular comes to mind: the Metal Gear Rex showdown at the end of the game has you running around in 3rd person with the camera facing forward, then when you get to certain parts of the room the camera changes to top-down. Then when using the Stinger missiles, it goes into first person. Talk about disorientating.
Story:
Being 8 year old playing this, I had no idea what was going on and how deep this game’s themes were. Looking at it now, the game’s themes of global domination, nuclear war, corruption and takeover seem incredibly apparent. The games creator Hideo Kojima crafts an elaborate story following its predecessors on the NES that takes the series beyond anything that gamers had seen before in videogame stories.
Experience:
This game is a great experience. However, it is just beyond frustrating at times. But that adds to the sense of accomplishment that the game gives you. You knock one boss down, only to encounter a new and harder one later that makes you want to persevere. MGS also contains a different ending to the story (one of the first games to do so, I believe) and that adds to the replayability of the game. As well, after beating the game, new difficulty levels are unlocked, creating a new challenge for the player.
Design:
The graphics are impressive for the time. The game resembles a film at times, with its many cut scenes and cut scenes within cut scenes. Yea. Cut scenes within cut scenes. The game also presents a very dark, eerie atmosphere of authority and militarism. The game’s colours are dark, and dull, with many shades of grey and black. The HUD is great, especially the radar as well as the inventory of equipping items.
Final Thoughts:
The game is very critically acclaimed, and I tend to agree. It’s one of the games I will keep coming back to on the Playstation, and I see or learn something new every time I play the game.
8.5/10
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