Metal Gear Solid was not only the first Metal Gear game after an eight year hiatus, it was also the first fully three-dimensional game in the series. Released for the PlayStation in 1998, it propelled the series and its creator into worldwide fame.
Hideo Kojima was always a fan of Western action media, as evidenced by the use of stars from American action movies as the basis of the character portraits in the original Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake on the MSX2. Heck, even the name Snake comes from the main protagonist in Escape from New York.
Thus, it made sense that once gaming moved into the true third dimension with the release of the 32-bit and 64-bit consoles, Kojima would attempt to emulate his favorite films cinematically as well. Kojima has become infamous for the use of long cutscenes in his games, but in the original Metal Gear Solid, they are undoubtedly a benefit to the game, making the game feel more engrossing while not feeling like a slog. Heck, even the remade cinematics in Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes for GameCube, goofy as they are, still manage to come in at a runtime that doesn't infringe upon the enjoyment of the gameplay.
Solid Snake is sent to Alaska, where he needs to do what he does best. He must infiltrate an enemy base and stop a Metal Gear, this time the model known as REX. He is first sent to rescue the DARPA chief and discovers a conspiracy to which he was clearly not previously privy. At this point, he also meets a fan-favorite character known as Meryl Silverburgh, the biological daughter of Snake's mission leader Colonel Campbell.
Snake also has help from people on his codec, as usual for this series. Snake simply has to communicate because the codec is implanted in him. Along with Campbell, Snake communicates with Mei Long who saves his mission data and offers philosophical quotes, Master Miller who offers non-sequiturs and occasional advice, and eventually series regular Dr. Emmerich aka Otacon who offers information about the base and Metal Gear REX itself.
The story is one of the best, if not the best, of the Hideo Kojima stories. There are so many twists and turns in the story, and the characters are really interesting. It leaves a lasting impression. The voice work of the actors is fantastic, both in the English and Japanese language. If you have played through Metal Gear Solid in English, you could find it fun to play it again with the Japanese voice actors in the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection, assuming you don't mind reading the English subtitles if you don't mind Japanese.
The music is fantastic too. Unless you play at the easiest level, or are fantastic at playing action stealth games, you'll likely see the game over screen at least once. This has become iconic for a reason. The voice over that accompanies it is fantastic and the game over music is extremely memorable. Of course, the rest of the music is fantastic as well, but that was epic enough it deserved a write-up on its own. The sound effects are also great, giving the game its polished feel.
The stealth gameplay was influential on the genre, and even though a lot has changed in the nearly twenty years since its 1998 release, it is still great to play today. The Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes remake adds some then-modern touches. It does make the game feel different because the first person mode makes some parts easier than the original. If the PlayStation version of Metal Gear Solid feels stiff to you, and you don't mind some goofy cutscene changes, that might be an option. The earlier Metal Gear Solid: Integral also includes first person mode, which might be a better option since its gaming and presentation comes from the North American release of the original Metal Gear Solid PlayStation release.
For those really willing to dig deep into the history of video gaming and emulation, there is bleemcast! for Metal Gear Solid for the Dreamcast. Playing the game using this will make the game smoother. It's true that most PlayStation emulators will have an option for smoothing, but the bleemcast! experience is surprisingly smooth, and it's amazing to experience considering the PlayStation and Dreamcast were direct competitors that were only one console generation apart.
Metal Gear Solid is well worth playing, in any form, from the original PlayStation version on the PlayStation console or on emulators to the GameCube Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes remake. I recommend the PlayStation version on console or emulator, since the cutscenes are 2000s action film level goofy in the remake. Some of the original cutscenes can be goofy too, but it is worth it to play it in its original form. If you have played the original, and especially if you have played it many times, it could be worth it to play the PlayStation version with Japanese voice actors and English subtitles to experience the Japanese voice actors. The actors in the Japanese version are just as high-quality as those in the English version. It could also be worth it to play Metal Gear Solid: Integral, if you want to experience the game with first person mode. If you don't mind cutscene changes that make the game feel like a goofy late 1990s to early 2000s American action film, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes might also be worth experiencing. No matter which version you play, the stealth gameplay, excellent voice acting, plus fantastic music and sound effects make this one a classic that every video gamer should experience at least once.
Final Verdict:
5 out of 5
| Metal Gear (Ultra Games) Mega Review | Metal Gear Solid 2 Review coming soon |
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