Metal Gear Solid - PSone

Release: October 21st, 1998

eyefire Rating - 9.5 /10

 

Imagine a game that is fresh and innovative plus clearly ahead of its time. Imagine a game with a story line that is so compelling and enthralling that it isn't hard for gamers to become caught up in the twisting and suspenseful plot. Imagine a story that has cast of characters and performances that are so intriguing and amazing that they could easily be nominated for a Grammy. Imagine a game that was a pioneering force behind the now so popular stealth action genre. You are imagining Metal Gear Solid for the PlayStation.

The story takes place a remote island called Shadow Moses which is supposedly a nuclear disposal facility. Right from the opening sequence, the story begins to draw you in. The main protagonist of the story is Solid Snake. He was a member of the legendary special operation group called Fox Hound, but has since retired to a life of isolation in snowy Alaskan wilderness. Now, apparently unwilling, Snake finds himself being drug back into service again. Rogue members of the current Fox Hound have now taken control of the nuclear disposal facility. As it turns out, there is more to the disposal facility than meets the eye. The Fox Hound members have in their control a nuclear missile and are threatening to launch one if their demands are not met. That is basically all the info you get and steadily through out the game you pick up pieces here and there and start to put it together. One thing you find is that you can't really trust anyone and as the game progresses, you will see that. Overall the story line is very sharp and told very well. Things have a natural flow and by the end of the game most of the puzzle pieces have been put together.

At the time of this release, the PlayStation was pretty much the coolest thing on the planet in terms of video games. Compared to now, there is not much to impress, but in retrospect, this game looks pretty damn good. Awesome 3-D environments, colorful polygons and the whole lot of fun. One of my favorite things in the game is when you throw a chaff grenade and the sparkling effect it gives off after it explodes. Like a magical sparkle or something. For the time too, it looked great when you shot a bad guy... the blood spray and the way the bodies fell looked realistic. All in all, the graphics on the PlayStation for Metal Gear Solid where pretty sharp at the time of its release. It is clear that Kojima knew what he was doing by waiting to release his next part of the Metal Gear series on the PlayStation. The PlayStation offered him the power to create a three dimensional world to work with and he made it look amazing.

The sounds of Metal Gear Solid are, to put it simply, beautiful. From the opening musical sequence to the final notes at the end of the game... the soundtrack was masterfully put together and is truly fitting to the games idea and flow. Even the variety of sounds you get from your SOCOM pistol firing or the sound of your Stinger Missiles launching... everything sounds original and natural.

One cannot fully fathom the unique taste that Metal Gear Solid has to offer without actually tasting it first hand. A game that is damn near perfect in a lot of ways is a real stand out for its time period and what it did to the now popular stealth action genre. Although some could argue that some tweaks could be implemented, I wouldn't recommend changing anything with this one. This game will go down as one of the best. Instant classic!