I’ll be reviewing the full Metal Gear Series, here is Part 1: Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid is one of the most iconic video game series out there, I love it and for me it is THE best. These articles are celebrating all things Metal Gear starting off with a review of the OG Metal Gear Solid.

Let me take you back to the 90s, Catatonia Road Rage is playing on the radio, mobile phones don’t exist, Blockbuster was a place you would rent videos from. It was simpler times. A young David boots up his trusty PS1 (Take a look at Jordans Article on the Playstation One Here).

Up until this point I had mostly played games like Crash Bandicoot, Rayman and Spyro the Dragon each are fantastic games that I thoroughly enjoyed, but I didn’t know I was about to fall in love…

Cue the Gaelic music as the pre credits cut scene rolls, Enter Solid Snake as he swims underwater into a secret military base on Shadow Moses Island. We’re briefed by our CO the Colonel on the mission, and that we have to procure all weapons on site.

Immediately the tension is set we’re unarmed, up against an armed security force. David Hayter’s classic VO work for Snake is second to none, as Snake informs the Colonel he at least managed to smuggle his smokes in. (Smoking was cool back then unfortunately).

Already Kojima’s cinematic influence can be seen everywhere. Immediately I realised this isn’t just any ordinary video game.

The Gameplay

Now we get to the gameplay which still holds up. This is a stealth game, the Colonel advises us to try and avoid contact.

We’re in a basement area with one exit, an elevator on the other side. However there are guards on patrol. It’s here where I find the attack button to punch and kick. So, young and naïve David foolishly tries to go beat up the guards. “!” The iconic alert sound rings, all of a sudden there’s sirens, the minimap is gone, I’m being shot, I’m dead? The Screen Fades. “Snake?! Snake?! Snaaaaaakkeee!? “ The colonels voice echoes as the game over screen flashes in front of me.

Lesson Learned. We’re not playing Spyro now. So now its time to use stealth, messing around with the buttons I find I can lean against walls to hide, and I can knock on them to distract enemies. This might seem rudimentary now but it was all new back then. I’m luring guards whilst I cleverly use the isometric view to outmanoeuvre them. But I walk through a puddle again triggering more enemies, another fight followed by “Game Over”. I didn’t realise this could happen, now I’m having to take into account the environment around me too.

Maybe I would of gave up there and then but luckily on the next go we escape the basement and go up the elevator. Yet more iconic cut scenes play as Snake removes his mask and scopes out the military base on the snow covered Shadow Moses Island. A chopper touches down on a helipad “A Hind D? What’s a Russian gun ship doing here?” Snake asks himself as The intrigue is starting to build.

Sneaking into and around the base is a thrilling gameplay experience. Using ingenious methods such as footprints in the snow, chaff grenades to disable cameras, wall hugging to avoid cameras point of view and of course Cardboard boxes. It’s a playground to experiment as you discover more gadgets and weapons the possibilities increase.

The Story

The Plot is bonkers, I’m not even going to try and explain it here for fear of turning this into a pepe-silvia meme.  

But it Boils down to this, Snakes evil twin brother Liquid Snake (who is a clone) has taken over FoxHound (snakes old special operations unit). They have stolen a giant mech T-rex named Metal Gear Rex that is capable of firing nuclear warheads and they’re threatening to use them. All the while people are having mysterious heart attacks and dying?

It’s Snakes job to take them all down. Along the way you meet Allies such as Otacon and Meryl, who you can also blow up with claymores and C4 to hilariously trigger another game over screen.

Everyone has their own motivations and backstories even the radio support personnel. It’s incredibly fleshed out and as you take each boss down you discover more about them.

The Boss Fights

The Metal Gear Solid series is home to some of gaming most legendary boss fights. Metal Gear Solid delivers massively on this front.

Duelling with Revolver Ocelot, Duking it out with Close Quarters Combat against the Cyborg Ninja Gray Fox. Sniper Fights with Sniper Wolf, The Epic battle with Metal Gear Rex.

Psycho Mantis reading my memory card for other Konami games. Making the controller shake with his psychic power, reading my inputs to dodge every attack until I changed to controller port 2 will forever be a mind blowing memory.

The Grand Finale settling things face to face, fist to fist. Atop a ruined Metal Gear Rex against your evil twin clone brother Liquid Snake is something you just don’t forget.

Overall

Exciting tense gameplay, thrilling epic boss fights, amazing fleshed out characters and a storyline that will hook you in forever. Everything crescendos and is wrapped together by Hideo Kojima into a cinematic masterpiece all on the little old PS1. I strongly believe this is the best game on the console and one of the greatest games of all time.

In retrospect despite the game being due a visual makeover, everything still holds up today so its an A+

We’re less than a week away from the release of the Metal Gear Solid Collection, it’s been an epic month of games so far I can’t wait to return to Shadow Moses island on my PS5. If you’re a fan of the series or you want to try it out now is the perfect time.