I began playing this game not know any of the previous story line or what to expect, but 13+ hours later I was in amazement with one man's vison and how well it was placed in a 2 Disc game. This game is unlike anything you will ever experience and there is always something to discover. I've played this game more than a dozen times and everytime I discover something new. If you own a PlayStation or a PlayStation 2 you MUST try this game, if you don't you'll be missing out on something that revolutionized gaming around the world. This game isn't considered the best PS game for nothing.
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karadjordjevic3 October 2001
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action-620 December 1999Metal Gear Solid is one of the best games ever created. The graphics are revolutionary, the gameplay is excellent, the storyline is top, the gameplay relys on stealth rather than Doomish action. You are Solid Snake, a super-agent who is sent to Alaska to take out the terrorists that occupied a U.S. nuclear facility. You arrive at the dock-area, and the place is crowded with armed guards. You sneak your way past them. If you try to kill them, there is a good chance that you`ll be killed. Brilliant! The storyline is very good and borrows heavily from blockbuster action-movies, but this is far better than most movies. The only downside of this magnificent title, is that it is too short, but don`t refuse to buy it because of that. MGS is a massive game, that will change the way action-games are developed! 10/10
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"Unbelievable", that's what I first thought when I got it in 1999. It stood fast as one of the best games with up to date graphics, voice actors and excellent gameplay. In my estimation, this was the first game to spawn the stealth-action genre, with an abundance of weapons(most of which weren't needed), a lot of secrets to be found(alternate endings, "ghosts", the two ending items for the new game) and gameplay with lots of features. You'll be going from barren lands covered in snow to a fast underground base, from a tank hangar to a nuclear warhead dismantling facility and from two communication towers to an underground furnace and storage facility. With all sorts of things to do, which normally wouldn't be seen in games, like crawling through air ducts, knocking on walls for distraction, using various items to your advantage and more. It has a very deep story which I won't go in-depth into because I'll leave that for the people who want to play theirselves.
Performance: The graphics are a bit choppy for nowadays' standards but were great with the new PSX/PS1 which came out around that time. For the first time we saw detailed emotions, since the 3D genre began developing itself quickly. We've heard great voice actors(Cam Clarke did a great job on Liquid) and above all, you totally focus on the characters itself; thus giving the game more depth. You trail along with the storyline and try to comprehend all the things which are happening in the game, which could just as well happen any day now in our world.
Overall, an excellent game worthy of a 10/10. With superb graphics, sound, gameplay, story, depth and above all a completely new genre re-introduced in 3D, what more do you want? -
marinos theodore30 April 2001It has been in production for more than four years and video gaming tradition has it that any game that stays that long in production is most likely to turn out bad.Well Metal Gear didn't follow this tradition.All those years were spent on making it perfect and the truth is that almost everything in this game is excellent!!!!First of all the story is simply brilliant with many unexpected twists.The voice acting is flawless all the actors are believable nad they have great accents which of course is something very rare for a video game. In other words if metal gear was a film it could win an Oscar!!!!Technically the game is awesome.Enemy A.I. works nice and the enemies are very smart and their behaviour is totally believable. For example if they spot you they will hunt you down and if you try to hide they won't hesitate to use grenades or call reinforcements in their attempt to kill you!! The graphics are nice and the strange camera angle may confuse you at the beginning but it never ever causes problems like the camera in Tomb Raider.Unfortunately the game isn't perfect (no game can ever be perfect) first of all the game is quite small it will only take you one week to finish it and secondly there are a lot of cutscenes between the action which may make it feel very movie like but they sometimes are very long and they seem to break up the action. So in conclusion metal gear is the closest you'll ever get to actually playing a big budget action and espionage movie it may not be the longest or hardest game out there but believe me when i say that it is worth each penny of the money you'll pay for it.
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Staack11719 January 2000Some games are hyped beyond belief, and often fall short. This is one of the few games that, in my opinion, lived up to the hype and then punched it in the face. This game is precisely the game I had hoped the industry would create since I was a young gamer, and playing the 1st Metal Gear on MSX. This is, in my eyes and in many others I know, one of the games that everyone has to experience. It may not be everyones game, but most will be surprised that this game has production values well beyond Hollywood movies. This even puts Tom Clancy to shame. Sounds like more hype? I can't help it, this game deserves it.
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StephenReponen30 April 2001This game has to be the best game ever created on the face of the planet! I mean there is nothing in this game that is bad! I bought this game for the PC when I saw the trailer for Metal Gear Solid 2. I thought "why not" since the MGS2 looks so unbelievable, the only reason I'm going to buy a PS2. When I began to play the game, I was astonished at the level of detail they put into the plot and charachters. This game truly felt like watching a movie! Every second was pure bliss for me and when I completed it the first time I started all over again! I wouldn't be suprised if this game would be turned into a movie, but I think why should they? the game is so perfect! Mind blowing from beggining to end! There would have to be something mentally wrong with you if you dont like this game! If this game was so good, I get goose pimples when I think about the potential of MGS2!!!!
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I have been a fan of the Metal Gear series since the first one on the NES. The third installment which shows up on the PlayStation is the best so far. The game plays exactly like a movie in every single way. The voice acting is superb, and the music is movie quality.
The story line does not disappoint. It is hard hitting and nothing is watered down. This is not a kid's game (about PG-13), yet stays away from unnecessary junk. Unlike most games, this game has moral points and touches on human tragedy. The cut scenes are amazing using the PSX's engine and very rarely using FMV.
My only complaint with the game is it is too easy to guess who the bad guy is. Other than that, this game will have you on the edge of your seat.
I have never done this, but I stood up and applauded for the game after I passed it. Hideo Kojima is brilliant and I would love to see him write/direct some movies. -
this is the greatest video game ever made. Although I always feel uneasy when I say that, because it is basically a movie in every sense. The dialogue, acting, plot,cinematography, it all puts most of the bulls*** Hollywood is churning out to shame. It's frightning, sad, funny, and a lot more. The images are truly amazing. if it was a movie, it would be my favorite.
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Aaron137513 August 2018I played the first Metal Gear game on the NES and I enjoyed it a good deal. I always meant to play this one when it initially came out, but for some reason I never did. Nor have I played any of the sequels. I ended up buying a pack with all the games in it up to part 5 which I had already bought both parts of five in a two pack for really cheap. I decided to play them in order of release so this was the first one I played through and won. It was a bit jarring at first as this came out on the first Playstation unit. So suffice to say, my eyes had to adjust to the graphics; however, that being said, once my eyes got used to the graphics it looked fairly decent. Definitely the upper echelon of graphics for games on the first Playstation. So, despite the dated graphics, it was a really fun game with a very interesting story.
The story has the hero, Solid Snake, coming out of retirement due to a rouge military group called Fox-Hound taking over a military installation in Alaska. This installation is supposed to be simply a place where deactivated nuclear arms are held, but in reality, the warheads are quite active and worse a new Metal Gear weapon is being readied! It is up to Snake to get through the military installation and stop Metal Gear one way or another. Standing in his way, a mysterious soldier named Liquid Snake and his follows including Ocelot who is partial to six shooters; Raven, a large man who prefers tanks and miniguns; Psycho Mantis, a man who uses his mind as his weapon; Sniper Wolf, enough said and a whole army of specially made troops! Snake will find allies though on his mission to take down Liquid Snake and the newest Metal Gear weapon!
The game play is stealth based and pretty easy to pick up. I had trouble at first, but once I figured the controls it got easier. Like the game in 1987, this one features an array of equipment to help Snake make it through his mission. various weapons like handguns, machine guns, rocket launchers and explosives are included as well as equipment such as night vision googles, bulletproof armor and key cards. One small complaint is that the sniper rifle was very difficult to use and at times it was very annoying aiming guns in this game.
So, a very fun game and despite the fact that is an aged game and looks a bit off due to being a Playstation one game it is still a very fun game with pretty good game play and a very good story. I much prefer games like this to some of the games of today that may look all shiny and pretty, but lack any sort of decent story. This one is fun and I am looking forward to moving on to the second game, Son's of Liberty. -
A gruff, lone wolf type government assassin soldier is assigned to infiltrate a top secret terrorist operation in Alaska to stop the threat of nuclear war and it's still such an awesome, stone cold classic! I remember this game real well, I was never into the whole espionage angle and had only ever really played platformers and RPGs, but this was just too cool and hugely appealing a game for me to pass up and not get into and I just loved it, the stealth element of the gameplay made it so thrilling and nailbiting to play and I was hooked by the gripping cinematic quality that it displayed right from the opening credits. The ice cold visual style gave it an atmosphere that was very edge-of-your-seat and dangerous. The squad of villains were extremely cool and it made for a surprisingly sad tone when several of them were humanised in their final moments, making you almost feel like you wish you didn't have to take them down. The only real hero was a bit of a rebellious antihero, but he was the best character in the game and a perfect badass, blunt and lethal but an honourable sort of guy at heart, it was immensely enjoyable to play as Snake. It was quite a chatty game but I loved that part of it, I could get engrossed in all the endless back and forths on the Codex system, it made for a richer narrative to me, I only really appreciated the story when I was a little older, as a kid it mostly went over my head. Graphically it's rough today but it's still got its gripping magic as a game and to me is just as absorbing to fully figure out and complete as it ever was, it's one of the most rewarding gaming experiences of all time. I loved the way that, fundamentally being a game of stealth and avoiding your enemies and taking them out from the shadows rather than confronting them directly, it forced you to think outside the box, you had to memorise the patterns of your foes, you had to sometimes lure them out by getting their attention or leaving a trail, or sometimes hiding in a dang cardboard box! I loved how all of the boss confrontations were done differently, with the last major fight that sees Snake taking on the might of the gigantic bipedal battle tank Metal Gear Rex requiring you to use every bit of skill that you've learned in order to survive. Yet another thing I loved was the more subtle qualities of the game, without all those little humorous touches it could have turned out a lot less endearing. So to this very day I still find this to be a truly great video game classic and with good reason, it was one of the topmost games of the original PlayStation and was one of those special titles that beautifully championed what that console was capable of at its best. "Huh? What was that noise?" 📦
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ironhorse_iv13 August 2014Metal Gear Solid is an action-adventure stealth play-station video game directed, produced and co-written by Hideo Kojima of Konami Computer Entertainment Japan. The story is set, six years after the events of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, and 10 years after the events of the original Metal Gear. You play as Solid Snake (Voiced by David Hayter), a retired US Elite Special Forces operative, called back into action to stop a his former team, now rogue, FOXHOUND lead by Liquid Snake (Voiced by Cam Clarke) from infiltrated a nuclear disposal site and threatening to use a new nuclear launching device walking tank, Metal Gear Rex, to attack the White House. The remainder of the story is told through cut scenes like historical footage from Cold War & WWII, or Japanese anime, mixed with codec or cartoony type low computer animation representation cut-scenes. This gives the game, a realistic tone that immerse the player into the game. Still, there is a stark contrast between the real life and cartoon. It's kinda jarred at times. The animation is dated in the effects. It's funny to watch a lot of depth exposition, being spoken from featureless facial characters. Honestly, the game might have too much exposition that slows the gameplay. I kinda got bored at times, waiting for the exposition to get done. Do we need a long death scene from every minor character? Parts of the game consist of tens of minutes of codec conversations sprinkled with mere seconds of gameplay. Thankfully these instances are rare. They really put so much into the story. The gameplay is similar to its predecessor, as a stealth mission. It not easy being detected by enemies, but I do find it funny that using boxes as cover is a great way to hide from enemies. In addition to the stealth gameplay, there are set piece sequences that entail firefights between the player and enemies from the third-person and first-person perspectives. You have to encounter mini bosses like Revolver Ocelot (Voiced by Patric Laine) a Western-style gunslinger and expert interrogator whose weapon of choice is the Colt Single Action Army; Sniper Wolf (Voice by Tasia Valenza), a preternatural sniper; Vulcan Raven (Voiced by Peter Lurie), a hulking Alaskan shaman armed with an M61 Vulcan torn from a downed F-16; and Psycho Mantis (Voiced by Doug Stone), a psychic profiler and psychokinesis expert. To progress, players must discover the weaknesses of each boss and defeat them. Still, the enemies are just too beneficial in defeat to the hero. Come on! If he's not getting help from the enemies, he's help by supporting characters like Naomi Hunter (Voiced by Jennifer Hale), who gives medical advice; Nastasha Romanenko (Voiced by Renee Raudman), who provides item and weapon tips; and Mei Ling (Voiced by Kim Mai), who invented the radar system used in the mission and is also in charge of mission data; the player can call her to save the game. Other supporting characters worth noting is Colonel Campbell (Voiced by Paul Eiding), Meryl (Voiced by Debi Mae West), Hal 'Otacon' Emmerich (Voiced by Christopher Randolph) and others. They help you a lot, but some of these characters could be cut out. Anyways, the game action is pretty advance for the time. I can't imagine how mind-blown, people were in 1998. From tank battles, helicopter battles & sniper battles. The game also have side missions are fun to play. Try to find the "VR Disc" version of the game. It features over 300 missions testing the player's sneaking and fighting skills, as well as less conventional tests, such as murder mysteries, battling giant genome soldiers, and three missions where the player controls the Cyborg Ninja. Still, that game animation is indeed dated. The textures in the game are really bad when looking at it, compare to modern games. I mean, there are massive blocks on just about every texture in the game. The characters don't have faces as much as a mush of different colored squares that kind of resemble a face. Animations was very stiff during that time. If you find the remake of the game call Twin Snakes. The story, and gameplay is mostly the same, but graphics are way better. It's updated to match those of MGS2. Sony's decision to use CDs for the PS1 was a masterstroke & allowed for games to have much more effective scores. This was one of the first games to have a great soundtrack. Music played in-game has a synthetic feel with increased pace and introduction of strings during tense moments, with a looping style endemic to video games. Overtly cinematic music, with stronger orchestral and choral elements, appears in cut-scenes are just brilliant at the time. The song by lyricist Rika Muranaka "The Best is Yet To Come" for the game's ending credits sequence is just amazing and beautiful to listen. The song is performed in Irish by Aoife Ní Fhearraigh in the English version. The main theme song of Metal Gear Solid was still in an early stage here, but the game main theme song got better with its sequels. The soundtrack from MGS is fantastic & still holds up today. The game got a lot of influence coming from films like (1968) 2001: Space Odyssey, and 1981's Escape from New York. You can see it, throughout the game. Overall: Incredibly cinematic with excellent music, great plot & some great twists in the story with good gameplay. A true pioneer in the world of video games. The game become so popular, that it launch a series of games. Metal Gear Solid is often recognized as one of the key titles involved in popularizing the stealth game genre. Still holds its own, even today.
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Cirene4041 June 2019Positives:
- Story
- Characters
- Voice acting
- Musical score
- Bosses
Negatives:- Somewhat aged controls
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robb-c-hays5 January 2024The gameplay is fun, for the most part. The final sequence is a bit contrived, from a gameplay standpoint.
The graphics were groundbreaking for their time. Still hold up decently well, besides the faces.
The dialogue, however, is very cheesy. I'm sure it works better in the original Japanese. Something was lost in the translation, I think.
It also has a "I'm 14 and this is deep" type of theme.
For it's groundbreaking nature and influence on the entire medium, it deserves a high score. But I docked it points for it's faux-deep themes and extremely cheesy dialogue. Also, the cutscenes are WAY too long for my taste. -
McGoo [gDC]14 January 2001Just as certain games signaled that mo-cap or rotoscoping were becoming over-used and hindering gameplay this game signified to me that cinematic videogames were starting to kill the fun in the games. Fifteen minutes of the kind of adventure game puzzle-solving that I could give or take were followed by about twenty minutes of cinema that COULD be skipped if you wanted to be utterly clueless about your next action. You could never tell when the game hints would come as they would be interspersed between Kojima's philosophy about nuclear proliferation anyway.
Some of the actual gameplay was pretty neat and some was terrible. The voice acting was great and particularly notable in my mind was the memorable and hillarious Revolver Ocelot's "Ah control the bullets, ah make them go where I want!" in addition to Psycho Mantis' totured "WHY!? Why can't I read your mind?"
Over all the VR missions were the best part of the game because they truly focused on the stealth. In the real game I got the title of "Elephant" but was it truly hindersome? Not really. Also, the repeated fights between Liquid Snake and Solid Snake and the end were ridiculous. One of them simply should have died after dying several times.
That's about all there is to this game. Let's hope that Square, Konami, and others realize their mistake and that movies don't kill the videogame star. -
Metal Gear Solid is probably the closest thing of being an action hero most
people will be. You're playing your alter-ego, Solid Snake, unfolding a gripping plot about terrorism, commercial greed, nuclear danger, betrayal and self
discovery. Your actions decide most of what happens in the game, even the
ending of the story.
Definitively a great experience that combines the emotions of cinema with
interactive entertainment. My favorite videogame of all time right next to
Resident Evil 2. -
watto12430 December 2001This is one fabulous game. A truly sensational experience that is very hard to rationalize. It's no game. Metal Gear Solid is work of art that entertains, makes you think, educates, touches, and really has some poignant things to say about life in-general. I know what you're thinking: a video game? C'mon! But it's the truth! Not only does this undertaking concieve some very memorable characters with some very top-notch voice-acting, it contains, above all, an unrelenting, twist-filled world of a story that will fundamentally change the way you think of games. And in there, you also get a great gameplay style that is so fun, you'll be sitting there for hours on end fiddling with your weapons, setting up traps for, and playing tricks on guards. It is literally a blast and it never lets up. The drama and emotional impact of he story can only be heightened by equally good music, and MGS delivers the goods here as well. If only MGS2's music was as good as this (sorry Harry Gregson-Williams, but your score SUCKED). Anyway, the locations and sets are interesting and exotic and unforgettable. The boss-fights are varied and fun, with a weapon specifically designed for each boss that adds depth and a sense of eclectiveness to the battles. I loved that. You also have strong relationships with the people you meet and the people you fight and it adds and makes it special. The game also spurts a great amount of extras and side items and "quests" that add even more replayability to the game. Thankfully the story doesn't go into the deep end and go nuts on you. It is a very compelling and satisfying one. 3 words, ok? Play, this, game! Thank you Hideo Kojima. 10/10!!
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death_and_destructio-121 October 2007I have always been into the Metal Gear Solid series, just recently playing one once again. And no matter what, no matter how many times I play it just continues to amaze me. I hadn't played it in about 5 years, and yesterday played Special Missions followed by the actual game.
Even after playing 2 and 3 I still think it surpasses both of them plot wise. Game play wise... well its on the PS1, game play is bound to get better. And I don't want t ruin any of the plot for you .
So this brings me to the remake. It was a Tactical Espianage action, it was turned into a fantasy action. Front flips, back flips, side flips, I know snake is a genetically modified clone, but this is insanity. The story, in my eyes, was ruined by the acrobatics of the cut scenes. It took your mind away from being able to empathise with Snakes persona. I think that Twin Snakes was a failure as a remake, it was built for the sole purpose of getting vast amounts of violence and flips into the game and that ruined it.
But still the best game in the series has to be number 1. -
Johnny-the-Film-Sentinel-218715 September 2016Metal Gear Solid is one of the finest games I've every played; the story by series-scribe Hideo Kojima is great, the music phenomenal, the direction spotless, and though the graphics are dated it still has a nice style in spite of the said visual ageing. The plot starts off simply as a save-the-world scenario where you need to stop terrorists from 'launching a nuclear weapon', but the further you progress into the story the more layered and memorably complicated it gets. Some of the events happening around you can only be explained through unbelievable reveals that happen later on and boy do you NOT see them coming.
Kojima toys with the player's expectations and gives us some of video-gaming's all-time best characters and scenes, from his revolutionary retired war-hero Solid Snake, Meryl, Hal 'Otacon' Emmerich, to the baddies: Revolver Ocelot, Liquid Snake, Sniper Wolf and Psycho Mantis. Every single one of the characters involved are crucial to the player's situation and Snake's struggle: Kojima rarely overlooks any detail in the game and he treats the direction like an auteur treats a full-length-feature like his baby. Everything is interconnected with hardly any moments neglected by Kojima; he put his heart and soul into every single pixel in the game, with the help of a wonderful development team. -
vivifan26 June 2018Metal Gear Solid Will always have a special place in my heart as a gamer. I grew up playing this ever since it first came out back in 1998. My PS1 was the first console I ever played on all the time. the first games I got for the console where tekken 2 and Spyro the dragon. Two great games but then my father's friend was telling him all about Metal gear Solid saying how amazing it was and how it's considered by many to be the best PS1 game of all time. I was not really interested at the time but then I saw my father play the game and he hated it (He said he couldn't get into it.) So then I asked him if I could try it out and I did. I fell in love with it straight away. It's got an amazing story, amazing graphics for it's time, It's characters, music, gameplay, boss fights, replay value, voice acting. I could go on but if you haven't played this please do so. yes this game is very cutscene heavy and it hasn't aged very well with it's controls/mechanics. But Stick with it and you will find a game that is full of heart and a lot of passion that clearly went into it. I hold this game very dear to my heart and it will always be my favorite PS1 game of all time.
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Joey_bucks10 January 2010After playing all the metal gear solid games on the ps2 and ps3, i felt i was missing a lot by not playing the original. so i popped off to the local used games shop and bought the original for £6, and considering a subway meal can cost that much, this is the best £6 i have ever spent. yes the graphics are awful compared to modern standards, but what most modern games don't give you is the atmosphere created in this game. its classic Alaskan surroundings topped with the cold electronic soundtrack sends shivers down your spine. the game play even now is fun and is still as iconic as ever, even though the enemies act like simpletons due to the dated AI. topped with classic boss battles, an extremely entertaining storyline and great voice overs, this game is a must for all fans of video games. if you are yet to play it, i urge you to BUY IT NOW.
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navron3 September 2013I have seen many works of art in the past such as in movies,music Television,radio,paintings,models,books and video games but Metal Gear Solid is by far a true historic media masterpiece. A work of art which has revolutionized to the public of how a visionary like Hideo Kojima can influence a large population ranging from boys, girls, men,women of all nationalities and race. Metal Gear Solid moves the human emotion through the eyes of characters experiencing the struggle of war,betrayal,envy,romance and legacy. Kojima is a director well versed in the history of various media and his knowledge shines brightly in this vision of fictional history that seems so real in which only kojima masters
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mrjoeobrien25 September 2009Embrace the immense cinematography, game-play, storyline and atmospheric stealth mode of Metal Gear Solid. This game released in 1998, as I was only 8 when I started playing it, completed it on my 9th birthday, and what an amazing experience it was. It felt like I had achieved a massive goal in my life, being only young and so infatuated with gaming, this created a light in my life. I believe this game inspired all stealth-mode games from it's time onwards. Though nothing has managed to compare to that journey you make through MGS, it gave off a movie-like feel, where you controlled the main character with honor, always wondering what would happen next, and never leaving it too easy. This game uses all elements of skill required in gaming, from quick thinking, composure, puzzle solving to raw control over your character. As you make your way through the game, you'll slowly feel a part of it, like you've never felt in a game before, it sucks you into it's own little world. All in all, the best single-player game I've yet to play.
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Son_of_Troy26 March 2005Amazing!...nobody thought that the metal gear solid series would become as popular as it is today...this game is the reason why! Released in 1998, Metal Gear Solid stars you, Solid Snake, as a lone operative sent to rescue two hostages and to find out whether a not a group of terrorists, holding the hostages, have the ability to launch a nuclear attack, and stop them if they do. The plot is unbelievably great and with a wide range of items and weapons, the game is definitely one of the 3 best games in world.
The group of operatives that you are supposed to stop are part of a group called FOXHOUND, Solid Snake's former group. Among this group are Revolver Ocelot: gunman, sadist, and an expert at interrogation, Vulcan Raven: shaman who is extremely strong, Sniper Wolf: female sniper who is very patient, Decoy Octopus: Master of Disguise, Psycho Mantis: Telekinetic, and an expert at reading minds, and their leader: Liquid Snake.
Other characters include Colonel Campbell: person in charge of this rescue operation; Doctor Naomi Hunter: FOXHOUNDS doctor and provides Snake support; Hal Emmerich: scientist who created Metal Gear; Meryl: the Colonels niece sent to the rebellion; Cyborg Ninja: Unknown Ninja
If i could I'd rate this game a 97 out of 10. Unfortunately I can't but this game surpasses all games and makes other games seem inferior. Great game well worth whatever it costs. (which is about 8 dollars now) -
Skoveng7726 January 2006Some of you who have followed my comments here on IMDb.com might say now; -Well, it's about time!!! Here I commented Snake Eater, and butchered Sons of Liberty, but totally ignored/forgot about their predecessor; Metal Gear Solid (to Nintendo fans aka The Twin Snakes)! Shame on me! It's almost as I no longer deserve the title Gear Head!
I actually started playing the original game a few months ago. At first, I didn't really understand why because PlayStation 2 has spoiled me visually for nearly 5 years now, and starting to play a PlayStation game again now made me think; "Geez, these graphics are crap..." I must remind you all that I don't always care that much about graphics as long as the story is thriving and the gameplay is good. MGS succeed on these two points more than most PSX games out there. (Before anyone starts rapping at me for 'dissing' the graphics, let us all remember that MGS at the start of its prime was considered having THE best graphics EVER on a PSX action adventure.) I still can't claim that I have completed the game (or any of its sequels for that matter). Playing through the game and see the credits is not the same as completely finishing the game. Especially since MGS rewards you for completing the game several times. Play through it once, and you get either the good or the bad ending, and the representative bonus item to use the next time you play. Complete it again, and you will get the other ending than last time, and the other bonus item. (If you know how to determine which ending you will get, that is.) And after you've got both endings, you'll have alternative outfits in the game on your third game. I'm not going to say that MGS was the first to do this, but it was with MGS that I saw this in a action adventure game myself. And yes, I was majory surprised, and impressed. Already back then did I understand that this game was absolutely going to have a sequel. This was just the first step on the ladder of superb success!
Now there might be some of you who says; what's this?! This guy usually slaughter games and films, and now he starts out with appraisal? OK, fine, I do have some criticism. And good ones too: MGS was first announced to be a PlayStation-Only title. This was a lie. About a year later, the game was adapted directly to PC. In a way, that was good. Now people with PCs, but no PSX could enjoy this spectacular game. The problem, however, was the fact that the transition from PSX to PC hadn't been the best. Lots of technical problems and game control was a mess, unless you had a PC gamepad. Luckily for me, I had one. A Logitec Dual Assault Pad that resembled the PSX pad. Later, the game was actually re-made, from scratch, for Nintendo Gamecube, with all new graphics and extras. I could fully understand. In my youth, I had a Nintendo 8-bit video game system. And yes, I had the original Metal Gear. I loved that game! Therefore, I was not surprised at all to learn that not only was the Metal Gear series going back to its roots, but in new format. But I learned three details that disappointed me greatly; 1. The exact same voice cast was hired in to do VO, but at some points, the script had been changed. Who made that decision?... 2. The same VO, but only re-recorded. I'd say that they should've gone for the original from the PSX version (like they did on the PC version), because, and don't ask me how they actually managed to do this, the voice cast, on several occasions SCREWED UP their lines! They actually messed up! Cam Clarke did a WAY better job on the PSX/PC version. Most of his lines was truly heartfelt and touching. The rest was very good as well. On the Gamecube, his VO was flat. And when he was going for Liquid's aggressive and psychotic demeanor, it came out bad. No feeling, no convincement, no life. And finally, 3. This game would've made a ten times better PC transition than the PSX version. First and foremost because of the incredibly improved graphics. But NO! Konami had exclusively sold the rights of The Twin Snakes to Nintendo and Crystal Knights. So, the deal with Nintendo is more sacred than the one with Sony? Thanks a f#@Xing lot, Koj! This is absolutely the first case of video game development racism I've ever encountered.
But there's is so much good here still. Just remember this; MGS was the milestone of an entire game generation, and is still considered the Best PSX Game of All Time. It has inspired to several game genres and have been copied/parodied/competed/rivaled by many other game developers. I mention Splinter Cell, Syphon Filter, M:I, Chase The Express, Extremination, Grand Theft Auto III/Vice City/San Andreas, LOTR: Two Towers, LOTR: Return of the King and King Kong as just a few. No doubt, Metal Gear Solid was a revolutionary, an innovator and an inspirer in its grand days, and continues to be so even now, eight years after its first release on the PSX. -
Rautus14 May 2007Metal Gear Solid is a classic video game that's like watching a movie while playing a game. The cut-scenes are just like a Hollywood blockbuster because of the music and camera styles, the voice acting is also good and makes it feel like you're watching a film. Solid Snake is a cool character (Also Dante in Devil May Cry is cool), the game sees Solid Snake working for FOXHOUND again and he must enter a base Antarctic base where a new Metal Gear is being made. Metal Gear REX.
It seems a group of FOXHOUND that Liquid recruited are protecting the Metal Gear, the members are: Revolver Ocelot, a master at using six-shooters, Psycho Mantis, a powerful telekinetic, Vulcan Raven, a man that is linked to the ravens and uses a huge Gatling gun, Sniper Wolf, an expert sniper and Decoy Octopus, a mysterious member of FOXHOUND.
Also a cyborg Ninja who is Grey Fox is roaming about in the base, Snake meets with Meryl and Otacon who help him out in the base while he gets codec messages off Roy Campbell and others at the submarine.
The game-play is easy to pick up since the codec messages give you the tips on how to play, the stealth and action is also great. Metal Gear Solid is a game that should be played. 10/10