Metal Gear Solid

I have never been a huge fan of Konami. During the NES days, I spent very little time on their products. When the SNES was out, even less time was spent on Konami products than from the NES years. All that has changed however. While this era of Playstation has gone on, I have experienced several classic titles from Konami. Vandal Hearts, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Suikoden, and now Metal Gear Solid have changed my mind about Konami. MGS is without a doubt the most anticipated PSX game since RE2. By taking 3d action games and molding it into a new, more strategy-like, genre, Konami has produced a game that belongs to every PSX owner across the globe!

In Metal Gear Solid, the player controls Solid Snake. During the course of the adventure, the gamer must successfully infiltrate the enemy’s base, complete various missions, and not get caught. Sound simple? Well, it isn’t. You see, Metal Gear Solid is a game that is quite unique. Stealth is required, while “in your face–beat ’em up action” is left behind. That said, during a few points in Snake’s adventure, the action gets very intense. These times are few and far between though. MGS will win you over due to Konami’s careful use of both stealth and action.

Next, Metal Gear has very good controls. Although a gamer can use the standard PSX controller, the dual shock is almost a necessity. While it is possible to play through the game on the standard D pad, it just isn’t precise enough for MGS. More than that, the rumble included with the dual shock controller allows the user to feel the action on the screen. Also, Konami made it quite easy to use the controls. A simple button press can bring up your inventory screen, make snake crawl on the ground, fire a weapon, distract the guards by hitting the walls, and much, much more! Konami should be applauded for refining their controls as much as they did.

Finally, the graphics in Metal Gear Solid are top of the line. I had the opportunity to play an unfinished beta version of MGS at the 1998 E3. While the gameplay was excellent, the game world was heavily pixilated. So much in fact, that everyone who saw Metal Gear Solid thought the PSX couldn’t be pushed any further to improve upon the graphics. While we were quick to judge, Konami spent many months after that E3 beta to suck every last ounce of power from the PSX in order to limit the “pixilated look” the game once had. Let me tell you, Konami has succeeded. They turned MGS from a terrible looking game into a graphical showcase. If only other developers would take the time Konami has to create incredible graphics.

Metal Gear Solid lives up to all the hype Konami and the industry has given it. By perfecting the gameplay, fine tuning the controls, and creating drop-dead gorgeous graphics, MGS has it all! Konami has created a masterpiece that belongs in ever gamers library. Metal Gear Solid is without a doubt one of the greatest games I have ever played in my life. I highly recommend this title!