Rating: 100%
Review Written by: America Online
Genre: Action
Maker: Konami
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
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For those of you who have been living under a rock for the better part of the last decade, the original Metal Gear game was released in 1987. In an era of guns-a-blazing one man against an army shoot 'em ups, Metal Gear provided gamers with something new: stealth. It suddenly became fun to sneak around, as opposed to the normal full frontal assault. Metal Gear is still a subject that pops up any time classic games are discussed. Now, over a decade later, we have Metal Gear Solid, a game that lives up to its classic ancestry and provides gamers with one of the best PlayStation games ever made.
Metal Gear Solid is aptly named - this is a solid game in all respects. From the moment you pop it in and turn on your PlayStation, MGS almost screams of quality. Let's take it from the top...
MGS will remind you of a TV show or movie at first. There is an intro movie, complete with voiceover that sets up the plot and story line. Credits run by - prepare for all kinds of Japanese names! And when various characters are shown, the game lists the actor, much as a TV show introduces its stars. The credits continue to roll even after you begin the first level. I guess we are truly moving towards interactive movies, like many predicted a few years ago.
In an MGS nutshell, you play the character of Solid Snake, a badass who is sent to infiltrate an enemy base, stop hordes of bad guys, defeat cool bosses, and eventually go toe to toe with one huge mega-boss. And as organizations of bad guys are wont to do, they've got their hands on the trigger of nuclear weapon, which they will detonate if their demands aren't met. Pretty much a standard action game scenario, only Metal Gear Solid carries it out with perfection.
This is a true 3D game, played from an overhead camera angle. The gameplay engine is fantastic - it provides lots of detail, with smooth movement and animation. For most of the game, you look down on Solid Snake from above. On easy and medium difficulty levels, you also get a small radar screen in the upper right corner of the screen that shows not only the location of enemies, but their field of vision as well. This is very important - you can be looking right at an enemy across the room from you, but if you aren't inside his field of vision he will not be able to see you. You can also enter a very cool first-person view by holding down the triangle button on your PSX controller.
You enter the game with no equipment or weapons, only a pack of cigarettes (complete with health warning, lest any of you be tempted to take up smoking because a character in a video game smokes). It's up to you to find weapons and supplies. You'll eventually run across a pistol, and later a silencer (just so killing people doesn't make too much of a racket). Other items to look for are rations (which restore health), chaff grenades (which knock out electronics), regular grenades (which knock out people, to say the least), and on and on. You are equipped with an item called a Codec - it's a communications device that allows you to stay in touch with your boss and various others who will help you on your way.
Often, attention to detail is the one factor that sets the great games apart from the merely good ones. MGS has truly incredible and cool details.
For example, near the beginning of MGS, you'll be outside in a snowy environment, trying to sneak into an enemy compound. When you move, you'll leave footprints in the snow. It's cool to stop for a moment and watch the snow slowly cover your footprints up. And if you've walked too closely to a guard's route, he'll notice the footprints and follow them. Very cool. And the level is done in icy-feeling blue and white colors. You can even see the steam from Solid Snake's breath as he breathes in the cold air - nice touches. I almost felt a chill myself as I was playing.
Another example is firing the pistol. Hold down the square button and a laser sight, very much like the one used in the movie Terminator, will pop up. Use it to aim your weapon. And while we're on the subject of lasers, you'll need to use your infrared goggles from time to time. Put them on and you'll be able to see infrared laser beams that aren't visible to the naked eye. Very nice touches indeed.
Of course, details aren't limited only to things you can see - you can hear nice details as well. Most of MGS is played without any sort of background music. This is due to the attention paid to stealth - footsteps might be a little louder and more likely to alert guards depending on where you walk. When sneaking and hiding, you want the silence to be deafening, and it is. Sometimes you might want to make a little noise to attract a guard to you (so you can kill him and get him out of the way). Just get up near the wall hit the action button, and Snake will tap on the wall. A guard will hear it and come check it out, but not sound the alarm like he would if he had spotted you. Then you can surprise him and do your nasty deed - snap his neck. Silence is golden in a stealthy game.
All in all, this may just be the best game you have ever seen.
