Somebody on a forum linked me to this tune on YouTube. The nostalgia! It’s like a time warp back to the 90’s. It’s bringing tears to my eyes listening to it.
I was 16 and the year was 1998. This epic release year of games; Half-Life, Resident Evil 2, Starcraft, Tekken 3, Gran Turismo, Rainbow Six, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Thief, Unreal etc.! arguably the greatest year in gaming history.
I was 16 and the year was 1998. This epic release year of games; Half-Life, Resident Evil 2, Starcraft, Tekken 3, Gran Turismo, Rainbow Six, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Thief, Unreal etc.! arguably the greatest year in gaming history.
Directed by Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear Solid became an instant a masterpiece and success, exceeding six million units sold. It was a new start and direction in the Metal Gear franchise, deriving from the old MSX and NES days. Forever changing how I viewed storytelling in games. It shortened the gap between gaming and movies. Few other titles told a story so cinematic prior to it and the voice acting was done with a strong focus on quality.
My first encounter with MGS was through a demo that came along an issue of the Norwegian version of the Official PlayStation Magazine. I remember reading the review eagerly, then sitting down and playing through the entire demo. I was first met by the haunting melody behind the Konami logo, first used in Kojima's Policenauts I believe, and one hour later I was literally screaming at the “To be continued” screen, craving more! I don’t think a demo ever sold me as much.
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Technically, MGS looks dated these days and the controls are lean towards the clumsy side by modern standards, but it’s one of the absolute finest PS1 releases you’ll find. The true power of MGS though, lies in the story and presentation. Everything from the brilliant voice overs with David Hayter as Solid Snake, the cinematic way it presents dialogue and sequences utilising the in-game engine, keeping a perfect momentum to story and gameplay.
Another impressive aspect, considering the hardware limitations, was the amazing way they weighed out the polygon distribution to a point of detail that was just enough to make both the characters and the environments great. There weren’t even proper faces on the characters, but I still remember them so well!
Speaking of the characters, the sheer variety in them, and their interesting personalities, powered along by a heavy plot with many underlying messages. The way the story had several twists and the fact that they brought political issues into the mix, blending it into a scenario that felt somewhat believable, was rarely seen in gaming prior to MGS. Touching something inside you with its clever plot, human touches and on a scale that wasn’t going too far. Yet, it depicted a serious scale of a terror attack on a US military base.
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The atmosphere in the environments has to be mentioned too. The way you sneak in and climb out of the water at the beginning and then reach the top of the base, leaning against a container while the snow and wind blows past you, and no-one knows you are there, is such an intense feeling. Vulnerability and excitement colliding on a secret stealth mission!
Speaking of the characters, the sheer variety in them, and their interesting personalities, powered along by a heavy plot with many underlying messages. The way the story had several twists and the fact that they brought political issues into the mix, blending it into a scenario that felt somewhat believable, was rarely seen in gaming prior to MGS. Touching something inside you with its clever plot, human touches and on a scale that wasn’t going too far. Yet, it depicted a serious scale of a terror attack on a US military base.
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The atmosphere in the environments has to be mentioned too. The way you sneak in and climb out of the water at the beginning and then reach the top of the base, leaning against a container while the snow and wind blows past you, and no-one knows you are there, is such an intense feeling. Vulnerability and excitement colliding on a secret stealth mission!
Scenes throughout the story touch you, from the psychotic encounter with Psycho Mantis, who “reads” your mind through the memory card data and messes with your vibration in your controller, to the flirting love interest between Snake and Meryl, or the sad and emotional death of Sniper Wolf, all the way to the brutal brother versus brother fight at the end. The sheer variation in the story, characters and gameplay, set MGS far beyond its competitors back in the day.
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MGS 2 and 3 went on from here to a new hardware generation, these also have fantastic stories to tell and characters to meet, perhaps taking things a little too far when it comes to believable scenarios, but they're also some of the best games I’ve played too.
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MGS 2 and 3 went on from here to a new hardware generation, these also have fantastic stories to tell and characters to meet, perhaps taking things a little too far when it comes to believable scenarios, but they're also some of the best games I’ve played too.
MGS1, however, will always stand out as the winner, it truly perfected the stealthy agent formula from the get go and left me feeling like I'd seen an incredible movie. The ending them is beautiful and saddening at the same time.
God I miss the nineties. 1998 was an incredible year.
God I miss the nineties. 1998 was an incredible year.