DAY 65 / GAME 65
Metal Gear Solid
In 1998 Konami released an action-adventure stealth game that was quite unlike anything before it. Metal Gear Solid, a 3D sequel to an NES title from a decade earlier; Was unique, innovative and made great use overall of the new 3D tech of the Playstation.
Yet another title that I basically watched more than I played. Like Resident Evil 2 and FF7 this was a game my brother bought and so I mainly watched him play the majority of it all the way through. It was fantastic. It possibly the first game I'd ever seen that really strived to maintain a real cinematic look as often as possible. The entire introduction did this so well; overlaying the credit sequence as you infiltrated the enemy base. Credits including the director and voice actors, which were still titles typically overlooked at this point in gaming.
Metal Gear was great. It had a fantastic score like you'd expect out of a big budget Hollywood film. Half decent voice acting at the time, although, still pretty corny. And this really solid design to the gameplay. Steath was totally doable and didn't feel cheap or reliant on the player knowing what the computer predicts. There were all these neat elements to the AI that were supposed to make them seem smart. They would track your footprints in the snow, or catch on to things like a trail of blood you left behind. You could distract them, hunt them and capture them without killing anyone only to hide the bodies in lockers or dark corners and continue to make your way through the complex.
Metal Gear always had these ridiculously complex stories that always went way over my head. I can't remember what on earth was actually going on in MGS1 or any of the other titles for that matter. But it still seemed pretty cool. It was full of intense characters that ended up being quite memorable. I may not remember much about the plot, but I still remember Sniper Wolf, Psycho Mantis, Revolver Ocelot, Meryl, Hal and uh, the Ninja.
One of the best parts about Metal Gear Solid however was it's decision not to take itself too seriously. It was a game after all. And even though it was a serious stealth action with a serious plot, you still found yourself carrying a box which you could hide in at any point. Approaching enemy soldiers may remark that it's 'just a box'. There were part of the game that required you to break the fourth wall when it asks for a codec code from the back of the game case, a boss fight that reads the contents of your memory card and moves your controller using psychokinesis.
As much as I enjoyed the later games in the series. This one was still my favorite. There's a part in MGS4 for the PS3 where you revisit Shadow Moses and a rebuild of the first level from part 1. You get an idea of how beautiful the could make Metal Gear Solid if they were to rebuild it in HD for the PS3, especially with the cleaned up controls. Though I get a feeling that if they haven't done it yet, they don't ever plan to.
Metal Gear Solid
In 1998 Konami released an action-adventure stealth game that was quite unlike anything before it. Metal Gear Solid, a 3D sequel to an NES title from a decade earlier; Was unique, innovative and made great use overall of the new 3D tech of the Playstation. Yet another title that I basically watched more than I played. Like Resident Evil 2 and FF7 this was a game my brother bought and so I mainly watched him play the majority of it all the way through. It was fantastic. It possibly the first game I'd ever seen that really strived to maintain a real cinematic look as often as possible. The entire introduction did this so well; overlaying the credit sequence as you infiltrated the enemy base. Credits including the director and voice actors, which were still titles typically overlooked at this point in gaming.
One of the best parts about Metal Gear Solid however was it's decision not to take itself too seriously. It was a game after all. And even though it was a serious stealth action with a serious plot, you still found yourself carrying a box which you could hide in at any point. Approaching enemy soldiers may remark that it's 'just a box'. There were part of the game that required you to break the fourth wall when it asks for a codec code from the back of the game case, a boss fight that reads the contents of your memory card and moves your controller using psychokinesis.
As much as I enjoyed the later games in the series. This one was still my favorite. There's a part in MGS4 for the PS3 where you revisit Shadow Moses and a rebuild of the first level from part 1. You get an idea of how beautiful the could make Metal Gear Solid if they were to rebuild it in HD for the PS3, especially with the cleaned up controls. Though I get a feeling that if they haven't done it yet, they don't ever plan to.
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