43. Metal Gear Solid

(Playstation/PS3/PC, Konami, 1998)
Do you think love can bloom, even on a battlefield?
It's an incredibly emo question, but we're dealing with an incredibly emo game.
Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid hit the Playstation running during the classic gaming year of 1998 and immediately blew everything else out of the water. Resurrecting a long dead franchise and simultaneously defining a whole new genre, MGS managed in one fell swoop to go one better than most games previous to it and become the blueprint for many, many games to follow afterwards. It was as if MGS arrived and arrogantly stated to all other developers "This is how action gaming should be done and how you are going to do it from now on"

Assuming you are a gamer yourself, you know what Metal Gear Solid is about, with its espionage based, "Trust no one" plot and its tactical stealth gaming, but over ten years later, it's easy to forget how inventive the game was back in '98. MGS re-wrote the book on many things in videogames, story-telling for example. For those who weren't RPG savvy, the idea of having videogame characters with REAL emotions, lives and backgrounds was shockingly cutting edge. MGS broke rules by encouraging players to stay AWAY from gunfights and to look for quieter, less violent routes. It dared have long cut-scenes and the controversial Codec screens which at the time seemed to go on forever (but are borderline subliminal compared to the series' current standards) These are all examples of features many games have today and we should be reminded of where their influence lies.

MGS has superb controls and a smart inventory system which keeps the game flowing smoothly even during frantic action scenes or the epic boss battles that feature from time to time. Special attention must be paid to the game's attitude toward music, voice acting and writing which, despite the debate as to whether a game should "be like a movie" or not, provide an engaging atmosphere, with great effects and instantly memorable music. Hum a tune from MGS right now, I bet you can. I bet it's the "Guards on alert" theme.
An essay could be written on the narrative itself. The script manages to be deep, intelligent and enthralling whilst simultaneously being over-wrought to the point of cringe-worthy. The beauty of the Metal Gear storyline lies in it's pro's and its con's though, as to have a storyline that wasn't brain-meltingly complex and a script that wasn't eye-rollingly emo wouldn't be Metal Gear. Don't get me wrong, I find the MGS writing immersive and emotional in many places, the aftermath of the Sniper Wolf battle for example, but some exchanges between characters are so "Get over yourself" that they reach a level of groan inducing.

It appears Hideo Kojima's series is set for further incarnations, including games in different genres and expeditions into the backstories of other characters. The Metal Gear franchise was revived twelve years ago and goes from strength to strength. There's a good chance however, that no game will match the initial "Wow" factor that MGS had.

Once again, here's a game that deserves way more justice than I can hope to give it here. Metal Gear Solid is an unmissable experience that should played by anyone who has an interest in picking up a controller. It's violence, tragedy, action, excitement, music and almost zen-like sensibilities make MGS an opera in videogame form. It's one of the finest works to grace our humble hobby, as while many games can entertain, very few have heart and soul.

Do I think love can bloom, even on a battlefield?
Yeah, I do.