Metal gear solid
Review by : The Ragin Cajun
Format : Playstation
Type : Action
Players : 1
For a while “interactive movies” were being touted as the next big thing in gaming, but after numerous disastrous flops on the Sega mega CD (Night trap anyone?) the whole idea was dropped, never to be heard from again. That is until coders Konami entered the fray with Metal gear solid. They had realised where the whole “interactive movie” thing had gone wrong. There was no real sense of controlling the “movie”, no real interaction, and certainly no empathy for the main character. Having fixed all of these faults they gave us Metal Gear Solid, and what a game it is.
The plot at its most basic for goes a little like this “ you are solid snake, infiltration expert, who has to break into a heavily fortified compound and stop the terrorists within it form Nuking the world”. Of course with a game of this calibre the plot is a lot more complex, it twists and turns more times than a snake in a blender and is constantly throwing new surprises at you. I won’t spoil it for you but lets just say that it is easily on par with any major film and in some areas is superior.
The graphics are indeed impressive, even though they are running on 5-year-old playstation technology. The game is the most realistic looking game on the console (albeit realistic in a dark Manga kinda way). From the fog from your breath in the cold to the splashes from your footsteps in puddles, the games attention to detail is marvellous.
However graphics are nothing without gameplay and Metal Gear Solid has gameplay in abundance. The premise is simple yet brilliantly executed. As a spy you must sneak about the base, avoiding detection and only engaging the enemy when you have to. Going in all guns blazing will get you killed faster than you can say, “ I think this might be a bad idea”. The whole game is geared towards stealth Snake can hide in boxes, leans against walls and when the situation calls for it, sneak up behind a guard and silently break his neck with out making a sound. Infact the only time you must use all of snake awesome arsenal is for the boss encounters. These encounters are the some of the most memorable things in the game, even if you defeat them with ease they will still live on in memory long after you turn the game off.
Sound plays another major factor, from the sound of gunshots to the alarm that sounds every time you are discovered, the musical score and FX of this game add yet another dimension to this game. Special mention most go to the Voice actors who play solid snake and co. for once someone has gotten actors who can voice act. Snake sounds like you expect such a battle hardened man to sound, and he adds a depth to the character, makes him believable and almost makes him more than a lump of polygons.
The game has its flaws though, for a start it can be too easy. Become stuck on a puzzle for any length of time and one of the in game characters will contact you and tell you how to solve it. Couple that with infinite continues and the long-term challenge of this game is severely cut down. The other major flaw is the fact that the games plot deep and complex as it is can sometimes be a pain. Meeting a character can spark off 15 or so minuets of dialogue which is an annoyance when all you want to do is go outwit some guards and snap their necks.
Overall this game is a true classic, the first game with a plot that grabs you form the word go, characters that you actually care about and of course gameplay that Lara croft can only dream of. Despite getting a bit long winded and preachy from time to time, and the near total lack of re-play value this game is with out a doubt and essential play for anyone at all interested in games.
Sound : Burns into your memory
9/10
Gameplay : Snake reacts to your every move
9/10
Difficulty : Too short and over in a flash
7/10
Graphics : Brillant graphics that suit the game
9/10
9/10
Overall : A work of genius.....just way too short
Review by : The Ragin Cajun