Metal Gear Solid. A triumph as strong as the name suggests.
Almost ten years since Metal Gear Solid was released on Playstation and I finally finished it. What the hell took me so long?
When FOXHOUND forms as a terrorist organisation, led by Liquid Snake, Solid Snake is sent into Shadow Moses to uncover the truth behind their taking over the secret Alaskan base. It's a premise fit for a movie starring Sly Stallone or Bruce Willis. But this game, and essentially it's plot, becomes so much more than Rambo IV (or Rambo V, now, I guess...)
Firstly, that's because Snakes approach differs drastically from Rambo's. The run and gun aspect of most games and films is frowned upon to the extent of near impossibility in MGS. Stealth action is the way forwards and it is exercised perfectly in MGS. Unfortunately, a wonky control scheme will always leave you wanting a little more from this method of gameplay, particularly during the boss fights, but that said, it rarely detracts from the experience. And luckily, that issue is possibly the only one prominent throughout the game.
The story, as mentioned before could be seen by many as over the top but throughout it just continues to be a driving influence in the game. It all meshes with the way the game turns out and it's so rare that your objectives just seem handed to you with no real inspiration from the plot that you'll look past that and start thinking how it might tie in later, which it almost always does.
The Bosses and main characters are all fleshed out enough to make them memorable, an example of which being the legendary Psycho Mantis battle which even a decade later still captivates imaginations. Unfortunately, the one downside of Mantis being so memorable is that many people forget some of the other characters. Sniper Wolf is one of the most down to earth wartime characters to be bought to any screen and her dialogue with Snake plays out superbly well. Vulcan Raven may not have so much in common with Snake, in that sense, but his scenes, always so filled out with extended vocabulary always manage to mesmerize.
As a game, Metal Gear Solid is certainly flawed, given that control is an important factor in actually playing a game. But as an interactive movie, these problems can be overlooked. Some of the dialogue can feel out of place but when compared to the plethora of crazy-cool lines, that problem is barely even noticable.
At the very least, Metal Gear Solid is a game I recomend a rental of, as the experience is one that everyone deserves.
