Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid is a video game that consists of 7 releases

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Metal Gear Solid, released in 1998, is a game developed and published by Konami Corporation. The game follows a newly-retired Snake through his mission on Shadow Moses Island as he attempts to rescue hostages DARPA Chief Donald Anderson and president of ArmsTech Kenneth Baker and prevent a nuclear catastrophe.

Overview

Metal Gear Solid is a stealth-action game released for the Sony PlayStation in October of 1998. With a critically-acclaimed storyline, addicting gameplay and innovative use of the Playstation hardware, MGS was an

A Hind D!?!?

instant classic. It features the legendary Solid Snake in his first 3D adventure as he must infiltrate a nuclear weapons disposal facility on Shadow Moses Island. Liquid Snake is in command of rogue special forces unit FOXHOUND as they attempt to acquire Metal Gear Rex to launch a nuclear strike and it’s up to Snake to stop them. It features an immersive storyline, movie-like in-game cut scenes, superb voice acting and genre-defining gameplay. Metal Gear Solid has shipped more than 6 million copies to date and is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential games of all time.

Metal Gear Solid was re-made for the Nintendo Gamecube by Silicon Knights in 2004 in Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. The re-make improved the graphics, redid the cutscenes, remastered the audio, and added general gameplay improvements from Metal Gear Solid 2, such as the first person view, and ledge hanging.

Gameplay

Don't look down, Snake

Metal Gear is a game which revolves around stealth, so Snake will spend most of his time avoiding enemy detection. Utilizing his ability to walk quietly, crawl, and press against walls, Snake can avoid attracting enemy attention. Snake can also take out enemies by grabbing them and knocking them out, or utilizing the variety of weapons in his arsenal to take them down. Unfortunately, making any sort of noise will alert other guards in Shdow Moses. iIf Snake is detected, the game will go into alert phase, bringing extra guards to the area as long as alert mode is active. In this mode, Snake must either fight or make flight, though most often, he must escape, as he is at a disadvantage. If snake manages to sneak away, the game enters the evasion phase. In the evasion phase, guards are actively searching for Snake, though they are not aware of his presence. If Snake can hide long enough, the game will go to normal sneaking mode. If Snake is found in evasion phase, the game will return to alert status. In both alert and evasion pahses, snake cannot use his soliton radar.

Soliton radar becomes a handy tool for Snake, showing him enemy positions, making it easier for him to avoid detection. In alert, evasion, and jamming phases, the radar becomes unusable. Snake has no radar in the harder difficulty levels of the game.

The player moves Snake around the environment using the D-Pad or analog sticks, which are also used to look around when in first person mode. The first person mode is initiated by pressing the triangle button. To sneak around, Snake will often be crawling, using the X button. The X button also allows snake to crouch, which allows him to stay out of sight behind short boxes or other objects. Snake press against walls as well, a technique often used for sneaking. With his back to the wall, snake can use the square button to knock on walls, which will attract enemy attention, possibly allowing Snake to sneak off in the other direction.

Snakes inventory is sorted into two menus on the left and right side of the screen. The right menu shows all weapons currently in Snake's inventory, while the left menu shows all other items Snake is carrying. The player uses the L2 button to bring up the item menu, and the R2 button to bring up the weapons. When the player brings up either menu, the game pauses, the inventory borders the screen, and it can be navigated with the d-pad. The L1 and R1 buttons are used from weapon and item quick changes. Snake is able to use many weapons throughout his mission, including pistols and claymore mines.

The codec

To access his codec, snake presses the select button. Often throughout the game, the codec will ring, and a message will display, informing the player that they have received a call. Pressing the select button will answer the call. Whenever the player needs to save or consult any of the other characters, he can access the codec menu using the select button. The codec will save important numbers, though most numbers must be entered before they are saved. The codec is very important, both for saving and telling the story.

For combat in Metal Gear Solid, the circle and square buttons are used. The square button is the weapon button, and when pressed, Snake will fire the equipped weapon. Wihtout any weapons equipped, Snake can use the square button to throw or choke any enemies he has grabbed. The circle button will unleash Snake's devastating puch and kick combo. Snake will attack in the direction he is facing, which is altered using the d-pad or analog sticks.

One of the most memorable aspects of Metal Gear are the unusual pieces of gameplay, beyond stealth. Metal Gear Solid introduces the torture event, which became a staple for later titles. When being tortured, the player had to press a button to keep Snake alive. The game also has some sequences that take Snake's equipment away, require Snake to rappell down a building, and other off beat sequences. Snake will find his mission is much omre difficult then simply avoiding enemy detection.

Plot Summary

A nuclear weapons storage facility, located on Shadow Moses Island, has been attacked and overtaken by a group of terrorists called "FOXHOUND." The terrorists have taken two hostages: DARPA Chief Donald Anderson and ArmsTech President Kenneth Baker. A lone solder is sent on an unarmed sneaking mission to rescue the ArmsTech President and the DARPA Chief. Also, he must find out if the terrorists have the ability to launch a nuclear weapon "and stop them if they do." Unknown to the public, Shadow Moses is also a storing facility for nuclear weapons. It was created to house the newest reincarnation of the infamous bipedal nuclear equipped battle-tank called Metal Gear (REX). You play as Solid Snake, a hardened soldier who has had "a couple of run-ins" with the previous Metal Gear projects. Snake won't be alone though, as he is able to communicate with an extensive cast of support characters over his Codec radio system. As Snake infiltrates the facility, he finds out the the twisted secrets about Shadow Moses, Metal Gear and even himself.

Memorable Moments

One of the few games utilizing the back of the case

"Where the hell did I put the case?!"

Okay, so you've just saved Baker from the old sadistic gunslinger and now what? Baker said something about Meryl's frequency being on the back of the CD case, but what does that mean? Okay, don't start backtracking just yet. Find the CD case for the game. You know, the box with the shiny red text on it that says "Metal Gear Solid", that's probably sitting right next to your PlayStation... because you had to take the disk out of it to play the game. Yeah, that one... Now flip it over and look at it... See anything interesting? There should be a screenshot of the Codec when Snake is talking to Meryl... 140.15...

You like Castlevania, don't you?

Mantis

Metal Gear Solid really did a lot to break the fourth wall so that the player feels more immersed into the warped story-line. This is seen all over the place throughout the game, especially in the Psycho Mantis boss fight. The Mantis fight really is a memorable experience as the designers used the Playstation hardware in truly innovative ways to freak out the gamers. During the beginning of the fight, Mantis will read your Memory Card for certain Konami games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and comment on them. He will also comment on your saving habits if you don't save much. Sony had just released the Dual Shock controller and Metal Gear Solid used it in full force, most memorably when Mantis tells you to, "Put your controller on the floor. Put it down as flat as you can." Then the controller would vibrate and wiggle around on the floor for a little bit . The fight is filled with a bunch of other little psych-outs, no pun intended, like pretending to change the channel on your TV to HIDEO 1, and making it impossible to aim at Mantis unless you switch your controller to "Port 2".

Les Enfants Terribles (Contains Spoilers)
This game has one of the most twisted story-lines of all time, only surpassed by the all-out wackiness of it's sequel. Liquid Snake and Solid Snake were genetically created in a lab from the Big Boss's DNA. Big Boss was revered as the perfect soldier back in the day, but he defects and starts to work to destroy the Patriots. Liquid and Solid Snake are both products of the Les Enfants Terribles project. According to Liquid, Solid Snake received all of Big Boss's dominant genes, and that he got stuck with the recessive genes. The genome soldiers that had been guarding the base had been genetically conditioned, using the research born from Les Enfants Terribles project. Liquid wishes to surpass their father's dream of a world of war, where soldiers can have a purpose.

Life or Death (Contains BIG Spoilers)

Metal Gear Solid has two different endings. The most common ending is that when you have finished fist-fighting with liquid on top of the destroyed Metal Gear REX, Snake runs over to Meryl only to find her dead. Snake says, "I gave into my fear! I gave into my pain! I sold your life to save my own... I'm a loser. I'm not the hero you thought I was! I'm nothing!!!" Then Otacon show's up and starts talking about how "Death is not Defeat" and stuff. Now Snake's little speech should have raised a red flag. He is referring directly to the torture chamber section of the game. If you hit the "select" button during either of the torture sequences, then you are doomed to the "Hal and Dave" ending. Surviving Ocelot's electric shock torture is no joke though, especially on the original Playstation version (it definitely seemed a lot easier when I did this in The Twin Snakes.)

Not something I would want to do

First thing's first, you MUST save after fighting Sniper Wolf in the hallway. The game will not let you "Continue" if you die during this sequence, which means you will have to fight Wolf again. In the cutscene before the torture, Ocelot will explain that you must push the circle button repeatedly to regain your strength. You cannot use "AUTO-FIRE" or the game will not register the button presses. However, my friend and I were able to use a third-party controller with a "TURBO-FIRE" button, so if you have a controller that has any kind of "AUTO-FIRE" or "TURBO FIRE" it might not be a bad idea to give that a try (it will be A LOT easier than the alternative if it works.) Okay, there are many techniques for hitting a button really fast. I've heard of people using spoons to slide it across the button or alternating your index and middle fingers to hit the button faster, but I have never been able to use any of these successfully. What I do is hold the controller with my left hand (like you would normally) and place my thumb on the D-pad and index finger on the L1 button. I tense up the muscles in my right hand and forearm so that my hand shakes. Then I use my thumb to hit the button while my hand is shaking. Now don't go putting yourself into a seizure or anything, it's not my fault if you hurt yourself, you shouldn't have to tense up your muscles too much anyway. I'm just saying that this is how I beat this section of the game; I'm not saying that it's the right or wrong way. Once you've finished the first round of four progressively longer shocks, you will be sent back to your cell for a brief intermission. Then it's time for round two, which is going to be familiar territory by now. If you succeed, you will be rewarded with the real ending, along with a snazzy new Bandanna for the next play-through.

Original Soundtrack

1. Metal Gear Solid Main Theme

Cover art for the Metal Gear Solid soundtrack

2. Introduction
3. Discovery
4. Cavern
5. Intruder 1
6. Encounter
7. Intruder 2
8. Warhead Storage
9. Intruder 3
10. Mantis' Hymn
11. Hind D
12. Duel
13. Enclosure
14. Blast Furnace
15. Colosseo
16. Rex's Lair
17. Escape
18. End Title/The Best Is Yet to Come
19. VR Training
20. Metal Gear Solid Main Theme [1997 E3 Edit]

General Information Edit

Game Name	Metal Gear Solid
Platform(s)	PlayStation PC
Publisher(s)	Konami Corporation
Developer(s)	Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, Inc. Digital Dialect
Genres	Add a new genre Action Adventure
Themes	Add a new theme Sci-Fi Alternate Historical Espionage Modern Military
Original US Release	Oct. 22, 1998 need a fuzzy date?
Original US Release	know the real date?
Aliases	MGS

Trivia

Why was Metal Gear Solid named Metal Gear Solid instead of Metal Gear 3 ?

Because Solid Snake plays a larger role in the story.
Because the first two games weren't well known.
Because a solid object is a state of matter that has high values both of Young modulus and of shear modulus.

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