![]() This can create thrillingly tense situations as you pray the elevator doors open before a guard turns the corner. Like real life, Snake often has to wait for the elevator after pressing the button. There are plenty of places to hide and experiment with as you make your way to the elevator. Once you’ve chosen an entrance, we reach another room with guards, trucks, cameras, and doors, but it’s more confined than outside. Kojima showing Snake using the binoculars in a stylish way encourages the player to scope out the situation before approaching methodically. Snake’s life-bar is quite small at this point (it grows after defeating bosses) and he dies quickly after being discovered. A guard on the right can see Snake’s footsteps in the snow, there are spotlights to avoid, trucks to hide under/in/grab important items from, rooms to investigate, cameras (“surveillance cameras?”) to avoid, and multiple exits to reach the next area. This outer area is an impressive section that sets the tone for the next few hours of gameplay. ![]() Kojima takes control momentarily to show Snake using the in-game binoculars, reveal the Hind-D (“Hind-D?”) and setup the next sandbox. Knocking a wall to draw their attention was another fun way to influence their behaviors in your favor.Īfter messing around in this section for a few minutes, Snake can then access the elevator and Kojima uses the ascension to reveal the title with further cinematic flair. Although the guard AI is easy to criticize now (and even then), seeing the guards react to sight and sound made them feel alive and greatly helped immersion. We also learn that a sneeze momentarily disrupts their vision. Their vision is quite limited, but they can also hear footsteps through a puddle and even see the wet footprints left after walking through said puddle. The guards patrol a simple grid and we learn how they can detect Snake. This reward informs the player that exploring is encouraged and often rewarded.ĭuring these opening moments, credits appear on the screen, further pushing the cinematic aspects. The player can also navigate down to the water, to discover extra items. Snake starts the game behind a large structure that does two things: It hides the player from detection and forces them to learn how to crawl underneath. Within a few minutes, you assume control of Snake in a fantastic sandbox tutorial room. The briefing scenes display wonderful sweeping cinematography as Kojima shows you can do so much more with a video game camera than previously seen. This highlights and explains the one-man operation and hi-tech environment while hinting at later story reveals. It’s long enough to hear the briefing and watch Snake approach Shadow Moses from the water. The franchise is often criticized for bloated cutscenes but the intro to MGS 1 hits the sweet spot. This portion of the review will analyze the rest of the game and include spoilers. It’s a knockout package of gameplay, sound, and visuals. This is slathered in stunning ambience and atmosphere. MGS 1 delivers fantastic stealth action, a solid spy thriller plot that mostly holds it together, and several outstanding moments you’ll remember forever. Integral runs at 720p for a far better looking experience, and even features a slightly wonky first-person mode! exe file that easily ran on my modern machine. The PS1 version looks a bit muddy nowadays but there’s a fantastic PC version Metal Gear Solid Integral that a kind soul has packaged into a dead-simple. The controls will be different than a modern gamer is used to but work very well within the context. While the total package of the PS2 games may be better, MSG 1’s ambience, boss battles, and unique moments are some of the greatest pieces of the entire franchise. Metal Gear Solid is absolutely worth going back to and I consider it one of the three best in the franchise, going toe-to-toe with MGS 2 and 3 both released on the much more powerful PS2. After recently completing MGS 2and 3 also for the first time, I wondered how MGS 1 would compare with its sequels and its own nostalgic legacy built up in my warm and fuzzy memories. It was a borrowed copy so I returned it and didn’t complete it again. The atmosphere was like nothing I’d ever seen and once the credits rolled, I simply put the controller down in amazement. I was 14 when MGS hit and will never forget playing and finishing it the first time. A talented voice cast elevated inconsistent dialogue while Kojima’s direction proved how important cinematography could be in games. Computer games had already used the CD format to include voiced dialogue, but MGS set a new standard for voice acting and cinematic presentation. Metal Gear Solid was a monumental release for the original Playstation in 1998.
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