Metal Gear Solid (1998) - MobyGames (original) (raw)

Atari 7800+

Atari 7800+

aka:Hejin Zhuangbei,MGS,Metal Gear 3

Moby ID: 2511

Moby Score

8.5

#352 of 25.3K

Critics

95%(37)

Players

(244)

Review Ranking

Collected By

611 players

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Description official descriptions

Metal Gear Solid is a sequel to Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. After the tragic confrontation with Big Boss, the hero, special agent Solid Snake, decided to retire and has since then lived in a secluded region in Alaska. But the US government recruits him once again for a dangerous mission. The members of Foxhound, a renegade special forces unit, threaten to use a devastating nuclear weapon if the government doesn't hand them the mortal remains of Big Boss, their former commander. Foxhound is now led by a talented, ambitious young man with the codename Liquid Snake. Knowing that the visual resemblance between this new terrorist mastermind and himself can not be coincidental, Solid Snake agrees to infiltrate the new Foxhound base, destroy the unknown nuclear weapon, and find the truth about his own identity.

The gameplay in Metal Gear Solid follows the prototype established in the two earlier Metal Gear games. Solid Snake has a limited arsenal of weapons and cannot allow himself to pave his way to the goal by killing all the enemies. He has to stay unnoticed, hide, crawl, wait for the right moment, sneak, and use various gadgets that will prevent him from alerting the enemy. Boss battles and some other sequences are played out as action-oriented set pieces, with the player having to figure out the weakness of the enemy in order to succeed.

The game utilizes a traditional top-down view, but the graphics in this installment are real 3D. Conversations with Snake's allies and cutscenes are used extensively to advance the plot and gain more insight into it.

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Screenshots

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Credits (PlayStation version)

173 People (148 developers, 25 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 95% (based on 37 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.1 out of 5(based on 244 ratings with 11 reviews)

A rare classic.

The Good
Metal Gear Solid was undoubtedly, in my opinion, the best game made for the PlayStation. Every aspect of the game, the story, the action, the character development, was achieved with utter perfection.

The action in this game is incredible. While most of the time you will be attempting to practice "tactical espionage", you will more than likely get caught at some point, and if you're anything like me, half the time it will be on purpose, just because it's so entertaining. Each time it happens, a heart-pounding battle ensues, where you will frantically search for a place to lay low, encountering seemingly endless enemies along the way. And if that's not enough, don't fret, because you will also constantly be confronting the various bosses in the game, each one with their own unique personalities and abilities, and each one completely different than the last. While you are not fighting, though, you will perform tasks such as misdirection, hiding under a box, and many more in order to throw the enemy off your tracks.

Unfortunately, you would expect a game with this caliber of action to be at least slightly lacking in story, a common flaw in action games. But MGS surpasses this stereotype by incorporating a captivating, deep, and suspenseful story that easily matches the quality of the action, if not exceeding it. It starts out as a seemingly unoriginal story but turns into something that is anything but unoriginal. You will feel for every major supporting character in the game just as much as you feel for Snake, and each one is as significantly important to the progress of the game as the next. Plot twists are around every corner, to the point where nothing is as it seems, and nothing is ever predictable. Add outstanding voice actors to each and every one of the characters, and the result is an unforgettable experience.

Along with these two imperative factors, you have varying gameplay that never gets old. You wil never find yourself doing the same thing twice, and I can't stress that enough. Each area is abound with new tasks you must perform, but you never feel as if you're being forced to complete tasks, because they're so flawlessly integrated into the game, and to put it plain and simple, they're actually fun. To help you complete these tasks you will be supplied with countless items that you will find in the course of the game, along with numerous weapons that each serve their own purpose. Never will you find a weapon that isn't useful at some point in the game. And when you do beat the game, don't think you've completed it, because there are two endings. And each ending rewards you with a valuable item that you can use in your next attempt, and they are both very fun to use.

The Bad
There wasn't a time in this game where I wasn't in complete ecstasy. No complaints at all.

The Bottom Line
Metal Gear Solid is, in a sense, perfect. It doesn't lack in any area, but rather excels triumphantly in everything it attempts to achieve.

PlayStation · by DarkDove (63) · 2003

This game lived up to the hype!!

The Good
In all honesty, what is there not to like about this game? MGS incorporated some of the best espionage action ever put forth on any gaming console, period. The play control was incredible, the cinema sequences were amazing, and the storyline was compelling with plenty of plot twists and turns. Also lets not forget about the huge arsenal that was available for use, and the mini-game that ended up as its own disc in the VR training sessions.

The Bad
I was always told never to tell a lie, so I won't start now. There is absolutely nothing bad that I could honestly say about this game.

The Bottom Line
Without a doubt, the best spy game ever created, produced, and packaged. Hideo Kojima is a genius.

PlayStation · by Tarzan Dan (25) · 2004

Almost perfect

The Good
The graphics, cut scenes, voice acting, music are amazingly good.

The Bad
The control are a little bit slick, and the radio dialogue are unnecessarily long.

The Bottom Line
"Stealth"

PlayStation · by Raihan Lazuardi (3) · 2016

[ View all 11 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
Zovni's (really old) review for this is great! Simoneer (29) Oct 5, 2010

Trivia

Action figures

For the US release of Metal Gear Solid, McFarlane Toys was entrusted with the sculpting of an action figure line based on the game by Konami. Consisting of one series, the lineup includes: Solid Snake, Meryl Silverburgh, Ninja, Revolver Ocelot, Psycho Mantis, Sniper Wolf, Vulcan Raven, Liquid Snake and a limited edition Psycho Mantis repaint. This series has been re-released several times (later in double-packs).

Copy protection

It is rather important to keep the box for the PlayStation version of the game, since it features a frequency for the CODEC communicator thay you will need to progress through the game in one of the screenshots.

Emulation

One of three games to be emulated on the short-lived bleemcast! PlayStation emulator for Dreamcast.

References

Members of the development team hid images of themselves throughout the game. These images or 'ghosts' as they are referred to are only visible by taking photographs of certain areas in the game with the camera item.

References to the game

This game is referenced in the Eiffel 65 song, My Console.

Rumors

There were untrue rumors about Greg Eagles, the actor who voiced Grey Fox, being dead. In fact, he was mistaken for Kaneto Shiozawa, the actor who voiced the same character in the Japanese version of the game, dead in 2000.

Voice acting

Due to union regulations, the voice cast (with the exceptions of David Hayter and Doug Stone) used pseudonyms during the recording sessions, and were credited that way. Here's a list with the voice actors names and their respective pseudonyms: Cam Clarke (James Flinders), Debi Mae West (Mae Zadler), Jennifer Hale (Carren Learning), Christopher Randolph (Christopher Fritz), Paul Eiding (Paul Otis), Kim Mai Guest (Kim Nguyen), Greg Eagles (Greg Byrd), Renée Raudman (Renee Collette), Patric Zimmerman (Patric Laine), Peter Lurie (Chuck Farley), Tasia Valenza (Julie Monroe), Allan Lurie (Bert Stewart) and William Bassett (Frederick Bloggs).

Awards

Information also contributed byAce of Sevens,Big John WV,chirinea,Evil-Jim,Grant McLellan,Indra was here,J. Michael Botorff,PCGamer77 andZovni

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Kartanym.

PS Vita added by GTramp. PlayStation 3, PSP added by Foxhack. PlayStation added by Grant McLellan.

Additional contributors: woods01, Unicorn Lynx, Jeanne, tlm, tarmo888, Alaka, DreinIX, —-, Paulus18950, Caelestis, Patrick Bregger, yenruoj_tsegnol_eht (!!ihsoy).

Game added October 19, 2000. Last modified September 12, 2024.