HIDEo And Seek (Metal Gear Solid (PS))

Member Name: scream4bruce

Product:	Metal Gear Solid (PS)
Date:	09/04/08 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gripping story, cool environments, effective music, possibilities

Disadvantages: Somewhat annoying controls, camera and inventory system

The controls in Metal Gear Solid can be tricky to get to grips with. It can be easy to accidentally lean against a wall when aiming to run past it (or vice versa). The analog controller comes recommended, but only for precision of direction - for a stealth game it's perhaps surprising that Snake runs regardless of how far the stick is pushed. As such, Snake cannot face a direction without moving towards it, which was why I did not like use of the FA-MAS and I did not enjoy the boss battles involving hand-to-hand combat.

The overhead view which Metal Gear Solid primarily opts for is restricting, and I felt that there were times where the game could do with/without there being a change in the camera angles. Sure, the surroundings can be scaled in First Person View mode but it is difficult to switch between them swiftly since the controls for each perspective is different.

Of the boss battles, the game of cat and mouse with Vulcan Raven was cool (cold even, considering where it takes place), and another memorable boss encounter would be of that against Psycho Mantis - this guy can read your moves as well as your memory card (he told me I liked Suikoden!). What is neat is that, when stuck in the game, there is always help at hand via the codec.

There are numerous possibilities to be had with the items and weapons found in this game. Unfortunately it did not seem plausible to equip multiple items at once, so the ID card has to be equipped manually, despite the game explaining away how the doors should open automatically. Similarly, it is said that the Genome soldiers have developed vision, but clearly their sight is poor! However, get caught by the enemy and it is a battle against the odds - reason enough for a stealthy approach.

Metal Gear Solid has high production values and comes on 2 CDs. The script is tight and the set-pieces are well done; and with the top-notch cast of characters comes equally strong voice-acting. The majority of sequences can be skipped, but the story is able to hold up for replay because you can see the twists and turns in action.

Despite the use of greys and greens throughout the game, the environments are excellent and are nicely detailed - look out for the Sony PlayStation in an office! The character models are not so sharp; the graphics appearing low-res in places - this is obvious when crawling through the air shafts. The use of sound effects and music in Metal Gear Solid is particularly effective though.

I felt the backtracking in this game was unwarranted, and to see one of the endings, it was torture! Metal Gear Solid is fairly short and can be clocked in around ten hours first time. The game fares well on replay; following completion of Normal or Easy, Hard can make for a different experience since there will be no playing by the radar on this difficulty setting. Also, there are higher rankings to work towards to, as well as unlockables. On first play through, I thought this game was okay, but on replay I found it to be a cool game with loads of neat touches.

Summary: Metal Gear Solid for PlayStation