Stealth game in "it's actually good" shocker! (Metal Gear Solid (PS))

Member Name: tom1clare

Product:	Metal Gear Solid (PS)
Date:	03/12/03 (122 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stunning environments and general design, Gripping plot, Plays like a dream

Disadvantages: Perhaps a little too short...

Every so often a game will appear carrying months (and occasionally years) of hype and anticipation on it's shoulders. Some deliver the goods, and become regarded as classics (Final Fantasy VII, Silent Hill), whilst others stumble over their reputations whilst in development (Soul Reaver, Driver 2 and Tomb Raider 3 among countless others) and never quite deliver what they promise.

Metal Gear Solid thankfully is one such game that belongs to the former group - not just terrifically enjoyable, but also technically fantastic when released on the PSOne back in 1999.

The box claims that Metal Gear Solid is a game based around 'tactical espionage action' - or stealth. The emphasis here is strongly on sneaking around in the shadows and avoiding being spotted at all costs. Extra credit must be awarded to the developers, as no other game so heavily reliant on stealth has been so well-executed and evenly-paced - certain parts of the Syphon Filter series' and the Tenchu games have delivered extremely tough sections that were really quite slow-going and frustrating, but MGS manages to avoid such troubles throughout the entire course of the adventure.

You play as war-veteran Solid Snake, who has been called out of retirement by his old friend Colonel Campbell, and sent to Alaska to find and free an important man who is being held by terrorists. This man, the DARPA Chief, holds important information and must be found before he is forced into talking. Trouble is afoot on a much larger scale however - Snake discovers that Metal Gear Rex, a mech-tank similar to those seen in Japanese animes with lasers, missiles and gun-turrets has been re-built and re-mobilised by the specialist group FOX-HOUND - once made up of heroes such as Snake himself, but more recently comprising of six sinister, psychotic people - each of which Snake will meet at some point or another. It emerges that fox-hound are planning to cause mass Nuclear destruction within
18 hours of his arrival in Alaska, and he has to stop them. Thus begins a quest across snowfields, through military bases, tank hangers and laboratories with a plotline that never relents.

Snake is a very diverse character - he runs, sneaks, crawls and leaps around like all self-respecting action-heroes, but also has a host of other neat abilities. Walk Snake close to a wall and he will push his back to it, swinging the camera around so as to reveal what is round the corner, which is very handy for spotting guards. He doesn't require guns to cause damage either (though you'll come across plenty along the way); with a bit of skill you can sneak up behind guards and break their necks, throw them or knock them unconscious.

Metal Gear Solid is among the very best PlayStation games ever created. As a package, it is strong in every department, though the storyline makes it especially gripping. It puts many recent Holywood flicks to shame - helped by the clear intention of Konami (the developers) to design the game as a cinematic adventure. That is clear from the outset, as the atmospheric introduction is littered with developer credits - much like in countless different action movies over the years, but a first in console gaming as far as I know. The game is spread across two discs, though this more due to the bewildering complilation of cut-scenes than it being all that long. That said, the value of on offer is simply excellent - as well as the main adventure, there are several files describing the events of the previous two Metal Gear games (released on the little known MSX console), plus an extensive briefing and a brilliant set of virtual-reality training missions that help beginners learn the basics.

Thankfully, the voice-acting is really good for the most part, and just about every character you'll come across is memorable - from the stereotypically English villain Liquid Snake; to the freakish, gas-mask attired Psycho Mantis,
who delivers all sorts of novel tricks - he'll read your memory card for any other Konami-developed games (ISS, Castlevania) and make a comment should he find them; he claims he can make your control pad move with the power of his mind (placing your Dual Shock on the ground, it will start shaking and rumbling around!) and he even told me I was wreckless for not saving enough!

Design of each area is excellent throughout. Most places are patrolled by at least a couple of guards, and the scenery can either rescue you from danger or put you into peril. Hiding behind walls, under certain objects or by simply crouching down are some of the ways you can avoid detection. But carelessly splashing through puddles, clumsily running over metal grates or even leaving footprint trails in the snow are all routes that lead to a sticky situation - the Artifical Intelligence is a lot better than people have given it credit for.

Though for the most part you have to follow one plot strand, the real diversity comes in how you go about your business. The things you can do with seemingly insignificant items is amazing. Take the classic cardboard box for example; you can hide in it to avoid the attentions of patrolling guards, you can hide with it in a truck so as to be driven to a different area of the base and you can travel through a wolf-riddled cave without being jumped upon. Another favourite are Snake's cigarettes - they slowly decrease his health, but the smoke can actually be used to reveal trip-wires and traps!

Graphically, few games on the platform beat it for style or attention to detail. Everywhere is perfectly renderred in 3D - from the drab military areas and snowfields to the colourful yet sinister offices filled with desks and pictures. As with much of the rest of the game, the developers simply couldn't resist slipping in a few neat visual extras - mirrors reflect nicely, and taking a picture with the Camera item will reveal a shot o
f Snake holding the device; you'll find a PlayStation console next to a T.V in a laboratory and the character Meryl will blush should you look at her for too long. On the whole, the animation is decent, though it's the playing environment that really steals the show.

The special edition of the game comes with the soundtrack, which is never short of terrific. Kicking off with a haunting opera effort, MGS often slips into eerie jingles, and memorably frantic boss battle themes where it appears to have borrowed from a few action movies of the past ('Speed' in particular). Sound as a whole is fairly faultless as music, effects and voice-dialogue is top-draw.

It's doesn't take too long to complete Metal Gear Solid though replay value is maximized by it's four difficulty settings and two endings, with literally dozens of neat little extras to uncover - there is something tucked away in nearly every area of the game. It is the type of game you will play at least twice as the plot is fairly complex, and playing it through a second time helps the player to understand some of the mysteries brought up initially.

Are there any problems? Not really, no. The one main gripe people tend to bring up is that it isn't all that long, though with all the extras on show, you'll play it for many weeks. Another slight hiccup involves the frankly appauling eye-sight of the guards - they can't see you if you are more than about 15 feet away, though you could easily argue that if they had great vision, you would be spotted frequently, leading to frustrating gameplay.

As with most games, it's suitable for pretty much anyone who is interested in playing it. Many will dismiss this as something they aren't into, and that's a shame, as it has real class and depth, and is absorbing enough for even the most casual of gamers to get hooked on.

On the whole it's a truly smashing, landmark title that pro
ved a step-forward in many respects for PlayStation games and a huge leap for stealth-based adventures. Wonderful stuff.

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