Gear up for a Solid anniversary
IT’S a big year for anniversaries in the gaming world, with many beloved titles and consoles marking milestones.
Kingdom Hearts celebrated its 20th birthday in March, and in April The Legend of Zelda turned 30, while the incomparable Dig Dug hit the big 40. But this month sees one of my favourite franchises turn 35 – Metal Gear Solid.
First released in Japan for the MSX home computer system on July 13, 1987, Metal Gear laid down the foundations for stealth video games as we know them today.
Created by legendary designer Hideo Kojima, it saw you play as Solid Snake (or his dad, Big Boss) who is unmistakably inspired by Snake Plisskin, the anti-hero in John Carpenter’s 1981 classic Escape From New York.
Solid Snake is tasked with finding the superweapon Metal Gear, a bipedal walking tank that looks like a cross between Robocop’s ED-209 and an AT-ST from Star Wars.
A sequel, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake was released in 1990, but it wasn’t until the release of Metal Gear Solid on the PlayStation in 1998 – the first title in the franchise with 3D graphics – that the series began to enjoy international success.
The last game in the series – Metal Gear Survive – was released in 2018, so Snake is long overdue a fresh adventure.
To mark Metal Gear’s special year, the game’s original publisher, Konami, announced it was going to start reselling past titles that have been suspended due to licensing issues.
I’m hoping this means Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, which were both removed from digital stores last November, could soon be available to buy again.
If you’re yet to try a Metal Gear Solid game, then here are the best four games in the series to dive into.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PEGI 15) PS2
A direct sequel to 1998’s hit, this was an ambitious game with a much darker, more menacing undertone.
There was a shock in store too, as Solid Snake was not the main protagonist here, that honour going to rookie agent Raiden.
This young soldier is tasked with infiltrating Big Shell, a huge offshore clean-up facility that has been taken over by the Sons of Liberty – a terrorist organisation which has taken the US President hostage.
With the group threatening to destroy the facility – and cause a major environmental disaster in the process – Raiden faces some spectacular challenges and uncovers conspiracies which are rooted deep in a shadowy organisation called the Patriots.
Considered one of the greatest video games of all time, it’s spooky how relevant – and almost prophetic – its themes and concepts are.
Metal Gear Solid (PEGI 15) PlayStation
The game that put the franchise on the global map, it saw Solid Snake infiltrate a nuclear weapons facility to neutralise FOXHOUND, a renegade special forces unit.
The first in the series to use 3D graphics – which look ludicrously blocky today – it’s hard to understate just how much of a game changer this title was.
Its stealth-mechanics were groundbreaking, building tension and stress that would explode into adrenaline-soaked action sequences.
Even the storyline was fantastic, at a time when the plot for games of this genre was often not the biggest concern.
It may look hopelessly dated by today’s standards, but I’d argue that this remains a masterpiece.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PEGI 15) PS2
Released in 2004, developer KCEJ took what worked in Sons of Liberty and built on it.
Set in 1964, 31 years before the events of the original game, there was a new setting and a fresh-faced hero, Naked Snake.
The story centred on the rescue of a Russian rocket scientist, and the sabotage of an experimental nuclear weapon into the bargain.
A large portion of the game takes place in the great outdoors, meaning your nerves are constantly on edge as you move stealthily around the map.
Superb storytelling combined with even better gameplay to create yet another Metal Gear title that falls into the category of the greatest games ever made.
Metal Gear Solid V:
The Phantom Pain
(PEGI 18) PS3, PS4,
XBOX 360, XBOX ONE, PC
The ninth main instalment in the series, I think this boasts the most refined gameplay of the bunch.
Described in some quarters as ‘an interactive piece of art’ this game follows mercenary leader Punished “Venom” Snake – voiced by Kiefer Sutherland.
Venturing into Soviet-occupied Afghanistan, he plans to exact revenge on the people who came close to killing him during the climax of the previous game, Ground Zeroes.
Gameplay was utterly addictive, giving you a huge variety of tools and weapons to play with as you crept your way through the game’s huge, open world map.
The plot may not have been one of the best, but the stunning package it came wrapped up in made that easier to forgive.