RTTP Metal Gear Solid thread. Ahead of its time? Overrated? Discuss!

[Irene]

Metal Gear Solid is quite the series. In terms of mainline "Solid" entries, it started off as positively groundbreaking, with a game that had a level of cinematic ambition that at the time was completely unheard of. From there, it went for batshit crazy postmodernist deconstruction of itself, followed by a tense spy flick in a jungle. Then came a gigantic cutscene of a game that many say is either a masterpiece or so far up its own ass it's not even funny. And after that we had Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain. Now we're left with more or less nothing.

Following Solid Snake, and later also Big Boss, Metal Gear Solid are games focused on stealth, something that was quite new and unexplored back in the 90's. The concept was refined over time, but over time we also saw the games going off in interesting directions, sometimes smart, according to some people, and sometimes dumb, according to others.

Metal Gear Solid is a series that has always offered grounded military suspense drama, but not without weird moments. At times, though, Metal Gear Solid has something to say as well, whether it's trite war trivia, or a profound anti-war message.

What memories do you have of Metal Gear Solid? Was your mind blown away by the first game? Was the Tanker Mission hype? Where were you when the first trailer for MGS4 dropped? And what do you think of the series overall?

 

[Mbolibombo]

Metal Gear Solid is one of my biggest gaps in gaming history, I've redeemed a lot of my holes over the last decade or so but I never got to MGS. Probably because of my history with Metal Gear on the NES which forever made me fear the franchise forever hah. That alarm is still buzzing in my head.

I hope to be able to visit the franchise one day. But honestly, not sure I will. Best chance for it to happen would honestly be if it came to the Switch but even so, not sure.

 

[lightning16]

I got into MGS pretty late. My roommate in college was a big fan of the series and when MGS5 was coming out he handed me his copy of the MGS collection and told me to play all the games before MGS5 released lol.

My thoughts on the series are pretty mixed. I feel very differently about every game in the franchise.

MGS1 - I didn't feel the gameplay held up very well. It didn't feel particularly good to control and a lot of the missions in this game are sort of annoying I thought. That said, it's one of those games I respect despite not loving it personally. There's a lot of neat ideas here, and I liked the writing. It's a weird game in a delightful way.

MGS2 - I thought this game was sorta boring? The gameplay has of course aged a lot better. It was an easy game and there wasn't much friction in the gameplay. It was a pretty smooth playthrough, but it also missed out on a lot of the stranger and more interesting ideas from MGS1 I thought. I really thought it was a solid-but-unremarkable game to play with a solid-but-unremarkable story. Didn't grab me. And the ending didn't hit the same for me as it did for a lot of others I guess.

MGS3 - By far the highlight of the series. Probably the height of the franchise in terms of both gameplay and story. The game is up there with the best of its generation.

MGS4 - Another very good game in terms of gameplay. I do think starting with MGS3 the series was just consistently very good in terms of gameplay experiences. The problem with MGS4 is, unfortunately, a very big problem. Half the game is cutscenes, and the story in this game is fucking horrendous. Legitimately one of the worst stories I've ever seen in a video game. Reeks of fanfiction with how many characters from the series just awkwardly get shoved into the game at every turn in silly roles and cameos, and that's not even the worst part of the story given the absolutely gross portrayal and handling of the Beauty and the Beast unit. I cannot take this game's story seriously, and it's a shame for a franchise that was up until this point known just as much for its crazy gripping stories as it was for its gameplay.

Peace Walker - Probably the 2nd-best game in the franchise. It's not as interesting or bold as MGS1, but it plays really well and is just generally a good time. I don't think it ever reaches any particularly high heights, but as a consistently good, solid game it's definitely worth checking out.

MGS5 - One of the most unfortunate games I've played. The gameplay mechanics in this game are superb. Unfortunately it's brought down in a huge way by an extremely misguided open world design. This game should have never been open world, and as a mission select game this could have been one of the best games ever made strictly in terms of how fun it is to play through. And on top of this pretty fundamental flaw, it's brought down further by a completely unfinished story and lack of boss battles (one of the best parts of the series, pretty much from the start). Extra bonus points reduced for Kojima's "words and deeds" stuff.

So yeah... My opinion isn't particularly high of the series. I love MGS3 and I do like MGS1 and Peace Walker. You won't see me going to bat for anything else here.

 

[ngpdrew]

One of my most profound gaming memories is sitting there at midnight a couple of feet from my CRT while Liquid Snake monologued for what felt like an eternity at the end of Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. It was unlike anything I had ever played, and, you know, it still kind of is? Nobody writes characters quite like Kojima, for better and for worse.

I maintain a high opinion of every mainline game, even 4 and especially V. Phantom Pain is without question the best playing game I've ever played. The story was certainly not what I expected, but honestly I thought the game did a good enough job telling its story through the gameplay (and, when that didn't suffice, podcasts!).

I get the hankering to replay the series every couple of years. It's too bad that that's impossible since I no longer have a PS3 and MGS IV is somehow impossible to port.

 

[Brock Reiher]

Find MGS difficult to play on PS1, but it has one of the best instruction booklets out there. Kudos

 

[RochHoch]

I played it on PS3 a while back. It's super ahead of its time in some ways, but weird and awkward in others. That's kinda part of the charm, but the controls are a struggle to deal with

MGS2 suffers from a lot of the same problems and has a much worse setting. That being said, I love how batshit insane the climax is, so it's still a classic.

Haven't played the rest, besides MGR

 

[Mekanos]

I came into the series very late (like a decade ago) but it's one of my favorites even if the quality can be uneven to say the last. That said, I think it also ran its course so I am fine with it no longer getting new games.

As for my favorite, MGS3 is probably the "best" game, but MGS1 clicks with me the most. Solid Snake, the whole crazy storyline, the green-and-black cyberpunk feel to the game, it all works so well. In fact, Twin Snakes was my first ever MGS, but it wasn't until I played MGS1 in the PS1 version that I really came to appreciate it - I even beat the whole thing in one sitting without planning to. I still consider it one of my all time favorite games, if not my favorite. While it's obviously an older game, I actually find it remarkably advanced for a PS1 game, especially given that I first played it 15 years after releaes and after I had experienced Twin Snakes (which I think is inferior in almost every way that counts).

 

[Tamantayoshi]

Just played the whole series (from metal gear to mgsV, including ghost babel) in 2021 (for the first time) and its quickly become one of my favorite franchises ever. 3 and 5 specifically I think are some of the best games ever. I also think 1 has held up mostly well.

 

[Yamanoi]

From the ones I've played: MGS 1 ok. MGS Twin Snakes bad. MGS2 Amazing. MGS 3 (even the 3DS version) super. MGS 4 needs a remake. MGS 5 amazing gameplay and one of the most fun hype cycles of a game ever. MGR amazing. Peace Walker watch on YT instead of playing.

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

Definitely ahead of it's time for me. There is nothing else in the industry like it. I played through 1-4 for the first time in 2007/2008 and they all quickly became some of my favorite games of all time. Each of them is unique and feels different all while retaining an unmistakeable identity as a whole.

Then there's MGS V. Easily the most immaculately crafted stealth gameplay I've ever experienced, and some of the best gameplay in general i've ever experienced in a game. But the tone, the story, and Snake himself... just ugh. It's a Metal Gear Solid game only in name, cause it certainly doesn't feel like one. And it hurts to say that, cause we're never going to get a proper sequel.

 

[fiendcode]

I still love the original but drifted pretty hard from the series following that (bar spinoffs here and there like Ghost Babel or AC!D). I still like 2/3/TS for what they are but in a very real way the more direct control Kojima exerted the more it hurt the series imo. MGSV is such an amazing framework to such a subpar game and straight up embarrassing narrative. Really just trash.

In retrospect I think a lot of the narrative success and feeling of timelessness for MGS1 can be credited to Blaustein's earnest, highly researched and more straightfoward "wartime spy thriller" approach to it's localization. I think Snatcher holds up in similar ways and all I can really take away from that is Kojima desperately needs a capable editor and guiding hand to reign in his indulgent nonsense.

 

[samouraï]

MGS3 has the best boss fights and the greatest ending of any video game

 

[famicorpse]

MGS is one of those series that reminds me that it's sometimes better to have creators make things within limitations because outside of those limitations, they can sometimes make things that aren't as good. Kojima really wanted to be a movie director, or at least it seems from his most recent games. His games lean way too much into cut scenes.