Metal Gear Solid

Written by Chris Reiter  on November 20, 2001

Review: Hey baby, what Snake do you prefer...Liquid or Solid?

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It may be the year 2001, but the game of Metal Gear Solid will always feel like a breath of fresh air. Graphically, the game is a true PlayStation title. In it, everything is well detailed to a point that shows off a very good amount of the 32-bit machine's full throttle, ready for deployment. From the game's expansive rooms, where the objects in them are excellent in detail, to the nicely rendered in-game cut scenes, prove just as well that no matter how little of power those 32-bits are now, one of the best games of all time still shows its elegance today. However, the visuals aren't perfect. Character models stand out blocky and even grainy at times. Still, the roughness of the game's graphical faults aren't very much to complain about, as they aren't that bad. When mixed with the other functions in Metal Gear Solid [gameplay, music, etc.], they all blend in well together. Moving on, noticeable touches like footsteps created in a path of snow Snake walks over, to the huge sectors Snake can sneak his way on through, and even the mist of air that permeates through Snake's mouth, all set the standards in the looks for one of the best, if the not the best PlayStation game ever.

Like words of wisdom, sound is the ability in the game to make us further think of guidance. A good amount of the time you're playing the game, while there isn't any background music, you will have to listen to the noises around Snake. The movement of a monitoring camera, the blast from a C4 charge, and even the snores of a sleeping soldier all combine into the fact that you'll need to listen to playing the game as much as you're observing it in action. At other instances, it's the sound of gun play, the uproar of an alert, and the crunching footsteps through a snowy field that make listening to Metal Gear Solid an enriching experience.

Though, at other times, the huge cast of characters, including the minor ones (like guards) all have a voice. The game's spoken dialogue is remarkably well done in the cinema like cut scenes. Easily, Metal Gear Solid's voice acting is one of the most flawless with powerful language that makes each of the game's cast of characters so strong and emotional. And along with each cut scene, a melodramatic touch of background music fills the scenery, making the game an even more amazing experience. Most of the game's story is done through the process of a Codec; a sort of technological device that Snake and the other characters can use to communicate with each other at any time. Here, Snake will receive full on voice dialogue with the other characters as the story moves along through this device, where they can give him hints to playing the game. The Codec also serves as a saving tool, which you might want to do often considering how it's tough to survive without it.

Before even starting the game, you're already hit which certain features that cannot be passed up on. For example, if you're new to the whole stealth gig, there's an actual training mode called VR (Virtual Reality), which is a computer simulation that trains Snake in better suiting yourself to the mission at hand. With enough practice, the game will indeed become more second nature than ever before. The game difficulties are also a variety in settings. You can play the game from Easy, Medium, Hard, or if you're good enough, there's an Extreme mode that can be unlocked after completing the game. In other cases, finishing Metal Gear Solid unlocks even the ability to don a stealth suit for invisible measures, or a bandana, which can be quipped, thus giving Snake unlimited ammo. And for those players who hadn't had the opportunity to play the earlier games, there's a back-story log directly from the game's Start menu. Here, you can find out about Snake's past encounters with the now defeated Big Boss. These features surely allow days, and even weeks of replay value.