MGS FTW
My first experience with the Metal Gear Solid series was MGS2: Sons of Liberty, but it was MGS3: Snake Eater that really hooked me. It's not often in gaming that you will find innovative gameplay, complex plotlines, challenging moral dilemmas, believable political intrigue, and dynamic, layered characters; MGS not only has all of this, but does each one better than most any other game you will find. Once I became immersed in the PS2 MGS world, I knew I had to play the original to flesh out the missing pieces. Even though the game came out in the late 90s on the PS1, I didn't get my hands on it until 2006, but believe me when I say it ranks as one of my top gaming experiences of all time.
When I first popped it in my PS3, I was struck by how dated the graphics are by today's standards. The pixelated faces look like I could reproduce them with MS Paint. The textures are a muddled mess. The jaggies threaten to shred your eyeballs. I'm told this was state-of-the-art graphics for its time, but trust me when I say, you'd never know that looking at it now. But, to be honest, there's not a whole lot else to complain about with this game. The camera is a problem, but has been up until the releases of Subsistence and MGS: Portable Ops. The combat is a little wonky as well, if you're used to the shooting and CQC from later titles. There's no first-person firing mode, so headshots with anything apart from a sniper rifle are out of the question, and there are far fewer grappling options than you might be accustomed to.
Once again, the story for this game is fantastic. Governmental conspiracies, the threat of nuclear war, a genetically engineered army of mercenaries led by a paranormal group of terrorists called Fox Hound, and one man, Solid Snake, entrusted to save the world. To complete your mission, you will become familiar with avoiding combat whenever possible, which really is a lot more fun than it sounds. It makes every room you enter a puzzle with multiple solutions rather than just spawning cannon fodder for overpowered weaponry like your standard shooter normally would.
The boss battles are some of the most memorable you will ever encounter. Vulcan Raven, Sniper Wolf, Psycho Mantis... just recalling those battles still gives me the chills. To say much else about them would threaten to cheapen the experience, which would be a travesty.
But, the thing that really did it for me was just filling in the blanks from the other entries I played first. Now I understand a little more the craziness behind Liquid-Ocelot, Raiden's Shadow Moses simulation, cyborg ninjas, Fox Hound, Fox-die, the rise and fall of Big Boss, etc. It's required playing for anyone who wants the full scope of the MGS saga, right through the climax of MGS4: Guns of the Patriots.
If this sounds like an experience you'd like to have, don't hesitate to scour the Earth for this game. You won't be disappointed.
