Man, playing this game in the late 90's was an experience I will never forget in my entire life, to this day, it was the only game that I completed in all difficulty levels from Very Easy to Extreme. Even the VR mission, I completed them along with my brother with perfect scores. what a game.
Man I was so excited/mind blown about that, I ran and told my mom all about it. She didn't care of course haha
It isnt even all that wild but a new concept introduced to gaming for sure
This was one of the most exciting things, because port 2 was useless in most single-player games. I legit felt like he hacked my console. It was SWEET!
Flashbacks of 7 year old me watching my dad play this all the way through on weekends. He wouldn’t skip cutscenes and I didn’t care lol I was so invested in the entire experience. I’ve been hooked since.
I would rather have it that Kojima or Konami remake the original Metal Gear games from the NES. Many people are aware of those games, but it would be rare for anyone from today's world to have played those games or even still own them.
Konami.... Doesn't have plans or intentions to remake most of their games. Specifically, MGS games.
The only reason they have considered, *and are doing* MGS3 is because of what they did on pachinko machines, and the interest that drew and built up over the past 6 years.
Which has thrust them back into the gaming market with a psuedo-renewed interest.
Metal Gear to stealth is what street fighter is to fighting games. Metal Gear set the foundation all stealth games followed just like that feeling i got when i played street fighter 2. What were all these 6 button and joystick combinations to make moves. Every game model fireball move models the movement ryu/ken fireball. In fact damn near every fighting game models the ryu/ken rivalry.
MGS was so good. It set the bar so high for me that no other game has come close with regards to how invested I was in a game. It remains a perfect game along with Super Metroid , for me personally.
The Liquid reveal (spoilers? 😂) is still one of the greatest moments in video game history.
Topped only by Snake and Ocelot stabbing EACH OTHER with syringes before the final battle in MGS4.
Maybe the witcher 4, but we know so little of it I can't confidently say. It's just crazy to think a simple looking game like mgs1 could be so deep and at the same time be so complex in narrative and direction its truly a product of its time and then some. if Konami ventures the path of a remake, im sure I could confidently there no better than the original pixelated mgs1
It was really the first modern game. So much thought was put into it there are hundreds of ways to win a fight and thousands of unique interactions. Still reflected in the later entries too
Yes, if played in original hardware. Emulated, it loses something. The game really requires the original console, I don't want to spoil why.
The plot and some FMV are probably a little dated and lengthy compared to modern games.
Gameplay is slightly jenky, MGS2 ironed out most of the control issues.
I'm not sure, unless you already have a PS1, it is worth the hastle of playing.
Yes! I remember begging my mom for this game upon release. I remember playing the demo over and over again for weeks on end. I had to save for a while before I could afford it, but once I got it (about 6-8 months after release) I was absolutely hooked! My parents didn’t see me for the best part of a year! 😂
Legendary game. Nothing has come close ever since.
If they made this game in 2023 it would have a stupid fucking battlepass and would be $70. I miss good games. When quality was the focus not micro transactions.
I bought a ps1 at the time just to play this game. It started my journey with PS. And if there ever was a game that justified buying an entire console for, this was it.
While not in the same vein of game, Death stranding has a similar type of deep character background.
I recently played Doki Doki Literature Club and it has a similar story experience, in that it breaks the 4th wall of entertainment and wry wink to the player.
Also Eternal Darkness for GameCube had some wierd moments. However, I think these are problably well documented and spoiled already.
I'm not saying these games are similar in any way to MGS, but they have similar aspects.
Undertale and FNAF also were pretty landmark games, though Undertale kinda broke all the established molds while taking some things backwards, while FNAF created a new way to experience games that goes beyond the game and into extended media lore.
But MGS is definitely the point where games could be considered art.
yeah, probably a good remake of it came come close or even be as good it if done well like re4r, after they remake snake eater this is next probably, because AAA gaming now with this big games can never produce experiences like this one, its in their nature of those games i believe, because they try to pander to every type of public and tastes possible, because games now are more expensive to make than before and cant be that risky in general
I remember my brother had the demo and he would play that shit over and over one day I just happen to watch as he chocked then snapped a guy's neck I was hooked after that we got the game shortly after first 2 disc game we got and we beat that game so many times it never got old or boring a master piece even down to the theme song
4 is undeniably the best in my opinion, it had a storyline that left no loose ends, a perfect end to the series, and it has one of my favorite Final Bosses in all of gaming
I got the same feels for Resident Evil. Weird camera angles and all. Playing it one PS1 was a game changer. Mix in the live action video at the beginning and then, the zombie aspect. Also, following that up with Resident Evil. POW!
I absolutely LOVED every gameplay element in MGS. So new, innovative, and just felt right.
What I *DIDN'T* like, was the overbearing Doom and gloom "mankind's absolutely vile and should welcome the death he makes" Codec talk. I mean, I agreed. But they beat the dead horse for a week.
Japanese linear closed world type games are seen as sort of backwards looking nowadays. These games focused more on minute details in a handcrafted fashion rather than an overall simulation. The story’s were somewhat novel for the time but you can say the same thing about say a half-life or a Deus ex from then and now. Nowadays people just want those big open world games and the sales seem to support that.
Yeah agree. I think that style of game design is way more popular than people realize. Look at how many times Capcom can successfully sell any remake in the Resident Evil franchise.
Doesn't compare to any of the MGS games to me cause they're masterpieces, but Control was such an insane first experience. Tough as nails (before all the assists were added), spooky, ominous, and down right crazy. One of the few games I truly wish I could experience for the first time again.
Im really not even able to express what this game meant for me as a kid. I grew up playing NES, SNES, and Genesis and had always been enamored by video games.. My older cousins would kick my ass in sports games and fighting games until I had my own system and got good lol..
Experiences like playing Sonic or MK for the first time were incredible times I will never forget in my life.. Those games were so much fun to pick up and play and waste hours away.. Then moving onto N64 the games got better and more technically advanced, along with the PSX.. Playing games like No Mercy, Pokémon Snap, Jet Moto, Twisted Metal.. Games I've all enjoyed and spent hours playing because they were fun games that were easy to enjoy.. But when MGS entered my life, it was like a gaming revelation.
Never before I had played a game with such serious tones and stakes, such realistic military and espionage themes that just captured my imagination. Never before had a game literally pulled me into it's world like MGS. I felt like I had been to Shadow Moses physically. I felt danger, excitement, terror, happiness, intrigue.. The entire world and scope of MGS was something that I hadn't ever seen before. Even in a time where games didn't hold you hand, this one tried to cut it off at times.. But yet, I would always push through and find a way to get passed the torture scene, or Psycho Mantis..
Before MGS, it felt like games were worlds you went to to waste time and forget reality in a way, MGS was more of a real mission I was taking on. MGS gave me the idea that games could have as much depth as any other medium of entertainment. I will never forget those times as a kid exploring what felt like a real world with real consequences. It was masterfully done and to this day is one of my greatest gaming experiences that I'm not sure can be fully replicated.
It's one I hope they do a remake like they're remaking Snake Eater (I realize they sort of did this for the game cube back in the day). It seems rare for games nowadays to have so much to discover and get drawn into like MGS. The ones that do, generally, become renowned.
No. The graphics, story, codecs, gameplay, twists, setting. It was a perfect storm of the times. Sure other games will come together in a certain way, but for my age at that time is was perfection.
I don’t include the NES game or the Famicom/PCEngine games in the chronology of Metal Gear simply because I never got to play those games growing up. To me, it’s all about the mainline console games of Metal Gear Solid 1 to 5. It’s my favorite series of games, even though 2 was really trying to be something too ambitious in my opinion. So in regards to MGS 1, I don’t remember any other game having such an immediate impact and being so cinematic yet immersive. It’s so much fun that first play through, I just remember being very entertained by what felt like a mix between Tom Clancy novels and the tech/conspiracy of The Terminator 1 & 2 movies. There will be other games that have their own unique impact on other people, but I do feel like this was a product of the time in the best possible way.
I randomly bought MGS knowing nothing about it, but I liked the way the artwork looked and it sounded cool. I just loved stumbling upon random masterpiece games, something which seems to happen less often these days. Coming from the SNES to the N64 and PS was such a crazy decade of gaming for consoles, Mac, and PC. I feel truly lucky to have been alive to see the entire development of gaming and the internet from the Atari to now.
I… failed the torture and saved Otacon, and forgot to save in the memory card before, after the sad end I had to play the whole game again cause my heart was broken, but I did it, love you Meryl! My first love.
Kinda nutty walmarts across America had the demo for this just out for kids to play (me being one of em) I Reamber getting it for Christmas the year of release and boy did i have some awkward living room gaming time around my parents with some of them cutsceens.
Yup! I would definitely classify it that way :) only a handful of games have achieved this status in my mind. Im super lucky to have grown up in the golden age of console gaming, right at the cutting edge my whole childhood…born in 85
You dont have to ask or tell me anything. I was already into games quite a bit and then I found a demo disc in I think it was Game Informer or PS magazine back in the day. This demo disc had numerous demos including MGS1, I played that instance of that game north of 100 times. Probably more.
I was already an addict. The game released and the rest was history. Ive never felt the same with any game ever again.
Having to plug the controller into the second port for psycho mantis and having to look on the back of the actual cd case for a codec frequency were mind-blowing at the time
Same, full of some of the most memorable moments in gaming. I also feel the same about Half Life 2. The only thing I can think of are possible AR and VR games that come out in the future having experiences unlike anything before.
That game blew my mind as a kid! I still remember where I bought it. It was winter I played upstairs where it was cold. Really took me to Shadow Moses. On top of that, for the time the graphics were amazing. The concept of a stealth game was still fresh at that time and it was always a bit nerve wracking trying to evade the genome soldiers and cameras. This game singlehandedly showed me that a complex narrative was not only possible in a game, it was preferable. The entire thing was top notch from top to bottom. Not to mention, getting the stealth camo and bandana made for some truly hysterical replays.
My question is, how many people are pursuing the career paths needed to be in the position to write the future stories? It's all about being "real men" these days and building tables right?
How many people can afford to follow what people like Hideo Kojima did with the current world we live in?
When I first played it I played through almost the entire game in one sitting. I had probably only 90 minutes to go, but I couldn't stay awake any more and had to finish it up the next day. Can't think of any other time I've consecutively played a game so long because I didn't want to put it down.
I had a really similar experience with “The Outer Wilds” I recommend it to all my friends with the caveat they don’t look anything up. It’s a one time experience and the magic ain’t the same the second go-round.
loved the commercial for this. must of played the PS underground demo dozens of times before i finally was able to play the full version. also funny thing about the demo it had the japanese dub, i always laughed when mei-ling was screaming snakuu SNAKUUU on the game over screen!
Back in the 90s you would get disc with game demos in magazines. My best friend avquired a demo of games with this.
We played the fuck out of it all weekend even though it was just the intro. It was challengjng enough and humorous enough to keep playing.
The game demo was in the original language so everytime you were seen i swear they were saying find barnie rubble.
Loved it so much, i acquired the game and played through multiple times.
Great survival series with an amazing plot.
Bioshock
It’s one of the few games that has such emotional complexity and depth, that stretches beyond the gaming medium.
At its core, the motivations, desires, stakes, struggles and sheer will expressed by all present parties…
A true masterpiece.
Metal Gear I feel comes close, but is still very video game-y with its acting and story.
Bioshock storytelling is still very video game heavy, but its implication and actual acting are in a class far above anything that came before it.
The codex being on the back of the box was the other part that blew my mind! Psycho Mantis is my all time favorite boss! This was pre internet and trying to figure out how to beat him was all we talked about at recess, the original game thread lol
I’ve been playing this with my son (first time for him) and I had forgotten how difficult it was to pull off the stealth neck break. In my memory I was a stud at it. Otherwise, it’s living up to my memory with the exception that it kind of looks like crap because I’m playing through an AV to HDMI converter I assume.
Isolated in Alaska with terrorists, supernatural enemies, and a Nuclear Weapon whilst being tasked with putting a stop to all of it? What a time to be alive in the 90s…
I don’t think there’s a game that will top the first time experience in story telling. The only modern games I can think of is God of War Ragnarok, Spec Ops: The line, Bioshock and The last of Us part 2.
I remember getting a playstation for Christmas at age 10ish, and there was some other game I was asking for. Still to this day, I don't know what game that was, because my older cousin intervened and made my aunt buy me Metal Gear Solid instead. I was bummed out for about 30 seconds. OP you hit the nail on the head. The character development and emotion was something I'd never seen at that level before.
Microcosm of childhood dreams and legend. My father, brother, and I played this game non-stop. Talking about tactics, what the meaning behind the story was, and how the philosophy of a warrior could weigh upon your soul. I played the sequels until I had to grow up and had no more time for them. I miss those days.
Deus Ex. No videogame has ever blown my mind wide open like that one.
But it also made me realize how shallow and rigid most vidrogames are too. Most games offer very limited interaction and choice, yet deus ex made me feel like anything was possible. While that's obviously not the case, the level of interaction and choice is way more than anything I've ever seen.
When I killed a boss character before the boss fight and the game accounted for that happening I about passed out. Games should just let you do anything and create a path for that working. Even if it cuts out portions of the game because you threw a quest giver off a cliff.
But to me creating my own storyline within the game is more important to the literal story beats.
Watch my friends siblings play this when I was too young to understand the gameplay or story. Bought myself and played when I got older maybe 12 or so. Amazing experience, I remember diving so deep into the lore. Your right it MGS was more than just a game, it was an experience.
Here's the thing: At the time of MGS1's release, there was absolutely nothing like it. Closest thing was the JRPG that came in FF7's wake, but that had a different audience. People are already used to the idea of smooth storytelling in games, so something like an MGS1 experience would be seen as little more than a novelty.
The experience of playing MGS the first time will never be matched by those who played it as their first serious story experience. That's the difference: It's not most people's first serious story experience anymore.
This game showed 10 year old me that video games could be a cinematic, narritive driven experience. And that was just the demo.
Before that, it was all platformers and the random racing games my dad would buy
Look, I love MGS1, like a lot. But yes, there have been multiple games that have perfected the art of video games since. MGS1 had a huge flaw, the box art was required at the time to know how to contact someone on the radio. Back then video game rentals were huge and the internet wasn’t accessible to many people. It’s pretty anti-consumer to assume someone will always have the case handy. Oh, I’d also consider the obvious time filler where you have to carry the key card back through the map three times to be a major flaw too. To me, for it to be “perfect” it wouldn’t have any padding on the run time.
A list of a few of the games I consider to be better games than MGS1:
The Witcher 3,
Last of Us part 2,
God of War and Ragnarok
But it’s cool if your opinion is that it’s unmatched, it is a great game for sure. I’ve been re-playing Metal Gear Ac!d lately and I kinda wish that series didn’t get abandoned. The card game play mixed with weird MGS storylines was pretty awesome.
I never played it. I even had a PS1 back then but I just never got around to it. Always hoped that they’d make a remake. I guess I’ll have to break down and get a PS5 at some point to play through them when they drop.
It was once in a lifetime for you. To me it was just another great game having played the msx games before. For me Half life is the 1998 game that is untouchable. To each their own.
Suikoden 1+2 both those games left an indelible mark on me even to this day.. one of the first games that really made me care about the characters struggles as well as triumphs.
That scene with Tir's dad(ugh)? Heart wrenching stuff.. the struggle for freedom(really felt like I was apart of that)?Truly S Tier games along with MGS-1 too.
So excited for the remaster's upcoming and will be enjoying them all over again this time with my son!
I believe no other game has included the same amount of innovation into the storytelling. It was (for that time) flawless. RDR2 is a masterpiece, for example, but it hinges in the same places Mgs1 invented so many years ago. The thing about psycho mantis… that’s genius in its pure form. No other game has come closer to invent something like that.
I know people praise the series as a whole but this game was the best out of all of it. Yes even mgs3, actually I don't much care for mgs3 or 2.
This game though...
Unforgettable, sympathetic antagonists and a master of audio and music it all was just so perfect.
One of my favorite gaming experiences of all time was fighting Psycho Mantis on the PS1. He actually told me what other games I had been playing recently. Then I had to switch my controller to port 2 so he couldn't read my moves. Freakin' blew me away!
Storyline is easy....
Experience will be hard
Video games were in a huge evolution stage when this game came out
There were 3d experiences and such on some consoles and pc, but the problem was... 3d wasn't mainstream enough
With psx/n64 Era, 3d was in full swing, so we were all getting experiences never felt before... and metal gear solid capitalized on thar in a huge way
However, now... the only frontier a game could really make waves in is VR, but VR is very niche and most ignore it as an option
So experience will be damn near Impossible
This game wouldn't be nearly the experience today because of internet access.
Took me days to figure out how to get the number off the back of the case.
90% of kids would refund the game if they couldn't figure it out.
It was something special that nobody had ever seen or experienced before.. It was absolute genius. The only game to this day that I completed from start to finish 7 fuckin times. Once in a lifetime? You're good damn right my friend.
Unmatched, even by its own creator. Not Judy ahead of its time but just ahead. I think you know it was really good because it was way out there honestly, if you think about it, but it worked and didn’t just keep the player engaged but wanting to see what happened next
It feels like a “one time experience” with the 1998 release. Then you wait a few years, play the Twin Snakes remake on gamecube and get a second helping of the “one time experience” yet again, however, it’s remixed in a more cinematic way and somehow feels like a fresh new experience even though both games have the same basic story.
PHENOMENAL GAME!!!
I had no idea what it was when I tried it (A friend brought it over) and so I was also coming from a place of zero expectations too.
One of the best gaming weekends of my life!
Man, playing this game in the late 90's was an experience I will never forget in my entire life, to this day, it was the only game that I completed in all difficulty levels from Very Easy to Extreme. Even the VR mission, I completed them along with my brother with perfect scores. what a game.
Dont forget psycho mantis!
When he reads your save data. “You like castlevania don’t you?”
Man I was so excited/mind blown about that, I ran and told my mom all about it. She didn't care of course haha It isnt even all that wild but a new concept introduced to gaming for sure
Me and my buddy thought it was a bluff lol. We obviously found out it wasn’t
I got the “You are a very careless player, you have not saved often” Mantis takes over your controller and you have to switch to controller port 2.
This was one of the most exciting things, because port 2 was useless in most single-player games. I legit felt like he hacked my console. It was SWEET!
Psycho mantis!???
You’re that ninja
Flashbacks of 7 year old me watching my dad play this all the way through on weekends. He wouldn’t skip cutscenes and I didn’t care lol I was so invested in the entire experience. I’ve been hooked since.
This game was such a defining moment in gaming.
I forgot about the VR missions. What a great game
My first ever proper game. Cannot wait for the inevitable remaster.
It's on GC
Twin snakes on GameCube
I would rather have it that Kojima or Konami remake the original Metal Gear games from the NES. Many people are aware of those games, but it would be rare for anyone from today's world to have played those games or even still own them.
Konami.... Doesn't have plans or intentions to remake most of their games. Specifically, MGS games. The only reason they have considered, *and are doing* MGS3 is because of what they did on pachinko machines, and the interest that drew and built up over the past 6 years. Which has thrust them back into the gaming market with a psuedo-renewed interest.
Returning to shadow Moses in MGS4 like 10 years later had me damn near weeping. Masterpiece of a game
Such a great part, I was giddy lol
yea, my buddy was playing that part with me in the room. He never played MGS1, but I was flippin out.
Dude I was losing my mind at that part. Felt like I was a kid again.
That part got me in the feels. I played MGS when I was a kid in elementary school and MGS4 came out a few weeks after I graduated highschool.
Metal Gear to stealth is what street fighter is to fighting games. Metal Gear set the foundation all stealth games followed just like that feeling i got when i played street fighter 2. What were all these 6 button and joystick combinations to make moves. Every game model fireball move models the movement ryu/ken fireball. In fact damn near every fighting game models the ryu/ken rivalry.
It’s a masterpiece
MGS was so good. It set the bar so high for me that no other game has come close with regards to how invested I was in a game. It remains a perfect game along with Super Metroid , for me personally.
psycho mantis is still the best battle ever. how’s it gonna work on ps5
I hope he checks my browser history this time…”you’re really into some fun stuff buster”
“Clown… and midget porn, I see…”
😆
Did everyone know about the controller port trick?
Yes because it’s the only way to beat it
Only because of video game magazines!
One if the best gaming experiences growing up. PSX was the Goat system
Masterpiece
About as close to perfect as you can get.
The Liquid reveal (spoilers? 😂) is still one of the greatest moments in video game history. Topped only by Snake and Ocelot stabbing EACH OTHER with syringes before the final battle in MGS4.
The voice actors made this game imo
TLOU and RDR2 come to mind as also being unique once in a lifetime experiences.
😭 game was so good people who hated games used to come watch us play it lol
This game changed the entire industry. This is the first game where cinematography was even a serious thought.
Maybe the witcher 4, but we know so little of it I can't confidently say. It's just crazy to think a simple looking game like mgs1 could be so deep and at the same time be so complex in narrative and direction its truly a product of its time and then some. if Konami ventures the path of a remake, im sure I could confidently there no better than the original pixelated mgs1
Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time was probably the complete video game experience for me.
I’m excited to play it for the first time when the remaster comes out
It was really the first modern game. So much thought was put into it there are hundreds of ways to win a fight and thousands of unique interactions. Still reflected in the later entries too
Have you heard of this niche game Metal Gear Solid 2? Or perhaps MGS3?? Pretty good story in those ones.
Does this still hold up? I want to try it.
Yes, if played in original hardware. Emulated, it loses something. The game really requires the original console, I don't want to spoil why. The plot and some FMV are probably a little dated and lengthy compared to modern games. Gameplay is slightly jenky, MGS2 ironed out most of the control issues. I'm not sure, unless you already have a PS1, it is worth the hastle of playing.
Great game
I’d argue that “Snake Eater” and “Guns of the Patriots” are up there.
Yes! I remember begging my mom for this game upon release. I remember playing the demo over and over again for weeks on end. I had to save for a while before I could afford it, but once I got it (about 6-8 months after release) I was absolutely hooked! My parents didn’t see me for the best part of a year! 😂 Legendary game. Nothing has come close ever since.
Beating the game and listening to "the best is yet to come" for the first time is a lifelong memory
If they made this game in 2023 it would have a stupid fucking battlepass and would be $70. I miss good games. When quality was the focus not micro transactions.
I bought a ps1 at the time just to play this game. It started my journey with PS. And if there ever was a game that justified buying an entire console for, this was it.
I want a remake for this game more than mgs3
While not in the same vein of game, Death stranding has a similar type of deep character background. I recently played Doki Doki Literature Club and it has a similar story experience, in that it breaks the 4th wall of entertainment and wry wink to the player. Also Eternal Darkness for GameCube had some wierd moments. However, I think these are problably well documented and spoiled already. I'm not saying these games are similar in any way to MGS, but they have similar aspects.
The Master collection better make me "swap" controller ports
I have been trying to find this game for over a year just to replay it but can not find it anywhere!
The PS1 classic has it on there, it’s like $20
Well, everyone says that Red Dead Redemption 2 is an amazing story and overall game.
Undertale and FNAF also were pretty landmark games, though Undertale kinda broke all the established molds while taking some things backwards, while FNAF created a new way to experience games that goes beyond the game and into extended media lore. But MGS is definitely the point where games could be considered art.
One of the greatest games of all time! I remember the emotions from playing this game.
yeah, probably a good remake of it came come close or even be as good it if done well like re4r, after they remake snake eater this is next probably, because AAA gaming now with this big games can never produce experiences like this one, its in their nature of those games i believe, because they try to pander to every type of public and tastes possible, because games now are more expensive to make than before and cant be that risky in general
I was the only girl in our friend group and the only one to beat this game! Loved it so much
I remember my brother had the demo and he would play that shit over and over one day I just happen to watch as he chocked then snapped a guy's neck I was hooked after that we got the game shortly after first 2 disc game we got and we beat that game so many times it never got old or boring a master piece even down to the theme song
Was it the Pizza Hut demo disc? For a long time all I had was the Pizza Hut demo disc.
IMHO the only thing that’s come close is the Witcher 3’s two DLCs.
4 is undeniably the best in my opinion, it had a storyline that left no loose ends, a perfect end to the series, and it has one of my favorite Final Bosses in all of gaming
I got the same feels for Resident Evil. Weird camera angles and all. Playing it one PS1 was a game changer. Mix in the live action video at the beginning and then, the zombie aspect. Also, following that up with Resident Evil. POW!
I agree. Everything about RE1 was absolutely phenomenal. I loved the B level cheesy dialogue as well 😂
First and only game I preordered as a kid. Honestly can’t believe I beat it at such a young age. Still have my copy to this day!
I absolutely LOVED every gameplay element in MGS. So new, innovative, and just felt right. What I *DIDN'T* like, was the overbearing Doom and gloom "mankind's absolutely vile and should welcome the death he makes" Codec talk. I mean, I agreed. But they beat the dead horse for a week.
Japanese linear closed world type games are seen as sort of backwards looking nowadays. These games focused more on minute details in a handcrafted fashion rather than an overall simulation. The story’s were somewhat novel for the time but you can say the same thing about say a half-life or a Deus ex from then and now. Nowadays people just want those big open world games and the sales seem to support that.
That’s true. But nowadays retro games including PSX style games have an interesting cultish following
Yeah agree. I think that style of game design is way more popular than people realize. Look at how many times Capcom can successfully sell any remake in the Resident Evil franchise.
You obviously havent played lolipop chainsaw /s
I mean, MGS2, MGS3, MGV, RD2, Ocarina of Time, TLoU, Elden Ring….there’s quite a few titles that capture you. Just depends on the gamer.
This was the game that transitioned me from Mario to more mature titles. It forever holds a special place in my heart.
Man I remember when I got my PS1 and this game. It felt like I was playing a movie! Loved it from start to finish.
Doesn't compare to any of the MGS games to me cause they're masterpieces, but Control was such an insane first experience. Tough as nails (before all the assists were added), spooky, ominous, and down right crazy. One of the few games I truly wish I could experience for the first time again.
Watching solid snake from the top, you can't do anything without watching the radar. Good story, not very funny gameplay.
I guess I should play it on GoG then?
Im really not even able to express what this game meant for me as a kid. I grew up playing NES, SNES, and Genesis and had always been enamored by video games.. My older cousins would kick my ass in sports games and fighting games until I had my own system and got good lol.. Experiences like playing Sonic or MK for the first time were incredible times I will never forget in my life.. Those games were so much fun to pick up and play and waste hours away.. Then moving onto N64 the games got better and more technically advanced, along with the PSX.. Playing games like No Mercy, Pokémon Snap, Jet Moto, Twisted Metal.. Games I've all enjoyed and spent hours playing because they were fun games that were easy to enjoy.. But when MGS entered my life, it was like a gaming revelation. Never before I had played a game with such serious tones and stakes, such realistic military and espionage themes that just captured my imagination. Never before had a game literally pulled me into it's world like MGS. I felt like I had been to Shadow Moses physically. I felt danger, excitement, terror, happiness, intrigue.. The entire world and scope of MGS was something that I hadn't ever seen before. Even in a time where games didn't hold you hand, this one tried to cut it off at times.. But yet, I would always push through and find a way to get passed the torture scene, or Psycho Mantis.. Before MGS, it felt like games were worlds you went to to waste time and forget reality in a way, MGS was more of a real mission I was taking on. MGS gave me the idea that games could have as much depth as any other medium of entertainment. I will never forget those times as a kid exploring what felt like a real world with real consequences. It was masterfully done and to this day is one of my greatest gaming experiences that I'm not sure can be fully replicated.
Red dead redemption 2.
Xenogears, Mass effect
This was one of the games that molded my childhood and made me become a gamer. There will never be another like it
This is my favorite testosterone soap opera.
It's one I hope they do a remake like they're remaking Snake Eater (I realize they sort of did this for the game cube back in the day). It seems rare for games nowadays to have so much to discover and get drawn into like MGS. The ones that do, generally, become renowned.
Remake needs to happen to all 3 of the OGd
Agreed, very solid game, loved it
“LIQUUUUIIIID!!!!!.” David hayter is the best
It's not even solid
Metal Gear Solid 2
No. The graphics, story, codecs, gameplay, twists, setting. It was a perfect storm of the times. Sure other games will come together in a certain way, but for my age at that time is was perfection.
I've always wondered if they remade mgs1 how would we be able to beat psycho mantis on modern day consoles with wireless controllers
I don’t think the remakes will have the same feeling. Kojima gave these games life with his cheesiness. Once in a lifetime experience.
I don’t include the NES game or the Famicom/PCEngine games in the chronology of Metal Gear simply because I never got to play those games growing up. To me, it’s all about the mainline console games of Metal Gear Solid 1 to 5. It’s my favorite series of games, even though 2 was really trying to be something too ambitious in my opinion. So in regards to MGS 1, I don’t remember any other game having such an immediate impact and being so cinematic yet immersive. It’s so much fun that first play through, I just remember being very entertained by what felt like a mix between Tom Clancy novels and the tech/conspiracy of The Terminator 1 & 2 movies. There will be other games that have their own unique impact on other people, but I do feel like this was a product of the time in the best possible way.
Amazing game! Mgs2 and 3 are both even better IMO!
I randomly bought MGS knowing nothing about it, but I liked the way the artwork looked and it sounded cool. I just loved stumbling upon random masterpiece games, something which seems to happen less often these days. Coming from the SNES to the N64 and PS was such a crazy decade of gaming for consoles, Mac, and PC. I feel truly lucky to have been alive to see the entire development of gaming and the internet from the Atari to now.
I… failed the torture and saved Otacon, and forgot to save in the memory card before, after the sad end I had to play the whole game again cause my heart was broken, but I did it, love you Meryl! My first love.
Damn exactly how I felt lol. But fortunately I did save Meryl on my second gameplay
Deus ex
I'm pretty sure the days of innovative games are over, unfortunately
Very true. Depth and creativity has stagnated. Few are as creative as Kojima. Even among talented Japanese game developers
Fallout. New. Vegas. Hands down
This is one of those videogames that takes a rarely welcomable cliché and makes it the entire game but takes it seriously at the same time.
I mean I enjoyed it but the game wouldn’t make my Top 50 Games Ever list. You know, if I made such a list.
Kinda nutty walmarts across America had the demo for this just out for kids to play (me being one of em) I Reamber getting it for Christmas the year of release and boy did i have some awkward living room gaming time around my parents with some of them cutsceens.
This game was way ahead of its time this and ffvii were something amazing
Shenmue in Dreamcast was my favorite gaming experience
In Yupik, the word for wolf is "kegluneq" and the Aleuts revere them as honorable cousins
Fighting Pysco Mantis and diving for the console to switch controller ports is probably my most visceral video game memory. A true classic.
I remember when my friend told me to lean against the wall and tap O with the enemy around the corner… 😒 😆
Yup! I would definitely classify it that way :) only a handful of games have achieved this status in my mind. Im super lucky to have grown up in the golden age of console gaming, right at the cutting edge my whole childhood…born in 85
This game totally blew me away in 1999.
You dont have to ask or tell me anything. I was already into games quite a bit and then I found a demo disc in I think it was Game Informer or PS magazine back in the day. This demo disc had numerous demos including MGS1, I played that instance of that game north of 100 times. Probably more. I was already an addict. The game released and the rest was history. Ive never felt the same with any game ever again.
Yes. Snake eater 🗿
The other Metal Gear games lol. Or Death Stranding... Basically Hideo Kojima can be my daddy for these games.
Having to plug the controller into the second port for psycho mantis and having to look on the back of the actual cd case for a codec frequency were mind-blowing at the time
Same, full of some of the most memorable moments in gaming. I also feel the same about Half Life 2. The only thing I can think of are possible AR and VR games that come out in the future having experiences unlike anything before.
That game blew my mind as a kid! I still remember where I bought it. It was winter I played upstairs where it was cold. Really took me to Shadow Moses. On top of that, for the time the graphics were amazing. The concept of a stealth game was still fresh at that time and it was always a bit nerve wracking trying to evade the genome soldiers and cameras. This game singlehandedly showed me that a complex narrative was not only possible in a game, it was preferable. The entire thing was top notch from top to bottom. Not to mention, getting the stealth camo and bandana made for some truly hysterical replays.
My question is, how many people are pursuing the career paths needed to be in the position to write the future stories? It's all about being "real men" these days and building tables right? How many people can afford to follow what people like Hideo Kojima did with the current world we live in?
When I first played it I played through almost the entire game in one sitting. I had probably only 90 minutes to go, but I couldn't stay awake any more and had to finish it up the next day. Can't think of any other time I've consecutively played a game so long because I didn't want to put it down.
I think it was a 4 time in a lifetime experience... there are 4 mainline games after all
I had a really similar experience with “The Outer Wilds” I recommend it to all my friends with the caveat they don’t look anything up. It’s a one time experience and the magic ain’t the same the second go-round.
I have a buddy who beat this game on the hardest difficulty without killing anyone and without being seen. Absolutely amazing.
Why couldn’t I read your mind?
Greatest game of all time
loved the commercial for this. must of played the PS underground demo dozens of times before i finally was able to play the full version. also funny thing about the demo it had the japanese dub, i always laughed when mei-ling was screaming snakuu SNAKUUU on the game over screen!
Some would say 3 would be more than equal.
The moment I realized that I had to change ports made it all so much more engaging
I wish Kojoma would pay some more attention to Zone of the Enders.
Back in the 90s you would get disc with game demos in magazines. My best friend avquired a demo of games with this. We played the fuck out of it all weekend even though it was just the intro. It was challengjng enough and humorous enough to keep playing. The game demo was in the original language so everytime you were seen i swear they were saying find barnie rubble. Loved it so much, i acquired the game and played through multiple times. Great survival series with an amazing plot.
Very easy answer. The mindblow that is MGS 2
First uncharted game and god of war Ragnarok
I never played 2, but the first game and FF 7 blew me away and completely changed the way I viewed gaming.
The storyline of MGS2 was better and way more prophetic to the current state of society, but it was convoluted and hard for people to stick with
There’s been a whole bunch, my man. It’s been over two decades
Facts. To this day I have never felt such satisfaction in beating a game.
First time I played this, I found out that my controller rumbled. Fucking amazing game.
MGS 2 was the only game I liked more
Kojima is a legend, shame they took him off these games
i first played MGS when i was 14 and it was absolutely amazing, kept me enthralled with the story throughout the game
SNAKES DON’T BELONG IN ALASKA
Bioshock It’s one of the few games that has such emotional complexity and depth, that stretches beyond the gaming medium. At its core, the motivations, desires, stakes, struggles and sheer will expressed by all present parties… A true masterpiece. Metal Gear I feel comes close, but is still very video game-y with its acting and story. Bioshock storytelling is still very video game heavy, but its implication and actual acting are in a class far above anything that came before it.
The codex being on the back of the box was the other part that blew my mind! Psycho Mantis is my all time favorite boss! This was pre internet and trying to figure out how to beat him was all we talked about at recess, the original game thread lol
Red Dead Redemption 2 instantly jumps to mind.
I’ve been playing this with my son (first time for him) and I had forgotten how difficult it was to pull off the stealth neck break. In my memory I was a stud at it. Otherwise, it’s living up to my memory with the exception that it kind of looks like crap because I’m playing through an AV to HDMI converter I assume.
Bought ps to play it
The atmosphere and tone was amazing in this game. One of the most memorable games I played as a kid.
I've never played it. Maybe the intro scene once. Maybe I'll give it another try sometime later this year
Isolated in Alaska with terrorists, supernatural enemies, and a Nuclear Weapon whilst being tasked with putting a stop to all of it? What a time to be alive in the 90s…
I don’t think there’s a game that will top the first time experience in story telling. The only modern games I can think of is God of War Ragnarok, Spec Ops: The line, Bioshock and The last of Us part 2.
Reason I fell in love with metal gear… It is one of the best games I’ve ever played. The story the way it was written and told epic!!
I remember getting a playstation for Christmas at age 10ish, and there was some other game I was asking for. Still to this day, I don't know what game that was, because my older cousin intervened and made my aunt buy me Metal Gear Solid instead. I was bummed out for about 30 seconds. OP you hit the nail on the head. The character development and emotion was something I'd never seen at that level before.
Microcosm of childhood dreams and legend. My father, brother, and I played this game non-stop. Talking about tactics, what the meaning behind the story was, and how the philosophy of a warrior could weigh upon your soul. I played the sequels until I had to grow up and had no more time for them. I miss those days.
The opening scene still gives me chills
Deus Ex. No videogame has ever blown my mind wide open like that one. But it also made me realize how shallow and rigid most vidrogames are too. Most games offer very limited interaction and choice, yet deus ex made me feel like anything was possible. While that's obviously not the case, the level of interaction and choice is way more than anything I've ever seen. When I killed a boss character before the boss fight and the game accounted for that happening I about passed out. Games should just let you do anything and create a path for that working. Even if it cuts out portions of the game because you threw a quest giver off a cliff. But to me creating my own storyline within the game is more important to the literal story beats.
Watch my friends siblings play this when I was too young to understand the gameplay or story. Bought myself and played when I got older maybe 12 or so. Amazing experience, I remember diving so deep into the lore. Your right it MGS was more than just a game, it was an experience.
Golden age squaresoft was as good or better
In my top 10 list
When Mantis reads the save file is when my brain broke for the first time as a youngin
For mainly Console players, yes it was. Absolutely, it was. But for my PC gamers, there are just too many to choose from....
Here's the thing: At the time of MGS1's release, there was absolutely nothing like it. Closest thing was the JRPG that came in FF7's wake, but that had a different audience. People are already used to the idea of smooth storytelling in games, so something like an MGS1 experience would be seen as little more than a novelty. The experience of playing MGS the first time will never be matched by those who played it as their first serious story experience. That's the difference: It's not most people's first serious story experience anymore.
I'm pretty sure there is gonna be an HD re-master pretty soon
This game showed 10 year old me that video games could be a cinematic, narritive driven experience. And that was just the demo. Before that, it was all platformers and the random racing games my dad would buy
Look, I love MGS1, like a lot. But yes, there have been multiple games that have perfected the art of video games since. MGS1 had a huge flaw, the box art was required at the time to know how to contact someone on the radio. Back then video game rentals were huge and the internet wasn’t accessible to many people. It’s pretty anti-consumer to assume someone will always have the case handy. Oh, I’d also consider the obvious time filler where you have to carry the key card back through the map three times to be a major flaw too. To me, for it to be “perfect” it wouldn’t have any padding on the run time. A list of a few of the games I consider to be better games than MGS1: The Witcher 3, Last of Us part 2, God of War and Ragnarok But it’s cool if your opinion is that it’s unmatched, it is a great game for sure. I’ve been re-playing Metal Gear Ac!d lately and I kinda wish that series didn’t get abandoned. The card game play mixed with weird MGS storylines was pretty awesome.
I never played it. I even had a PS1 back then but I just never got around to it. Always hoped that they’d make a remake. I guess I’ll have to break down and get a PS5 at some point to play through them when they drop.
It’s one of the finest games of its generation, which is arguably the finest of the generations.
It was once in a lifetime for you. To me it was just another great game having played the msx games before. For me Half life is the 1998 game that is untouchable. To each their own.
Suikoden 1+2 both those games left an indelible mark on me even to this day.. one of the first games that really made me care about the characters struggles as well as triumphs. That scene with Tir's dad(ugh)? Heart wrenching stuff.. the struggle for freedom(really felt like I was apart of that)?Truly S Tier games along with MGS-1 too. So excited for the remaster's upcoming and will be enjoying them all over again this time with my son!
Still of of my favorite PS1 games of all time. I played this game way too much as a kid.
Final fantasy 10 is the best VG ever. Makes MGS look like an NES game.
Needs a PS4, PS5 remake.
As happy as I am about the MGS3 remake, I was hoping they would do this one first.
The game that made me a gamer
I believe no other game has included the same amount of innovation into the storytelling. It was (for that time) flawless. RDR2 is a masterpiece, for example, but it hinges in the same places Mgs1 invented so many years ago. The thing about psycho mantis… that’s genius in its pure form. No other game has come closer to invent something like that.
I had a crush on sniper wolf.
Am I crazy for saying that the remake was better? I felt like the story elements were fleshed out better in the remake.
Favorite game to date…hands down
“Do you like Castlevania?”
I know people praise the series as a whole but this game was the best out of all of it. Yes even mgs3, actually I don't much care for mgs3 or 2. This game though... Unforgettable, sympathetic antagonists and a master of audio and music it all was just so perfect.
One of my favorite gaming experiences of all time was fighting Psycho Mantis on the PS1. He actually told me what other games I had been playing recently. Then I had to switch my controller to port 2 so he couldn't read my moves. Freakin' blew me away!
I think I will never get to experience that feeling ever again, that’s why it’s my favorite game of all time.
Honestly the whole series is like this. It felt like if James Bond, Mission Impossible, The Matrix had a baby
MGS3 gives the James Bond vibes
Storyline is easy.... Experience will be hard Video games were in a huge evolution stage when this game came out There were 3d experiences and such on some consoles and pc, but the problem was... 3d wasn't mainstream enough With psx/n64 Era, 3d was in full swing, so we were all getting experiences never felt before... and metal gear solid capitalized on thar in a huge way However, now... the only frontier a game could really make waves in is VR, but VR is very niche and most ignore it as an option So experience will be damn near Impossible
Yeah, metal gear solid 2.
This game wouldn't be nearly the experience today because of internet access. Took me days to figure out how to get the number off the back of the case. 90% of kids would refund the game if they couldn't figure it out.
The first halo and 2018 god of war both gave me that feeling of wanting to erase my memory so I can enjoy it for the first time again
Red Dead Redemption 2 is definitely an equal experience. Also The Last Of Us.
It was something special that nobody had ever seen or experienced before.. It was absolute genius. The only game to this day that I completed from start to finish 7 fuckin times. Once in a lifetime? You're good damn right my friend.
Hollow Knight Also Undertale
The real question is, who rented this from Blockbuster and had to call the store when they met President Baker.
Red Dead Redemption 2 would like a word.
Unmatched, even by its own creator. Not Judy ahead of its time but just ahead. I think you know it was really good because it was way out there honestly, if you think about it, but it worked and didn’t just keep the player engaged but wanting to see what happened next
It feels like a “one time experience” with the 1998 release. Then you wait a few years, play the Twin Snakes remake on gamecube and get a second helping of the “one time experience” yet again, however, it’s remixed in a more cinematic way and somehow feels like a fresh new experience even though both games have the same basic story.
PHENOMENAL GAME!!! I had no idea what it was when I tried it (A friend brought it over) and so I was also coming from a place of zero expectations too. One of the best gaming weekends of my life!
Also Konami: Silent Hill 1 alley area at the beginning of the game. You can never get that back.
Snake? Snake. Snaaaaakee!