Metal Gear Solid perfected the stealth genre, and is probably the defining title of the PSone. A game for the ages.
Lows: Controls for the sniper rifle are very awkward, cheap deaths, outdated graphics.
Verdict: One of the best stealth games of all time and probably the best PlayStation game of all time. Too bad it was overshadowed by Ocarina of Time.
In 1987, the mastermind game developer Hideo Kojima released the first stealth game Metal Gear for the MSX 2 in Japan, the game was revolutionary as it invented a new kind of genre that would improve as the years went by. After another sequel on the MSX 2, Kojima developed the next entry in the series for Sony's PlayStation, as in 1998 he brought out the masterpiece that is Metal Gear Solid. In MGS, you play as Solid Snake, as he is sent on a mission to a top-secret military base in Alaska, to stop members of Foxhound and his evil twin-brother Liquid Snake from using Metal Gear REX to launch a nuclear missile if their demands are not met within 24 hours. In MGS, you control Snake from a top-down perspective, as you guide him away from the nearest guards, and look for enemies on the radar as well. You get to use all sorts of weapons as you progress through the game, ranging from your standard SOCOM pistol, to machine guns, to grenades, a stinger missile launcher, and more. The voice acting and dialogue are so great that it feels like you are actually watching an Oscar-winning movie like The Godfather, the story is great as it is breathtaking, emotional, has suprising moments, an amazing climax, and an alternate ending depending on how well you do in Ocelot's torture room. The music is epic as well as it is also emotional and breathtaking, as it takes advantage of the CD-quality audio and the new hardware pretty darn well. Metal Gear Solid is a masterpiece, but there are problems. Using the sniper rifle is pretty awkward, as Snake sometimes can't hold it in one direction, there are some pretty cheap deaths as your health bar is a little lame, and whenever you get hit, it takes sizeable chunks out of your health bar. The graphics are very outdated by today's standards too as it (along with some FMV cutscenes) look a little blurry. However, MGS is still the masterpiece that it was back in 1998. Metal Gear Solid, you were the best game ever made.....until The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time came out and....flattened you like a pancake. MGS is a classic that has stood the test of time and is arguably the best PlayStation game of all time. Get this game before it's too late.