Gamer's Perspective

How it Began

The Metal Gear saga was started in year 1986, when a young video game designer named Hideo Kojima joined Konami to design games for the MSX home computer system. Having previously considered a career in film making, Kojima's ideas for games were always on a grand scale. The first game he released was Metal Gear in 1987, a game that redefined what gamers thought possible from the “Stealth” genre.

Initially, the genre was very simple if not ill named. Most games had you shoot guards who were armed in order to complete a level. There might have been a plot in there somewhere, but it was somewhat inconsequential. Metal Gear (henceforth "MG") turned the whole genre on its head. Now players were encouraged to avoid confronting the enemy, and levels were designed so that you could sneak through and complete goals without the enemies knowing that you were there. Anyone who has played a stealth-based game knows the thrill of hiding just inches from a guard, before sneaking past/shooting him in the head. That feeling did not exist before.

 

Metal Gear

 

All of this depth in game-play would mean very little if MG didn't have something to tie gamers to it for the duration. Fortunately, Metal Gear had a plot to match its other innovations. Meet Solid Snake, whom is a rookie recruit of FOXHOUND, which is an elite, super secret military unit. He's been sent to the country of Outer Heaven by his unit lead, Big Boss, to investigate the fate of veteran FOXHOUND member, Grey Fox, and his cryptic final transmission.

What is "Metal Gear"? This could have been the beginning of any action game. What sets MG apart is how the plot keeps on developing throughout the game. Snake rescues Grey Fox and learns that Metal Gear is a bipedal tank equipped with nuclear weapons. The leader of Outer Heaven is going to use is weapon to rule the world unless Solid Snake stops him. The plot develops not just through cut-scenes, where Snake talks to other characters on screen, but through transceiver conversations. These transceiver conversations are where Snake contacts Big Boss and other supporting characters to discuss weapons, enemies and the next objective. This adds a new dimension to the game, as the player feels like he's really involved with the events going on.

Snake sneaks his way through the rest of the game until he finally comes face to face with a Metal Gear and Outer Heaven's elusive leader, who turns out to be none other than Big Boss. Snake fights Big Boss and finally kills him (or so it seems...), destroys Metal Gear and makes his escape. Gamers who sat through the entire credits got a special surprise, a final message on the transceiver from Big Boss, saying he'll see Snake again.

Metal Gear has an average score of about 91%.

 

How can I play it?

Metal Gear was released in Japan and some parts of Europe on the MSX2. A NES port was made, but I cannot recommend it. Hideo Kojima was not directly involved with the port and many changes were made. Gameplay features like punching guards to steal their ammo (later an MGS staple) were removed, as was Big Boss's final transmission. Levels were completely redesigned and the music was changed. Basically, the NES version is not true Metal Gear. Fortunately, Metal Gear is not lost to the ages (and a few die hard retro gamers who kept their MSX2's). It can be played in the original version on the bonus disks of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence on the PS2.

 

Metal Gear 2

Hideo Kojima was on a train home in Japan when a developer that he had worked with on Metal Gear, some years earlier. He was informed that Konami was developing a new Metal Gear game for the American markets that wasn’t a true Snake game. The very next day, he had received approval from Konami and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake was in production.

The year is 1999. The world’s oil is nearly depleted and a war is brewing over the remaining reserves. The situation looks bleak until Dr. Kio Marv creates a type of algae that can make artificial petrochemicals. He has already proven that it works at a scientific conference and is now on the way to the US for a major demonstration. You can tell where this is going, can’t you? Dr. Marv is captured by shady terrorists from the nation of Zanzibar Land who want to hold the world’s remaining oil hostage. Their large selection of nuclear weapons rules out a conventional attack on Zanzibar Land, so a different approach is needed and only one man has what it takes. You definitely know where this is going.

Called out of an early retirement by the new FOXHOUND leader, Colonel Roy Campbell, Solid Snake must once again infiltrate the enemy base and save the day. Things won’t be easy though; there are even rumours of a new Metal Gear in development.

If this sounds like the beginning of a Hollywood film, then good, because Metal Gear 2 has taken all of the elements that made Metal Gear a success and improved on them. The plot is far more intricate (I’ve only described the things that happen before the game starts so far) and deals with the kind of issues that you’d normally find debated in a college sociology class. Battlefield ethics, the negative side of warfare and discussion of previous combats are all present in a game driven by a desire to see what happens next in the ever-twisting plot. Not that I am suggesting that Metal Gear 2’s gameplay isn’t still good fun.

The Metal Gear game dynamic, sneaking and snooping rather than gunning everyone down is still the only real way to play, but everything has been refined. In particular, the enemy AI is probably the best seen on any game at the time. They now have a 45° field of vision (as opposed to only looking in straight lines in the first game), they react to noises and will come to investigate (which, as any player will know, is a key stealth technique for slipping past unnoticed). One of the main changes and one that has been present in every Metal Gear game since are the 3 alert modes. When Snake is discovered, the enemies go into alert mode 3, attacking Snake. If the player can evade them for long enough (or indeed, kill a lot of them), the game goes to alert mode 2. They know Snake is there and a patrolling with more caution that usual. After a while, things go back to normal and Snake can sneak off.

Anyway, let us get back to the story. Snake infiltrates the base (in a section that was closely emulated in Metal Gear Solid, 8 years later) and quickly learns that there are indeed new Metal Gears in production. They’ve even re-captured the same scientist from the first game, a Dr. Madnar, to work on them. Madnar has another revelation; Big Boss is not dead at all! He survived Outer Heaven and is now commanding Zanzibar Land. Moving on, Snake finds out what these new Metal Gears are capable of very soon, as he is attacked by one on his way to the detention camp that Dr. Marv is being held in. Who is the pilot? It’s none other than Snake’s former friend and fellow FOXHOUND member, Gray Fox. Shaken by this betrayal, Snake moves on and finally reaches the detention centre. Too late to save Marv from death by torture, he does manage to get hold of his formula.

Things don’t get much easier for Snake when he leaves the base and is confronted by the new Metal Gear, piloted by Gray Fox. He destroys the machine and ends up standing in a minefield, face to face with Fox. Hand to hand, they fight to the death. Snake prevails, but loses his weapons and items. Things just don’t seem to be going his way when he is confronted once more by his former mentor, Big Boss, as he tries to leave. Without his trusty pistol or even a cardboard box to hide in, Snake makes a flame-thrower from a cigarette lighter (those things will kill you, you know!) and an aerosol can. Big Boss is dead, Snake has the formula and he makes his escape.

 

How can I play it?

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake was only released in Japan and only released on the MSX2 home computer. Us lucky European and American gamers got to play the non-canonical, non-Hideo approved Metal Gear: Snake’s Revenge, where an orange jump-suited Snake shot his way through side scrolling sections and other action game clichés. Fortunately, as with Metal Gear, Snake’s second adventure can be played on the bonus disk of MGS3: Subsistence.

Stay Tuned for Future Installments.