Metal Gear Series review

Wandering Loner · July 1st, 2004, 10:22

Hi guys. Well i had a lot of free time on my hands and nothingh to do so i wrote this review about the Metal Gear series. I had actually intended to post it on my site but my site is still under construction and so i thought that i will post it on the NGEMU message boards first. The original one had many screenshots but this one doesn't (i guess i was too lazy to upload many of those screen shots). If you want to read the original one then visit me at www.justemulation.tripod.com some time later when it is finished. Please keep in mind that there are supposed to be screen shots at some places in this review but they are missing but they will be available in the completed version that will be on my site.
...and so the review starts...

Guess Who?

*a guys picture sneaking up on someone*

Well you would have probably guessed it anyway. Its Solid Snake from the famous Metal Gear series.
Oh Yeah! if you think that you know too much then try answering this one, here goes...
Which is THE first game ever to be released in this series?
Answer: * You jump up and down happily thinking you know the answer* and you say it's Metal Gear Solid. If your answer is Metal Gear Solid for the Playstation then you are absolutely WRONG!!!. Yes you read it correct. I want to share some useful information with you that will really surprise you as I recently discovered that many people didn't know about it.
Well the truth is that the first Metal Gear Game was released on MSX....what ! you guys don't know what MSX is. It's a computer released long long ago and it was very famous in Japan and European countries but it was completely unknown in the US. Metal Gear was released only on MSX in 1987 ( the year in which I was born!!!) but the US gamers also wanted to play it so Konami released it on NES in 1988. It used cartridges instead of CDs and it was quite famous in its time. *you scratch your head hard thinking what on earth is this guy talking about!* Well you don't believe me , ok fine why don't you see for yourself below.
These are the screenshots from the game Metal Gear of the MSX.

These are the screenshots from the game Metal Gear of the NES console.

Metal Gear for the MSX was a Heart Stopper of its time. It had nice graphics (back then of course) and it had a very nice story but the only bad thing that happened was that when Konami made a NES version of Metal Gear it altered the story a LITTLE bit. The true hardcore fans of this series still think that the Metal Gear for the MSX was better. Anyways, both the games were like a revolution in the world of gamming as they introduced the concept of stealth. These games had less of head-on fighting and more of sneaking and hiding in the shadows kind of a thing.

Ok now let me ask you that which was the second game in the series and if your answer is still Metal Gear Solid then you are absolutely WRONG again!!! The second game was Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and it was also for MSX. As always it was a real hit. again the US fans of Metal Gear were kept wanting for more and so Konami made another game for the NES console specially for the US fans and it was called Metal gear 2: Snake's Revenge. All the games except for MG2: Snake's Revenge were the idea of and were made under the supervision of a man called Hideo Kojima but MG2: Snake's Revenge was made by a separate team of Konami staff. Even though this game bears the series' name and the main character but it had an irrelevant story, more of head-on fighting and for the first and only time ever solid snake was made the leader of a group of commandos whome he could rely on and meet up during the mission. It had an un-Metal-Gear-like gameplay and an uncool story line and so Konami no longer refers to the events depicted in Snake's Revenge in its official Metal Gear literature (like Metal Gear Solid's instruction manual).

Well here are the screen shots form Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and Metal Gear 2 : Snakes Revenge anyway.

Metal Gear 2 : Solid Snake (....well forget just a few screenshots here's a complete intro sequence of the game. Enjoy!)
Click here to view the intro sequence as an animated GIF file

Metal Gear 2 : Snake's Revenge

Then after these two Metal gear 2s, Metal Gear Solid was released for Sony Playstation. This is, of course, the big one. Perhaps one of the most anticipated and most hyped games in history, Metal Gear Solid took what was really a niche franchise and turned it into a gaming household name. MGS has a really good story line and it is called an 'interactive movie" due to the movie-like introduction and opening credits that roll while you're playing, all the way to the end of the game. It had very nice graphics and pushed the Playstation to its limits. The PC version of MGS shipped 2 years later in the year 2000. In year 1999 another MGS game was shipped and it was called MGS Integral/VR mission. It had the same story as the original MGS with a few added bonuses here and there and it also had an extra CD called VR missions. The original Metal Gear Solid package consisted of only two discs, and both contained only the game. Integral not only added a variety of elements to the first two discs but also included a VR Missions disc for fans of the surprisingly addictive VR training simulation. It contains literally hundreds of new missions that use the virtual reality motif of the original game's training simulation. These missions vary much more widely in range and complexity, however. Entire sets of missions are devoted to honing your skills with all of the weapons found in Metal Gear Solid's story mode. Many missions feature the use of items like the cardboard box or cigarettes, and the later missions contain some very intricate puzzles. Of much more interest is the VR disc's ninja mode, which lets you take control of the ninja character (complete with his own moves) for a grand total of three missions. Unlocking the ninja demands an incredible display of skill in the story mode.
Then in the Year 2000 a Metal Gear game was released for the Game Boy Color. It was Originally called Metal Gear Ghost Babel but when it was hit the stores in the US it was renamed to Metal Gear Solid ( I wonder why...) but this name is quite misleading as this game was totally different from the original MGS for the Playstation. As always this game is really involving and has a lot of stealth usage apart from having a good story line.
After the success of these games Konami made Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of liberty for Playstation 2 and then came Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance which was the same as MGS2: Sons of Liberty but the only difference was that MGS2: Substance had a few extra VR missions.( Personally I really don't like the story of MGS2 as it sucks. I was half way through the game and I couldn't figure out what was the story all about and even the ending made no sense to me. I don't want to spoil it for you so finish the game yourself and try to understand the story but keep in mind that this is my own personal opinion as I was unable to understand the story but I don't want to discourage you from playing the game. Besides, it had excellent gameplay and graphics) Well anyway after MGS2 the next game waiting in line to be released is Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. It is a promising game as it has very good graphics and gameplay.
Recently Konami announced a new Metal gear game which is going to be released on Sony's new console called PSP ( playstation Portable) and the game is called Metal Gear Acid. It is said that this game is quite different from its predecessors so lets wait and find out
Apart from all these games there are two more Metal Gear games. One of them is for the XBOX and its called Metal Gear Solid X. It is said that this game is a port of MGS2: Sons of Liberty to the XBOX. I really don't know much about this game as I haven't played it. I don't even know if it has been released yet but since it is for the XBOX then it is sure to be packed with mind blowing graphics and gameplay. Another Metal Gear game has also been released for Nintendo Gamecube and it is called Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes. It is a remake of the Original Metal Gear Solid game for the Playstation. this game is exploding with stunning graphics and in this Solid Snake can do much more than he could in the original. For example, now he can go into the first person view and shoot. Well he couldn't do this in the original. ( too bad I don't have a Gamecube *sniff*...)That's all the Metal Gear that you people can ever have in one place ( *phew* it's finally over)
Now you know all there is about Metal Gear series and if you are a Metal Gear fan then I'm sure that you already knew all this ...or did you??

( Note : 1. It would be really wrong for me to take the entire credits for writing this review. While I wrote this review I constantly kept referring to 'The History of Metal Gear' section found at www.gamespot.com. This section has detailed review on all the Metal Gear games except for MGS X and MGS the Twin snakes and it is written by Brad Shoemaker and is designed by Collin Oguro. I got alot of information from this section and I did copy and paste a LITTLE text from there. Therefore major credits go to these two guys.

2. if you think that I have made any mistake in my above summary about Metal Gear series or I have missed out something then please tell me. my e-mail address is the_mastermind_007@hotmail.com)

__________________

I'm the Wandering Loner. I don't really care about what you think 'bout me cuz I ain't concerned

Last edited by Wandering Loner; July 1st, 2004 at 13:26..

Vanit · July 1st, 2004, 11:13

Its a good read but not really a review. You didn't even mention the music in the series (good music is one of the things I look for in games). I think you should add more information to the review and edit the bit at the start about the nes (everyone here atleast has thorough knowledge on the nes).

__________________
Click here to download my Sin and Punishment English translation.

Wandering Loner · July 1st, 2004, 13:23

OK thanks for pointing out the lack of music information. Well other than that what else do you think i should add. Your suggestion will be most appreciated.

__________________

I'm the Wandering Loner. I don't really care about what you think 'bout me cuz I ain't concerned

Vanit · July 1st, 2004, 13:31

mmm... I don't think you've actually given the series (and the seperate games) a rating. Tell us where Metal Gear games stand with regards to other games.

__________________
Click here to download my Sin and Punishment English translation.

July 1st, 2004, 10:22	#1
Wandering Loner Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 21	Metal Gear Series review Hi guys. Well i had a lot of free time on my hands and nothingh to do so i wrote this review about the Metal Gear series. I had actually intended to post it on my site but my site is still under construction and so i thought that i will post it on the NGEMU message boards first. The original one had many screenshots but this one doesn't (i guess i was too lazy to upload many of those screen shots). If you want to read the original one then visit me at www.justemulation.tripod.com some time later when it is finished. Please keep in mind that there are supposed to be screen shots at some places in this review but they are missing but they will be available in the completed version that will be on my site. ...and so the review starts... Guess Who? a guys picture sneaking up on someone Well you would have probably guessed it anyway. Its Solid Snake from the famous Metal Gear series. Oh Yeah! if you think that you know too much then try answering this one, here goes... Which is THE first game ever to be released in this series? Answer: * You jump up and down happily thinking you know the answer* and you say it's Metal Gear Solid. If your answer is Metal Gear Solid for the Playstation then you are absolutely WRONG!!!. Yes you read it correct. I want to share some useful information with you that will really surprise you as I recently discovered that many people didn't know about it. Well the truth is that the first Metal Gear Game was released on MSX....what ! you guys don't know what MSX is. It's a computer released long long ago and it was very famous in Japan and European countries but it was completely unknown in the US. Metal Gear was released only on MSX in 1987 ( the year in which I was born!!!) but the US gamers also wanted to play it so Konami released it on NES in 1988. It used cartridges instead of CDs and it was quite famous in its time. you scratch your head hard thinking what on earth is this guy talking about! Well you don't believe me , ok fine why don't you see for yourself below. These are the screenshots from the game Metal Gear of the MSX. These are the screenshots from the game Metal Gear of the NES console. Metal Gear for the MSX was a Heart Stopper of its time. It had nice graphics (back then of course) and it had a very nice story but the only bad thing that happened was that when Konami made a NES version of Metal Gear it altered the story a LITTLE bit. The true hardcore fans of this series still think that the Metal Gear for the MSX was better. Anyways, both the games were like a revolution in the world of gamming as they introduced the concept of stealth. These games had less of head-on fighting and more of sneaking and hiding in the shadows kind of a thing. Ok now let me ask you that which was the second game in the series and if your answer is still Metal Gear Solid then you are absolutely WRONG again!!! The second game was Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and it was also for MSX. As always it was a real hit. again the US fans of Metal Gear were kept wanting for more and so Konami made another game for the NES console specially for the US fans and it was called Metal gear 2: Snake's Revenge. All the games except for MG2: Snake's Revenge were the idea of and were made under the supervision of a man called Hideo Kojima but MG2: Snake's Revenge was made by a separate team of Konami staff. Even though this game bears the series' name and the main character but it had an irrelevant story, more of head-on fighting and for the first and only time ever solid snake was made the leader of a group of commandos whome he could rely on and meet up during the mission. It had an un-Metal-Gear-like gameplay and an uncool story line and so Konami no longer refers to the events depicted in Snake's Revenge in its official Metal Gear literature (like Metal Gear Solid's instruction manual). Well here are the screen shots form Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and Metal Gear 2 : Snakes Revenge anyway. Metal Gear 2 : Solid Snake (....well forget just a few screenshots here's a complete intro sequence of the game. Enjoy!) Click here to view the intro sequence as an animated GIF file Metal Gear 2 : Snake's Revenge Then after these two Metal gear 2s, Metal Gear Solid was released for Sony Playstation. This is, of course, the big one. Perhaps one of the most anticipated and most hyped games in history, Metal Gear Solid took what was really a niche franchise and turned it into a gaming household name. MGS has a really good story line and it is called an 'interactive movie" due to the movie-like introduction and opening credits that roll while you're playing, all the way to the end of the game. It had very nice graphics and pushed the Playstation to its limits. The PC version of MGS shipped 2 years later in the year 2000. In year 1999 another MGS game was shipped and it was called MGS Integral/VR mission. It had the same story as the original MGS with a few added bonuses here and there and it also had an extra CD called VR missions. The original Metal Gear Solid package consisted of only two discs, and both contained only the game. Integral not only added a variety of elements to the first two discs but also included a VR Missions disc for fans of the surprisingly addictive VR training simulation. It contains literally hundreds of new missions that use the virtual reality motif of the original game's training simulation. These missions vary much more widely in range and complexity, however. Entire sets of missions are devoted to honing your skills with all of the weapons found in Metal Gear Solid's story mode. Many missions feature the use of items like the cardboard box or cigarettes, and the later missions contain some very intricate puzzles. Of much more interest is the VR disc's ninja mode, which lets you take control of the ninja character (complete with his own moves) for a grand total of three missions. Unlocking the ninja demands an incredible display of skill in the story mode. Then in the Year 2000 a Metal Gear game was released for the Game Boy Color. It was Originally called Metal Gear Ghost Babel but when it was hit the stores in the US it was renamed to Metal Gear Solid ( I wonder why...) but this name is quite misleading as this game was totally different from the original MGS for the Playstation. As always this game is really involving and has a lot of stealth usage apart from having a good story line. After the success of these games Konami made Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of liberty for Playstation 2 and then came Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance which was the same as MGS2: Sons of Liberty but the only difference was that MGS2: Substance had a few extra VR missions.( Personally I really don't like the story of MGS2 as it sucks. I was half way through the game and I couldn't figure out what was the story all about and even the ending made no sense to me. I don't want to spoil it for you so finish the game yourself and try to understand the story but keep in mind that this is my own personal opinion as I was unable to understand the story but I don't want to discourage you from playing the game. Besides, it had excellent gameplay and graphics) Well anyway after MGS2 the next game waiting in line to be released is Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. It is a promising game as it has very good graphics and gameplay. Recently Konami announced a new Metal gear game which is going to be released on Sony's new console called PSP ( playstation Portable) and the game is called Metal Gear Acid. It is said that this game is quite different from its predecessors so lets wait and find out Apart from all these games there are two more Metal Gear games. One of them is for the XBOX and its called Metal Gear Solid X. It is said that this game is a port of MGS2: Sons of Liberty to the XBOX. I really don't know much about this game as I haven't played it. I don't even know if it has been released yet but since it is for the XBOX then it is sure to be packed with mind blowing graphics and gameplay. Another Metal Gear game has also been released for Nintendo Gamecube and it is called Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes. It is a remake of the Original Metal Gear Solid game for the Playstation. this game is exploding with stunning graphics and in this Solid Snake can do much more than he could in the original. For example, now he can go into the first person view and shoot. Well he couldn't do this in the original. ( too bad I don't have a Gamecube sniff...)That's all the Metal Gear that you people can ever have in one place ( phew it's finally over) Now you know all there is about Metal Gear series and if you are a Metal Gear fan then I'm sure that you already knew all this ...or did you?? ( Note : 1. It would be really wrong for me to take the entire credits for writing this review. While I wrote this review I constantly kept referring to 'The History of Metal Gear' section found at www.gamespot.com. This section has detailed review on all the Metal Gear games except for MGS X and MGS the Twin snakes and it is written by Brad Shoemaker and is designed by Collin Oguro. I got alot of information from this section and I did copy and paste a LITTLE text from there. Therefore major credits go to these two guys. 2. if you think that I have made any mistake in my above summary about Metal Gear series or I have missed out something then please tell me. my e-mail address is the_mastermind_007@hotmail.com) __________________ I'm the Wandering Loner. I don't really care about what you think 'bout me cuz I ain't concerned Last edited by Wandering Loner; July 1st, 2004 at 13:26..

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July 1st, 2004, 11:13	#2
Vanit Heretic Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Australia! Posts: 2,764	Its a good read but not really a review. You didn't even mention the music in the series (good music is one of the things I look for in games). I think you should add more information to the review and edit the bit at the start about the nes (everyone here atleast has thorough knowledge on the nes). __________________ Click here to download my Sin and Punishment English translation.

July 1st, 2004, 13:23	#3
Wandering Loner Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 21	OK thanks for pointing out the lack of music information. Well other than that what else do you think i should add. Your suggestion will be most appreciated. __________________ I'm the Wandering Loner. I don't really care about what you think 'bout me cuz I ain't concerned

July 1st, 2004, 13:31	#4
Vanit Heretic Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Australia! Posts: 2,764	mmm... I don't think you've actually given the series (and the seperate games) a rating. Tell us where Metal Gear games stand with regards to other games. __________________ Click here to download my Sin and Punishment English translation.