[Retrograde]: We go back to the beginnings of “Metal Gear Solid”

Difficult beginnings of the snake

When talking about the Metal Gear series, it is impossible not to mention the “father” of the series, Hideo Kojima. In his youth, the Japanese planned an artistic career, trying to write and direct filmmaking, but ambitious plans had to be abandoned due to lack of success and social norms pushing for a “safe” workplace. The video game industry brought this opportunity. After unsuccessful approaches to the titles for the Famicom console, Kojima managed to get to the Konami branch, dealing with productions for the MSX computer.

His first original project was the Lost World platformer, developed in 1986 , but in the end it was not successful. However, a year later, the artist’s career began to look much brighter, thanks to Metal Gear. It is here that players for the first time had to play the role of an agent nicknamed Solid Snake, infiltrate the enemy base and destroy a bipedal mech equipped with nuclear weapons. It was one of the progenitors of the genre of the so-called stealth, then virtually non-existent. This approach was forced by technical difficulties. Due to the limitations of the MSX2 computer, Kojima decided to focus on careful exploration of a relatively small area and avoiding enemies, rather than open confrontations. Unfortunately, as is often the case with prototypes of certain solutions, although in theory they sound interesting today, they did not stand the test of time well. In fact, I would treat Metal Gear these daysmainly as a curiosity, as the beginning of a recognizable series and probably in a similar context, the game appeared on GOG (for some unknown reason, we will not find the continuation of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake on the platform ). The problem is not even the graphics, because the retro style can be liked the most, but the clunky, archaic mechanics can be rejected. However, completely different feelings accompany today’s return to the scene, thanks to which the series caught the wind in its sails for many years …

Two snakes

It took eight years for Snake to appear in the third installment, but it was a spectacular comeback for his time. Metal Gear Solid, debuting on the first PlayStation, can still captivate with numerous elements. We are still dealing with stealth, although the concepts developed in the previous decade have evolved almost beyond recognition, so no one was surprised to give up the number “3” in the title and create a new sub-series. The first MGS reveals Kojima’s former film ambitions, additionally strengthened by his earlier work on two cyberpunk narrative adventures – Snatcher and Policenauts. Contrary to the then standards among widely understood action games, the plot was no longer just a simple pretext for the game, but became an integral part of the created experience. The opening sequence, showing the outline of the story, attracts attention. This time Solid Snake travels to Shadow Moses Island in Alaska to sneak into a terrorist facility led by Liquid Snake, free the hostages and stop the launch of a new mech – Metal Gear REX, equipped with nuclear warheads. It sounds simple, but in practice, with each successive step, the protagonist seems to move further away from the original plan, and the scenario gets complicated, abounding in numerous, sometimes quite absurd plot twists.

In fulfilling Kojima’s film ambitions, a key role was played by the series’ transition to the third dimension. Thanks to this, the story is not only presented in the form of conversations between the characters by CODEC (they have gained full sound, by the way), but also thanks to a good few hours of cutscenes generated on the game engine. While 22 years later the angular and blurry models evoke a smile of pity rather than impress, I must admit that the narrative has nevertheless aged with dignity. The breakthrough presentation can still be enjoyed, especially thanks to the fantastically made dubbing that brought the characters to life , led by the main characterand the iconic role of David Hayter. The formula of the story, which focuses on a pastiche of spy cinema, also helps. A certain amount of self-awareness, demolishing the fourth wall and specific humor work to the benefit of the narrative and allow you to easily absorb not always natural dialogues, and the transitions from too pathetic speeches, through exaggerated confrontations with bosses, to the anti-war message do not seem so chaotic.

Unfortunately, the gameplay did not stand the test of time that well. To be fair, the game was involved in shaping modern stealth, and the Kojima team had to translate quite extensive mechanics into the controller of the first PlayStation. However, this does not change the fact that from today’s perspective, the control seems not very transparent and difficult. Fortunately, we are not dealing here with a game focused only on action and we are able to overcome many stages quietly, so the uncomfortable fight is not such a big obstacle. However, a large part of the campaign was built using elements of adventure games. We will spend some time exploring the facility, in search of appropriate rooms and items. The outdated controls are noticeable mainly during boss fights, especially that the characteristic view from above makes it difficult to orientate yourself in the terrain, which makes skirmishes irritating. However, this is rewarded by a large variety of opponents (requiring completely different tactics), which could serve as a model for many modern games. It is worth noting that the PC version available on GOG differs in some aspect from that available on Sony consoles. A natural advantage is the ability to run the game in a higher resolution and fluency than in the original, as well as a simplified system for saving and loading progress. Unfortunately, the gameplay without an external controller is pointless, because there is no support for the mouse, so the only thing left is extremely inconvenient keyboard control. However, due to the need to adapt the game to the passage without raining,

Sequel without a snake

Metal Gear Solid was well received from both the media and players. At Konami, there had to be confidence that it would not be easy to produce a sequel that would raise the bar even higher. Beating Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyI have the impression that creating the game was primarily about playing with the expectations of fans and trying to create a sequel in many ways unique, although not necessarily satisfying everyone. At first glance, we are dealing here with a classic second part in spirit: more, better, nicer. A few years after the events of the previous installment, Solid Snake, commissioned by an NGO, attempts to infiltrate the ship on which the new Metal Gear model is allegedly hidden. However, collecting the evidence is further complicated by the mysterious mercenaries taking over the ship right after the main character appears on it. Mechanics are a natural development of the mechanics of the predecessor. The controls still leave a lot to be desired (and approaching the game without a controller is pointless again), but Snake’s range of movements has been greatly expanded, giving players new tactical possibilities, especially useful in the face of improved artificial intelligence of their opponents. The enemies do not give up so easily, and if the protagonist disappears from sight, they will search intensively. The real gulf between the two scenes is visible in the visual setting, thanks to the technological leap between the iconic “gray” and PS2. The title is therefore quite pleasing to the eye even years later, and the even better-directed cutscenes are a fantastic service for the suspenseful story that gained momentum in the continuation. Although not actually, because The enemies do not give up so easily, and if the protagonist disappears from sight, they will search intensively. The real gulf between the two scenes is visible in the visual setting, thanks to the technological leap between the iconic “gray” and PS2. The title is therefore quite pleasing to the eye even years later, and the even better-directed cutscenes are a fantastic service for the suspenseful story that has gained momentum in the continuation. Although not actually, because The enemies do not give up so easily, and if the protagonist disappears from sight, they will search intensively. The real gulf between the two scenes is visible in the visual setting, thanks to the technological leap between the iconic “gray” and PS2. The title is therefore quite pleasing to the eye even years later, and the even better-directed cutscenes are a fantastic service for the suspenseful story that gained momentum in the continuation. Although not actually, because and even better-directed cutscenes fantastically serve the suspenseful story that has gained momentum in the continuation. Although not actually, because and even better-directed cutscenes fantastically serve the suspenseful story that has gained momentum in the continuation. Although not actually, becauseMetal Gear Solid 2 is actually a scam prepared with great care.

Despite the marketing focused on the effective mission on the tanker, kept in the spirit of the previous part, the continuation of Snake’s fate is really only an introductory prologue to further events. The majority of the campaign had to be spent as a young Raiden, setting off on his first mission after intensive training in virtual reality. The change of the protagonist from an eternally hoarse, cold tobacco lover to a freshman with a beauty that differs from the canon of stereotypical game tough guys was controversial around the premiere and divided fans (despite the fact that he had practically the same set of movements as Snake in the prologue). Discovering Metal Gear Solid 2from today’s perspective, and thus not taking part in the long-awaited direct continuation, it is difficult to object to such a decision, on the contrary – the campaign spreads wings from now on. Already the previous edition focused on a genre pastiche, but here Kojima’s team went all the way, serving a highly self-ironic story. Raiden’s mission on the oil rig is largely a parody of the original Metal Gear Solid.

The next points of the scenario remix the themes that appeared during the Solid Snake mission on Shadow Moses Island, undermining the habits of players and, in general, the construction of the game as a medium. At the same time, the relatively realistic setting of the previous installment breaks down and the story is much more rooted in the spirit of cyberpunk, although there is also a place for a vampire. Surprisingly, despite some extremely absurd scenes and plot twists , the more serious second bottom of the plot is successfully echoed – strongly anti-war and drawing attention to the importance of information in the digital world and the development of artificial intelligence.

Unfortunately, also this time the PC version leaves a lot to be desired. Fortunately, you can deal with this fact very easily by installing the unofficial V’s Fix , which allows you to easily change controls and configure graphics settings, including support for high screen resolutions and 16: 9 aspect ratio. Consoles can also take advantage of the HD edition released for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PS Vita.

The snake is still agile

Despite the technical imperfections of the ports, the classic versions of Metal Gear on GOG are a very good proposition for players who have not dealt with the cycle so far or have only played the crowning and relatively fresh MGS V series . While the oldest part is quite difficult to digest, the next two not only can be considered classics defining contemporary trends, but they still defend themselves in many respects. Even the angular graphics of Metal Gear Solid do not detract from the fantastically drawn, multi-threaded espionage story, full of expressive characters. Sequel, Sons of Liberty, on the other hand, it captivates with the expectations of players, which are rare in the medium of play, atypically transforming well-known motifs and developing stealth mechanics, which still ensure an impressive complexity of the gameplay.