Ask any fan ofMetal Gear Solidto describe its series creator Hideo Kojima, and they’ll probably hail him as the Tarantino of video games — bold praise, but not undeserved. The stealth games that turned Snake into a gaming icon have earned critical acclaim for their challenging gameplay and thought-provoking narratives.
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Since its big debut in 1987, the franchise has come a long way, from being 8-bit pixels to 3D-modeled HD animation, toeven spawning a handful of spin-offs. When it comes to the mainline games, each installment adds something new to the series, be it new combat, a new art style, or a new form of Metal Gear, the infamous bipedal tank the games are centered around. So, grab a cardboard box and some rations, and prepare to crawl through the series of war and tactical espionage to see which stacks up the best.
8Metal Gear
Textbox Storytelling
Metal Gear
The year is 1995. A rookie code-named Solid Snake is sent by his superior Big Boss to investigate a stronghold out in South Africa called Outer Heaven. For his first mission, Snake is tasked with locating their missing squad member, Gray Fox, and gathering whatever info he can about this unknown machine the hostile forces are building, a superweapon labeled Metal Gear.
While the shortest game in the franchise, that doesn’t weaken its accomplishments. As the first stealth game of its kind, it dared to handle adult themes such as terrorism, espionage, mystery, and betrayal as the player discovers that the one leading Outer Heaven was Big Boss all along. Most video game plots in 1987 amounted to saving a princess or stopping aliens. However, besides the last two bosses, most enemies encountered are unmemorable. Not unless there’s someone out there who remembers Coward Duck?
7Metal Gear 2
8-Bit Cinema Action!
Metal Gear 2
Four years after the destruction of Outer Heaven and the supposed death of its treacherous leader, Big Boss returns with an even greater force as he takes over the territory of Zanzibar. With the old threat having returned, and intel of a new and even more powerful Metal Gear in the works, Solid Snake is called into action to stop the ruthless soldier and his mad campaign.
The first in what would be many sequels, Metal Gear 2 goes beyond its technological limitations with a bigger story told through cutscenes. Though it lacks the phenomenal voice acting work fans have come to expect, the second game set the example all future installments would follow. Bigger combat scenarios, unique enemies with their own quirks, the protagonist exchanging philosophy with their opponent, and having a killer soundtrack. Just an example of when video games were starting to feel more like movies.
6Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Cooperative Espionage
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Set in 1974, a rogue group of American soldiers has seized control over the country of Costa Rica. To make matters worse, they’re experimenting with AI technology and a nuclear warhead, plotting to create a new form of deterrence labeled Peace Walker. Hired by a suspicious client, Big Boss and his private military company are tasked with freeing the country and destroying Peace Walker before it becomes operational.
As a once portable game, you control Big Boss, or one of his recruited soldiers, in what marked the first co-op game in the series. You build your forces and equipment by capturing or rescuing staff members and locating hidden documents. The narrative also explores the pros and cons of nuclear deterrence, and if that all sounds too heavy, bear in mind this is happening in a game where you’re fighting singing robots with cardboard boxes. Stop laughing. This is a serious franchise.
5Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
At an offshore decontamination facility, a terrorist group has taken control, holding over a dozen captives as ransom, including the US President. On his first mission, Raiden is sent to infiltrate and save the hostages. Yet what started as a rescue operation, spirals into a conspiracy of secrets and lies as Raiden discovers an unknown organization called The Patriots is pulling the strings.
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Once considered the black sheep of the series, MGS 2 has earned a cult following for its standout writing. Where some science-fiction stories age poorly, this one has stood the test of time for its almost terrifyingly accurate predictions of information control and the dangers of artificial intelligence. Despite possessing the worst escort mission ever conceived, the swordplay and boss fights make it worth it. Although Raiden’s first outing was met with some discontent, he got better in the sequels. It only cost him an arm and a leg. Plus two more.
4Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
War Has Changed
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
In the dystopian future of 2014, the world is in an age of control. The Patriots have command over the media, guns, and even how war is waged. When Liquid emerges with an army of mercenaries at his disposal, he plans to hijack the Patriots’ tools. To stop his twisted brother from dooming the world, Snake undertakes what will be his final mission, battling PMCs, war machines, and his own aging body.
Although not the last game in the series, MGS 4 is where the story of Solid Snake concludes, making it among the most heartbreaking. The writing and acting are phenomenal, and the gunplay is some of the best in the series. However, it tries too hard to wrap up every plotline, leading to a lot of exposition with little gameplay, making it the longest story. The cutscenes alone run the length of around seven to nine hours. Pack extra rations.
3Metal Gear Solid
The Best is Yet to Come
Metal Gear Solid
When a nuclear weapons facility out in Alaska is hijacked by a team of rogue special forces, Solid Snake is pulled out of retirement. With the threat of a nuclear strike and a new Metal Gear in development, Snake faces one of the most challenging missions of his life when he discovers the lead terrorist is his exact duplicate, code-named Liquid Snake.
Pocket Power: Metal Gear Solid
When it comes to classic gaming, you can’t getmore influential than the first MGS. With a story that explores the origins of Solid Snake, the game possesses some of the most memorable cutscenes and boss battles in the franchise, along with the most iconic Metal Gear. As the first in the series to use 3D models, while the original PS1 graphics and controls haven’t aged well, the soundtrack, voice work, and stealth gameplay have stood the test of time.
2Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
The Man Who Sold The World
Metal Gear Solid 5 The Phantom Pain
In 1984, Big Boss awakens from a 9-year coma to rebuild his forces and seek revenge on the one who took everything from him: Skull Face. Maimed and disfigured, his quest will take him from the deserts of Afghanistan to the jungles of Africa, all the way to a confrontation with one of the most bizarre yet terrifying Metal Gears in the franchise.
An epic open world with loads to do, multiple ways to approach each mission, and a story possessing a twist ending that turned the entire franchise on its head, it’s also the darkest entry, showing scenes of torture, mutilation, and child soldiers. The game would be considered a masterpiece if it weren’t for one problem. It’s incomplete. Due toKonamifiring lead director Hideo Kojima before completion, an entire chapter is missing from the game, leaving a gaping plot hole that you’re just supposed to accept.
Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes is unlisted as it’s more or less part of the same game.
1Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
What A Thrill
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
In 1964, a young Big Boss is tasked by his government to locate and sabotage a new Soviet weapon that could spell the end of the Cold War. Alone, he’ll have to sneak and fight his way past an army of trained Russians to the heart of enemy territory, destroy the weapon, and then assassinate the defector aiding them, his mentor, the woman who taught him everything he knows.
This is where it all begins. If you’re a newcomer looking for which game to start, you can’t do better. It’s a complete package with a balance between combat, stealth, and story. BeforeMetal Gear Solid 3, Big Boss was known only as the series’ original antagonist. This was the game that changed everything, showing fans another side to him before his fall from grace. Also, this is the only game where you can capture and eat snakes for stamina. You can’t beat that.
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