5/5 ★ – RawMetal's review of Metal Gear Solid.

System: PlayStation Started: June 2014 Ended: July 2014 Flashback Review Having completed Metal Gear Rising, I have the willpower to tackle the series, starting with the most popular first game, Metal Gear Solid. Metal Gear Solid was my first original PlayStation game I played and finished, unlike my early years of playing a few PlayStation One games during family visits but never completing any. Around the mid-2010’s, I picked up this game from a friend of mine in high school who was willing to sell his old game collection. Among his collections was the Metal Gear Solid Essential Collection that came with the first three Metal Gear Solid games, which he offered at a fair price. As a Nintendo kid from long ago, my knowledge of Metal Gear Solid was through YouTube videos of the top 10 games list and on TV shows like X-Play. Stealth games were not really my thing back then, and I remember playing Zelda: The Wind Waker with that stealth segment as my first introduction with this gameplay genre. I'm sure the "Solid" in the title could be a nod to the protagonist's name, Solid Snake, or this game marks the first in the series of going into 3D gameplay and cinematic storytelling. I was hooked with the game's blockbuster action story, reminiscent of both action and spy movies like James Bond and Escape from New York and L.A. The game did deliver a series of boss battles, notably the battle with Psycho Mantis, Gray Fox, and Revolver Ocelot. The dialogue may have been cheesy, but it became memorable, often quoted by fans. The soundtrack, particularly the Encounter theme, became so iconic that you'll know exactly where this soundtrack comes from without booting up the game. I played this game on an actual PlayStation One system and controller without the analog feature. I could not play this game on my PlayStation 2 console because I needed a PlayStation 1 memory card. Playing this game with that original D-Pad PlayStation controller was very uncomfortable. I remember having difficulties in adjusting my aim with the Rocket Launcher and Sniper Rifle during the battle with Sniper Wolf. I realized that Metal Gear Solid was not compatible with the analog features, which was lame. The backtracking parts, particularly the segment involving the Thermo Key, was a common problem that fans complained about in this game. While I understand the criticism, it didn't bother me too much; it felt like a reasonable part of the gameplay. With an action-packed story and memorable characters, I get it that Metal Gear Solid is a well-beloved game in the PlayStation One library. This is clearly a must-play for everyone, even for stealth beginners like me at the time. This is also rated as one of my favorites in the Metal Gear series. In fact, it's runner-up. After finishing with this game, it made me want to continue to play the other sequels.