Metal Gear Solid

The Best “Metal Gear Solid” Games

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Legendary game designer, Hideo Kojima has been one of the gaming industry’s auteurs for nearly forty years. Kojima’s flagship franchise, Metal Gear Solid has been the gold standard for stealth action games and has often been imitated. Game series like Splinter Cell have tried to recapture Kojima’s formula to no avail. Since 1998, Metal Gear Solid has captured gamers’ imagination with its blend of American conspiracy theory, pop culture, and general weirdness.

The hero of the series, Solid Snake has become an icon in video game history. The character’s gruff demeanor and iconic appearance were always instantly recognizable to even the most casual fan. His exploits have been well documented over the course of several games, even when he wasn’t the main protagonist. Narrowing down what Metal Gear Solid games were the best was an act of splitting hairs. With the announcement of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, we ranked the five best entries the franchise has offered thus far.

5. Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes (2004)

1998’s Metal Gear Solid was a revelation for gamers around the world. It pushed the limits of what the PlayStation could produce in terms of graphics and sound. But its biggest accomplishment was giving gamers an epic (and often cinematic) game experience like no other. Years after its release, designer Hideo Kojima would help usher in a remake.

Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes built upon the groundwork of the original game and gave players a wholly new experience. With new cinematics directed by Ryuhei Kitamura (Versus), Twin Snakes updated its source material for the current hardware of its time. The game was a massive hit with both fans and critics and redefined the inaugural classic.

4. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty (2001)

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty was something of a bait and switch at the time of its release. Fans of the original Metal Gear Solid were primed to take control of Solid Snake in the much-anticipated sequel. However, players quickly learned the game focused on a new protagonist, Raiden.

The change was met with some trepidation. However, gamers eventually became acclimated to the new hero, who would go on to become a fan favorite of the franchise. The updated graphic fidelity and improved gameplay the PlayStation 2 lent to the series outweighed the game’s lack of Snake. Sons of Liberty stood out for its complex narrative, which was equally convoluted and ridiculous.

3. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010)

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker was a rather large hallmark for the series for a couple of key reasons. First, the game pushed the capabilities of Sony’s PlayStation Portable system beyond even what the previous Metal Gear game could on the system. Furthermore, it ushered in new gameplay mechanics that would resurface in later releases such as the “Mother Base.”

The game was a prequel set in 1974 in Costa Rica. Players take control of Big Boss, operating under the codename Snake, to combat a paramilitary group known as the “Peace Sentinels.” The game’s highly geopolitical story was outstanding and played into real-world militaristic anxieties. Sadly, the game did not perform financially well. This was mostly due to it being relegated to a handheld gaming system that was on its way out.

2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)

This game was nuts. Plain and simple. The production of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was littered with turmoil. Game director, Hideo Kojima disagreed with his publisher, Konami over the company’s restructuring. This led to Kojima parting ways with Konami. The game was released to stellar reception, but it was criticized for having content removed.

While the reason for the omission of the 51st and final mission from the game had been attributed to the Konami/Kojima tensions, it was ultimately hearsay. Regardless of what really happened behind the scenes, the final product players received was still outstanding. Moreover, The Phantom Pain gave players one of the most insane stories the series has ever produced, even by its own gonzo standards. Despite feeling oddly truncated, The Phantom Pain was Kojima’s swansong that was the culmination of thirty years of gaming innovation.

1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots (2008)

While not the final game in the franchise, Guns of the Patriots was the last story arc for Solid Snake. The game took place in 2014, set five years after the events of the Sons of Liberty. The story followed a rapidly aging Snake on one last mission to assassinate the series villain, Liquid Ocelot. Entrenched in technobabble and militaristic conspiracy theory, Guns of the Patriots undoubtedly hit all the hallmarks fans were hoping it would.

The game’s emotional weight helped buoy the transgressive storytelling, which cultivated a satisfying narrative climax. Guns of the Patriots improved upon the graphics and gameplay of previous entries. It also became a high watermark for action games, across the boards. This was truly a piece of art that deserved all the praise it received.

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Video Game Remakes: 5 Underappreciated Releases

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Remakes in pop culture are nothing new. In fact, countless classic films were remakes of pictures from the silent era, and the trend has never slowed. If anything, remakes have become omnipresent across almost all forms of media. Films, television shows, and video games are filthy with remakes and reboots, for better and worse. Regarding video games, remakes, remasters, and reboots have become the industry norm.

With graphic capabilities and intuitive playability constantly improving, it only makes sense that gamers would be more inclined to revisit their favorite experiences. Recent remake releases such as Dead Space, The Last of Us Part 1, and Resident Evil 4 have all been massive hits and tentpole entries into video game canon. However, some video remakes have not found the same level of broad appeal as these aforementioned titles. Here are just a few that could use a bit more celebration for their improvement on the source material.

5. Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty! (2014)

Oddworld Inhabitants’ 2014 remake of their 1997 PlayStation cult classic Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee was nothing short of a revelation. The remake Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty reinvents the world of our Mudokon protagonist Abraham Lure by jettisoning into the realm of 2.5D. This may sound like a small leap forward, but the improved graphic fidelity creates a new gameplay experience. The hostile world of Abe was rendered gorgeously. All that means is the 1997 original had been kept intact and improved in almost every conceivable way.

The Oddworld franchise has always had a rabid fan base. However, Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty should have had a broader appeal. It made the puzzle platforming far more accessible by adding tighter controls and a difficulty setting, something the original game did not grace players with. While the follow-up, Oddworld: Soulstorm (2021), did not live up to the promise of its predecessor, Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty remains a masterful remake of a cult favorite that should have had a much broader audience.

4. Strider (2014)

The 1989 hack-n-slash platformer Strider was an arcade favorite for gamers looking for a tough-as-nails challenge. Players took control of the manga character Strider Hiryu and traversed a dystopian cyberpunk world. Wielding a plasma sword known as “Cypher,” gamers were besieged by legions of vicious enemies and increasingly difficult platforming obstacles. The game would later be ported to home consoles, to diminishing returns.

However, in 2014, developer Double Helix Games breathed new life into Strider on the PlayStation 3. This version of the game was a reboot that gave the graphics and controls a tight reconfiguration. Despite not having the designer of the original arcade release, Kouichi Yotsui, the game maintained the spirit of the original. It preserved the clever level of design and bone-crushing difficulty. Strider (2014) kept the core mechanics firmly planted in the confines of a 2D platformer. But it was fresh for gamers who might be more inclined to play in a 3D environment.

3. Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes (2004)

Hideo Kojima’s 1998 PlayStation release Metal Gear: Solid was ground-breaking. Kojima defined the stealth game based on the framework of the 1987 NES predecessor Metal Gear. Six years after Metal Gear: Solid’s release, Kojima redesigned the game with the 2004 remake Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes for the Nintendo GameCube. Twin Snakes featured updated graphics and gameplay mechanics, similar to 2001’s Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.

The game also included new cut scenes written and directed by renowned Japanese filmmaker Ryuhei Kitamura, further galvanizing the franchise’s cinematic tone. Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes was a financial and critical hit. However, there has yet to be a rerelease at the time of this writing. The underappreciation of the game has stemmed from its confinement to an oddball Nintendo console with a wonky controller.

2. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena/Escape From Butcher Bay (2009)

Movie tie-in video games have historically been universally regarded as a cynical cash grab. For every X-Men Origins: Wolverine (a game that trumps the movie it was based on tenfold), there were dozens of cheaply produced bargain bin releases littering game store shelves. One of the best examples of a movie tie-in game breaking the cycle was the 2004 Xbox release The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. The game also acts as a prequel to the films Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick. It’s the most fun you can have pretending to be Vin Diesel.

In 2009 The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena was released. Further, this title included a remake of Butcher Bay and a sequel campaign. The remake and additional content improved upon the stealth mechanics. It also featured enhanced graphics and sound design, taking advantage of the next-gen technology of the time. Butcher Bay is a must-play for gamers looking for a first-person experience not focused on shoot-em-up set pieces. The remake (and its sequel) feel more like an expansion of an insane sci-fi property than just trite studio-mandated merchandise.

1. Rygar: The Legendary Adventure (2002)

The 1986 side-scrolling arcade game, Rygar, was a hit at the time of its release. Utilizing a unique weapon known as the “Diskarmor,” players took control of a legendary warrior to traverse a hostile world inspired by Greek Mythology. It only made sense for a remake to rear its head eventually. In 2002, developer Tecmo revisited the property with Rygar: The Legendary Adventure for the PlayStation 2.

This was one of the best remakes no one seems to talk about. Incorporating solid 3D platforming and combat, Rygar: The Legendary Adventure almost acts as a precursor to the God of War franchise. The combo hit system, and incredible soundtrack, also gave the remake a sense of epic scope. While there are certainly things to take issue with, most notably the amount of downtime, the game was way ahead of its time.