Kojima's Game Classic, Metal Gear
20th Anniversary Origins of Tactical Espionage Action Video Games
The year is 1995. Near South Africa, a military base called Outer Heaven has emerged and is said to house a weapon of mass destruction known as Metal Gear.
A U.S. special forces group called FOX-HOUND was sent to infiltrate the base, but they lost contact with their lead operative Grey Fox.
So, you (code named Solid Snake), a rookie to the group, are sent in to rescue Grey Fox and destroy Metal Gear, a walking tank capable of launching nuclear weapons.
And so begins the game that spawned 4 direct sequels (with a 5th on the way) and several spin-offs.
Stealth Action
Released in 1987, Metal Gear differed from most other video games at the time. Rather than running around and shooting anything that moved, the focus was on avoiding all confrontation with the enemy.
The player starts with no weapons, so until one is found, they have either be very patient and hide from the bad guys, or find a way to eliminate them silently.
Even when a handgun is found, using it isn't advisable. The sound of a gun shot, even in an empty room, alerts nearby guards who will rush in. In fact, alerting guards is a big problem. If the player is spotted, an exclamation mark appears above their heads and back-up is quick to arrive.
On the old MSX computer system and later, the Nintendo Entertainment System, all this was very ahead of its time, though the concept would later spawn other stealth games like Thief, Splinter Cell and Manhunt.
MSX versus NES
Metal Gear, created by Hideo Kojima, was originally released on the MSX personal computer platform, but the game didn't gain mass popularity until it was ported to the NES 6 months later.
For unknown reasons, there were many differences between the 2, for example:
- The MSX version opens with Snake swimming right up to the front door of Outer Heaven while the NES version opens in the jungle and the base must first be found before being infiltrated.
- The music was changed and several conversations over Snake's portable radio were lost on the NES version.
Metal Gear would also end up being released on several other platforms, including the Commodore 64, IBM PC, PlayStation 2 and there was a cellphone version in 2004.
The PlayStation 2 version game was bundled with the Subsistence edition of Metal Gear Solid 3 and was the original MSX version, with a few updates. The game was retranslated to eliminate some of the "Engrish" that was present in the original and they added in the ability to find inferred beams by lighting up a cigarette (a trick that wasn't introduced until the sequel, Solid Snake)
Series Revival
A direct sequel, Metal Gear: Solid Snake was released for the MSX in 1990 but then the series stayed quiet until 1998's Metal Gear Solid for the Sony PlayStation.
Metal Gear Solid took full advantage of the PlayStation platform: CG animated cut scenes, 3D graphics, first-person view and a lot more buttons on the controller.
What is interesting though, were how many elements from the original 8-bit game were kept.
- Hiding in a cardboard box is still one the best ways to remain stealthy,
- The electrified floor that needs to be shut down with a remote controlled missile
- Random trap doors
- Bosses named after their weapons of choice (Shotmaker with his shotgun to Revolver Ocelot with revolvers.)
Two Decades Later
Twenty years after the initial release of Metal Gear, it still endures. Kojima has been very consistent with his writing and the plot lines in the modern 3D games still reflects the story line of their 8-bit predecessors.
Given the extreme evolution of the series, though, it'll be exciting to see what Kojima has in store in his latest installment.
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