“It should be on the back of the CD case,” splutters
ArmsTech president Kenneth Baker of Meryl’s
Codec number, setting into motion the next step
in the storyline. Cue hours of searching the game’s
world for a CD case and coming up empty handed
- only to discover he meant the physical game box
itself. Cunning.
CLASSIC MOMENT
Floating superfreak Psycho Mantis continued Metal
Gear Solid’s love of fourth-wall breaks by “reading
your mind”. During the battle, he commented on
other Konami games if your memory stick contained
appropriate save data, and anticipated your
movements unless you unplugged your controller
and put it back into the PS1’s fourth port.
CLASSIC BOSS
02
R
epackaging a top-down
NES adventure series into a
fully 3D stealth epic, Metal
Gear Solid was an early
statement of intent that a new breed
of game developers wanted to align
themselves closer to the big-budget
blockbusters typically reserved for
Hollywood’s cinema output.
Featuring a convoluted, complex plot
told through hours upon hours of
cut-scenes and dialogue, interspersed
with tightly knit stealth sections,
lavish action sequences, zany boss
battles and sweeping, film-esque
cinematography, Konami’s PS1 classic
propelled writer and director Hideo
Kojima to legendary status in the
development scene.
Metal Gear Solid introduced a new
audience to the world of spy-cum-
special-ops-agent Solid Snake, and
bombarded him with the tools to
approach the pseudo-sandbox world as
he pleased; all-guns blazing with heavy
weaponry, or softly-softly, neck-snappy
stealth with slinky cover systems
and chaff grenades for knocking out
security cameras. And with those
tools came great challenge, as hugely
advanced AI systems that would track
you by footprints or noises proved to be
formidable foes.
Featuring violence, swearing, nudity
and the odd fourth-wall breaking
puzzle, it was a pivotal moment in
gaming history as the industry began to
explore new ideas and territories.