One of the most anticipated titles for the playstation has finally docked on UK shores. Metal Gear Solid from Konami is an action adventure game with a big emphasis on stealth. Move over 007, Solid Snake is here...
A nuclear weapons disposal facility in deepest Alaska has been seized by next generation special forces lead by members of FOXHOUND and if their demands are not met within 24 hours they will launch a nuclear weapon. "Oh no!" I hear you cry "What are we going to do?". There's only one man who can take on a mission of this magnitude. Enter Solid Snake, a former member of FOXHOUND and now retired mercenary. The mission objective for Snake is to infiltrate the base, rescue the DARPA chief, the President of ArmsTech and disable the nuclear attack. Armed with only stealth skills, brainpower, a codec (sort of in-ear videophone system) and a packet of fags Snake prepares for action.
MGS is a fully interactive movie of a game with a very deep storyline, so be prepared to have to listen to and take in a lot of dialogue and cut scenes. When you start Commander Campbell will keep bleeping you on your codec and giving you helpful hints to get you used you used to the controls and functions. As you get further into the base the plot will start to unfold and you will interact with other characters, some good, some not so good. Weapons and gadgets will be acquired along the way and you will encounter a number of FOX HOUND bosses on your travels. All the bosses have different characteristics and you must fight them in different ways, some of which are very clever. There is also a mysterious second infiltrator of the base in the shape of a cyborg ninja but is he friend or foe? In desperate situations you may use your codec to contact colleagues for advice and they will duly oblige.
The standard Genome Soldier guards are usually quite dumb and will patrol their assigned areas with regularity so you must watch their movements and sneak past without them noticing. If the ground surface is particularly loud the guards will be alerted and they will investigate so you must hide. You could also attack them at the risk of bringing attention to yourself and if you are spotted you must get away and find a safe place while the guards search for you. After a while they will forget about you and return to their posts. You are equipped with an on-board radar which shows the guards field of vision and any security cameras which will pick you up and sound the alarm if you get in their line of sight but this is jammed if you are spotted and you must hide and hope.
Solid Snake himself is one cool mutha who is like a cross between Duke Nukem, James Bond and a Ninja. He is a trained assassin who sometimes doesn't seem to like the person he has become but he is damn good at his job. He is a bit of a heart-throb amongst the ladies and likes his gadgets and the odd cigarette.
With full 3-D graphics, an intriguing plot, plenty of action and a movie score soundtrack does MGS live up to the hype?
The graphics in MGS are fully 3D but the camera angles are fixed like resident evil. At the touch of a button you can enter first person perspective mode which allows you to see the world through Snake's eyes. The main characters and scenery visuals are excellent but it is little touches that make it stand out. You can see the cold air when characters breathe and footsteps are left in the snow (careful that the guards don't discover them). Cut scenes are good and judging by the amount of footage you can understand why Konami didn't opt for Full motion video sequences (the actors paypackets would have been a fortune to start with).
From the initial loading of the game you feel as if you are taking part in an interactive movie and this is largely due to the music score. As scenarios change in the game so does the music and if you are spotted by a guard the music suddenly goes up tempo and action-like and your adrenalin starts to flow as you try to escape from the pursuing enemies. The amount of dialogue is also phenomenal and must have taken ages to voice and the actors used to portray the cast play the parts excellently. Spot effects are also good and add to the atmosphere.
After all the hype and anticipation I couldn't wait to get my hands on MGS, but I had this horrible thought at the back of my mind that I might be disappointed as is with alot of other over-hyped products (ie. Independance Day the movie). Now I can breathe a sigh of relief as gladly I was wrong and MGS does live up to the hype and is a big contender for best playstation game ever. From the beginning it is pure class as you watch the introductory sequence and credits fade in and out like a real movie. As you work your way through the first section and the game switches to the next cut scene the credits continue and then the real action begins. There is one element which unfortunately lets MGS down and that is the length of the game and replay value which sadly with so many action/adventure games isn't very high. But I say that it is well worth the money and am off to get my name changed this weekend......Just call me Mr Snake from now on! Now where's that ninja..........
