It is the brainchild of genius developer Hideo Kojima, his vision of what a video game should be. Not a frantic shooter set thousands of light years from Earth on a massive ring, nor a happy-go-lucky tromp through the sewers of a mushroom infested kingdom, but a perfect combination of engrossing stealth action and striking cinematic prestige.
You may have noticed the new look for my blog. Meet Solid Snake. He will be the face of the Lair of Funk for the next while. Snake is the heart of Metal Gear Solid; the brave and daring hero any good story needs to truly capture its audience. Starting with this article, and continuing throughout the next few weeks, I'll provide some insight into the life of Snake and his incredible franchise, from inception to conclusion.
So without further ado, I present...
Metal Gear Solid: A Retrospect
It was 1986. While the rest of the world was infatuated with the latest Michael Jackson records, Rubik's Cubes, and tighter-than-socially-acceptable leg wear, an aspiring young Japanese video game designer found himself working in the MSX computer software division of Konami. His name was Hideo Kojima, and little did he know his own epic creation would revolutionize action gaming, garner millions of rabid fans, and inspire a legacy spanning two decades (and counting).
Kojima's first few titles weren't exactly successful. A strange penguin adventure, followed by the hideously titled "Lost Warld" [sic] were not what one would call successful. He wasn't well educated in game design, in fact, he had considered becoming a film maker instead. It was the achievements of esteemed developers like Shigeru Miyamoto that led him to the gaming industry, and he might have left Konami if not for that inspiration.
Luckily, film making was not in the cards for Kojima-san, and soon he had developed his breakaway hit: Metal Gear. Launching in 1987 on the MSX2, it followed the exploits of young FOXHOUND agent Solid Snake, and revolutionized action gaming as it was then known. At the time, gaming was all about action, guns, shooting, and pixelated explosions (...times have changed, haven't they?), with the odd tubby plumber or green clad warrior saving a princess or two. But the premise was the same: shoot first, ask questions later. Metal Gear offered something new.
Being sneaky was something developers had never thought of before. It was bold; it was fresh; it was a risk. But a risk that payed off. Instead of rushing into the field guns-blazing, players had the option (well, not so much option as requirement) to infiltrate the enemy's location in a more stealthy manner. Sure, you had a gun, but it was really a last resort; you'd never find enough ammunition to kill everyone anyway. So players quietly sneaked through the enemies' lair, called "Outer Heaven" in an attempt to rescue another FOXHOUND operative: Grey Fox.
Grey Fox was assigned to the independent state Outer Heaven to investigate rumours of WMD production, but hadn't been heard from since. It was up to Snake to infiltrate the enemy's HQ, rescue Grey Fox, and discover the truth about Outer Heaven. On the orders of Big Boss, the commanding officer of FOXHOUND, Snake crept his way past insurmountable odds and fought through innumerable battles, armed with only a sneaking suit and a pack of smokes, until he finally found his fellow operative. Grey Fox then revealed Outer Heaven's big secret: a mechanized, nuclear-equipped walking tank, codenamed Metal Gear. Snake raced to the core of the base, where the ultimate showdown between the young agent and the bipedal behemoth took place, ending in a stunning victory for our stealthy hero.
But the game wasn't over yet.
It turned out the leader and founder of Outer Heaven was none other than Solid Snake's own C.O.: Big Boss. In one final battle, Snake fought and defeated his mentor, escaping the installation before it self-destructed. Did this mean the end of "Big Boss"? In a final message, the corrupt commander vowed, "Solid Snake...Someday, I'll get even with you."
What did this final transmission mean? It was a mystery.
***
In honour of tomorrow's historical release of one of the most ridiculously hyped video games of all time--Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots-- I will continue this epic multi-part retrospect into the coming weeks, ultimately leading up to my final review of MGS4 (provided, of course, that I manage to actually obtain a Playstation 3 to play it with). Let the anticipation begin!
-Funkin' out
