Metal Gearlaunched as a series in 1987 as a game for Japanese computers. This would then turn into an NES game and the series grew from there. It is now over thirty years old and it seemed like the franchise was deadfollowing Hideo Kojima’sdeparture.
Konami has stuck to their guns to try and make the legacy continue though like withMetal Gear Survive, an HD collection, and the upcomingMetal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. Will there be more? Also, of the many games in the series, which ones play the best? Are there any gimmicks that made the franchise sing? This comparison will attempt to find out.
Metal Gear Survivedid not receive glowing reviews when it launched in 2018, probably because there was still some fan backlash over Kojima leaving Konami. Also, there are faults with it to be sure noted by reviewers from glitches to a lack of launch content. However, those who gave it a true shot appreciated the spinoff for what it was.
As the name might suggest, it wasa survival game. Players could go out, collect materials, build bases and objects, and repeat the process. It was a sound mechanic to base the game on which was engaging despite those aforementioned flaws. It played better than the overall package may suggest.
Metal Gear Solid: VR Missionswas released as a separate game following the success ofMetal Gear Solidon PS1. It was a series of missions that put players in shortstealth game scenarios. Sneak past the guards like this or defeat everyone onscreen like that.
Those are just two examples but these were bite-sized missions with a lot of twists to the gameplay ofMetal Gear Solid. If this was released as a phone game initially or on a dedicated handheld like the PSP, it would have been huge. Other releases in the series would include VR missions too, but the novelty of this original game cannot be beaten.
4Metal Gear Acid 2
A 3D Card Tactical RPG
Metal Gear Acidwas a spinoff for the PSP, setting Solid Snake in an alternate universe. Players still snuck around battlefields, but they did it using cards and the maps were grid-based like in a tactical RPG. It was a solid entry, but the sequel cranked the wild notch up a bit.
The gameplay was better between the card choices and movement abilities, it was cel-shaded giving it more pizazz, and there were more classic outrageous boss battles. It’s everything a sequel should be to surpass its predecessor. It’s a shame there have only been twotactical card gamesbecause the gameplay hooks fit right in with the main entries.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeancealmost did not happen because of trouble behind the scenes at Konami. Eventually, the project was taken over largelyby a third-party developer, PlatinumGames, which became a household name for players thanks toBayonetta. They were a studio known for creating killing melee action titles and they did not disappoint with this spinoff starring Raiden.
From cutting robots in half with a single sword slice to extracting spines to recover health, this was one stylistic game. The action felt right at home with how the action played out in mostMetal Geargames. Being cool was the gameplay mechanic essentially. It was zany to the max proving that PlatinumGames understood what made aMetal Geargame entertaining.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eateris an all-time classic entry that brought things back to when Big Boss was just getting started. It introduced a lot of new gameplay mechanics likecovering Big Boss, or Naked Snake, in face paint and different pieces of clothing to camouflage himself. Big Boss would also have to clean his wounds from burns to broken bones.
It was all great stuff but the expanded edition,Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, made things better. Besides the bonus of mini-games and the two original MSX games, the addition of the camera angles made things easier to sneak around. This re-release was the best version of the game at that time, but the base game’s mechanics are still revolutionary to this day.
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Painwas built on the ashes of two PSP games that were reviewed well but weren’t supported because of the weakness of the system outside of Japan. Those games would beMetal Gear Solid: Portable OpsandMetal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. They introduced the mechanic of Big Boss building up a mercenary army and kidnapping soldiers via balloons.
This balloon mechanic called the Fulton system, allowed players to recruit soldiers and build their base to their liking. It was expanded upon inMetal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, the last game Hideo Kojimaworked on for Konami. It also had better gameplay than any other entry thanks to the ease of use on the controller, the open-world design, and the wealth of options to take down enemies. It was a triumph for the franchise, only beaten out by one other.
