G4TV

ORIGINALLY AIRED: 10/28/2004

Metal Gear Solid

Episode #316

If you've played any action games within the past six or so years, chances are you've heard of a stealth-action title called Metal Gear Solid. Actually, Metal Gear Solid is considered by many to be the game that truly defined the stealth genre and was one of the most important games that you could own for the Sony Playstation. Defined by its deep storyline, inventive gameplay and sharp, cool visual style, the series has become one of the most popular and beloved of gamers. However, this wasn't always the case.

The Metal Gear series stared as a little action game called Metal Gear that was released for the MSX (a console never seen in the U.S.) in 1987 by the then-newbie game developer, Hideo Kojima. Though it may seem difficult to imagine now with the wide range of stealth titles available on today's market, the very idea of having to use stealth in an action game was perceived by Kojima's superiors at the time as strange. In fact, the former film buff considered quitting the company if the idea for Metal Gear died before it was made. However, Konami decided to go ahead and develop the game, and a legend was born. In response to the title's success on the MSX system, it was ported to the Famicom and the Nintendo Entertainment System in the U.S.

Following the enormous sales of the first Metal Gear in the US, Konami got a different team to work on a title called Metal Gear 2: Snake's Revenge. However, Snake's Revenge was considered a terrible game due to its ridiculous storyline and marked difference in gameplay in comparison to the original. For these reasons and the fact that Kojima himself never worked on the title, the game and its terrible story have been excised from official Metal Gear literature. However, fans of the game in Japan were treated to a much better sequel in the form of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, which was released exclusively for the MSX in 1990. Kojima provided the story for the game, which introduced the character of Roy Campbell for the first time.

Though gamers would not hear of Metal Gear again for another seven years, Kojima started planning for a new Metal Gear title after hearing about the debut of the Sony Playstation. In 1996, he helped form Konami Computer Entertainment Japan as a branch of the Konami Corporation in order to develop his new project, Metal Gear Solid, for the Playstation. For the first time, Solid Snake was put in a 3-D environment where perspective could play a role in stealth maneuvers. To help give the game a distinct look, Kojima hired rookie designer Yoji Shinkawa to work on character design and development. Their collaboration resulted in a seamlessly cinematic experience that took the breath away from gamers and critics alike when a video of the game debuted at E3 1997 in Atlanta. When the game was finally released in September 1998, it flew off the shelves, eventually selling 6 million copies.

Bowing to consumer and investor demand, work on a sequel began soon after the release of the game. However, Kojima decided again to push for a release on the then-upcoming Playstation 2, creating anticipation for both the game and the system. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was released in 2001 to much fanfare, but some gamers were put off by the overwhelmingly long cinematic scenes and most of all, the fact that the player must switch characters from Snake to Raiden for a large portion of the game. In 2002, an enhanced version of the game was released for the PC and Xbox (and another PS2 incarnation as well), known as Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance. Also in 2002, Kojima is named one of the top innovators of 2002 by Newsweek magazine.

Though Nintendo GameCube owners have to this day not seen any form of Metal Gear Solid 2 for their system, a remake of the original Playstation classic entitled Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes was released for the GameCube in 2004 at the suggestion of Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, Kojima's hero.

In the meantime, Kojima began work on Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, a prequel to the series set in the 1960's; according to Kojima, this will be the last game in the series that he will work on. However, if the previews that have been shown at E3 for two consecutive years are any indication, this last game will be nothing short of spectacular.