is an
action-adventure stealth game
A stealth game is a type of video game in which the player primarily uses ''stealth'' to avoid or overcome opponents. Games in the video game genre, genre typically allow the player to remain undetected by hiding, sneaking, or using disguises. S ...
developed and published by
Konami
, commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...
for the
MSX2. It was originally released for the system in Japan and parts of Europe in July 1987. Considered to have popularized the
stealth game
A stealth game is a type of video game in which the player primarily uses ''stealth'' to avoid or overcome opponents. Games in the video game genre, genre typically allow the player to remain undetected by hiding, sneaking, or using disguises. S ...
genre, it was the first video game to be developed by
Hideo Kojima
is a Japanese video game designer. Regarded as one of the pioneering auteurs of video games, he developed a strong passion for film and literature during his childhood and adolescence, which in turn has had a significant influence on his game ...
, who would go on to direct most of the games that followed in the
''Metal Gear'' series. A reworked port of the game was released for the
Famicom a few months later, which later saw release in international markets for the
NES over the following two years; this version was developed without Kojima's involvement and features drastically altered level designs, among other changes.
Players control
Solid Snake
, real name David, is a fictional character and one of the protagonists of Konami's ''Metal Gear'' series, created by Hideo Kojima. He is depicted as a former United States Army Special Forces, Green Beret and highly skilled special operations so ...
, an operative of the
special forces
Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
unit
FOXHOUND, who goes on a solo infiltration mission into the fortified state of Outer Heaven to destroy
Metal Gear
is a Media franchise, franchise of stealth games created by Hideo Kojima. Developed and published by Konami, the first game, ''Metal Gear (video game), Metal Gear'', was released in 1987 for MSX, MSX home computers. The player often takes con ...
, a bipedal
walking tank capable of launching
nuclear missiles from anywhere in the world, as well as rescue a number of fellow agents who have been captured by the enemy. The game was a major international success, with the NES version selling 1million units in the United States. ''Metal Gear'' is recognized as the first mainstream stealth game,
and is credited as a pioneer in stealth mechanics
as well as storytelling via a portable radio transceiver.
An
emulated Famicom version came with the special edition of ''
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes'' on
GameCube
The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...
. A more faithful port of the MSX2 version was later included in ''
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence'' for the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
, as well as in the ''
HD Edition'' of the same game released for the
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
,
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
, and
PlayStation Vita
The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...
, with these newer ports featuring a revised translation and additional gameplay features. The MSX version was also released for
Wii Virtual Console
The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on pa ...
and PC. Both the MSX and NES versions of ''Metal Gear'' were re-released as part of the ''
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection'' ''Vol. 1'' compilation for
Nintendo Switch
The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
,
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
,
PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...
,
Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
, and
Xbox Series X/S.
Gameplay
The player controls a military operative codenamed Solid Snake, whose objective is to infiltrate the enemy's base while avoiding visual contact and direct confrontation with patrolling guards. If the player is seen, the game enters the "Alert Mode". In this situation, Snake must escape from the enemy's sight in order to resume infiltration. The method of escaping varies depending on the circumstances behind discovery:
*If Snake is seen and only a single exclamation mark appears over an enemy's head, only the enemies in the player's present screen will attack and Snake can escape by simply moving to an adjacent screen.
*However, if two exclamation marks appear over the enemy (or the player triggers an alarm by being spotted by a camera, infrared sensor or by creating a loud noise through an explosion or an unsuppressed gunshot), reinforcements from off-screen will appear as well. Snake can only escape by eliminating all incoming enemies, going outdoors, entering an elevator, or entering a
boss battle.
Snake starts his mission unarmed; he must obtain weapons and equipment (such as a gas mask or binoculars) by exploring the base. Each weapon has limited ammunition; these can be replenished by obtaining ammunition caches. A suppressor can be obtained that allows the player to fire the handgun and submachine gun without making any noise. Some weapons can be used to clear obstacles such as hollow walls and electrified floors. Snake can use his fists to punch and defeat patrolling enemies. Occasionally, if the player defeats a guard with punches without alerting anyone, the defeated guard will yield a single unit of rations or an ammo box that can be picked up. In addition to enemy guards, the player will be confronted by mercenaries who will challenge the player to combat, serving as the boss characters.
The enemy base consists of three different buildings, with multiple floors (including basement levels) within them. The player uses key cards and other items to unlock doors and explore new areas. Each door will only open with a corresponding key card. Information can be obtained by rescuing hostages being held within the buildings. After rescuing five hostages, the player's
rank will increase by one star (with the maximum rank being four stars), allowing for increased carrying capacity and maximum health. However, if a hostage is killed, the player will be demoted to the previous rank.
A radio transceiver is available for Snake to keep in touch with his commanding officer,
Big Boss, or one of the resistance members operating covertly near Outer Heaven (Schneider, Diane, and Jennifer). Each of Snake's allies specializes in a specific subject and will usually provide information or advice based on the player's current area, although a reply is not always guaranteed. The player must keep track of each character's frequency number in order to remain in contact with them throughout the game.
The MSX2 version requires the use of a
tape drive
A tape drive is a data storage device that reads and writes data on a magnetic tape. Magnetic-tape data storage is typically used for offline, archival data storage. Tape media generally has a favorable unit cost and long archival stability.
...
(such as the Sony Bitcorder) in order to save and load game progress from checkpoints. A
Game Master II cartridge can also be used to enable save states via
floppy disk
A floppy disk or floppy diskette (casually referred to as a floppy, a diskette, or a disk) is a type of disk storage composed of a thin and flexible disk of a magnetic storage medium in a square or nearly square plastic enclosure lined with a ...
s at any point. Versions on later platforms eliminated these complicated requirements thanks to standardized storage devices such as memory cards and internal disk drives.
Plot
Setting
''Metal Gear'' takes place in 1995while not defined in the Japanese MSX2 version of the game, which referred to the year as "19XX",
the release of ''
Metal Gear Solid'' established the date within its narrative. The game forms the first entry in an overarching plot concerning the character of Solid Snake, with the origins of the game's plot being later explored in 2015's ''
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain''.
Characters
The player's character is Solid Snake, a rookie member of the special forces group
FOXHOUND sent on his first mission. He is assisted via radio by his commanding officer
Big Boss, who offers information about mission objectives and items; as well as a local Resistance movement composed of leader Schneider, a former architect who guides Snake through the layout of the fortress and knows the locations of key items; Diane, a former positive punk vocalist who provides information on the enemy forces from her home; and Jennifer, who infiltrated Outer Heaven's medical staff to find her missing brother and assists Snake as an inside agent. Among the prisoners Snake rescues are
Grey Fox (Gray Fox in the later versions), a FOXHOUND agent who was captured during a previous mission; Dr. Pettrovich (Dr. Drago Pettrovich Madnar in later releases), a robotic engineer who is working for Outer Heaven against his will; and the doctor's daughter, Elen, who was kidnapped by the enemy to coerce her father into developing Metal Gear.
The bosses include Shoot Gunner (renamed Shotmaker in later versions), a former
Spetsnaz
SpetsnazThe term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or () are special forces in many post-Soviet states. Historically, this term referred to the Soviet Union's Spet ...
agent specializing in the
riot gun; Machinegun Kid, a former
SAS operative armed with a
machine gun; Fire Trooper, a former
GSG 9 operative who uses a
flamethrower; Coward Duck (Dirty Duck in later releases), a
boomerang
A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...
throwing terrorist who shields himself with hostages; Arnold (Bloody Brad in later releases), two TX-11 class androids designed by Dr. Pettrovich; and the legendary mercenary who founded Outer Heaven, whose true identity is unknown until the end.
Story
Near the end of the 20th century, the West discovers that a weapon of mass destruction is being constructed inside Outer Heaven, a fortified state founded by a "legendary mercenary" 200 km north of Galzburg,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. The special forces unit FOXHOUND sends top agent Gray Fox to infiltrate the fortress, assess the situation and neutralize the threat. FOXHOUND loses contact with Gray Fox a few days later, with his last transmission being "METAL GEAR..." To discover what happened to Gray Fox, FOXHOUND commander Big Boss sends his newest recruit, Solid Snake, into the area in an operation codenamed Intrude N313.
Upon insertion into Outer Heaven, Snake makes contact with local resistance members Schneider, Diane, and Jennifer. Using all of his skills and the equipment he procures on site, he manages to rescue Fox. Fox explains that Metal Gear is the codename of a nuclear-equipped bipedal walking tank, which can engage in all forms of combat and launch nuclear weapons from any location. Outer Heaven plans to use Metal Gear to impose itself as the new world superpower.
To destroy Metal Gear and topple the Outer Heaven mercenaries, Snake rescues lead Metal Gear engineer Dr. Pettrovich and his daughter Elen. The scientist explains how Metal Gear can be destroyed, and Snake takes on Outer Heaven's troops. However, he begins to notice that the traps put in his way are too precise and wonders how information on his activities is being tracked. Big Boss begins to act strangely, giving misleading advice that leads Snake into several traps, and eventually ordering him to abort the mission (
breaking the fourth wall) by telling the player to turn off the system. Moreover, Schneider is ambushed by hostiles and is presumed dead after losing contact with Snake.
Snake penetrates Outer Heaven's main base and takes out Metal Gear before it reaches completion. As he safely escapes the compound's basement, he is confronted by the mercenary leader of Outer Heaven, who turns out to be Big Boss. The corrupt leader reveals that he had been using his connections to steal military intelligence, establish his own mercenary force, and fund his activities. It was his aim to have Outer Heaven become the world's greatest superpower, able to bring even the West to its knees. He had the rookie Snake sent in, hoping to have him captured and feed misinformation to authorities but had quite obviously underestimated Snake's capabilities.
Having lost Metal Gear and much of his force, Big Boss starts the self-destruct sequence for the compound, and promises he will not die alone; Snake will join him. Snake defeats Big Boss in the last battle and escapes the Outer Heaven compound as it crumbles in flames behind him. After the end credits, a message from Big Boss is displayed saying that he will meet Solid Snake again.
Development
Director
Hideo Kojima
is a Japanese video game designer. Regarded as one of the pioneering auteurs of video games, he developed a strong passion for film and literature during his childhood and adolescence, which in turn has had a significant influence on his game ...
did not work on the game initially; he was asked to take over the project from a senior associate. ''Metal Gear'' was originally intended to be a simple action game that featured modern military combat. However, the MSX2's hardware limited the number of on-screen bullets and enemies, which Kojima felt impeded the combat aspect. The MSX2 also had limited
scrolling capabilities, which made it difficult to produce a smooth
scrolling shooter, like Konami's arcade hit ''
Scramble'' (1981).
Inspired by ''
The Great Escape'', Kojima reversed the focus of the gameplay from shooting enemies to avoiding capture.
The game design was no longer about shooting but about "trying to form the tension of
hide and seek" according to Kojima, subverting the
shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs) are a Video game genre, subgenre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain typ ...
genre popular at the time. Kojima designed the game so that, when Snake is discovered, the gameplay changed to become a
puzzle video game "like ''
Pac-Man''" (1980) where the enemy guards behave like ''Pac-Man'' ghosts that Snake needs to avoid.
Kojima also came up with the idea of the player having access to a portable radio transceiver, which was used to organically enhance the storytelling through dialogue. According to Kojima, it allowed "you to send and receive comms" and the "game moves along with the player, so when the drama happens when the player" is not present, "the player's current situation can be depicted while the other characters' story or situation can be foreshadowed in parallel" simultaneously.
The game was titled ''Intruder'' during the early planning stages.
The packaging illustration used for the retail releases of the game, which depicts the protagonist Solid Snake holding a gun, was traced over a
publicity still of
Michael Biehn posing as his character
Kyle Reese from the 1984 film ''
The Terminator''.
Kojima, who was still newly employed at Konami at the time, had no involvement with the production of this illustration.
Releases
MSX2
''Metal Gear'' was originally released on the
MSX2 home computer in Japan on July 13, 1987, with an English version released in Europe during the same year. Due to memory constraints, the Japanese version was written entirely in
katakana
is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji and in some cases the Latin script (known as rōmaji).
The word ''katakana'' means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana characters are derived fr ...
(with character names presented in
Roman letters), while the English version is written entirely in uppercase, has numerous instances of
erroneous grammar and misspellings, and features fewer radio calls than the Japanese version (with 56% of the calls kept) and shortened messages.
[
On August 18, 2004, Konami released a port of the MSX2 ''Metal Gear'' for feature phones through their Konami Net DX service in Japan as a promotional tie-in for '' Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater''. This updated port served as the basis for the version included on the second disc of ''Subsistence'' (the expanded edition of ''Metal Gear Solid 3'') for the PlayStation 2 released in 2005, and later in the ''HD Edition'' released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011 and for PlayStation Vita in 2012. In 2020, a standalone version of the port was released on PC through the storefront GOG.com.
The MSX2 ''Metal Gear'' would be released as a ]Virtual Console
The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on pa ...
download for the Wii in Japan on December 8, 2009. The ROM used for this emulated re-release has been modified to bring it more in line with the later versions of the game released for other platforms. An Amiga
Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...
port of the NES version was announced in 1989, but was not released; although an unofficial Amiga port of the MSX2 version developed by hobbyist programmer h0ffman in May 2021.
Famicom / NES
A port of ''Metal Gear'' for the Family Computer (or Famicom) was released in Japan on December 22, 1987. This was followed by an English localization for the Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...
(or NES) released in North America in June 1988 (published by Konami's Ultra Games division) and in Europe and Australia sometime in 1989. This was the first version of ''Metal Gear'' that was released in North America, since the MSX2 platform was never released in that market.
According to Kojima, the port was developed by another Konami division at Tokyo which was given the source code
In computing, source code, or simply code or source, is a plain text computer program written in a programming language. A programmer writes the human readable source code to control the behavior of a computer.
Since a computer, at base, only ...
from the MSX2 version without the consent of the original team. Many changes were made during the porting process that later led to this version being publicly disowned by Kojima years after its release. Masahiro Ueno, who worked as a programmer for the NES version, has stated that the staff who worked on the port were given a three-month deadline and were ordered to make the port as different as possible from the MSX2 version. Due to hardware limitations with the mapper used, the Metal Gear boss ended up being replaced by a Supercomputer guarded by four enemy soldiers.
Another big change made to the game was in the level designs. Instead of the underwater infiltration from the MSX2 version, the NES version starts the game with Solid Snake parachuting into the middle of a jungle alongside three other soldiers (who are never seen nor mentioned after the intro). After landing in the jungle, the player must reach a transport truck at the end that will take Snake to the entrance of the first building. The player can use other transport trucks to reach the entrances of the other buildings quicker, since they travel in a cyclical pattern. The basement floors of Building 1 and 2 in the MSX2 version were made into separate buildings, Building 4 and 5 respectively, which are only reachable by going through one of two jungle mazes located in the outdoor areas between the other three buildings. The correct path to take in the jungle maze is never revealed in the game. In addition to the removal of the Metal Gear tank, the Hind D boss on the rooftop of Building 1 was replaced by a pair of armed turret gunners called "Twin Shot".[ The NES version lacks the higher alert phase from the MSX2 version and the jetpack-wearing soldiers on the rooftops of Building 1 and 2 lost their ability to fly (making them act more like regular guards). On the other hand, enemies no longer drop ammo nor rations when punched to death. Much like the MSX2 version, the English localization of the NES versions contains numerous instances of erroneous grammar, such as "Contact missing our Grey Fox", "Uh-Oh! The truck have started to move!", and "I feel asleep!!"
Passcodes are used in this version to save progress. When Snake is killed by the enemy or loses his life by certain other means, the player is given a choice to continue the game from the last checkpoint or quit and resume later with the given passcode. The passcode keeps track of Snake's rank (which determines his checkpoint in this version), inventory, hostages rescued, bosses defeated and certain event flags.] One particular passcode featured in the Japanese and North American version, in which the player types the expletive "fuck me" and fills the remaining spaces with "1", will transport the player to the final battle with no equipment. This resulted in the passcode system being altered for the European versions of the game, with all of the vowels being removed.
Because the MSX2 version was not released in North America at the time, the NES version was the one that served as the basis for a couple of home computer ports released by Ultra Games in 1990 for the Commodore 64 and MS-DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...
. The Commodore 64 version was released in 1989, and the MS-DOS version in 1990. An emulated port of the Famicom version was also included in a bonus disc packaged alongside '' Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes'' in a limited edition GameCube
The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...
console bundle released in Japan.
Compilations
The ''HD Edition'' version of ''Metal Gear'' was re-released as part of '' Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection'' for PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
. Ports of both the MSX2 and NES ''Metal Gear'' versions were also included with '' Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1'' for the Nintendo Switch
The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
, PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
, PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...
, Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
, and Xbox Series X/S.
Reception
The MSX2 version of ''Metal Gear'' was ranked on '' MSX Magazine''s top 20 best selling MSX games in Japan for five months, debuting at no. 4 on the October 1987 issue and peaking at no. 3 the following month. The NES version was a major international success, selling units in the United States. It was the second top-selling game in the United States during October 1988, just below '' Super Mario Bros. 2'', and remained in the top ten through early 1989.
'' The Games Machine'' gave a positive review of the MSX version, giving the game a 79% score. They stated that the "initial impression of disdain at this non too-impressively animated macho man may rapidly change on delving deeper." They praised the graphics and the size of the game area, underlining the fact that it ensured "the action and suspense never wanes". They also wrote that the game was rapidly addictive, and that "the urge to get further into the game is quite strong". They concluded positively on the quality of the game, saying that if "this standard of Konami software is maintained then maybe more people will think hard about joining the other 200,000 MSX owners". They noted that there was no information regarding the game's Japanese author at the time, but stated that "whoever they may be they certainly seem to know their business."
''Famitsu
, formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...
'' rated the Famicom version 24 out of 40 in 1988, and 3 out of 5 stars in 1989. '' Game Players'' reviewed the NES and Commodore versions, stating ''Metal Gear'' "out-Rambos" '' Rambo'' and is a "fearsomely challenging" game that "takes place in an elaborate maze-like setting and has plenty of room for strategy as well as stamina." They listed it among the top 100 best games of all time in 1989. ''Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...
'' also reviewed the NES version, praising its "strong concept" but stating it was "something less than a total success". They called the graphics "acceptable" and praised how it requires the "player to acquire newer, deadlier technology through the course of a game" but criticized the control system and the player's great vulnerability when unarmed at the start of the game. They nonetheless stated that ''Metal Gear'' "shows great promise for future Ultra Games entries" as it "attempts to move beyond the standard run/jump/shoot format" of most NES games, concluding the game to be "a potential super-hit that, unfortunately, is sabotaged by its own weaknesses".
The NES version of ''Metal Gear'' was ranked the 104th best game made on a Nintendo System in ''Nintendo Power
''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninte ...
'' Top 200 Games list. '' GamesRadar'' ranked it the sixth-best NES game ever made, and the staff felt that it popularized its genre. In 1997 ''Electronic Gaming Monthly
''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews.
History
The magazine was fou ...
'' named the NES version the 35th best console video game of all time, citing "how you have to think like a spy to win, which means you don't always have to fight." ''Game Informer
''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
'' placed the game 53rd on their top 100 video games of all time praising the game's stealth aspects and dramatic plot.
Legacy
Its success led to the creation of two separately produced sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
s; the first one, '' Snake's Revenge'', was produced specifically for the NES in North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
and Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
in 1990 and the other, '' Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake'', was the sequel developed by Hideo Kojima and released in Japan for the MSX2 during the same year as a response to the former's creation. The latter was followed by '' Metal Gear Solid'' for the PlayStation
is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
in 1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
, which was in turn followed by numerous sequels and spinoffs in ''Metal Gear
is a Media franchise, franchise of stealth games created by Hideo Kojima. Developed and published by Konami, the first game, ''Metal Gear (video game), Metal Gear'', was released in 1987 for MSX, MSX home computers. The player often takes con ...
'' series.
The intro theme ("Operation Intrude N313"), main theme ("Theme of Tara") and game over theme ("Just Another Dead Soldier") from the MSX2 version were reused for the VR Training theme in ''Metal Gear Solid'', which in turn was reused in '' Metal Gear: Ghost Babel'' and '' Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance''. "Theme of Tara" is one of the tunes that can be heard in the "Shadow Moses Island" stage in '' Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' for the Wii, the music for the beginning section of the Battleship Halberd Interior stage of the Adventure mode, where Snake officially enters the storyline, and can also be selected as music with an iPod
The iPod is a series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices that were designed and marketed by Apple Inc. from 2001 to 2022. The iPod Classic#1st generation, first version was released on November 10, 2001, about mon ...
item in '' Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots''.
''Metal Gear'' is recognized as the first mainstream stealth game, and is credited as a pioneer in stealth mechanics as well as storytelling via a portable radio transceiver. '' Splinter Cell'' and '' Far Cry 2'' designer Clint Hocking stated that every stealth-action game "owes its existence to the success of ''Metal Gear''" and that, "Without ''Metal Gear'', there would be no stealth games."[Interview with Clint Hocking](_blank)
, GameCritics, May 24, 2005 '' Unreal'' and '' Gears of War'' creator Cliff Bleszinski cited the military themes and action gameplay of ''Metal Gear'' as a major influence on his work, and he named ''Gears of War'' in homage to ''Metal Gear''. '' Tenchu'' creator Takuma Endo also cited ''Metal Gear'' as an influence.
Related media
In 1988, Konami published a gamebook
A gamebook is a work of printed fiction that allows the reader to participate in the story by making choices. The narrative branches along various paths, typically through the use of numbered paragraphs or pages. Each narrative typically does not ...
adaptation of ''Metal Gear'' in Japan as the second installment in their Konami Gamebook Series. The gamebook is set two years after the events of the game, in which Solid Snake is called back into action after FOXHOUND receives intelligence on a terrorist group who have obtained the plans for Metal Gear and are now mass-producing the mech. The book portrays Solid Snake as an unsuccessful illustrator in his personal life outside his job as a FOXHOUND agent.
In 1990, a novelization of ''Metal Gear'' was published in the U.S. by Scholastic Books
Scholastic Corporation is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, teachers, parents, children, and other educational institutions. P ...
as part of their '' Worlds of Power'' series of novelizations based on third-party NES games. The ''Metal Gear'' book was written by Alexander Frost under the pen name F.X. Nine, the same pen name used for all the authors in the Worlds of Power series. This book adheres much more closely to the localized version of the backstory as presented in the North American packaging and manual, as opposed to the actual in-game plot which was not changed to reflect this difference. Big Boss is not featured in the book, but instead, two different characters, Commander South and Colonel Vermon CaTaffy, serve as Solid Snake's commanding officer and Outer Heaven's leader respectively. The book also gives Solid Snake the identity of Justin Halley and changes the name of his organization from FOX HOUND to the Snake Men. Because the book was targeted at young kids, the cover illustration was altered, with Snake's handgun being airbrushed out.
Remake attempts
Official
During a public Q&A event conducted at London with Geoff Keighley
Geoff Keighley ( ; born ) is a Canadian video game journalist and television presenter, best known for his role as the host of several video game industry conferences and presentations. He is the executive producer and host of the Game Awards s ...
on March 13, 2014, series' creator Hideo Kojima expressed interest in developing remakes of the MSX2 ''Metal Gear'' games in order to reconcile plot discrepancies that have since been introduced into the series, but had no plans at the time due to the ongoing development of '' Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain'' (itself a prequel set before the events of the original ''Metal Gear''). However, Kojima has since departed from Konami following the release of ''The Phantom Pain'', leaving the possibility of such remakes in question.
Unofficial
A ''Metal Gear'' remake mod for '' Alien Swarm'' was in development that was granted permission by Konami to use copyrighted material with the agreement that they don't make a profit from the recreation or accept donations for the production. It was canceled on June 3, 2014. David Hayter
David Hayter is a Canadian-American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He is well known as the English-language voice actor for Solid Snake and Big Boss (Metal Gear), Naked Snake in the ''Metal Gear'' video game series. He wrote the fi ...
was set to voice Solid Snake. A new fan remake is currently in development using Unreal Engine 5
Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) is the latest version of Unreal Engine developed by Epic Games. It was revealed in May 2020 and officially released in April 2022. Unreal Engine 5 includes multiple upgrades and new features, including Nanite, a system that ...
titled ''Outer Heaven''.
References
Notes
Footnotes
External links
Official website
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Metal Gear (video game)
1987 video games
Action-adventure games
Alternate history video games
Commodore 64 games
DOS games
Metal Gear video games
Mobile games
MSX2 games
Nintendo Entertainment System games
Single-player video games
Stealth video games
Top-down video games
Ultra Games video games
Video games about nuclear war and weapons
Video games designed by Hideo Kojima
Video games developed in Japan
Video games directed by Hideo Kojima
Video games scored by Iku Mizutani
Video games set in 1995
Video games set in South Africa
Video games set in fictional countries
Virtual Console games
Video games scored by Kazuki Muraoka