Metal Gear (video game)
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Single-player |
Metal Gear
Players control
Gameplay
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/24/Mgear.png/200px-Mgear.png)
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, but can arm himself with numerous firearms and explosives that can be obtained throughout the enemy's stronghold. 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 a 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
A 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 (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 disks 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
Fictional chronology in Metal Gear |
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Setting
Metal Gear takes place in 1995 – while not defined in the Japanese MSX2 version of the game, which referred to the year as "19XX",[5] 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
The bosses include Shoot Gunner (renamed Shotmaker in later versions), a former Spetsnaz 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 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. 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 (
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.[b] After the end credits, a message from Big Boss is displayed saying that he will meet Solid Snake again.
Development
Director
The game was titled Intruder during the early planning stages.
Releases
MSX2
Metal Gear was originally released on the
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.[13][14] In 2020, a standalone version of the port was released on PC through the storefront GOG.com.[15]
The MSX2 Metal Gear would be released as a Virtual Console download for the Wii in Japan on December 8, 2009.[16] 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.[17] An Amiga port of the NES version was announced in 1989,[18] but was not released; although an unofficial Amiga port of the MSX2 version developed by hobbyist programmer h0ffman in May 2021.[19]
Famicom / NES
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/ec/NES_ME_USA_screenshot.png/220px-NES_ME_USA_screenshot.png)
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
According to Kojima, the port was developed by another Konami division at Tokyo which was given the source code 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.[3][21][22][23] 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.[24]
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.[25] 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".[3][22] 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",[26] "Uh-Oh! The truck have started to move!",[27] and "I feel asleep!!"[28]
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.[30] The Commodore 64 version was released in 1989,[18] and the MS-DOS version in 1990.[30] 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 console bundle released in Japan.[31]
Compilations
The HD Edition version of Metal Gear was re-released as part of
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 1 million units in the United States.[34] It was the second top-selling game in the United States during October 1988, just below Super Mario Bros. 2,[35] and remained in the top ten through early 1989.[36]
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."[37]
Famitsu rated the Famicom version 24 out of 40 in 1988,[38] and 3 out of 5 stars in 1989.[39] 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.[18] Computer Gaming World 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".[40]
The NES version of Metal Gear was ranked the 104th best game made on a Nintendo System in
Legacy
Its success led to the creation of two separately produced
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
Related media
In 1988, Konami published a gamebook 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.[45][46]
In 1990, a novelization of Metal Gear was published in the U.S. by
Remake attempts
Official
During a public Q&A event conducted at London with Geoff Keighley 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).[48] 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
References
Notes
Footnotes
- ^ "METAL GEAR 25th ANNIVERSARY 「メタルギアソリッドの真実」" (in Japanese). Konami Digital Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
- ^ Jeremy Parish, "Metal Gear," Electronic Gaming Monthly 225 (January 2008): 93.
- ^ a b c Steven Kent. "Hideo Kojima: Game Guru, Movie Maniac". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27.
HK: I really don't like saying this, but it really wasn't up to my standards. The care that I put in the original wasn't there. It [the Famicom version] was a more difficult game. In the very beginning, when you go from the entrance into the fortress, for example, there are dogs there. In the Famicom version, the dogs just come after you and you get killed. It was too difficult to get into the fortress. The fun stealth element was not there, and the actual Metal Gear, the robot, doesn't appear in the game.
- ^ "METAL GEAR on GOG.com". GOG.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ Metal Gear User's Manual (in Japanese). Konami. p. 4.
- ^ Rezaee, Stan (12 July 2017). "The Legacy of Metal Gear, 30 Years Later". 8Bit/Digi. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- ^ Gamasutra. Archived from the originalon 2012-05-13. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ Szczepaniak, John. "Before They Were Famous". Retro Gamer (35). Imagine Publishing: 74.
- ^ a b Gantayat, Anoop (2012-09-16). "Before There Was Metal Gear, There Was "Intruder"". Andriasang. Archived from the original on 2012-09-16. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ Ledford, Jon (2016-03-08). "25 Stolen Images in Video Games". Arcade Sushi. Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on 2021-07-29. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
- ^ "小島秀夫 on Twitter: "MG1の時は新人でパッケージには全く関与出来ず不本意なものになったが、「スナッチャー」では開田裕次さんにMG2では高荷義之さんにMGSでは生頼範義さんにメインビジュアルやポスターをお願いできた。当時はゲーム自体のビジュアルが陳腐だったのでイラストでのメインビジュアルは重要だった。"" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ "Nekura_Hoka's Metal Gear Code Site". Archived from the original on 2009-10-27.
- ^ "The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Explained". Archived from the original on 2015-11-25.
- ^ "KONAMI MOBILE". Archived from the original on 2009-02-23.
- ^ "Classic KONAMI games return to modern computers on GOG.COM". GOG.com. 2020-09-25. Archived from the original on 2024-03-30. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
- ^ "Wii バーチャルコンソール タイトル一覧" (in Japanese). Nintendo. Archived from the original on 2008-01-12.
- ^ "おきブログ 昔のゲームの想い出 [0200] 「メタルギア」 [コナミ] [1987] [MSX2]". Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
- ^ a b c "100 Guidepost: The Hot 100". Game Players. No. 5. November 1989. pp. 106–11.
- ^ "HOT NEWS as MSX 2 classic Metal Gear has been released for the Amiga 500". Indie Retro News. May 21, 2021. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- Imagine Media. April 1998. pp. 54–55.
- ^ Konami Computer Entertainment Japan website staff. "Editorial about the Famicom version of Metal Gear" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
- ^ a b Buchanan, Levi (2008-06-13). "Have You Really Played Metal Gear?". IGN. Archived from the original on 2012-06-24. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
- ^ Metal Gear Saga Vol. 1. Konami. 2005.
- ^ "Interview with Masahiro Ueno, by John Szczepaniak". Videogames Website — Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 2015-02-14.
- ^ Browning, Robert. "NES Metal Gear script FAQ". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on 2014-09-04. Retrieved 2014-09-04.
- ^ Konami. Metal Gear (NES). Level/area: The first radio transmission with Big Boss at the start of the mission.
- ^ Konami. Metal Gear (NES). Level/area: Whenever Snake enters a moving truck.
- ^ Konami. Metal Gear (NES). Level/area: Whenever an enemy soldier wakes up from his sleep.
- ^ Babcock, Doug. "Metal Gear Password Generator". Archived from the original on 2016-07-24. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
- ^ a b John Szczepaniak (May 4, 2012). "Charles "Chuck" Ernst Interview". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
- ^ "Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes Premium Package details" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
- ^ "METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol. 1". store.playstation.com. Archived from the original on 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ^ "Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 Announced For "The Latest Platforms"". Nintendo Life. 2023-05-25. Archived from the original on 2023-05-27. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ^ Hideo Kojima (Interviewee) (March 14, 2006). Metal Gear Saga, Vol. 1. Konami.
Konami decided to develop a NES version of Metal Gear, but I had absolutely nothing to do with this game. The game launched worldwide and became a huge hit, selling one million copies in the U.S.
- Famicom Tsūshin(in Japanese). Vol. 1988, no. 22. 11 November 1988. p. 10.
- Famicom Tsūshin (in Japanese). Vol. 1989, no. 3. 3 February 1989. p. 14. Archivedfrom the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "Metal Gear (Konami)". The Games Machine (2 (December 1987)): 61. November 1987. Archived from the original on 2022-12-03. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
- ^ "メタルギア (FC)" [Metal Gear (FC)]. Famitsu. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- Famicom Tsūshin. 15 September 1989. p. 49. Archivedfrom the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ Worley, Joyce; Kunkel, Bill; Katz, Arnie (October 1988). "Video Gaming World". Computer Gaming World. No. 52. pp. 49–50. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ "NP Top 200". Nintendo Power. Vol. 200. February 2006. pp. 58–66.
- GamesRadar. 2012-04-16. Archivedfrom the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ^ "100 Best Games of All Time". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 100. Ziff Davis. November 1997. p. 136. Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article (on page 100) explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible.
- ^ Cork, Jeff. "Game Informer's Top 100 Games Of All Time (Circa Issue 100)". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
- ISBN 4-87655-013-1.
- ^ "ISBN 4-87655-013-1 on Webcat Plus" (in Japanese). Retrieved March 30, 2009.
- ISBN 0-590-43777-1.
- ^ "HIDEO KOJIMA interview with host Geoff Keighley - 13 March 2014". YouTube. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ^ Pitcher, Jenna (3 June 2014). "Metal Gear fan-made remake given the go ahead by Konami (update)". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- ^ "Outer Heaven". Twitter. Twitter, Inc. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (18 August 2014). "Canned Metal Gear fan remake reveals David Hayter involvement". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (7 October 2015). "MGS fan is remaking the first Metal Gear in Unreal Engine 4". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 8 October 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Metal Gear title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database