Metal Gear Solid - On this day

The development of MGS began back in 1994 when a game called Metal Gear 3 was planned for the then 3DO console. As that console quickly fell into oblivion, Hideo Kojima and his team switched game development to a brand new console - Sony’s PlayStation. This was followed by a name change to Metal Gear Solid because the previous two games in the series were not widespread or available in most markets.

The game was made to become the biggest hit of the PlayStation platform through a realistic and serious approach to a wide range of topics, primarily warfare. Such an approach was a stark contrast to most games from the mid-1990s. MGS's orientation towards the film's presentation of the story, along with directed scenes, vocal acting, and orchestral music, also deviated from the standards in video games at the time.

It was the first game in the series to use 3D graphics. The main character Solid Snake, therefore, had to be designed from the ground up, and his appearance was unofficially used by two actors: Jean-Claude Van Damme as a model for the stature and Christopher Walken as a model for the face.

The transition to a 3D environment did not change the gameplay of previous Metal Gearaigars much, but leaning against the walls gave a new perspective and dimension to the stealth approach, ie sneaking. He wanted Kojima to insert more interaction into the gameplay, such as hiding the eliminated guards, but this was eventually crossed out and left for a possible sequel.

Metal Gear Solid was first shown publicly at the E3 trade show in 1997 (above video) and was completed the following year. About $ 8 million was spent to promote the game. That budget paid off many times over because everyone soon went crazy for Kojima's game. Metal Gear Solid has become one of the highest-rated games in history and the eighth best-selling game for the PlayStation. More than six million players played the Solid Snake adventure.

After worldwide success, MGS became a franchise based on which radio dramas were filmed, comics drawn and novels written. The game later appeared in a PC version with better graphics and a first-person gameplay option. The PC port is based on the MGS Integral version, in which the main campaign was accompanied by about a hundred separate "VR" missions.

Metal Gear Solid also received its remake in 2004. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes was and remains exclusive to the Nintendo Gamecube console. The original MGS appeared later on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita consoles and was part of a collection of 20 games that came with the PlayStation Classic model console in 2018. Today, it can be obtained in a digital edition for PC on GOG.com.