Metal Gear: An Open Letter to Sony, Armature Studios, Konami, & The Great Hideo Kojima: The Boss for PS Vita

     Looking through my 836 blog drafts (that is an exact number) I happened to come across this gem, which ties to the Batman Arkham Origins: Blackgate game by company- Armature Studios.  Dated from July 2, 2012, it's a plea to create an original Metal Gear game that could happen from a company that brought the PS Vita HD remakes of Metal Gear 2 & 3 to fruition.
     Note: This is still essentially a draft post.

An open letter to Hideo Kojima, Armature Studios, Sony,
     ...and Konami...

     I would absolutely LOVE to see a Metal Gear game with The Boss (aka The Joy) as the main character.  A female lead that is highly intelligent and more than capable, arguably the best character of the entire series.  She's been called The Legendary Soldier and True Patriot.  She taught Naked Snake all he knew about war, survival, and the the great costs it has.  The perfect candidate for a pocket Metal Gear game.
   
     The way I figure it, the game would be her earlier mission(s) with the Cobra Unit.  The main story is already known from all the bits and pieces of Metal Gear 3: Snake Eater, it would only need a little expansion.  Part of it taking place in 1962 in Tselinoyarsk with The Sorrow, and fleshed out with flashback parts (even possibly back to the founding of the Cobra Unit in 1942) to the time with the Cobra Unit- all culminating in the inevitable end.   

     It would end with Joy and The Sorrow.  Everyone knows it would be coming, but the portrayal of it playing out could be amazing.  We already know he tells her to kill him so she and their child could live, only now we have to actually do it. 

     The game would be a Spartan tale, no more than 6 hours long, with the Metal Gear story staple of tragedy and loss with the greatest of emotional impacts possible.  The ultimate tragedy and sacrifice, love and loss, the mingling of Joy and Sorrow, beautifully intertwined.

     Honestly, I've been reading that Konami would like to focus on mobile recently, so here's a decent idea they could start.  It could be a tight story with a game that always sells well.  Although the reported issues with Kojima might makes things problematic.  The chances of this happening are far slimmer than the chances of anyone from Sony, Armature, Konami, or even Kojima actually reading this post.
     I can dream anyway...

An Open-World Metal Gear Solid is What Kojima Wants

     Hideo Kojima has stated in an interview with Famitsu, when asked if PS4 and Xbox One users would ever get to play the previous Metal Gear games updated for the next gen systems, that he is too busy for that size of a project.

     It is a very understandable answer, but he followed it with something quite interesting,

     That said, he elaborated further, by saying that he’d like to play in an open world Shadow Moses, so he’d like to see a remake of the first game. Unfortunately, no one steps forward to do it.

     Such a production, Kojima continued, would not only need the tools and the engine, but also the workforce, as he thinks everyone would like to play in the first game.

     All right developers out there, here's your chance.  If some group steps up for this project, an open-world Shadow Moses for Metal Gear Solid- you will have the backing of millions of potential Kickstarter donors and the support of the original creator himself.  It's a win-win scenario for whoever takes this up.
     This game was the seminal moment in my renewing of gaming as a major influence for my life.  It cemented the knowledge that games could be so much more than what was currently out there, and pointed towards what could eventually be.  If it gets announced, I'll donate in a heartbeat.

     Source [ DualSHOCKERS ]

1987 Metal Gear: Konami Gives Okays Fan-Made Remake

     In a strange and wonderful turn of events, developers and modding team Outer Haven have been given the all-clear by Konami to remake the original Metal Gear from NES.

     A few days ago, we received word from KONAMI that said they were happy for us to go-ahead with our remake of the classic MSX game, Metal Gear, aslong as we don't abuse the copyright issues (ie make a profit from the project/take donations). We were then informed to keep them up to date with any updates and feedback received as and when the game is released.

     As thrilled as we were with the news, we then received another email which stated "If the project goes well and there will be public interest in it, KONAMI will surely get to know this and consider further step accordingly".

     Unlike most fan remakes, Konami hasn't outright quashed the project, and will decide what to do as it moves forward.  Extremely smart move on Konami's part- wait it out and rake in the money if the project is good enough.  If this eventually gets put up for sale, I'd definitely buy a copy, I even mentioned it way back on 08.22.2012 (at the bottom of the post).

     The group is now looking for more people to help:

          For general interest, suggestions, questions email outerhavendev@gmail.com

     They better not forget the most important Snake related inventory item...

     Source [  Mod DB ]

Metal Gear: Ground Zeroes Review

     In a strange change of pace, the usually drawn out story-telling of Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear series has come through with something of a wonder- a moving piece that doesn't take 50 hours to experience, and I am quite thankful for it.  Finally a restrained narrative in the series.

     In fact this feels a lot like the Tanker Mission from Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.  A small opening sequence to give us a taste of the grand game to come.  A gaming appetizer to whet the palette.  My only complaint about the duration is that when the end of it came, I was unsure if I had truly finished it.  The end is a bit vague and just stops, with no real indication of having been completed when the credits started to roll.  (Although the post credits sequence does clear the path for next part.)

     With such brevity, many fans have asked if the game is worth the price to play.  Personally, I would say...  maybe.  This is definitely not justifiable to all players.  It has the feel of a really long demo- limited to a single location, only the most meager of missions, and the sparsest of plots possible.  The main mission and single location of a Guantanamo-like islet that only took me about 3 hours to finish.  To make matters a little worse, I play very slowly, very, VERY methodically during first playthroughs of games.

     When it comes to the actual play- it is a tremendously well handled game.  The controls are outstanding and the core mechanics from the previous games have been given an update. There no longer a camouflage index, improved CQC handling, and an ability to "tag" enemies for tracking are all improvements.  I am not a huge fan of the new bullet-time "Reflex" reaction to enemies spotting you, but I might get used to it.  The new and simple alert system is nice.  It's just a small circular indicator that gets fuzzier as the enemies lose interest is a very nice touch.
     There are still some small irritations though.  The common Snake-seizing-when-touching-things-while-sneaking rears its ugly head again, and the only thing that really bothers me still is the movement while laying down.  Something about it is impossibly ridiculous to control.

     Honestly though, it was nice to play something in one sitting.  The detention facility island is quite well made, and gave me 6 small "Extra Ops" challenge missions to complete, none of which took long.  The Playstation version gave me a mission (Deja Vu) to recreate a slew of "flashbacks" (flash-forwards?) to the original Metal Gear Solid missions, including an instruction book reference that was damn hilarious if you played it.  Each completed mission unlocks various items for you as you play, such as new challenges, more starting weapons, and a couple skins (I got the MGS Solid Snake skin!).

     Kojima stated that there would be unlimited replayability to this prologue to The Phantom Pain.  I can't say I fully buy that, but it has offered me enough entertainment for the price in the handful of replays I've done.  In one of the replays I had a grand time "securing the island" to make it safe for the prisoners I was supposed to be rescuing.  In another I made it my goal to kill everyone on the island.  Not infinitely replayable by any means, but there's certainly a lot of fun to be had on this complex little island.

     In the end, we've been given a very tiny, but densely packed sandbox to explore and play in while we wait for the main feast.  If this is the tip of The Phantom Pain's iceberg, it might be quite the impressive and substantial game we'll be getting soon.

Metal Gear Solid 5: Erotic Gear... Solid? Kojima and Sexy Cosplay

Quiet: A Sniper Deprived of her Words Clothes

     Kojima had requested that the MGS5 designer, Yoji Shinkawa, to make certain characters more erotic to encourage cosplayers and to help sell more figures based on those likenesses.  As anticipated, the reaction is mixed.  Hell, as a male, I think it is definitely a "sexy" look , but as a Metal Gear fan, I am struggling to wonder how this character's story and circumstances would allow for this manner of dressing.  Here's the Tweet where Kojima shows the backside of the Sniper Quiet.

     Kojima later Tweeted that the character he asked Yoji Shinkawa to make more erotic may not be cosplayable, and had this to say in an interview with Polygon:

"Maybe the phrase 'erotic' wasn't really [the correct word for] what I was trying to say," Kojima said through a translator. "What I'm really trying to do is create unique characters. One of those is, of course, Quiet. She's a really unique character, I wanted to add that sexiness to her. It wasn't really supposed to be erotic, but sexy."

     Even the motion capture/model Stefanie Joosten had some things to say about the character.  There are reasons why she is dressed that way, and we'll get to see them when we play the game:

"Of course, I was surprised to see Quiet's outfit at first," said Joosten. "But, you know, it fits in the Metal Gear universe, I think. I don't think I'm allowed to say a lot about this, but, well, Mr. Kojima has his reasons for deciding why Quiet [is] wearing what she's wearing."

     Personally, I trust Kojima, he's always made stand out games and wonderful characters to fill those games.  Sure this "erotic/sexy" issue may be a problem, but I won't really judge until after I've played the game.  In the mean time, shouldn't she have a massive tan?  Because there isn't much in the way of coverage on her skin.  (Also- anyone else notice the strange Zartan-like effects around her eyes on the trailer that dissipate as the camera zooms in?)

She better have a LOT of sunblock.

Source [ Polygon ]

Metal Gear Solid: A Just Add Water (JAW) HD remake

     Could this be happening?  Kojima posted this on Twitter:

Well, if there's some creator or team in this world who has love and passion to remake "MGS1", I would love to ask for it.
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) June 27, 2013

       The Just Add Water (J.A.W.) company put out an "Open Letter to Mr. Kojima" on their site, here's what it reads:

Dear Mr Kojima,We read with great excitement on VG247 that you were looking for a studio to work with to develop a Metal Gear Solid remake using the Fox Engine, that your team has been hard at work creating.
We at Just Add Water feel ideally positioned to do the remake justice for several reasons:

1.We have experience working with legendary IP (Oddworld Inhabitants) and treating the subject matter with the respect it deserves.

2.Many members of our team are huge Metal Gear fans, with very good knowledge of the source material.

3.We really, really want to do it.

For evidence of our abilities, please check out not only the HD treatment of Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath, released on PlayStation3, VITA and PC, but the current re-creation of Abe’s Oddysee, titled Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty.

We eagerly await your response.

Love and cuddles,
     The JAW Team.

     As a LONG time fan, I've been playing since the wonderful NES Metal Gear, I would absolutely help back this with Kickstarter funds if necessary.  Kojima, let this happen.  JAW, where do I send my money?

     Here's some of my previous thoughts on the HD remake.

Metal Gear Solid V: Kiefer Sutherland voices Snake

     Hideo Kojima finally revealed the actor playing Snake in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain to be Kiefer Sutherland.  An interesting choice, and one that involves actual acting (includes facial mapping) in addition to just voicing the character.  I'll still miss David Hayter.

     Perhaps he could voice another Snake in the game.  There's more than one in this time period.  This takes place in 1984, so Snake is 49 according to Kojima.  Which is about 10 years before Shadow Moses.  Could we be getting Big Boss's version of Outer Haven?  Or maybe the events leading up to it?  So I wonder, is that "Master Miller" with Snake in the screencap I took???  A possible Liquid Snake sighting.

     The time limit to complete Metal Gear Solid was 24 hours and Mr. Sutherland starred in the television series 24.  Coincidence?  I think so.

     The IGN video interview also boasts a couple of seconds of previously unseen footage.

Metal Gear Rising: Blade Wolf DLC

     You know, even after reading the ridiculous name "Revengeance," AND seeing the even more absurd trailers for the game, I went out and preordered it.  Then I played through it.  It got old quick, with only the sword mechanic keeping me interested at all.  Seriously, the last boss fight was 80% too long, while the rest of the game was 75% too short.  I'm not sure how the math adds up, but it was pretty forgettable. 

     MG Rising was fun for the first few levels, and got boring really fast. Where's the stealth?  Kojima should've stuck with Frank "Gray Fox" Jaeger.  Keep it a tight stealth ninja slaughterfest.  How sweet would it have been if you got the badass cyborg cloaking device and could actually sneak up and shred enemies? 

     I ended up sticking with the Fox blade and suit once they were available in the game.  The Fox blade, once upgraded, pretty much cut through anything, and made playing a lot more enjoyable.  That is the most redeeming quality of the game.  Running around cutting things into hundreds of tiny pieces.

     Then after seeing the first DLC/Add-on was given to Jetstream Sam, I had slightly renewed hopes.  He was, in my opinion, one of the best characters in the game.  Sam was genuinely likeable, with a story that was pretty decent.  After checking out a friends copy...  meh.  Still disinterested. 

     Now they are releasing DLC with Blade Wolf in the lead in May for $9.99.  He's the second character I actually enjoyed.  Once again it looks to be a bunch of recycled in game materials in a slew of highly repetitive levels.  It may have the advantage of his playstyle- he doesn't use a sword.  He has the tail and a bunch of other attachments. 
     Can't say how the story will play out, but one may assume it'll be flashbacks to before the encounter with Raiden, filling in a story he's telling now.  That's at least how the screenshots appear so far.
     Well, I will at least give it a try.

Metal Gear Legacy Site: Snakes in a Game!

    It appears as if the Japanese site for the Metal Gear Legacy Collection has been opened- http://www.konami.jp/mgs_tlc/ - and it looks good. 

 

     There's a big timeline of the series, and tons of info I cannot read.  (Update: A page translation worked pretty well, I used Bing and it did a decent job)  This site is great even if it's just for seeing how the MG series has evolved over the years.

 

     Makes me want to dust off my old NES and Metal Gear cartridge...

Metal Gear Legacy Collection

     Being a huge Metal Gear fan, I am slightly disturbed by the news that this June we'll be able to buy a new collection of previous Metal Gears called The Legacy Collection.  What makes me slightly angry is the fact I've already repurchased many of these titles, including the most recent HD collection.

     Konami has finally let on that we will finally be able to get the original Metal Gear Solid. (Although I note that it is already available on the Playstation Network, at least it was a week ago)

     From what I've read these are what will be included in this compilation:
1) Metal Gear Solid*
2) Metal Gear Solid 2: HD Edition
3) Metal Gear Solid 3: HD Edition (incl. original MSX versions of Metal Gear + Metal Gear 2)
4) Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD Edition
5) Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions*
5) Metal Gear Solid 4 (Trophy Edition)*
6) 2 Digital Ashley Wood Digital Graphic Novels*
(*not featured in the MGS HD Collection)

     I see there is no mention yet of Metal Gear Portable Ops or Metal Gear Acid from the PSP.  Twin Snakes will not be included either, as it was a Nintendo Exclusive.

     In another post I'll talk about the Metal Gear Solid game itself- as it's the only game in here I would want, and is currently available on PSN.  In an older post I mentioned that MGS needs an HD update- http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2012/08/metal-gear-25th-anniversary.html -and it really could use that overhaul.  Where's all the fans helping with the updates?    

What a David Hayter-less Metal Gear Might Mean

     After hearing about the lack of David Hayter in Metal Gear V, I was a bit saddened.  In reality, how strange will it be to not hear Hayter playing the voice I hear in my head whenever I read about Snake?  It'll definitely take some getting used to.

     But, Mr. Hayter posted this today: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1rjhhf9  and it got me thinking.

     This isn't our typical protagonist.  Perhaps a different clone of Big Boss.  He is referred to as "V."  "V has come to." Liquid Snake and Solidus Snake had different voices from Naked Snake and Solid Snake, so that could very well be a sign of change from our well known Snake(s).  This new Snake may not be a full clone either- lets say maybe some genetic tampering during the cloning process.  I don't know, there could be a billion reasons for looking like the pic above.   
     If this isn't a marketing stunt, it could just be pointing to the fact we're being introduced to 1, maybe 2 new Snakes -as one of the lines from the Metal Gear V: Ground Zeroes & The Phantom Pain full trailer is- From "FOX" Two Phantoms Were Born. 

     Was there other soldier cloning projects using Big Boss's DNA?  More than likely.  That would explain his slightly strange look as opposed to the previous Snakes we've seen. 
     But, what gets me is the fellow in the trailer that looks like Master Miller (Liquid Snake).  What then gets me a bit more is the fact that there has been a person spotted multiple times that resembles Psycho Mantis.  Could this be a Metal Gear that is chronologically before MGS?  Are the semi-familiar faces looking to find a suitable Snake clone for something?  

     It'll be odd at first, but I'll always hear Hayter's voice for Snake, and regardless of what happens, Kojima has never been one to fail to present an amazing game.  He knows what he's doing, and I'll rest soundly with that fact in mind.
     So I'll be looking forward to whatever divergence from the Legendary Snake happens in this upcoming installment.

Metal Gear Solid V= Ground Zeroes + The Phantom Pain

     Well, at the Game Developers Conference the legendary Hideo Kojima confirmed that The Phantom Pain and Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes combined make Metal Gear Solid 5.  This announcement sort of makes me wonder about what the extent of that combination is though.  He has been talking about games moving towards episodic release- so could this be a marketing hint at Metal Gear becoming a chapter based story?  This game looks undeniably amazing, as it is run on the new FOX Engine.

     In this video we see a bunch of semi familiar faces.  People that resemble Psycho Mantis, Revolver, and one that looks a bit like "Master Miller" from MGS1 appear.
     And these 2 statements, in particular, make me very curious:

From "FOX" Two Phantoms were Born

V has come to.

     So is this going to be like Twin Snakes?  Maybe another super soldier program, other Snakes were made, and this could be their story?  Might it be a retelling of one the earlier games from other perspectives?  The viewpoint of Big Boss perhaps?  Will the "Two Phantoms" be secretive covert ops soldiers we have never met?   

     Is one of the 2 games just a portion of the other?  There is a "9 year gap" spoken of by a Doctor in the trailer.  Is it anything like Metal Gear Solid 2- with multiple protagonists?  So much to speculate on, and only vague confirmations.  So many questions.

     Regardless of what it is, it will be great.  As is the fact that it is an "open world" game on top of it all.  Kojima is the future of video gaming.  Always carving new paths. 

*UPDATE*

Joakim Mogren's Phantom Pains

     I've gotten a bit backlogged on the blog, and forgot to post this Friday-
     Well "Joakim Mogren" has released a video of himself showing off clips of Phantom Pains.  Many are quite sure this is Hideo Kojima's next Metal Gear game, outside of Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes. 

     Indeed, I too believe it is the next in the series and there is little to sway me otherwise.  Kojima is a brilliant marketing strategist, and I personally believe he has made up this Joakim Mogren and Moby Dick studios.  When I say made up- I mean not only the names, but the video is probably fake as well. 
     Seriously.  The fabled FOX Engine for gaming is rumored to be mind blowing- so I believe this bandaged man, that looks awfully reminiscent of a character in the Phantom Pain trailer, is 100% made up.  Granted I could be very wrong, but it does seem like a wonderful PR stunt to show off the capabilities of the FOX Engine.
     I think he could totally be a CG person, due to many small things in the video.  One- the 2 people are never in 1 shot together.  Two- Mogren's eyes.  The pupils don't seem to change.  Three- different lighting on the two man in conversation.  Four- Phantom Pains?  Maybe this video will prove to be more like Phantom Person.  Five- His nose bridge is a bit too flat. 
     "Accident" or not, this Mr. Mogren is either a stand in or made of CG.

     With the news contained in the video that we'll be finding out more this week coming week, we'll learn just how much potential the FOX Engine really has... 
          ...and the future of Metal Gear.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance: Ridiculous, But Fun

     I started playing Metal Gear Rising: Redonk-u-litis last night.  This game is all about looking good and flexing absurdly large cybernetic muscles in a heavily anime influenced manner.  I can only describe it as Metal Gear Manga.  All the cinematics are brightly colored and super dynamic.  Everything is over-the-top to an almost silly degree. 
     Honestly, this is a beautiful game, and an absolute blast to play, but somehow it doesn't retain the feel of a Metal Gear title.  It feels like more akin to Dynasty Warriors on Zan-Datsu derived steroids.  And you know what, I have no real complaints.  It's all in good fun.

     I love that we finally get Raiden and his sword fighting.  I mean we've been waiting for it since Metal Gear Solid 2 way back in 2001, and it was definitely worth the wait.  This game is unmatched with the sword fighting- the new "Sword Mode" slow motion mechanic is a wonder to use.  I found myself searching for random items in the environment to practice my technique on just for fun.  Trees, fences, and some guy's couch all fell into sliver sized pieces while I laughed maniacally.  Absolutely NO complaints here. 

     As I mentioned earlier- this doesn't feel like a Metal Gear game.  It is completely different style, but in a good way and I would recommend people give it a try if they are a fan of action oriented games like Platinum Games' previous release- Bayonetta.  

     I do wonder what may have come of this if Hideo Kojima kept the game with "Gray Fox" Frank Jaeger as the main protagonist as he originally intended?  He is a great character and could be used to great effect.  Granted, the story would be limited in time periods to earlier Metal Gear lore.  Deaths put quite a hindrance on when things can occur in storytelling.  I also kind of wish that when using the Gray Fox suit in game, we weren't the overly bulky Raiden re-skinned.  I want a slim and swift ninja, not a thick body builder.  If most of the cyborgs are built with robotic components, they don't have to be "muscle" looking.  It would make more sense to be slender and strong, robotic parts don't require bulk.
     Perhaps the sword mechanic may be ported into a future Metal Gear game and we can actually play as Jaeger in all his glory... I would love to see Metal Gear Solid 1, updated with the modern graphics, and have a cloaked Jaeger as a stealthy, sword swinging playable character. 

The Phantom Pain: Metal Gear Stealth Marketing

     Just watched the trailer for The Phantom Pain. 
     This has  Metal Gear written all over it.  A new game company, Moby Dick Studio, turns up out of the blue, and a few members of team Konami had shirts sporting this on them at the Spike VGAs.  Not to mention the lead man's name is "Joakim Mogren" which contains an anagram of Kojima, and his next project "Ogre" in it.  I would guess this game is definitely a new Metal Gear on that alone.  Possibly even what the FOX game engine was designed for.
     After that fact, pretty much everything else about the trailer is steeped in Metal Gear-ness under the guise of Viral marketing.


Confused Snake...    ??? 

      A confused(drugged?) man wakes in a hospital and things go bad quite swiftly from there.  He's been in a coma from a car accident and another person is waiting for him.  The other person, other than the bandages, looks to be in good health.  It looks as if the place is under attack.  The focal character appears to have bodily scarring and a missing left forearm.       His initial inability to walk gives us a wonderful crawling movement that is EXACTLY like the typical crawl of soldiers with the title Snake.  That fabulous mullet and bandage over the eye, a Hideo Kojima staple, is very indicative of a Snake.  Could this be a clone in VR training of some sort, or a Snake we already know? 

     With the assault on the hospital we see many being dragged away or killed.  Are these people here for killing the protagonist, or here on a rescue mission? 
     There are many dream-like occurrences.  Feathers falling, a man on fire, a unicorn, and a giant flying whale, and a floating human.  Many of the military types have gas masks so could this all be hallucination?  This whole advertisement is one giant dream sequence.
     Then at the end there is a hovering person above beyond the gunman.  He looks awfully similar to Psycho Mantis.  Or the Sorrow, depending on the time period.  It looks like a lot of the stuff is a bit aged.  The lady speaking at the end has a Russian accent, so... could this be a game during the formation of Foxhound?  It would be unbelievably awesome if it were a complete remake of Metal Gear Solid, but it would be highly doubtful.  Personally I would like a game playing as The Joy.  A female lead protagonist in an awesome period piece era.

Is this Psycho Mantis?

    Even the end announcement has some hidden words above the The Phantom Pain.  This has got to be a ploy or a teaser campaign for the Metal Gear: Ground Zeroes.  Clearly the main person is a Snake, whether it's a Ground Zeroes teaser or another Metal Gear game will have to be determined.
     Regardless of what the final name of this title ends up as, I will be purchasing it.

Metal Gear: 25th Anniversary

     I apparently missed the 25th Anniversary of one of my favorite video game series ever!  I would first start by saying-

     Dear Hideo Kojima,
          Thank you for creating this masterpiece series.

     And then say-

METAL GEAR SOLID NEEDS AN HD REMAKE!!!

(Skip down to past the 2nd red text for the HD remake thoughts)

Metal Gear Solid PS1: Solid Snake

     I still remember the first time I played Metal Gear.  Not Metal Gear Solid for PlayStation, I mean the Nintendo version.  It was at a kid named Preston's place and we thought it was the coolest game ever, as you could smoke cigarettes.  As I still have the game and have replayed there has grown more respect and liking for it.  Clearly my younger self (8 or so years old) failed to grasp the story and nuances of the game.

     Well, years went by and I was working a prestigious position in a Wal-Mart... all right, in the McDonald's inside the Wal-Mart- and I found the demo in for Metal Gear Solid for PlayStation in the electronics section while roaming around the store during break time. 
     This simple demo immediately had me hooked.  A game of stealth.  Sure one could run in and kill anything that moves or  you could slip by undetected.  No fighting needed.  Stealth was the better option.  This was something new to me.  Intrigued, I would spend most my breaks running back and playing the demo repeatedly.  I was hooked.
     Once the game came out- pretty much all my friends and I spent all our free time playing this game.  Obsessively searching codec channels and looking in all corners of the compound for secrets.  I decided to silently kill every enemy as many times as possible.  So I got to sneak AND kill the bad guys.  My end game ranking for the first playthrough was: ORCA.  I also loved the ranking system.  Based on miscellaneous criteria like amount of times alerting enemies, saves, kills and how many rations you consumed as well as the level of difficulty you played it on.  Brilliant!
     This game also had the benefit of having a layered story.  Dramatic action, wonderful and interesting characters, and bleak Alaskan setting balanced with enough humor to make you laugh out loud at just the right moments.  

Solid Snake- Then and Now- Look at what smoking does!

METAL GEAR SOLID NEEDS AN HD REMAKE!!!

 

     There is a real need to remake the PS1 Metal Gear Solid.  With full trophy and complete graphic update.  A complete overhaul.  Like many old gamers I would pay full price AGAIN!  Not to mention all the potential NEW gamers could be introduced to this earlier Solid Snake. 
     The remakes of 2 and 3 into HD were good, but Solid would be an EPIC remake.  The Twin Snakes update was ok, but it needs the MGS4 visual overhaul.  It needs the update.  No expenses spared.  The game was solid in story, solid in gameplay, and solid in characters.  This is a game for all time.  Only a select few game makers can create such a distinct and moving work.  These games transcend the times. 
     Mr. Kojima could enhance or add all the things he wanted to in the original but had to cut for whatever reasons were necessary back then.  This is one of the few games that I would definitely insist on a remake for. 

Solid Snake- WAY back then

     Maybe even have a remake/update of the NES version as an add on or DLC???  Solid Snake has come a LONG way- his story is great, and I would love to enjoy the journey with him again.