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Metal Gear Solid cover art
Action

Metal Gear Solid

by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan·published by Konami

3 September 1998Mature33
PlayStationPS1PSPPS3PS Vita

Reader score

8.6/ 10

286 votes

How long to beat

10 players

22h

Rushed

main story only

12h

Normally

story and some extras

Where to get it

Trailer

Gallery

33

Screenshots

Key art

About

Metal Gear Solid is a sequel to Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. After the tragic confrontation with Big Boss, the hero, special agent Solid Snake, decided to retire and has since then lived in a secluded region in Alaska. But the US government recruits him once again for a dangerous mission. The members of Foxhound, a renegade special forces unit, threaten to use a devastating nuclear weapon if the government doesn't hand them the mortal remains of Big Boss, their former commander. Foxhound is now led by a talented, ambitious young man with the codename Liquid Snake. Knowing that the visual resemblance between this new terrorist mastermind and himself can not be coincidental, Solid Snake agrees to infiltrate the new Foxhound base, destroy the unknown nuclear weapon, and find the truth about his own identity.

The gameplay in Metal Gear Solid follows the prototype established in the two earlier Metal Gear games. Solid Snake has a limited arsenal of weapons and cannot allow himself to pave his way to the goal by killing all the enemies. He has to stay unnoticed, hide, crawl, wait for the right moment, sneak, and use various gadgets that will prevent him from alerting the enemy. Boss battles and some other sequences are played out as action-oriented set pieces, with the player having to figure out the weakness of the enemy in order to succeed.

The game utilizes a traditional top-down view, but the graphics in this installment are real 3D. Conversations with Snake's allies and cutscenes are used extensively to advance the plot and gain more insight into it.

Ways to play

Modes

Single player

Perspective

Third person

Expanded into

Metal Gear Solid: Integral

Expansions

Included in

Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy CollectionMetal Gear 20th Anniversary: Metal Gear Solid CollectionPlayStation ClassicPlayStation ClassicMetal Gear Solid: Master Collection Version

Ported as

Metal Gear Solid

Remade as

Languages

6 languages, with audio, subtitles and interface
Languageaudiosubtitlesinterface
English
French—
German—
Italian—
Japanese—
Spanish (Spain)—

Game details

Controller Types Supported

Analog Controller

Input Device Features Supported

Vibration

Number of Players Supported

1 Player

Box art

Also known as

Hejin Zhuangbei — Chinese title

MGS — Common abbreviation

Metal Gear 3 — Working title

Reader ratings

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Facts

Publisher

Konami

Released

3 September 1998

Platforms

PlayStationPS1PSPPS3PS Vita

Age ratings

ESRBMatureUSK12ACBMA15+OFLC (New Zealand)MELSPA15+SELL16

Standing

Top 1% by visits

Tags

1st-personTop-down2D scrollingShooterStealthDirect controlSpy / espionage