Metal Gear Solid was one of the first games I remember asking for as a kid. I remember looking at the back of the case at some video game store that doesn't exist anymore. I was probably in early elementary and didn't really understand what was on the back, but I saw what looked like an army man fighting a tank, and I thought that stuff was cool, so I got my dad to buy it for me. Little did I know that I accidentally picked up one of the best games of all time.

I had all kinds of fun with it. I must have spent countless hours running around, experimenting, using the codec and feeling like the support crew were really alive in that they seemingly dynamically commented on every situation you could find yourself in. I never beat the game as a kid, and probably by about the beginning of my teenage years, I picked up the Metal Gear PS2 collection, and I went on to enjoy the sequels.

Recently I bought the Master Collection an-

SIKE

you know I emulated that shit on DuckStation. Yeah I do own the Master Collection for 2 and 3, but the Master Collection's port of MGS1 can't beat DuckStation. So what is Metal Gear Solid like through the eyes of a 28 year old in 2026?

First things first, the graphics are still great. The cinematography? Still great. The opening swim towards the dock and the sneak through there are probably still one of the most intense feeling sequences in any game just because the combination of the cinematography, the soundtrack, the amazing acting performance by the voice actors really 100% sells you on that you're a grizzled motherfucker that's entering some very intense shit, but despite that, you're completely confident in yourself.

The gameplay? Great. Some of the actions are a bit finicky, like choking a guard out, but I supposed you could argue that action should be a risky one, compared to shooting them or just sneaking around them.

In retrospect, the Soliton Radar kind of exists with some push and pull against what the game should be. I mean in the way that the radar on one hand makes gameplay smoother and feel less cheap, in that you won't unknowingly turn a corner and immediately get caught by something you had no way of knowing was there. You want players to be challenged, but happy. On the other hand, the Soliton Radar kind of strips away a lot of challenge of actually sneaking. Its a mini-map, essentially, that carries the same problem mini-maps have in any game: you end up not looking at the game and instead just watching your little dot on the Radar. What's more, is that when you press yourself up against a wall, the camera snaps to a cinematic angle that allows you to see some view around the corner to get a view of the surroundings. This is really nice, but a lot of those experiences you can completely skip because you don't really need to be aware of your surroundings due to the Radar. You can play without the Radar on hard difficulty, but like I said, that does open you up to what can feel like some potentially cheap failures. That's realistic though.

As for the story, don't get me wrong, I still love the series, but I have to admit, its cheap and cheesy as hell. The pacing is goofy. You meet Meryl, and one building and a half hour later, you're confessing your deep feelings, hopes, and fears, yadda yadda yadda. A lot of the emotional speeches from the bosses are a bit ham-fisted.

All things considered, for its time, its one of the greatest games ever, that has influenced pretty much any game that contained the concept of cutscenes after that. Playing it as a 28 year old man in 2026? I'll move it from "one of the greatest ever" to "really good" in the modern context, if you can put up with a lot of cheese and raging sexism (Snake, why are you saying "lady" or "female" like that every time?)

Pick it up, play it, enjoy it, and maybe get yourself on the wild ride that is the Metal Gear series.