Do you ever find yourself sitting in the movie theatre, yelling at the screen, annoying everyone around you? You just can’t help yourself! If those movie characters would just make better decisions, then you wouldn’t feel compelled to tell them what to do! Do you ever wish you could control the actions of movie characters? With a little known technology called “video games,” now you can. Picture this: a movie where you get to call all the shots. You want the main character to jump off a cliff? That’s your prerogative. With these 10 video games that feel like playing a movie, you get to be the director, the actor, and the screenwriter all at once!
(Konami)
Created by the incomparable game designer genius Hideo Kojima, the Metal Gear series is easily one of the most cinematic video game franchises ever made. A military alternate history that takes place across decades, each game in the series feels like its own film sub-genre. Metal Gear Solid is a gritty 90’s spy thriller. Metal Gear Solid 3 is a 60’s Cold War flick with its own James Bond-style theme song. Metal Gear Solid 4 is a sci-fi dystopian epic. But when it comes to pure cinema, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is the franchise’s crown jewel. Centered around a mercenary company caught in the middle of the Russia-Afghanistan war, the plot follows a grizzled soldier’s attempt to seek revenge against the man who nearly destroyed everything he and his comrades built. When your main character is motion captured and voice acted by Kiefer Sutherland himself, you know you’re making video game movie magic.
The Last of Us Series
(Sony Interactive Entertainment)
The franchise that elevated video game narratives into full blown Oscar bait, The Last of Us series feels like a play-through of a Best Picture winner. The franchise is set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a fungus, one that has turned human beings into mushroomy zombies. The first game follows grizzled smuggler named Joel on his quest to deliver his most precious cargo yet: a little girl who is immune to the virus. While the brutal gameplay and emotional weight of the game make it feel like post-apocalyptic greats such as Children of Men and 28 Days Later, the true “movie” quality of the games comes from the choices that it forces you to make. Much of the series’ narratives revolve around morally complicated choices that are made for you, that the game expects you to execute on. And when I say “execute,” I mean that in the most homicidal sense of the word. You are not the main character – their choices are their own. You might control the pace of the plot, but you can’t change the script.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
(Ninja Theory)
If A24 ever decided to make a game, it would probably look a lot like Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. A mythological folk horror, the plot follows 8th century Pict warrior Senua on a quest into Helheim in order to save the soul of her lover. Carrying her beloved’s severed head with her, Senua navigates the abyss at the cost of her own sanity. Deeply cerebral, the game is essentially a downward spiral into madness – Senua’s mental state becomes more tortured the deeper she goes. The boss fights are close quarters affairs that feel more like nightmare sequences than standard gameplay combat. There’s something deeply troubled about this game – it’s a haunted version of The Northman. A decaying Green Knight. Beowulf dipped in blood.
Red Dead Redemption 2
(Rockstar Games)
While Red Dead Redemption was an epic Western in its own right, the sequel upped the cinematic feel of the series to Sergio Leone levels. Set in the dying days of the Old West, the story follows a group of outlaws on the run from the long arm of the law – and they’re running out of places to hide. As Pinkerton agents close in on all sides, the gang’s charismatic leader Dutch van der Linde slowly begins to lose his composure, while the group’s strongman Arthur Morgan begins to question the morality and sustainability of the outlaw life they lead. Red Dead Redemption 2 is bigger than a movie, it’s an entire HBO series like Deadwood. A larger than life epic about one man’s relationship to honor – honor upheld or left behind.
Grand Theft Auto V
(Rockstar)
The ultimate video game satire, Grand Theft Auto V is a sardonic reflection on the modern age. It feels like if Black Mirror abandoned its sci-fi trappings and decided to take a stab at the world of today – painting L.A. with its dark and cynical brush. Set in the mirror world of Los Santos, the story follows a trio of criminals from separate walks of life, all attempting to get rich quick in a rat race world. It’s got the madcap crime thriller humor of a Guy Ritchie movie combined with the American sleaze of Heat and Scarface. Nasty people in a nasty world who are tired of keeping up nice appearances – not that the sociopathic Trevor was ever concerned about his appearance to begin with, but you get what I mean.
Okami
(Capcom)
One of the most underrated games of all time, Okami feels like a Studio Ghibli film that never was. The plot is set in mythological Japan, and the player takes control of a wolf named Amaterasu who is the reincarnation of the sun goddess. Winding her way through a stunning, brushstroke world, Amaterasu comes face to snout with characters from Japanese folklore. Maiden devouring serpents, drunken samurai warriors, demon-possessed royals, wandering gods, and young girl who was born out of a stalk of bamboo. While it lacks the cinematic cutscenes of more modern games, it makes up for it with is gorgeous brushwork worlds that feels straight out of Princess Mononoke.
The Uncharted Series
(Naughty Dog)
The video game version of Indiana Jones, the Uncharted series is a Spielberg-esque globe trotting romp. The franchise follows historian and adrenaline junkie Nathan Drake on his never-ending quest for artifacts lost to time. The game takes the player into classic adventure film worlds: steaming jungle ruins, forgotten mountain temples, lost cities of the desert, and forgotten coves where pirates stashed loot long ago. With its run and gun play style and stunning set pieces, the game feels like you’re flying by the seat of your cargo pants. The train level in Uncharted 2? Perhaps one of the cinematic gaming sequences ever designed.
Detroit: Become Human
(Quantic Dream)
Building off of the “playable movie” groundwork of genre pioneer Heavy Rain, Detroit: Become Human is a sci-fi epic that stands alongside Blade Runner. Taking place in 2038, the action is set in a world where androids live alongside humans – though they are (supposedly) deprived of free will and emotion. You cycle between playing as one of three androids – a police investigator, a housekeeper, and a caretaker for an elderly painter. After bearing witness to a morally grey legal system, domestic abuse, and android discrimination respectively, each character embarks on a “choose your own adventure” style journey that will change their city forever. There aren’t traditional combat sequences, rather playable cutscenes with timed dialogue options and the choice between different prescribed actions. It’s the most traditionally “cinematic” game on this list – a movie where instead of yelling at the screen when a character makes a bad decision, you can yell at yourself when you make one.
God of War
(Santa Monica Studio)
While the God of War franchise made a name for itself with its breathtakingly cinematic combat sequences, the series reached its video game movie apex in the modern era. God of War trades the hack and slash brutality of its predecessors to tell an emotional story based around an older and (somewhat) wiser Kratos – an emotionally stunted man attempting to bond with his young son. The most cinematic aspect of the game is its “one take” cinematography. The “cutscenes” don’t cut at all, but rather the game’s over the shoulder camera simply tracks the characters cinematically during narrative moments. Like Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, the lack of cuts make the game feel as impressive as real one take wonder films like Victoria – made all the more jaw dropping by its mythological magnitude.
Max Payne 3
(Rockstar)
An underrated Neo-noire gem, Max Payne 3 plays like a combination mobster movie and gritty crime thriller. The plot follows alcoholic hero Max Payne, whose marksmanship skills are equally as sharp as his one-liners. Hired to serve as a bodyguard to a wealthy South American family, things quickly go awry after the family’s socialite children are kidnapped by criminals. The gameplay is made cinematic as hell through the use of “bullet time” which allows Max to launch himself through the air in slow motion while picking off foes with surgical precision. The plot unfolds with the brutality of crime epics like City of God and Elite Squad, buoyed by Max’s dry humor noir witticisms – “I had a hole in my second favorite drinking arm” is a favorite line to this day.
Sarah Fimm (they/them) is actually nine choirs of biblically accurate angels crammed into one pair of $10 overalls. They have been writing articles for nerds on the internet for less than a year now. They really like anime. Like… REALLY like it. Like you know those annoying little kids that will only eat hotdogs and chicken fingers? They’re like that… but with anime. It’s starting to get sad.
Europe’s biggest gameshow is a beast. Spanning the halls of Cologne Messe, and with E3 now out of the picture, Gamescom is a bigger deal than ever. The show also attracts thousands of public attendees, which gives the show a fairground twist in places. This year, Netflix dominated one of the halls with a faux One Piece ship, sports stadium, a Wednesday-themed cafe and a Stranger Things ice cream stall.
Elsewhere, while Nintendo didn’t have anything new to show, it had plenty of Switch 2 consoles to convince the not-yet-convinced — and some of them had Silksong. Microsoft, too, had a substantial presence, revealing an October 16 launch date for its Xbox Ally duo of handheld gaming PCs. No price, though.
While you can find all the news and previews on our Gamescom page, we’ve also drawn together all the other games we tested during this week’s show, several of which launch in the next few weeks.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
While the man who created Metal Gear moved onto walking sims and Hollywood best friends, Konami is more than happy to beef up and remaster the hits. This time around, it’s Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
I’ll admit, Snake Eater was when I fell off the Metal Gear Solid train (or nuclear mech), and it came undone by the camouflage system and the difficult-to-navigate early areas. A very tight demo, as the Gamescom crowds rushed to early demos meant I didn’t get a chance to fully test the new style control system that (thankfully) shifts crouch and action/ confirm to separate buttons and adds a degree of camera control even in third-person. But it’s these kind of quality-of-life upgrades you can expect to see.
Of course, the graphics are a huge leap from the PS2 original (or Nintendo 3DS version I bafflingly chose to buy), but the pulpy (occasionally delightfully camp) dialogue remains in place. I look forward to getting through at least the opening scenes now that the game has launched on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.
There Are No Ghosts at the Grand
What a weird game. Not in a bad way. Things start off in the titular dilapidated Grand Hotel, with me renovating a room with PowerWash Simulator-inspired water guns, spray guns, sand blasters and vacuum. You can scan the area to get hints on what needs doing, while a naggy Scottish smartphone app will also try to help — but not really. There’s also a talking cat, apparently, called Mr. Bones the Bastard, but he wasn’t talking in this demo.
The early trailer teased a mystery that needs to be solved in the village, and while I didn’t get a glimpse of that, I was soon tasked with checking out some mysterious black gunk.
The developers even put a little more effort into the demo, with voiced lines that will likely never be heard in the retail version, teasing that the protagonist was being “onboarded” when he’s interrupted by one of the characters that populate the village around the hotel.
Seconds later, I’m riding a scooter to the dock, with a cat enjoying the ride, fixing a boat, getting a sassy soliloquy from the woman who convinced me to drive my boat into the sea. There are plenty more songs to come as new characters join the mystery.
As a reminder, the demo started with me sandblasting tatty wallpaper off period walls. I’m intrigued.
We’ve got a more detailed breakdown by contributor Alessandro Fillari here, but I got a chance to get scared out of my skin too. The headline feature is the ability to play between first- and third-person perspectives. Still, it revealed an uncomfortable truth to myself: I’m a total coward and playing in third person is much less scary.
Capcom’s return to its samurai vs. demons series is satisfying and fun, especially when compared to more punishing games in the genre, like Sekiro. However, the early chapters have a pretty basic attack flow, and I’m keen to see how things evolve beyond that. At least they’ve got one thing right: a great villain to loathe.
The long-running DLC-into-sequel-into-meme-sensation is almost here, right? The demo at Gamescom remained the most popular attraction at Microsoft’s booth. Two Xbox Ally handhelds were also running the demo, which I was fortunate enough to test on. And I can say… yep, still plays like a faster, slicker Hollow Knight.
Having played it a heady six years ago, it’s now actually difficult to discern the differences between the early build and what is surely an almost-final snapshot of the game. One of the notable changes is its more elaborate lighting effects and details — things Redditors have pored over as each new trailer video appeared. I stand by my hands-on impressions from 2019, even if they have a fine vintage at this point.
Classic titles may get a lot of flack, but their designs were second to none, so we’ve decided to rank them! These posters highlight some of the best classic titles out there – along with some beautifully recreated and original illustrations.
For the sake of transparency, ‘retro’ has been defined here as anything that was released before the eighth console generation. So, before the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch’s release.
It might sound scary, but some of your favorite titles might be just considered ‘old-school’!
Image Source: 2K
Image Source: 2K
Image Source: 2K
The success of the Borderlands series is reason enough to pick up a copy of any of its titles. However, the consistently awe-inspiring key art used in its box cover and promotional marketing is a very close second.
Borderlands‘ success has rested on the amazing gunplay, witty dialogue, and excellent character designs of its cast of heroes (and villains!)
As such, it makes sense that if posters were to be made to symbolize the whole series, then who better to place front and center than a Psycho. The Psycho enemy has become the face of the series in some respects – having appeared on almost all the games’ cover art in one way or another.
Using the iconic, provocative imagery from the games’ cover art for the title, marketing for all of 2K’s Borderlands has received heavy backlash. However, the visually striking use of color and instantly recognizable design of the series has since become synonymous with the franchise.
Image Source: Sega
Image Source: Sega
Image Source: Sega
Releasing in arcades in 1994, and being ported to Sega’s own Saturn system in 1995, Virtua Fighter and its much-beloved sequel were a graphical tour de force.
Hailing from a time when titles couldn’t hide with flashy, pre-rendered cinematics, these titles laid everything bare. Sega was sure that the visuals it had to deliver were of that high a standard.
Posters like this one by AudricDemers project that same self-confidence, consisting of minimal background design and characters in action poses. Simple, effective, and impressive.
As one Reddit user fondly remembers;
‘The graphics were god-tier at the time that I could just sit there at the arcade and watch the demo for hours on end’
The Metal Slug series is renowned for crazy arcade action, and sleek and beautiful pixel-art sprite work. Wow, that’s a lot to fit onto a poster!
As such, the best posters of the Metal Slug franchise choose to encapsulate all of these aspects in a single image. For example, this one which uses the cover art for Metal Slug X.
The series’ hyper-stylized designs, along with the eponymous tank, are depicted in loving detail. Redbubble designer Mysteriosshop has arranged the game’s artwork and produced a highly collectible poster.
Image Source: SEGA
Image Source: SEGA
Image Source: SEGA
Sonic the Hedgehog is a beloved video game character; running beyond his games to television shows, highly-successful movies, and merchandising since his original title. However, he has gone through many design alterations since his 1991 game debut.
Sega landed on a classic look recently that has pleased old and new fans alike. While the lanky-legged, smart-talking design of ‘modern’ Sonic still exists, this ‘classic’ design has curried favor with many long-time fans.
Referencing Sonic the Hedgehog’s blazing speed and classic 90s design, posters like this minimal yet explosive artwork will surely please Sonic fans from any stage of the blue blur’s gaming career.
Image Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Image Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Image Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment
While it seems like we were waiting for years for a return to form for Crash Bandicoot, the recent resurgence in Crash Bandicoot’s popularity can be seen with the release of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time.
Regardless if it’s playing the original titles or the newest in the series, it feels good to be back in control of everyone’s favorite orange video game mammal (sorry, Daxter!)
This modern interpretation of the classic cover art for the PS1 title Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back showcases the classic title, while embracing the aesthetic of the newer art style. As such, you can enjoy it on posters and other themed merchandise.
Perhaps that is why it’s so endearing. The seamless blending of the original title with one which a new generation of fans has become familiar with. This is especially potent considering the continued success of the series’ recent remasters.
After the success of the North American box art for Grand Theft Auto III after an impromptu last-minute change, Rockstar consolidated their key art under one style. They proceeded to use Bliss’ stylings as cover art, loading scenes, and promotional work for the title from that point on.
Posters like this stylish one from mattilynn succeeds on the merit that it places Bliss’ artwork front and center.
Image Source: Nintendo
Image Source: Nintendo
Image Source: Nintendo
If there’s one thing The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is, it’s unusual. Its dark tone and unnerving visuals confounded gamers at the time, alongside Nintendo’s macabre twist of the Zelda formula.
This poster by orioto continues this trend by emphasizing the darkness of the setting along with the scale of the game’s moon. The starlight and falling meteors in the background of the poster also highlight the shadows of the clock tower and surrounding mountains.
As such, the scale of the task given to you in Majora’s Mask is made apparent. Beyond that, the repercussions if you don’t succeed are put into perspective.
The title has been included on the company’s Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass service. As a result, more people are playing classic Zelda titles than ever. Whether you’re new to the perils of Termina or have saved the world time and time again, this illustrated poster is sure to delight you.
Image Source: Atari
Image Source: Atari
Image Source: Atari
Centipede is a game that needs no introduction. Published by Atari in 1981, the arcade title is one of the formative titles for the entire video game industry.
Even 40 years ago, the appeal for this title was obvious. Many marketing and promotional works were commissioned to broadcast this latest Atari title. As a result, many gamers were inducted into spending as much as they could in the arcades.
Posters like this retro metal decoration highlight the original arcade cabinet’s aesthetic through its presentation of the illustrated centipede design.
It could be argued that George Opperman alone could be credited with the centipede design. However, as stated in Video Games magazine, June of 1983: ‘It is his responsibility, along with a 12-person staff, to create and produce all artwork for Atari’s arcade games’.
The poster design has had such a lasting impact that American rock band The Strokes incorporated it well beyond its 1981 release. In 2003, they released their hit song ‘Reptilia’ – which has a familiar insect emblazoned on its single artwork.
Image Source: Nintendo
Image Source: Nintendo
Image Source: Nintendo
When decorating a room with videogame paraphernalia, you only want to represent the best of the best.
As such, it’s no surprise that a stylish poster of Super Mario Bros. 3 is no doubt high on your list. One of the best Mario games of all time, even 36 years after its original release, Super Mario Bros. 3 revolutionized the series in the eighties.
From all-new power-ups, a connected series of levels on a world map, and incredible graphical power for the Nintendo Entertainment System – Super Mario Bros. 3 amazed.
In 1988 players all around the world thought that game developers had maximized the potential of what the NES hardware. Then Super Mario Bros. 3 released.
Matthew Carmosino & Nicholas Limon, ‘The Best Super Mario Bros. Games: All 20 Ranked’
Who wouldn’t want a poster of the platforming plumber after all that? Luckily, the cover art for Super Mario Bros. is as simple and stylish as it was back in 1988.
With that in mind, many still hold a special Pokemon-shaped place in their heart for the original titles and Nintendo is very aware of this.
The original Pokemon creature designs are referenced and revered in almost every aspect of Pokemon media – ensuring that every Pokemon fan knows them all by name!
As such, this Pokemon poster is an excellent decision for those who love the original 151 pocket monsters or are just fans of the series overall. Featuring artwork from the series’ original artist Ken Sugimori, this Kanto-based poster is a league above the rest.
Image Source: Microsoft
Image Source: Microsoft
Image Source: Microsoft
When excited gamers in 2007 picked up their copies of Microsoft’s latest installment in the Halo franchise, they were met with a beloved added extra.
The much-appreciated miniature poster, featuring artwork from artist Ashley Wood, was bundled into all early copies of the title – with the controller layout on the reverse side. Posting on his blog on September 25, the day of Halo 3’s release, he proclaimed: ‘I was lucky to be part of the legend in a very small way’.
This piece, while small, has continued to be adored by fans new and old. So much so that it was celebrated with a limited print-run of the artwork being recreated through Displate, last year.
Redbubble user pharaoh618, has elegantly formatted Wood’s original piece and has made it more readily available through this poster.
Image Source: Bethesda Softworks
Image Source: Bethesda Softworks
Image Source: Bethesda Softworks
Incorporated into the title’s promotional work and even used as the game’s box art, Doom is a classic retro poster design if there ever was one.
Designed by the prolific science fiction and contemporary artist Don Ivan Punchatz, his mastery of the craft is generally acknowledged even by those outside of the video game industry.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is the memorable sequel to the much-beloved original Metal Gear Solid title on the PlayStation 1. Where Sons of Liberty diverges from the original is in its controversial sidelining of the first game’s protagonist in place of the new character, Raiden.
Many fans have since come around to Raiden’s inclusion and the superb quality of Sons of Liberty as a sequel. As such, we have been able to appreciate posters like this one.
The minimalist poster – arranged by PFCpatrickC – features the original artwork for the title from series illustrator Yoji Shinkawa.
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If you were already blown away by Metal Gear Solid: Delta’s first reveal, then you’ll undoubtedly be more astonished by its’ first in-engine look, taking you back to the jungles of Soviet Russia.
By the first minute, you’ll see an incredibly familiar bag that involves the very first task of the game. As a longtime fan of the series, I never thought I would be so happy to see such a mundane item, yet it’s the perfect way to start off this much-awaited reveal. But, of course, the star of the show has to be the man, the myth, the legend, himself: Naked Snake, as he explores all your favorite locations in MGS3.
It’s certainly surreal to see the modernization of Snake’s character model with Unreal Engine 5’s latest system. Even if his face is plastered in mud, he still looks pretty good in the short segments that display him in action. The scenery is also exceptionally breathtaking, from the cave used in The Pain’s boss battle to the famous bridge that began Snake’s sorrowful journey.
Nevertheless, the in-engine look goes beyond the scope of graphics, as it provides us with a sneak peek into gameplay. Although I can’t control it myself, I do get a sense of a smoother motion speed, which may make it easier to unleash a brutal CQC takedown. You could say the same for the weapon’s first-person mode, compared to the slightly gradual movements of its predecessor.
The visuals and movements of animals have also been tremendously improved to make it more life-like, almost as if you are hunting the real thing. However, the only thing missing from the reveal is the rest of the cast, who have yet to be revealed (please give me The Boss.) We’ll just have to cross our fingers for the next sneak peek to hopefully get a look at their modernized faces.
While this in-engine look only scratches the surface, we’ll most likely see a lot more features to come, especially with the release of the Master Collection. Now, all we need is the launch date for Metal Gear Solid: Delta to make the wait worthwhile.
About the author
Kristina Ebanez
Kristina is a Staff Writer and has been with Twinfinite for more than a year. She typically covers Minecraft, The Sims 4, Disney Dreamlight Valley, anime, Call of Duty, and newly released games. She loves the Metal Gear Solid series (Snake Eater especially), Rockstar’s Bully, the Horizon franchise, What Remains of Edith Finch, and many more. Her dog is also an avid video game watcher, primarily when there’s a horse or a cat. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and grew up gaming on the islands.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 gathers some of the best games ever made and puts them all on modern platforms in one convenient package. Unfortunately, a laundry list of weird caveats and shortcomings at launch make the new anthology hard to celebrate. Why is one of the best franchises in gaming history not pulling out all the stops?
Tears Of The Kingdom’s Newspaper Questline And The State Of Hyrulean Journalism
Out October 24 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and Windows PC, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 has been stalked by controversy for months now, with questions about subpar performance on Nintendo Switch and a lack of bells and whistles on “next-gen” platforms like PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The anthology features five main games—Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater—and includes the oddball Snake’s Revenge and the NES and Famicom ports of Metal Gear as bonuses.But now that it’s finally here, it’s hard not to be disappointed by how publisher Konami has gone about assembling it.
First up is the lack of a visual upgrade on new platforms, or parity with the original versions on Switch. As shared prior to release, Metal Gear Solid still only plays at 30fps across all versions (it was never remastered for 2011’s Metal Gear Solid HD Collection by Bluepoint Games). The Switch version of Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 are also locked at 30fps (MGS2 originally ran at 60fps on PlayStation 2). All three games max out at 1080p as well, with no 4K resolution options for the stronger hardware versions.
Even without any big improvements, Konami notes that the launch versions still suffer from various bugs and performance issues it plans to patch sometime in the future. A full list of the shortcomings was provided to IGN. “Across Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, and 3, bug fixes are also planned, specifically on MGS2,” the site noted. “Konami warned the game may significantly slow down in certain cutscenes, which sounds worrying. A patch to reduce processing load is planned.” Visual options like CRT scanlines and the ability to switch between windowed and full-screen mode in the options menu in the two MSX games are also MIA at the moment.
There’s also the laggy pause button. Konami added the option to pause during cutscenes, a long-requested feature for the story-heavy stealth series. Footage from copies of the game that leaked early, however, showed that it can take up to 10 seconds for the game to register the pause after the button’s pressed, taking some of the shine off the new option. It’s still unclear if that’s intentional or will be patched down the road.
The Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is, perhaps less surprisingly, encountering issues on PC as well. Initial Steam reviews are very mixed, with players complaining about unintuitive keybindings, poor UI, and a lack of aspect ratio options. “Take this with a grain of salt, the game literally just launched, but damn the video settings, button mapping, and poor UI/UX for the collection is pretty sour,” wrote one player. “I am sure it will improve over time, but yikes.”
Most galling for me personally are the games altogether missing from the physical Switch version of the collection. In North America at least, only Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, and Snake’s Revenge are actually on the game card. The three Metal Gear Solid games, which are the main ones advertised on the front of the box, must be downloaded separately. As someone who treats their Switch like a physical repository for retro remasters and re-issues, it’s frustrating to have to rely on an internet connection and a temporary online storefront to have access to all-time classics. It sounds like the Japanese physical release at least also includes the first Metal Gear Solid on the game card.
Many of the initial reviews for Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 have noted these shortcomings while still pointing out that at the end of the day these games still play great and remain some of the most profound meditations on geopolitics, war, and the military industrial complex the medium has ever produced. “I think it’s great that such a huge swathe of Metal Gear history is now readily available and easily playable on modern systems,” writes The Verge’s Jon Porter. “But there’s also a part of me that thinks Konami missed an opportunity to give Metal Gear Solid in particular a fresh coat of paint and update it for a modern audience.”
The video game industry is generally so bad at preserving its past I wish it would go all out when it decides to finally take the opportunity to repackage old games and sell them again. If that means charging more so be it. I’d gladly pay $100 for the definitive edition of all of these games. Maybe we’ll eventually get that one day. In the meantime I hope Konami’s planned post-launch updates give the collection some of the additional love it deserves.
With the release of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection, we’ve compiled this list of the franchise’s most iconic moments. From Snake Eater to the Sons of Liberty, you’ll undoubtedly feel a sense of nostalgia as you relive these memorable scenes or learn a few new things if you aren’t entirely familiar with the series. So, let’s dive into Metal Gear Solid’s extensive timeline and world.
*Careful, Snake! There are spoilers ahead for the Metal Gear Solid series up to MGS4.*
The Boss’ Betrayal (Metal Gear Solid 3)
Source: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
The Boss is one of the most beloved characters in the series as the mentor to the famous Naked Snake, also known as Big Boss. During the Virtuous Mission in MGS3, we see her in several Codec Calls where she helps Snake rescue Dr. Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov, a Soviet rocket scientist who has recently defected to the United States. But, just as we step onto a bridge to get away, The Boss suddenly shows up to intercept Sokolov, ultimately betraying Snake and the entire country.
This epic moment shifted the entire storyline of the franchise since it led to Naked Snake becoming Big Boss, thus creating a domino effect for the rest of the installments. Her defiance completely comes as a surprise for any player. It surely was for me, and it continues to be one of my favorite gaming moments, no matter how heartbreaking it can be.
Last but not least, we can’t forget how the scene ushered in the origins of the famous bandana, as Snake pulls off the garment from his old master. It will be surreal to experience this all over again, and it will undoubtedly be even more tragic with the upcoming remake of Metal Gear Solid Delta.
The Intense Elevator Fight (Metal Gear Solid 1)
Source: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
Before Solid Snake fights with the legendary Sniper Wolf, something goes amiss the minute he steps inside a mysterious elevator. Despite being the only one aboard, the alert for the weight limits goes off, confusing the character as to why this is happening.
Otacon calls Snake shortly after to explain how four stealth prototype suits have gone missing, hinting at what’s to come for the heroic protagonist. By the time they realize the connection between the suits and the elevator’s weight limit, it’s already too late, as Otacon yells, “Look out, Snake! The guys who stole my stealth prototypes are in there with you!!!”
When I first played this as a teenager, it was one of the most frightening and thrilling battles I’ve experienced, especially since older games weren’t as forgiving with game-overs. Hopefully, now, as an adult, I can finally redeem myself with the Master Collection and take down these invisible foes with ease.
The Legendary Ladder Scene (Metal Gear Solid 3)
Source: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
Amidst all of Metal Gear Solid’s heavy combat and diverse gameplay, the ladder scene in MGS3 is possibly the most talked-about subject in the franchise.
While Snake is on his way to see EVA (AKA Tatyana), he comes across an ordinary ladder that leads him to her location. Simple enough, right? Wrong.
As players continue climbing up, the main theme of the game, “Snake Eater,” starts to play, with no end in sight. Since this is the only way to get to EVA, you have to point your analog stick up for about two to three minutes and hope that the odd but funny scene eventually ends.
This aspect of the game may be incredibly simple, but that’s what makes it so unforgettable because it was so random and unlike anything we’ve seen before. After you play this, you may never be able to look at ladders the same ever again.
Raiden’s Fight Against Vamp (Metal Gear Solid 2)
Source: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
Vamp is a major antagonist in both Sons of Liberty and Guns of the Patriots due to his supernatural abilities and immortality.
Although Vamp has many fights within the franchise, we’ll focus on the memorable showdown between him and Raiden in MGS2. In the past, Raiden had failed to eliminate him repeatedly, but now the two are alone without any distractions.
With the Master Collection, we can live through this fight all over again in the latest-gen consoles. Rather than simply shooting at him, you’ll need to time your bullets right and find a way to “injure” him whenever he dives underwater. Of course, the showdown doesn’t quite go how we want, but we’ll just have to wait until the Master Collection Volume 2 release to reach the final conclusion of this epic fight.
The Redemption of Raiden (Metal Gear Solid 4)
Source: Kojima Productions
Although Metal Gear Solid 4 didn’t make it to the Master Collection’s first volume, it is expected to arrive in the following phase to complete the collection. With that said, I had to include Raiden’s redemption arc, given his rocky history with the franchise.
Hideo Kojima’s character portrayal of Raiden in MGS2 initially received mixed reviews mainly because of the fans’ loyalty to Snake. But, after the release of MGS4, no one questioned him ever again since he played a significant part in the war against Liquid Ocelot and his frightful army.
Along with his many other scenes in the game, the one that shines the most is his iconic return in the all-out Gekko battle, displaying his swift movements with his sword and effortless strength. By the end of the fight, Raiden turns to the old Solid Snake, his former comrade, and says, “Snake, It’s my turn to protect you,” solidifying his importance to the storyline.
The Brothers’ Showdown (Metal Gear Solid 1)
Source: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
You wouldn’t expect two shirtless men to be fighting it out with the countdown of a deadly nuclear module, yet that’s precisely what happens during the events of MGS1, on top of a mech, no less. While the battle can be frustrating at times, given its limited space and time duration, it’s a chance to get all your frustrations out on Liquid in yet another hand combat battle.
Besides Liquid’s powerful punches, gravity can work against you, in which you can ultimately find yourself falling off the machine when making the wrong move. Even those who do end in triumph will realize that the battle isn’t over yet with the thrilling car chase scene that occurs shortly after.
It’s the last time we ever see Liquid in this state (still shirtless, of course), setting the stage for the rest of the franchise.
Boss Battle Against The End & All the Other Members of the Cobra Unit (Metal Gear Solid 3)
Source: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
The Cobra Unit was once a commanding force during World War II, including the members: The End, The Sorrow, The Fury, The Fear, The Pain, and their leader, The Joy (also known as The Boss). In return, we get these extraordinarily intricate boss battles that often prompt you to think creatively and strategically, like the fight against The Sorrow, which doesn’t have any combat whatsoever.
While I can go on about all the members of the Cobra Unit, The End continues to be my favorite boss battle of all time, showcasing a variety of ways to defeat this one enemy. For example, after Volgin torments Tatyana, players can use a sniper to shoot him before his battle even takes place, along with many other methods.
If you want to try out the standard fight, you’ll embark on a showdown of long-range combat, where The End camouflages his body with the greenery and silently takes you down from a considerable distance. It will be curious to see if any newcomers to the game will discover alternative ways to kill this legendary sniper, and I can’t wait to choose which method to utilize next.
The Tanker Incident (Metal Gear Solid 2)
Even if Raiden is the star of the show in Sons of Liberty, you can still witness Snake’s elite sneaking skills during the first part of the game. Here, we get to see the brutality of Metal Gear firsthand as Ray unleashes a horrific scream for all of Manhattan to hear.
Considering that it is a sneaking mission, players can experience the game in its full form without needing combat. Nevertheless, you’ll still get your hands dirty in Olga’s boss fight or any guards who stand in your way.
One of my favorite Easter Eggs can be discovered here, involving the photo segment of the quest. In particular, if you take a picture of one of the model posters, Otacon will blush at the sight of it and ridicule you for snapping this type of photo. Yet, it doesn’t end there, with the multiple other shots you can take to trigger these unique dialogue scenes.
Big Boss’ Arrival in Post-Credits Scene (Metal Gear Solid 4)
Source: Kojima Productions
What makes Big Boss’ triumphant return so fantastic is the fact that it is known to be the longest cutscene in video game history, which was confirmed by the voice actor of Snake, David Hayter.
“Metal Gear Solid 4 holds the Guinness World Record for ‘Longest Cutscene in a Video Game’, at 71 min.”
Not only does the moment showcase various details about the story’s timeline, but it also produces an emotional scene between Big Boss and his clone, Solid Snake, a soldier who was always under his shadow. In this conversation, he tells Snake, “Don’t waste the life you have left fighting,” and proceeds to express his respect for him as a soldier and a man.
In Big Boss’ last moments, he stands in front of the grave of his mentor and salutes her one last time, a callback to an epic scene where Naked Snake cries at her death in MGS3. It might not necessarily have any gameplay, yet you can’t help but shed a tear during this bittersweet conclusion.
Psycho Mantis’ Unique Battle (Metal Gear Solid 1)
Source: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
Psycho Mantis’ duel has to be one of the most unique fights out of the franchise and possibly in the gaming world, considering its fourth-wall-breaking mechanics. In the first interaction, he reads your console’s memory card and deciphers your personality based on the types of games you play. During my time with it, he even teased me for not saving as much as I should have, making me feel embarrassed just by the words of a video game character.
As the fight continues, players will have difficulty damaging the supernatural character since he can read their “mind,” as he previously did with the memory card interaction. One of the only ways to beat him is by physically unplugging your controller and plugging it into the second port of your console, a technique never seen before. It may play out a bit differently in the Master Collection, so we’ll have to see how he’ll read our minds this time around.
Due to Psycho Mantis’ popularity around the community, he ended up appearing in MGSV as a kid and MGS4 as Screaming Mantis. Each battle still proves to be an entertaining fighting sequence just like the first one, demonstrating that Mantis is here to stay.
The Eerie Codec Call From AI Roy Campbell (Metal Gear Solid 2)
Source: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
Codec calls are a necessary mechanic to help you with the game and have delightful conversations with different characters. Yet, things take a dark turn when the AI version of Roy Campbell repeatedly contacts you, resulting in weird conversations, fourth-wall-breaking gameplay, and Raiden being… naked?
At one point in the scene, AI Campbell says, “Raiden, turn the game console off right now!” and “You have played the game for a long time. Don’t you have anything else to do with your time?” Playing this as a kid was certainly frightening with Roy and Rosemary’s numerous calls. It also didn’t help that I was wearing a similar color shirt to the random woman displayed on the codec call screen, resulting in me thinking that the game was recording me.
Thankfully, the naked Raiden does get his gear back from Snake eventually, triggering a hilariously awkward situation between them.
Flashbacks of Shadow Moses Island (Metal Gear Solid 4)
Source: Kojima Productions
Old Snake’s return to Shadow Moses Island showcases a vast amount of nostalgic scenes and callbacks to MGS1. If you’ve played the game, you’ll go down memory lane as Snake recalls past conversations with Naomi, Mei Ling, and Colonel Campbell.
Before you even get to the area, Old Snake dreams about the events in MGS1, a sequence where the player goes back in time and plays as the character in the classic PS1 style. In this part of the storyline, you’ll relive the mission that started it all and abruptly go back to the old version of Snake in the present timeline.
On top of all these references to MGS1, there is a hysterical scene that breaks the fourth wall, in which Otacon calls him through Codec to warn Snake about switching his console discs (an action that the player previously had to do in MGS1 when entering the Blast Furnace of Shadow Moses). Then, he laughs at his mistake and realizes that the times have changed, expressing his admiration for Blu-ray discs and the improvement in technology.
Raiden Versus Metal Gear Rays (Metal Gear Solid 2)
Source: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
With all the franchise’s battles and showdowns, there must always be an ultimate duel between man and machine, including Solid Snake’s battle with the first ever Metal Gear of the series. Joining alongside him is Raiden’s fight against not one but multiple gigantic robots.
While Raiden rages against the machines, he must avoid getting hit by missiles and stomped on by their legs. The only useful weapon players can utilize here is the handy Stinger, targeting specific parts of the Metal Gear to deplete its almost impenetrable armor.
To end it all, Olga (now the successor to the Cyborg Ninja) comes to the rescue and helps you in MGS2’s final moments; without her, Raiden may not have made it out alive.
The Splitscreen Fight Against Vamp & an Army of Gekko (Metal Gear Solid 4)
Source: Kojima Productions
Vamp once again makes it on this list, but this time in a new version within MGS4, featuring Old Snake versus Gekkos and Raiden versus Vamp.
Since Vamp is basically immortal from his accelerated nanomachines, Snake first uses the Syringe to dampen his healing abilities. As a result, Raiden takes advantage of this and partakes in an ultimate blade duel, while Snake defeats hordes of machines.
In order for the player to see both showdowns, the gameplay shifts into a split-screen view of the two characters, allowing you to completely experience the fight as a whole. It’ll make for an excellent showdown for the Master Collection’s Volume 2, where we could potentially get a complete remake like MGS3.
The Destruction of Colonel Volgin and the Shagohod (Metal Gear Solid 3)
Source: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
After Snake experiences Colonel Volgin’s sadistic torture and interrogations, he finally retaliates in the iconic showdown near the end of MGS3. This duel comes in three waves: a combat fight in Groznyj Grad, a chase scene with the Shagohod, and a combination of the arsenal’s weapons and Volgin’s electricity.
Similar to The End, you can also perform various techniques in the first wave, such as using the Raiden mask to confuse the Colonel and taking the Fake Death Pill to trick him into thinking you’ve died. However, you’ll still have to watch your back since he is one of the more difficult bosses in the game.
Once players survive through the phases, an ironic bolt of lightning hits Volgin, ending his reign of terror and the elimination of the deadly Shagohod. Naked Snake and EVA can’t help but hold each other in a warm embrace as they victoriously accomplish their mission of taking down the Colonel and destroying a working Metal Gear prototype.
The Microwave Hall (Metal Gear Solid 4)
Source: Kojima Productions
The split-screen sequence with Snake’s infamous microwave hall and the rest of the characters battling against enemies is one of the most heartbreaking and unforgettable scenes. Through this cinematic style, we see the journeys of various characters, such as Meryl and Johnny fighting for survival, Mei Ling’s battleship warzone, and Raiden versus the Haven Troops.
Of course, we can’t forget about Old Snake, a man willing to give it his all while dying from FOXDIE and the heat from the scorching rays. During this scene, I found myself yelling at the screen for Snake to get up as I rapidly pressed the Action button to move.
Everything pays off once he makes it to the “graveyard” of GW, another impactful moment of the series that finally eliminates the threat of the Patriots and the eventual death of Liquid.
Metal Gear Battle on Shadow Moses (Metal Gear Solid 4)
Source: Kojima Productions
Series fans have consistently battled Metal Gear as either Raiden or Snake, but nothing compares to the moment you actually control and fight with one in MGS4.
In Solid Snake’s return to Shadow Moses Island, he faces Liquid and yet another Metal Gear, reflecting what happened before in the first installment. However, this time, he takes over Rex from MGS1 to fight against Liquid’s Ray from MGS2. Once the battle starts, players will harness the powers of the Metal Gear, wielding the Gatling Gun, AT Missle, and FE Laser.
If the ultimate robot battle doesn’t impress you enough, then maybe the reveal of Outer Haven (a massive battleship) will. We also have to consider Raiden’s courageous warrior spirit when he stops the arsenal from crushing Snake, using his raw strength alone.
Gray Fox’s Sacrifice (Metal Gear Solid 1)
Source: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
It’s hard to decide which Gray Fox moment to pick when choosing the most iconic one, especially since there are a variety of incredible scenes showcasing his talents. However, the one that shines the most has to be his sacrifice at the end of MGS1.
Until this point, Gray Fox’s memories and sense of self were clouded because of the experiments done on him after Snake killed him in Zanzibar Land. Fortunately, the Cyborg Ninja remembers his life, and the two comrades share an emotional exchange just before he dies from Metal Gear Rex.
Although it will be saddening to play this moment in the Master Collection, its impactful meaning still holds true with Gray Fox’s commemorable sacrifice.
Ocelot and Solid Snake’s Showdown (Metal Gear Solid 4)
Source: Kojima Productions
While Old Snake and Liquid Ocelot haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, their final fight scene is one of the most heart-wrenching and exciting storylines in the franchise’s history. The momentous duel doesn’t even feature any guns or hidden tricks, just a simple showdown, man-to-man.
During the brothers’ showdown, the essence of Liquid starts to diminish as Ocelot regains his spirit with every punch. At the same time, the health status of the characters changes throughout the fight in the style of previous installments. In particular, when Ocelot slowly gets his personality back, the life bar changes from MGS1 to MGS3’s art style. Moreover, past songs of the franchise can be heard to increase the emotions even more, including the songs Snake Eater, MGS1’s main theme, and the soothing guitar of MGS4.
You may need a tissue box by the end of the fight once Ocelot does his trademark hand signal and classic line of “You’re pretty good.”
The Boss and Naked Snake’s Final Battle (Metal Gear Solid 3)
Source: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
The battle between The Boss and Naked Snake has it all: breathtaking scenery, action-packed combat, and the perfect embodiment of what it means to be a mentor and a pupil.
If you know The Boss’s true intentions for the Snake Eater mission, this fight hits you right in the feels when you realize how much she sacrificed for her country despite her presumed defection. Not only is it difficult for her to do with her own pupil, but it also heavily impacts Snake’s perspective on the horrors of the world, leading to what happens in Peace Walker.
Once Snake kills her in the end, he is never the same after this and mourns her loss to the day he dies. In his final moments in MGS4, he states, “Ever since the day I killed The Boss with my own hands, I was already dead,” making their showdown one of the most iconic moments of the Metal Gear Solid franchise.
Now that we’ve gone over the list of monumental storylines in the series, you can create some new memories in the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection. Whichever way it plays out, we just hope that it’s “pretty good.”
About the author
Kristina Ebanez
Kristina is a Staff Writer and has been with Twinfinite for more than a year. She typically covers Minecraft, The Sims 4, Disney Dreamlight Valley, anime, Call of Duty, and newly released games. She loves the Metal Gear Solid series (Snake Eater especially), Rockstar’s Bully, the Horizon franchise, What Remains of Edith Finch, and many more. Her dog is also an avid video game watcher, primarily when there’s a horse or a cat. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and grew up gaming on the islands.
Part of the appeal of video game remasters and remakes is the prospect of playing an old game on better hardware that can, ostensibly, run it better than your old console did back in the day. That is the hope, at least. Unfortunately, not every “remaster” is an improvement over its source material—just ask the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy collection. Now, eyes are turning toward Konami’s upcoming Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1., with fans hoping it doesn’t run into those same issues. On that front, today saw the emergence of one new slightly disappointing tidbit.
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The original 1998 PlayStation Metal Gear Solid ran at 30 frames per second, and Konami has now confirmed that will still be the case for the newly remastered edition launching in the Collection on October 24. News of this comes from a graph on the compilation’s official website, which says the first MGS adventure will run at 30fps on all platforms, while Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater will run at 60fps on all systems except for the Nintendo Switch.
To be clear, the original Metal Gear Solid ran at 30fps when it launched in 1998, but it being locked to that lower framerate across the board seems odd in 2023, especially when its sequels will apparently have some scaling depending on which platform you buy them on. (For reference, MGS2 originally ran at 60fps, while MGS3 was originally a 30fps game.)
Here’s the full rundown:
Screenshot: Konami / Kotaku
There’s been chatter about the games’ graphical resolutions as well. It’s a bummer to see that none of these games will run at 4K resolution, even on PC, PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X/S. This lack of 4K support was confirmed back in August.
All of this comes ahead of Konami’s separate, upcoming Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater remake. That’s titled Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater, presumablyso the number doesn’t scare anyone off from playing the game. MGS3 was a prequel in any case, so you didn’t need to know everything going in to understand it.
During Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct, Konami showed off a new trailer for Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1. The upcoming collection of past Metal Gear games includes some of the earliest and biggest games from the popular stealth series. However,2008’s Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots isn’t included, and I’m worried Konami isn’t going to include it in a future, theoretical Vol. 2.
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Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 was first announced in May. The collection contains the first seven games of the series and will be released on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and 5, and (just announced earlier today) Nintendo Switch. These games aren’t being remastered and they aren’t remakes. Instead, this is a new collection of classic MGS games that will make it easier to play these older titles on newer platforms. The collection will also include screenplay books of each game and some other goodies, too.
However, not included in this collection is the PS3-exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, which is a shame as the game is currently only playable via emulation or on original PS3 hardware. At one point, MGS4 was available to stream via PS Now, but that is no longer the case. While most other MGS games have been ported to multiple platforms, MGS4 remains locked to the PS3. Why? What is the reason for never porting MGS4 to any other platform?
Why is Metal Gear Solid 4 only on PS3?
If you ask the internet about this, and you’ll not doubt see some of this in the comments, a popular theory that is often spouted off as if it’s a fact is that MGS4 is incapable of running on anything but a PS3. But that’s not true. You can, right now, download an emulator and play MGS4 at 60fps without much trouble.
And assistant producer of the game Ryan Payton suggests in Steven L. Kent’s book The Ultimate History of Video Games, Volume 2 that, at one point, MGS4 was actually running on an Xbox 360 and looked and played fine. Reportedly, that version never happened due to Microsoft’s console using DVDs and not Blurays. Konami didn’t want to spend the extra money on shipping multiple discs for the Xbox 360 version. This is more than likely the main reason MGS4 remained a PS3 exclusive and was even alluded to by former PlayStation boss Jack Tretton in 2008. Konami also said this was the reason in 2014.
Now, in 2023, most consoles use Bluray discs and all of them support digital games—which can be as large or small as you want. So that problem is solved. Yet, I’m still not convinced Konami will actually bring MGS4 to modern machines or to PC. It’s certainly not easy to port a game to new hardware, especially one that exists natively on just one platform. Plus, this whole process wouldn’t be cheap, would involve a good deal of resources, and would likely require tweaks to how the game plays as it heavily relied on the Dualshock 3/Sixaxis controller.
Reports indicate MGS4 isn’t coming to more consoles
Sadly, it seems Konami isn’t going to do the necessary work to help preserve this entry in the Metal Gear franchise. A previous report from Windows Central, which correctly revealed information about the Metal Gear Solid Collection and the MGS3 remake before release also stated that a potential Vol. 2 would not include MGS4, but instead would feature Peace Walker, Portable Ops, Metal Gear Rising: Revegance, and a few other spin-offs.
Sadly, it seems Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots—with all its long cutscenes, weird live-action bits, creepy monkey, and cool stealth camo—will remain a PS3 exclusive. Likely due to technical issues, but also, maybe Konami just forgot about it. There are a lot of games in the series. It’s easy to forget one or two of them. I get it. I forget Metal Gear Acid exists.
Still, I hope that one day, someone over at Konami remembers this game exists and that it deserves a second life on new hardware.
Those well-versed in their Metal Gear Solid trivia will know that the original ending for Metal Gear Solid 2 was changed before release. Scenes involving a massive ship crashing into Manhattan island were a bit too much in a very young post-9/11 world, with images and videos of planes striking the World Trade Center a constant in the media. In a recent interview, director Hideo Kojima talked about the complicated nature of releasing such a game after a world changing event and how it nearly drove him to quit Konami.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty released in November of 2001 to much anticipation. As a series focused on “Tactical Espionage Action,” the games have never shied away from political themes, be they a part of the fictional story or commentaries on world events and history. While it’s been known for some time now that elements of the game were changed at the last minute due to the September 11 attacks, recent comments reveal that the stress and challenge of handling such a release were enough to push Hideo Kojima to quit Konami at the time. A conversation with Konami’s chairman, Kagemasa Kozuki was what convinced Kojima to stay back then.
Speaking with Shuka Yamada for IGN, Hideo Kojima described an awkward and tough situation after Metal Gear Solid 2, due to release in the Fall of 2001, contained images of the World Trade Center and other sites that were attacked on 9/11.
9/11 took place in 2001 right before the release of Metal Gear Solid 2. We’d just sent off the master, but the game featured both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It seemed impossible to release the game. I was called to the board of directors and they all turned pale when I explained the situation. Nobody would tell me what to do, with the exception of Mr. Kozuki, who tackled the issue.
As I thought about what to do, I went to speak with Mr. Kozuki about possibly quitting the company. That’s when he told me: ‘When this game comes out and society has their say about it, they’ll be talking about you, its creator, and me, the person who sold it. I doubt they’ll say anything about anyone else. What will you do? I’m ready for whatever happens.’
When I heard how far he was willing to go, I made the firm decision that we’d release it together. The rest is history.
MGS2 would go on to receive critical acclaim. The game’s tactical stealth gameplay was a dramatic evolution of what came before it and its meta-narrative filled with postmodern themes about digital information, virtual realities, among many others, is still relevant and widely discussed.
After MGS2 shipped, Kojima found himself in dire need of recovery. “I became completely exhausted, and I always end up in an awful state when I finish making a game,” he said. “After the first Metal Gear Solid, even after it was done I wasn’t recovering at all and ended up being passed from one hospital to the next.”
9/11 and the themes of Metal Gear Solid 2 weren’t the only time Kojima would face the need to alter his work. As we found out during The Game Awards this year, Kojima rewrote the original story for the sequel to the narrative-driven, post-apocalyptic delivery-service simulator, Death Stranding; the game’s themes of loneliness, isolation, and world-altering events were too close to what we all went through (and are still struggling with). The Covid-19 pandemic followed Death Stranding’s 2019 release by only a few months.
“Fiction changes when something that big happens,” Kojima told IGN. He continued:
That’s why I completely rewrote [Death Stranding 2]. You can’t pretend that something this big never happened. While the games themselves are based on characters who are not bound by our reality, the players themselves have gone through the pandemic, and a story written before that experience just wouldn’t resonate with them in the same way, whether it was a fantasy story or a sci-fi one.
Kojima Productions is currently working on Death Stranding 2. The company is also working on an unnamed game with Microsoft, a project Kojima says other publishers turned down; though he pitched the idea to a few places, he describes the game as requiring “infrastructure that was never needed before.” Other companies seemed to not be as into the idea, “they really seemed to think I was mad.”
Whatever that new game is, let’s hope he’s not predicting an awful future for us yet again.
Space Quest IV: Carolyn Petit and the Time RippersScreenshot: Sierra Entertainment
It must have been Christmas of 1991 that I found Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers under the tree, and got the gift of seeing exciting new possibilities in games.
I was a fan of adventure games, sure, having played a few games in Sierra’s King’s Quest series, not to mention Lucasfilm’s brilliant and bizarre early titles like Maniac Mansion and The Secret of Monkey Island. But this was my first experience with Space Quest, Sierra’s comedic sci-fi series starring Roger Wilco, the hapless space-janitor who finds himself thrust into one cosmic misadventure after another.
To be honest, I don’t remember much about the quality of Space Quest IV’s puzzles. What I do remember is how varied and vibrant its universe seemed, with harsh alien worlds, moody cantinas, and glitzy space-malls. But what really knocked my socks off about the game was how meta it was. After progressing a bit through Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers itself, poor Roger finds himself flung into (the non-existent) Space Quest XII: Vohaul’s Revenge II.
Screenshot: Sierra Entertainment
Today, it’s not so uncommon for games to break the fourth wall and wink knowingly at the player about being video games, to play with conventions in ways both tired and inspired. But wow, was this exciting for me in 1991! The game also sees you venturing into Space Quest X: Latex Babes of Estros (an obvious riff on the 1986 Infocom adventure Leather Goddesses of Phobos) and all the way back to the original Space Quest, which already looked humorously primitive and pixelated compared to 1991’s state-of-the-art graphics, making high(er)-definition Roger Wilco all the more conspicuous.
Screenshot: Sierra Entertainment
Space Quest IV may or may not be a great game, I honestly don’t remember well enough to say. I just remember sitting there on my Christmas break, awestruck by the clever meta-ness of it all, and having my mind expanded about the possibilities of what video game storytelling and structure could do.
We’ve featured German cosplayer Maul a ton of times on Kotaku, maybe more than any other individual cosplayer, and there’s a very good reason for that: just look at these photos.
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09:15
God of War Ragnarök’s First Nine Minutes
Today 4:04PM
While he’s best known for his recurring takes on Geralt of Rivia, ranging from “being Geralt” to “being Geralt skateboarding in LA”, Maul has also done a ton of work—both paid (like this, this one’s an ad for PlayStation) and personal—on series like Dishonored, Cyberpunk and Metal Gear Solid as well.
Today, though, we’re looking at his latest shoot, an incredible take on God of War’s Kratos for the release of Ragnarok that sees Maul (and his team) nailing just about everything, from the costume to the weathered leather to the bodypaint to the muscles to the beard to…more muscles (which, despite Maul’s considerable size IRL, are in this case a suit)
Yes, the axe is cool. Sure, the fights are tons of fun. And I definitely enjoyed exploring every nook and cranny of the large worlds you get to visit. But what kept me glued to my PS5 for nearly 40 hours was the story of a son becoming a man and a father trying to figure out how he feels about that. I probably could have enjoyed this story a tad more with about half as many puzzles and skill menus, but even so, I found myself smiling, feeling satisfied, as the credits rolled. As I said at the start, God of War Ragnarök is very good.
