Metal Gear Solid is a name that means a lot in the world of gaming. It introduced an entire cinematic side of video games that many did not know existed until this game's release. Metal Gear Solid (Which will be referred to as MGS for the remainder of this review) is a stealth action game. It is widely considered to be one of the best games of all time because of its many innovations. The game still plays beautifully today, except for a few aspects that have aged rather poorly. You take upon the role of Solid Snake, a tough as nails war hero who has saved the world from all-out war and destruction two times, in two past metal gear games released prior to this one. Luckily, you do not need to play these earlier releases as the game has an option to brief you on these past events. And speaking of which, let's talk about this game's story.

STORY- 10/10

The most prominent aspect of this game that sets it aside from others is how cinematic it is. While most games have story take a back seat to gameplay, MGS turns this trope on its head by balancing cut scenes with gameplay. The story is among one of the best in gaming, starting out simple and throwing many twists and turns as the game progresses. Our protagonist is Solid Snake, a spy working for the pentagon to help stop a terrorist threat of a nuclear weapons. The game takes place at a secret terrorist base, and it's up to you, as Solid Snake, to infiltrate the base, save a couple hostages, and stop that nuke from launching. But right from the start, it's apparent that it's not that simple. However, player be warned: cut scenes in MGS can often last anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. Outside of cut scenes, characters will interact through codec, which is a phone that allows Snake to contact characters he's met throughout the game. These codec conversations can be just as long as the cutscenes. But they are well done and serve as a very effective means of character development. You can call characters at any time throughout the game, and these conversations can range anywhere from hilarious to deeply emotional, and everywhere in between. If you are looking for a game with nonstop action, this one is not for you. However, taking the time to watch these cut scenes are very much worth your time, because the dialogue is very well-written, voice acted and overall very entertaining. They make use of very cool zoom-ins, camera angles, and effects that all make for one heck of a cinematic presentation. This is a game where putting down the controller to take in the story is very commonplace. It all leads up to a very intense, memorable conclusion that should be experienced by any gamer.

GAMEPLAY- 7.8/10

MGS is a stealth game. Due to this, most of your time will be spent avoiding or running away from enemies. You are given a map in the upper right corner that maps out the positions and line of sight of your enemies. Sneaking around the environments never gets old and is always an involving experience. If you are caught, you will almost definitely loose the fight. Snake can take on a character one on one, but when you are surrounded by groups of enemies, your chances of surviving are very slim. The tight implementation of these mechanics leads to some very intense encounters. The stealth in this game is top notch.
The aspect of game play that ISN'T top notch, however, is the boss fights. Now, before you grab your pitchforks, let me explain. The Metal Gear series has given us some of the most original and innovative boss battles of all time, and this game is no exception. Each boss encounter is unique and memorable in its own way for the eccentric personalities and one-of-a-kind tactics that are required to defeat them. Bosses like Psycho Mantis, whose fourth-wall breaking tactics were truly revolutionary for the time, still remain fresh to this day. What aren't as fresh are how obviously dated some of these encounters can be. MGS is played from a third-person perspective, which is very useful for the stealth situations, but in boss battles, it becomes cumbersome. You can look through Snake's eyes from a first person view, but cannot fire a weapon. This, to me, seems to be a very obvious design flaw, as many of the game's boss battles require precise aiming of weapons. It's overly difficult to aim from this third person perspective and can be an annoying hindrance when fighting both bosses and enemies. There are certain sections in the game in which you are required to fight and kill groups of enemies, and these sections feel clunky due to the poor fighting mechanics. For a stealth game, perfect fighting mechanics are not necessary, and making it difficult to fight is okay by me. But during a boss battle where we are required to fight, making our aiming options so limited is a glaring issue. 
My final quarrel with the gameplay is this: during the final portion of the game (I will be avoiding any story-related spoilers. Promise.) you are in the backseat of a vehicle, commandeering a machine gun. You have to fire this at an enemy, and it's quite difficult to do so. The portion of the game is near impossible without firing from a first-person perspective. By this time, the game has already established the fact that you can't look in first person and aim at the same time. 
Except for now.
During this ending section of the game, you CAN aim and shoot at the same time. And nobody in the game ever tells you or even hints at this. You're simply expected to know. Which is, no matter how you slice it, poor game design.

SOUND- 10/10
The soundtrack and effects of this game are nearly perfect. The action-movie-esque score is very intense when it needs to be, and soft and melancholy when the game calls for it as well. The soundtrack often feels like one that was made for a feature film, and appropriately so, given the cinematic nature of the game. There is tons of variety to be found, from epic orchestral scores, delicate piano, opera, and much more. The sound of gusting wind when braving a snowstorm can make you feel a bit cold yourself. The soundtrack will immerse you in the world of MGS, and pushes the Ps1's sound quality to its limit.
Not only the sound, but the voice acting is almost always spot-on, which was quite uncommon for a game released in the 90s. A very surprising amount of emotion is compelled through the story and its characters because of it, which is even more impressive considering the often blocky character models. Even though they aren't fully detailed, the voice work makes them feel human.

GRAPHICS- 10/10
The game's graphics, even more so than its sound, push the capabilities of the Ps1 to their limit. The laboratories look metallic and high-tech, and the game's outdoor, Alaskan sections simply look and feel freezing. The textures are crafted very well, and while they may look a bit blurred by today's standards, they are a true testament to what the Ps1 could do.

OVERALL- 9.5/10
Metal Gear Solid is a game that changed the face of video games and offered up an entire cinematic spectrum that had not been fully uncovered until the release of this game. For that reason alone, I highly recommend this game to anyone. The story is a deep and involving one, and should not be missed. Honestly, every aspect of this game is 10/10, except for a few poorly aged gameplay mechanics. Sneaking around still remains just as fun and involving as it was in 1998. Hideo Kojima created the first of his many masterpieces with this game. Anyone looking for one of the best stealth games around or looking for one of the best video game stories ever absolutely owes it to themselves to give Metal Gear Solid a try.

I think you did a wonderful job making this review. You did well with putting plenty of detail and making it long. I also like how you put the story category first, it's definitely unique compared to what most reviewers on this site do. Great job and keep up the great work.

gamerforlifeforever2 : Thank you so much!! That really means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I enjoy reviewing games and I think I'll be doing many more in the future.

Congratulations on this excellent review! Although I would have loved more details about the graphics and music (granted, you extensively talked about the first one with respect to cinematics), which are essential aspects of gaming for me, I will be sure to give it high ratings!

janus : Thank you! I know, the story section is much longer than the music and graphics, and they definitely could've been elaborated upon. But the way I see it is that the story is really the forefront in this game, so I talked about it the most. Thanks for the criticism!