Metal Gear Solid for a noob

[Yeargdribble]

As if my backlog of uncompleted games isn't long enough, at some point I'd like to figure out what this Metal Gear Solid stuff is all about. I've yet to play a single game in the series, but obviously it has some merit.

I tried to do the homework myself, but good lord it's confusing. I assume I'd start with Metal Gear Solid which I can get on PSN. Where do I go from there? What games should I play in what order? Which platforms have the best version of each game, etc.?

Thanks in advance.

[demondude]

Well technically the timeline goes

Snake Eater - Portable Ops - Metal gear - Metal Gear 2 - Metal gear Solid - Sons of Liberty - Guns of the Patriots.

But I think it's best to play them in the order of the release date, because one of the beauties of Snake Eater is that you discover things from the past about major characters which explains so much, but makes less sense when you aren't familiar with the characters in the future. I think that it fits in best near the end though, because Sons of Liberty has such a freaking huge plot that it's best to play Snake Eater and Portable Ops afterwards because the clearer explanation comes afterwards, like it was intended to.

[I Don't Need A Name]

Baisically (unless you can get Metal Gear 1 and 2 emulated) play MGS1, MGS Sons Of Liberty, MGS3 Snake Eater, MGS Portable Ops (not REALLY needed to play) MGS4 Guns Of The Patriots.

[Bolivar]

You could play them in chronological order, and it would be a really interesting thing, but the prequels have more meaning if you've played the earlier ones so I would advise that, play them in the order they were released..

Second, stick to the Solid series. The MSX games don't really have much to offer and the first Metal Gear Solid on Playstation is essentially an amalgamation of the first two games anyway. I don't know if Portable Ops is that important either, to me the decision to go Free Camera on the PSP was a massive mistake and it's not worth getting past that to me. The only real important part of the story is that it hints at something that would be a fundamental part of the plot in MGS4, but it's not too hard to gather it from MGS3.

So yeah, play MGS1 -> MGS2 -> MGS3 -> MGS4. The the variety and depth of gameplay also grows exponentially with each title, so I think release timeline is definitely the best way to go.

You're in for a real treat, dude.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Play them in the order they were released. If possible, you'll want to get Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance and Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, too; these feature a great deal of additional content over their original releases (Sons of Liberty and Snake Eater, respectively). Subsistence in particular adds an entirely new third-person camera system that improves the overall game dramatically. The second disc also includes ports of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, the original MSX games that began the series before Metal Gear Solid revived it. These aren't necessarily a high priority (and MGS1 recaps their stories well enough), but as games far ahead of their time which set the direct groundwork for the entire series, they're very much worth a look if you're curious.

[theundeadhero]

If you miss the two NES games completely there's a compilation of text in MSG1 that you can read over and learn everything you would have learned from the games. It's not as fun as playing them, but you'll be informed.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

If you miss the two NES games completely there's a compilation of text in MSG1 that you can read over and learn everything you would have learned from the games. It's not as fun as playing them, but you'll be informed.

The Previous Operations log in MGS1 details Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 for the MSX. The only NES games were a watered-down port of the original game and Snake's Revenge, a non-canon sequel made without Kojima's involvement.

Just sayin'.

[Mirage]

MGS1 (or "the twin snakes" if you want the same game with better graphics and friendlier gameplay), then MGS2 and then 3. That's the order I would play them in.

I think Kishi dislikes TTS for some reason. Can't remember what.

[Old Manus]

Whatever reason Kishi has it is the right reason. Avoid TTS like the plague unless you want vastly inferior voice acting and totally retarded John Woo cutscenes. The PS1 original should be on PSN anyway.

[Wolf Kanno]

I would say the only entries that are not important to play are the AC!D series and Metal Gear 1 (MGS gives you a much better lowdown of the plot than the original MSX version)

If you must start in chronological order, start with Metal Gear 2:Solid Snake as it has an excellent story and great gameplay especially for its time. Then go into Metal Gear Solid which is basically MG2 in 3D with a bad auto-aim; an excellent, gripping story; and movie narrative. MGS really brought the cinematic storytelling experience to the series.

MGS2 is next and is MGS1 with better gameplay and a crazier more convulated story. I feel its only downfall was that it pushed the conspiracy theory elements way to far and made itself more cheesy than engaging like the other installments. MGS3 is my favorite entry so I won't bother gushing over how awesome it is or we'll be here all night. MGS4 is the last of the main series and is an excellent end for the series primary protagonist.

The PSP entries, Portable Ops (Not Portable Ops Plus as its just a gameplay expansion) as well as the upcoming Peace Walker (demo is fun ) are also excellent for bringing in new gameplay mechanics and filling in the gaps and back story of a central character in the series as well as serving as historical introductions of other famous characters who appear in later installments.

[Yeargdribble]

I was absolutely planning to play them in release order. Stories that spin out prequels tend to craft the prequels to presuppose knowledge of later events (how much less effect would it be to see Star Wars in chronological order rather than IV-VI then I-III?)

So let's see if I've got this.

MGS 1 - I should play the original because TTS is subpar by comparison and nobody mention Integral but it doesn't seem like it added much.

MGS 2 - I should play Substance.

MGS 3 - I should play Subsistence.

MGS 4 - I have no options.


I'm not against playing games that fell between the main entries in the least. If some of the spin-offs add anything interesting and would be most effective before continuing in the main series please tell me.

Also, I'll probably emulate the first two just for the sake of it at some point.

[Wolf Kanno]

The only thing I should warn you about is that Kojima tends to retcon his history in games a lot. The version of MG1 and 2 mentioned in MGS1 is slightly different and MGS1 tends to have Snake recall events in MG2 in a very different manner than what actually transpired in the game.

MGS3 practically retcons the entire chronology given in MGS1 concerning events about Big Boss.

I'm still in the process of playing Portable Ops for PSP so I can't make too much recommendation in regards to story just yet but it has introduced (and once again, slightly retcon) the history of a few key characters from the later installments. From the way, Kojima has been talking about it though and how the trailers appear, it seems like Peace Walker will play a significant role in the series long and twisting story.

[ReloadPsi]

Metal Gear is an excellent series, but it's extremely important that, when you play these games, you do not take them too seriously.

Especially when you see a boss; you have to get used to the idea that when you encounter a boss, you're probably going to see something really stupid.

[JKTrix]

Or if you're *really* cheap, you can just get MGS4 and read through the downloadable encyclopedia that comes with it.

Otherwise I'd support what most other people have already suggested here.

[Bolivar]

I was absolutely planning to play them in release order. Stories that spin out prequels tend to craft the prequels to presuppose knowledge of later events (how much less effect would it be to see Star Wars in chronological order rather than IV-VI then I-III?)

So let's see if I've got this.

MGS 1 - I should play the original because TTS is subpar by comparison and nobody mention Integral but it doesn't seem like it added much.

MGS 2 - I should play Substance.

MGS 3 - I should play Subsistence.

MGS 4 - I have no options.


I'm not against playing games that fell between the main entries in the least. If some of the spin-offs add anything interesting and would be most effective before continuing in the main series please tell me.

Also, I'll probably emulate the first two just for the sake of it at some point.

Integral appears to be much like Substance and Subsistence. It adds more, I think the visuals might actually better if you mean the PC version, but I think you're right in that it's not much of a game changer as the other expanded games were.

Definitely stay away from The Twin Snakes. Some remakes are great, but there will only be one true, definitive version of MGS, the way it was supposed to be played.

Tip: I've found MGS1 played on an Standard-Definition TV through a PS3 with Smoothing turned On gives the best graphics and overall appearance of the first game, comparable to the PC port IMO.

Finally, feel free to play through the spinoffs and original MSX games. Some people get frustrated with them (me), others love them to death, so you won't really know until you find out for yourself. But MGS1-4 are really what's most important, and that's where all the acclaim for the series comes from.