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In 1998, if millions of French people had blue eyes, PlayStation players (and others) had their eyes fixed on something else: Metal Gear Solid. A brand new infiltration game from Konami, widely featured in the specialist magazines of the time, and which will arrive at the start of the 1998 school year. in the United States and Japan. In Europe, you will have to wait until February 26, 1999 to get your hands on this long-awaited “MGS”, and hear for the first time the now famous “This is Snake. Colonel, do you receive me ?“. Back to the MGS legend!
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In the small world of video games, the years pass… but the passion and the memories remain! Re:Play looks back at the great classics of video game history. A little return to the future past, in search of your child or adolescent soul, the very one that has undoubtedly already made you (or will make you) utter the magic formula “it was better before”. And if it were true…? So we blow into the cartridge, let's go for Re:Play!
Metal Gear Solid: The Revolution on PlayStation
In 1998, no Internet, no YouTubers and other influencers. We then refer to those good old video game magazines. The latter are full of praise for a mysterious Metal Gear Solid. The wait is enormous. The excitement is at its peak. So much so that some (including non-footballers) will jump on an ISS Pro 98 while waiting for the precious game by Hideo Kojima. Why ISS Pro 98? Simply because ISS Pro 98 contained a playable demo of Metal Gear Solid. The opportunity then to discover the first minutes of a game which already promised to be fantastic.
© Stéphane Ficca/Presse-citron.net
You may not know it, but Metal Gear Solid is the fourth opus of the franchise, after two episodes (Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake on MSX) recognized by Hideo Kojima, unlike Snake's Revenge (NES). Still, Metal Gear Solid marks a technological turning point in the saga, with a game entirely in 3D. And in the age of PlayStation, 3D, like fat, is life.
Like Silent Hill on the same machine, Metal Gear Solid very clearly displays its cinematographic orientation. The environments are more elaborate, the camera adapts to the situation, and the characters are fully dubbed. The game is largely inspired by certain reference films, such as New York 1997 or Rambo.
© Presse-citron.net/Konami
Delighted to be able to work on the PlayStation, a console that matches his ambitions, Hideo Kojima chose to create cutscenes using the game's 3D engine, instead of the famous pre-calculated cutscenes.
The result is stunning, with a cinematic approach unique in its kind. Added to this is a soundtrack worthy of the greatest films, with a theme that still resonates in everyone's heads.
© Presse-citron.net/Konami
At the time of its release, Metal Gear Solid was a pure video game revolution, and very quickly established itself as an essential part of the PlayStation… or even simply essential. The critics are unanimous, and Metal Gear Solid comes close to perfection at Joypad, at Consoles+, at Console News and even PlayStation Magazine. Only Player One issues a small caveat by indicating that the game “cannot claim the title of game of this end of the century“. The debate is still open…
Still, Metal Gear Solid brings the worlds of video games and cinema closer than ever, with a style that is quite unique in its kind. Unique as its full French localization, which is also part of the MGS legend for many players.
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Indeed, despite numerous inconsistencies and frankly cheesy dubbing (Konami having played the second degree card to the full for a rendering that borders on the comical at times), many people enjoy playing Metal Gear again Solid with this same VF. For nostalgia. For the memories. For the accessible side. And too bad for the “Rambo” by Solid Snake and some frankly burlesque translations.
The first meeting with Meryl… during which, under one condition, Snake can also come and block the young woman's Famas with his finger © Presse-citron.net/Konami
A VF which still allows many players today to remember certain famous lines, starting with “You want us to pull each other's ears ?“, “They are played by us like a fucking violin“, “So the blue one, you know how to shoot ?“, “Pig who denies doctor&# 8221; or “There are no heroes, either you win or you eat the dandelions by the root“ ;. Worship we tell you.
Note that the American version is the one which allows you to make the most of this Hollywood and dramatic dimension so sought after at the time. Moreover, those who had tested MGS through the demo present in ISS 98 were able to discover the game with its US dubbing. What a shock in February 1999 when the game was launched in French!
© Stéphane Ficca/Presse-citron.net
In players' hands, Metal Gear Solid is undoubtedly a shock. A crucial step in the video game experience of some, for whom there will be a before and after MGS. What a shock at the time in the face of this extraordinary introduction, to marvel at the first soldier who was knocked out, to take care not to make noise while avoiding puddles, to attract the guards by knocking on a container, watching Snake take this first elevator…
The staging is simply prodigious, the build-up is impeccable, the twists and turns are numerous. The storyline was rich, dense and exciting, and nothing (or almost nothing) was able to make us put down our little PlayStation controller.
Everything (or almost) was considered a “very first time” in Metal Gear Solid in the eyes of many players… starting by validating with the Circle key, and not Cross (because yes, we say “Cross”, not “X”). A little anecdote, at the time, many customers called video game stores in panic, indicating that they were unable to launch the game. “Try to validate with Circle instead of Cross to see” they were told.
Psycho Mantis, one of the most iconic bosses of the video game ? © Presse-citron.net/Konami
So certainly, Metal Gear Solid was completed in 8 to 10 hours during the first run. Too short for some. But what a pleasure to enjoy these ten hours of absolutely intense gameplay, with pure concentration of pleasure at every moment. Added to this are permanent discoveries, with the game's various gadgets, but also certain gameplay mechanics, such as seeing Meryl knocked out (and especially not killed!) to get her out of the # 8217;Psycho Mantis' grip.
The torture scene, mythical… and which defines the end of the game which will be proposed to the player! © Presse-citron.net/Konami
It's also impossible to forget the incredible scene of torture inflicted by the terrible Ocelot, or the way to get out of his cell, and of course the final bare-handed fight. Remember that there are two distinct endings in Metal Gear Solid, depending on your ability to resist (or not) this same torture.
© Presse-citron.net/Konami
And what about these bosses, each more charismatic than the other: Revolver Ocelot, Vulcan Raven, Sniper Wolf, Psycho Mantis, Cyborg Ninja, Liquid Snake and of course… the Metal Gear Rex! So much happiness condensed into two PlayStation discs, it was crazy.
A game FULL of secrets (some of which you didn't know!)
For many players, Metal Gear Solid is a multitude of more or less well-known tricks. One of the most famous remains the one concerning Meryl's Codec frequency, when the colonel tells us that “her frequency is on the back of the CD box“. Many of us have turned the game over in all directions, without ever finding that damn “CD box“. In reality, it was enough to turn over the real box of the game, to discover Meryl's frequency on the back of the latter, with the other screenshots. Awesome!
For other players, THE secret of Metal Gear Solid is obviously the fight against Psycho Mantis. Not only will the latter have fun making our controller vibrate and reading our memory card (notably the games Castlevania, Suikoden or even Azure Dreams) thanks to its telepathic and telekinetic powers, but it will also read… ; our thoughts. It's then difficult to reach the boss unless… to plug your controller into Port 2 of the PlayStation.
“Its frequency is on the back of the CD box”… © Stéphane Ficca/Presse-citron.net
From then on, Psycho Mantis will no longer be able to read us, and the fight will become a formality. During this same fight, Psycho Mantis sometimes screams “Noir” (“Blackout” in VO), giving the player the impression that his TV had suddenly lost the signal console. New stroke of genius!
Note that this trick consisting of plugging in controller 2 also works at the very end of the game, with the possibility of controlling the enemy soldiers who block our passage in the tunnel during the escape in a Jeep.
Metal Gear Solid, and his essential official guide of the time © Stéphane Ficca/Presse-citron.net
Added to this is the possibility of seeing Hideo Kojima and part of the development team via “ghosts” hidden in the game, or to hear the first notes of the theme (End of the Dark) from Policenauts (another Kojima/Konami game) very beginning of this Metal Gear Solid (not counting the character of Meryl, very similar to a character from Policenauts).
Many secrets also relate to the famous Codec. For example, if the adorable Mei Ling allows you to save the game, it is entirely possible to make her lose her patience. Comment ? By calling it (via the frequency 140.96) to ultimately not save the game. By performing this operation several times, it will first start by sulking… before stopping you from saving, while sticking his tongue out at you. You shouldn't have looked for her!
Don't look too hard for Mei Ling, or she'll end up sulking and sticking her tongue out at you © Presse-citron.net/Konami
In the same vein, as long as you have configured the game in mono at the start of the game, and you contact the Colonel during the confrontation against the Hind D, the latter will end by making fun of you, and your “old TV without stereo sound“. He will also be supported by other characters, who will mock your poor mono CRT… One of the ways to beat the Hind D is in fact to guess its position thanks to the noise produced by its propellers, then indicating its position… provided you have a stereo TV.
There are still very (very) many secrets linked to the Codec, in particular by calling Colonel Campbell during the fight against Psycho Mantis, but also by calling certain characters while smoking a cigarette, or by contacting Natasha or Mei Ling from the toilet for women…
By completing the game three times, the Celtic music that accompanies the final moments of the game will be replaced by the Metal Gear Solid theme. Likewise, when you start the game again for the second time (after having completed it the first time), the sequence of Solid Snake's arrival on the docks is slightly modified .
Better yet, if the player does not collect the Socom pistol at the start of the game, the first encounter with Meryl will be very different. Snake will then not be able to hold the latter at gunpoint (as was the case with the majority of players, the Socom being (almost) unmissable), and will then come and block the young woman's Famas cannon… with his finger.
Still concerning Meryl, there is also a trick which consists of Snake hiding in a cardboard box, before encouraging it to call wolves who will come and urinate on the box. This will subsequently allow Snake to avoid being attacked by Sniper Wolf's doggies. Smart!
After Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear will immediately (re)become a cult license for PlayStation players, with a second opus (Sons of Liberty) which will make the heyday of the PS2, just like the third episode (Snake Eater) of which a remake is planned for this year.
Note that Konami recently published a Metal Gear Solid Master Collection compilation bringing together various opuses from the saga, including this first PlayStation episode. Obviously, the saga then developed on the following generations of consoles, with MGS 4 Guns of the Patriots on PlayStation 3, without forgetting Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain on PS4, which opted for a brand new approach.
© Konami
20 years ago, in 2004, the Nintendo GameCube hosted a remake of the 1998 Metal Gear Solid, with the version The Twin Snakes. The latter benefited from an appropriate graphic overhaul, also borrowing various gameplay elements introduced by Metal Gear Solid 2. We also find completely reworked cutscenes, with a new staging, which had previously been used in the past. elsewhere divided the players at the time.
And you, have you played Metal Gear Solid on PlayStation ?
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