Are you in search of one of the best action video games to play? You might have already come across this game and it didn't catch your attention. Well, I am here to tell you that you should be playing Metal Gear Solid from here on out.
Metal Gear Solid is a set of action-adventure games where players control a special forces operative as he takes on a mission to find a superweapon known as Metal Gear. While the premise of the game is very simple, it has spawned several sequels, including the latest one, which is Metal Gear Solid V.
There is still a lot to learn about Metal Gear Solid, and I'm here to tell you everything you need to know about the series, how to play, tips on how you can successfully play the game, and more with the article below.
- The Story Behind Metal Gear
- Twists And Turns In Storytelling
- Playing Metal Gear Solid
- Get The Lay Of The Land
- Focus On The Mission First, Explore Later
- Enemies Adapt In This Game
The Story Behind Metal Gear
Metal Gear Solid has one of the most sprawling universes with so many stories to tell. It starts at the end of World War II, where the Axis Power has been defeated and continues well into the Cold War and into modern times.
Throughout the eleven games in the series, players would follow the adventures of Solid Snake as he begins a mission to find the tank known as Metal Gear that can launch nuclear weapons, which can lead to mass destruction.
Throughout the entire series, we experience how Solid Snake, one of the most prominent characters in the entire franchise, steps up to become the hero and soldier we have come to know today.
The Origins Of Solid Snake
The entire series starts with Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, where we are introduced to an apprentice operative known as Naked Snake. Naked Snake is tasked to eliminate a defector known as The Boss, who is also his mentor.
He successfully disbands a threat within Russia and earns the Big Boss moniker. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops traces back to his roots where he was still an operative.
At the same time, Metal Gear Peace Walker sees us playing him as Big Boss as he tries to intercept nuclear warheads from being delivered to Latin America.
Twists And Turns In Storytelling
In Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Big Boss suffers an injury after a mission goes awry and later forms a private military company after years of recuperating from his injuries.
Only after this do we realize that this Big Boss was a decoy made by the real Big Boss who is now hiding at Outer Heaven.
By now, we follow an operative known as Solid Snake, whose Big Boss tasks to find missing squad members and a weapon called Metal Gear. Solid Snake completes the mission only to realize that Big Boss is the leader of Outer Heaven.
Big Boss tries to fight Solid Snake only to fall, but it turns out this was the decoy Big Boss all along.
Meeting The Real Big Boss
In Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Snake finally meets the real Big Boss and kills Big Boss for good.
However, in Metal Gear Solid, we then find out that Solid Snake is a genetic clone of Big Boss as part of a government experiment and must face his twin brother Liquid Snake who has taken control of a nuclear weapon facility.
In succeeding games, Solid Snake faces off against another Snake clone known as Solidus Snake. The story becomes more and more complicated that involves a lot of cloned Snake brothers, but ultimately, we get to see Solid Snake victorious in the end.
Playing Metal Gear Solid
Now that I've shared the main storyline of Metal Gear Solid, it is time to hone your skills and play the game a lot better with the tips that I'm about to share with you.
The game is action-oriented, but there will be times when you will have to use your stealth to outwit your enemies and complete the mission.
Whether you are new to the game or you've already played several Metal Gear games, here are some helpful tips to make the most out of playing these games.
Blow Things Up
Most Metal Gear games often punish you for not playing with stealth. However, there are games like Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain that taps your inner saboteur and pyromaniac by allowing you to blow things up whenever you like.
Don't feel too guilty about blowing some stuff up. In this game, explosions create a distraction for you to sneak inside a facility or make a big enough entrance to distract your enemy and begin shooting at them.
Pack up your items and fill your inventory with explosives and high-powered weapons, and I'm sure you'll want to see everything around you explode.
Get The Lay Of The Land
Most Metal Gear games often require me to understand the mission first. This includes having information or intel about the area that I want to infiltrate.
The best way to gather information is from a good vantage point. This can either be on an elevated area or simply positioning properly to use my sniper scope to gather information.
Having information allows me to know the lay of the land, which gives me an advantage. When it comes to missions, it is always best that we know where we can enter a facility without getting detected and formulate a good exit strategy.
This is highly effective, especially in missions where I have to rescue certain individuals and lead them out of the facility.
Use Tranquilizers As Often As Possible
As an action-oriented game, I initially thought that playing Metal Gear Solid would kill everyone in sight. This is where I was sorely mistaken by making an error in killing people left and right during a mission.
Killing is highly frowned upon in most Metal Gear games. This is because killing would often draw a lot of attention to the noise I make.
I also won't gain anything from killing enemies, so the best way to avoid drawing attention is by tranquilizing the enemy and buying myself time to finish the mission. Not only does this give me time, but I can also use them for interrogation and gather even more intel to my advantage.
Focus On The Mission First, Explore Later
I know it is pretty tempting to try and explore the vast open deserts of Afghanistan during the early stages of the game. You might even try to hop on to the next vehicle or horse and begin riding off into the sunset but try to focus on the mission first.
Some of the missions you need to finish first, like finding and extracting Kaz, are essential for the game so do that before heading off into the uncharted parts of the desert.
Once you're done with the initial mission, you'll be introduced to Mother Base, where you can research new gear to make exploring the desert a lot easier.
Ditch The Horse
Let's say you're done exploring the land, and you decide to continue with the mission. You're on your way to your next objective with your horse.
And while the horse is the best way to go around the deserts of Afghanistan, it is also quite loud. I always make sure to ditch the horse when I'm close to your objective or near the perimeter to avoid getting caught.
It is also much safer for you to walk towards the objective and easier for you to hide whenever you find yourself in danger. I also tend to remember the location of my horse, so I can always get back to it whenever I need a quick escape.
Enemies Adapt In This Game
At first, I thought enemies are simple characters that often go down without too much of a fight.
However, the more I do the same maneuvers in subduing my enemies, the more I realize that they are slowly adapting to how I'm playing the game.
I noticed that the enemies adapt to the tactics I used in previous encounters. It does seem like the enemy AI is learning. What I do is I use the enemy equipment against them to counter this tactic.
I also try to fool enemies by sending out different personnel as decoys.
Blind Them
Another great way to avoid the enemies from adapting to my attacks is to blind them. I either disable the power supply by cutting off the power generators and lurk behind them for a stealthy attack.
This way, they won't be able to see my moves and learn from them. I also try to use my flashlight in the enemy's face to temporarily blind them and then take them down immediately.
Conclusion
Whether you are new to the Metal Gear Solid franchise or an experienced player, these tips will help you finish missions much faster and progress in the game.
Metal Gear Solid games are all about outsmarting your opponents, and while the game does have its slow moments, it is in these intense moments that truly make the game worth playing.
