Which of the five main MGS games is considered the best? Some thoughts on 1 and 2 (my first playthroughs ever).

[GamerX]

Hi there,

my first contact with this franchise was in 2016 I think when I played through MGS 5.
While I was interested in the story, I didn´t have any context about the characters (e. g. Big Boss, Ocelot) so the experience wasn´t the best for me - storywise. However, I liked the stealth gameplay very much and couldn´t stop playing back then, it was really addictive. Yet, it was also obvious that the game wasn´t really finished, there was this great intro and then just open world gameplay without many cutscenes.

I always wanted to go back and play the old MGS titles and now here I am, having played through MGS 1 (GOG Version) and MGS 2 (via Emulator).

Now I finally can understand what made MGS1 special for players in the late 1990s, this game did so many things well (cutscenes, audio, atmosphere, deep story, characters). However, I always thought that MGS1 was kind of the grandfather of stealth games, but it turned out to be an action game with only SOME stealth elements (how many rooms with stealth gameplay are in this game?). Not bad - but completely different from what I expected here.

Look, I really love PC games of the late 90s / early 2000s era like Thief 1-3 or Deus Ex but these games seem have more stealth than all MGS games that I have played so far together (e. g. take the light/dark game mechanic of Thief, still the best stealth gameplay until today).

So how is it that MGS is consireded a prototype of a "stealth game"? I mean, yes, some things were really advanced for that time (like that your character causes noise when stepping on puddles, but Thief had that too in 1998 in a much better way).

I also was surprised how cutscene-heavy these classic MGS games are, especially MGS2. Sometimes there was only 2 minutes of gameplay before another cascade of cutscenes came along. I didn´t mind that because the story was really interesting, however these games therefore don´t have ANY replay value for me (could compare them to these "interactive movie games" like Life is Strange in some way).
I was also wondering what would have happened when Kojima presented these nanotech conversations while being in actual gameplay (like Bioshock did it with the audiologs), these games would have been 30-40% shorter... ;-)
Please don´t get me wrong, didn´t want to criticise too much, but some things feel kind of odd in these games.

So how´s Snake Eater in comparison to 1 and 2? Never played 3 so far... So it will be my first playthrough as well...

And what´s the best way to experience 3? Master Collection? Buying a PS2 copy and playing it via Emulator?

And what about 4? Is it worth it, too?

Really enjoyed my time with 1 and 2 so far. They most likely won´t be in my Top 10 or even Top 50 of all the games I played but the experience with MGS was quite memorable.

[Serius_Sim]

There are many reasons why Snake Eater is still the all-time favorite of most mgs fans, but I'll let you experience them yourself :)

[Scary Barry]

Metal Gear Solid is a remake of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake from 1990. The puddles leaving footprints and knocking/footsteps making noise were already there in 1990.

MGS3 is widely considered the best of the series. It still has long cutscenes like in MGS2 (especially at the start and the end), but there is also more gameplay. The version I like most of MGS 3 is the Substance version on PS2, since it has both the updated camera and the Guy Savage dream scenario that was exclusive for PS2.

But the Guy Savage scenario is just a little easter egg and certainly nothing crucial. I would play the version that is most convenient for you; either the PS2 Substance version, HD Collection or Master Collection. Using an emulator will probably give you the most eye candy, since the HD versions are at 720p regardless.

I thought MGS4 was decent enough, but it is more of a movie with a couple of interactive moments than a videogame, so prepare yourself for even more cutscenes than MGS2. If you go into it like that and are invested in the story so far, it is worth a single playthrough.

[Pierce Dalton]

MGS3 seems to be considered the best by most fans of the franchise.

[Bozz Collin]

MGS3 seems to be hailed as the best; probably due to the series being at peak hype by that point, the survival stealth aspects were fresh and innovative back then and the updated camera in Subsistence. Also, Eva. I've never really been into "sexy" video game characters, but most guys can't resist, so MGS3 got major bonus points for that.

My favorites are MGS1 and MGS4, without any hesitation. Best stories, best characters, best atmosphere in MGS1, best audio, best soundtracks and best gameplay in MGS4. I've been a diehard fan since MGS1 on the PS1 and I'll die on the hill of MGS1 and MGS4 being the best. I love the cutscenes and how in-depth everything is. That being said, I have more patience than your average person, so take that for what it is. Slow burns do not bother me if they're done right.

[ProbusVerus]

If we talk from a narrative POV then MGS1 hands down.
Nothing beat that game IMO.

[Salmon Sushi]

I would rank them:
1. MGS 3 - Awesome story - good gameplay
2. MGS 1 - Awesome story - dated, awkward gameplay at PC
3. MGS 2 - Interesting story - good gameplay - Hideo Kojimas personal favorite
4. MGS 4 - Very long story - great gameplay
5. MGS 5 - Unfinished story - best gameplay

All are good games tho.

[Salmon Sushi]

All MGS games are "legendary action hero, tactical stealth with humor". Realism isn't the goal... fun, coolness and entertainment is.

[Joe Cool]

MGS V would be the best to me if it wasn't for the open world level design. It results in the player spending like 80% of their time travelling, which ends up being quite boring.

I would love to see Metal Gear Solid redone with the engine/mechanics from GTA V and the levels tweaked to take advantage of that, like making each area larger with more guards and things you have to sneak past.

[MEMPHIS]

I played MGS 1, 2, and 3 when they first released on Playstation.

I remember loving the first game--it really was unlike any game I'd ever played before. It felt like the developer wasn't holding my hand--kinda. Like, he wanted me to get into the lore and really enjoy it it. Sort of like how we still look back at the original Terminator as being this special kind of film. MGS 1 is that special kind of game. I think it has the best, most memorable cast and story line. It lacks a few welcome features the latter games provided.

If MGS1 is Terminator, then MGS3 is Terminator 2. By all metrics, it is the better game. Awesome story and characters. Gameplay for this era is just chef's kiss awesome. It took an already great game and just made it better. Which of the two is better? Ehhh... Well, Terminator 2 was a great movie. But you can't watch it without having watched Terminator--which is also a great movie. That's all I can really say.

MGS2 is kind of like--we need to switch movie franchises: Die Hard. Hear me out: Everyone knows Die Hard, and they love it. Everyone knows Die Hard 3, and while it isn't quite as good as Die Hard, it's still got such a great cast and premise, it doesn't matter. People love Die Hard 1 and 3. Die Hard 2 is... not bad? But folks don't often remember it, even though it... feels different. MGS2 is Die Hard 2. That's the best way to explain it.

MGS4--I don't know... I didn't have a PS3 when it came out. I played about three or four hours worth at my brother's house once when I stayed with him. Felt like I played about 30 minutes of actual gameplay (and that 30 minutes was broken up into like 6, 5 minute intervals mind you) and about 2 or three and a half hours of cutscene. It just killed my motivation to play. Seems like some of the other MGS games were like that, but this one just pissed me off. Felt like my time was being wasted. I watched gameplay of it later. I could tell I was kinda done with the franchise. I no longer understood what was going on.

MGS5--I have it. I think there's a lot of quality game to be played. Interesting characters. I think I'd like to play it? But it also seems like an open-world chore fest where travelling around pads the gametime in an unfun kind of way.

[Deathraven13]

Originally posted by MEMPHIS:

I played MGS 1, 2, and 3 when they first released on Playstation.

I remember loving the first game--it really was unlike any game I'd ever played before. It felt like the developer wasn't holding my hand--kinda. Like, he wanted me to get into the lore and really enjoy it it. Sort of like how we still look back at the original Terminator as being this special kind of film. MGS 1 is that special kind of game. I think it has the best, most memorable cast and story line. It lacks a few welcome features the latter games provided.

If MGS1 is Terminator, then MGS3 is Terminator 2. By all metrics, it is the better game. Awesome story and characters. Gameplay for this era is just chef's kiss awesome. It took an already great game and just made it better. Which of the two is better? Ehhh... Well, Terminator 2 was a great movie. But you can't watch it without having watched Terminator--which is also a great movie. That's all I can really say.

MGS2 is kind of like--we need to switch movie franchises: Die Hard. Hear me out: Everyone knows Die Hard, and they love it. Everyone knows Die Hard 3, and while it isn't quite as good as Die Hard, it's still got such a great cast and premise, it doesn't matter. People love Die Hard 1 and 3. Die Hard 2 is... not bad? But folks don't often remember it, even though it... feels different. MGS2 is Die Hard 2. That's the best way to explain it.

MGS4--I don't know... I didn't have a PS3 when it came out. I played about three or four hours worth at my brother's house once when I stayed with him. Felt like I played about 30 minutes of actual gameplay (and that 30 minutes was broken up into like 6, 5 minute intervals mind you) and about 2 or three and a half hours of cutscene. It just killed my motivation to play. Seems like some of the other MGS games were like that, but this one just pissed me off. Felt like my time was being wasted. I watched gameplay of it later. I could tell I was kinda done with the franchise. I no longer understood what was going on.

MGS5--I have it. I think there's a lot of quality game to be played. Interesting characters. I think I'd like to play it? But it also seems like an open-world chore fest where travelling around pads the gametime in an unfun kind of way.

You don't need to go around and explore the world, you go to your Idroid, select a mission and the mission start with spoilers. The open world is basicaly useless unless you want to free roam for whatever reason.

[SpidersInABirthdayCake]

Peacewalker isn't a "Main Game" but it was an amazing coop spin off on ps3 back in the day.

[Deathraven13]

Originally posted by SpidersInABirthdayCake:

Peacewalker isn't a "Main Game" but it was an amazing coop spin off on ps3 back in the day.

PW is canon.