What's the best way to tackle the Metal Gear solid series?

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So I wanted to finally play these games and decided to start at the beginning.

Well OK not the very beginning. I've started with Metal Gear Solid skipping the two previous Metal Gear games because Solid was easily available on PSN.

Should I play the HD collection next? What about the Legacy collection?
Should I include the other non numbered games?
Any advice or links to videos that fill in plot gaps would be very welcome.

If you don't feel like going hardcore retro, then skip the 8 bit ones and do the rest in the order they were released: MGS 1 which you did already (hopefully not Twin Snakes) then 2, 3 and Peace Walker (these 3 are all good in the Hd collection), MGS 4, GZ, MGS V. Portable Ops is only sort of canon and Acid isn't at all I don't believe, so I'd skip those if I were you.

Go through them in release order so that story details unfold properly: 1, 2, 3, 4, Portable Ops, Peace Walker, Ground Zeroes, The Phantom Pain. The AC!D games, Snake's Revenge, and Gameboy Color game are spinoffs that you can just ignore.

The HD Collection contains 2, 3, and Peace Walker. The Legacy Collection includes and wraps those with MGS1 and MGS4, and adds the original two games. MGS1-4 and Peace Walker HD can be found on PSN and played on any PS3.

Some people skip Peace Walker, in which case I'd suggest at least watching it. Portable Ops is only playable on an actual PSP, and can also just be watched if you prefer.

Chronologically, it's MGS3, Portable Ops, Peace Walker, Ground Zeroes, The Phantom Pain, Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, MGS1, MGS2, and finally MGS4, but I'd still recommend release order.

Thank you. Those are all solid suggestions.

Some first impressions:

Snakes chat up lines are so corny.

I love the way the story is unfolding and I really like the stealth over shooting focus.

Meryl "has received phycotherpy not to be attracted to those of the opposit sex", WTF Kojima!

Today I learned that women have more hiding places than men.

I hate to ask, but why do people hate Twin Snakes so much? I liked it for what it was, unless I'm missing something ridiculous.

This is something I'd love to do, haven't played MGS since 1 and 2 on the playstation/ps2.

strangederby wrote:

Thank you. Those are all solid suggestions.

Some first impressions:

Snakes chat up lines are so corny.

Meryl "has received phycotherpy not to be attracted to those of the opposit sex", WTF Kojima!

Welcome to Metal Gear, Derby!

Honestly, MGS1 is probably the lightest on the WTF moments. And that Meryl backstory is easily the tamest thing you'll find in the whole series. So, prepare yourself for that.

Hmm. The idiosyncratic design of this game does not mesh well with the PS3. (I'm looming at you Psyco Mantis fight). Thank goodness for the internet.

damnablebear wrote:

I hate to ask, but why do people hate Twin Snakes so much? I liked it for what it was, unless I'm missing something ridiculous.

I like it, but the new cut scenes are over the top even for MGS, the voice acting is completely re recorded and the performances aren't as good, and first person mode breaks some of the game (Ocelot fight, etc.).

damnablebear wrote:

I hate to ask, but why do people hate Twin Snakes so much? I liked it for what it was, unless I'm missing something ridiculous.

The reworked cinematics are really over the top, plus the newer movement and controls significantly changes at least one boss fight to be far, far easier. The main saving grace is that Mei Ling is corrected to not have an accent, keeping with her character backstory.

Ah I'm not playing twin snakes.

Is there any viable way to play MGS1 on a PC these days?

The old PC port is only available used at crazy prices and I'm reading multiple reports that it doesn't work properly on modern operating systems even if you do get a copy. I've got the HD collection on the 360, but no access to a Playstation of any kind and I'd also like to play the series from the start.

Yeah Elycion that's always been a problem for me. All I can tell you is that I bought a cheap second hand PS3.

Elycion wrote:

Is there any viable way to play MGS1 on a PC these days?

The old PC port is only available used at crazy prices and I'm reading multiple reports that it doesn't work properly on modern operating systems even if you do get a copy. I've got the HD collection on the 360, but no access to a Playstation of any kind and I'd also like to play the series from the start.

I believe you can play from the PSX discs via an emulator. Same can be done with the PS2 games.

I came to MGS (and gaming) late, around when MGS4 came out. I had the sense to hit up MGS1 first, before playing 4 (in part because I remembered being awed seeing it at a friends house when it came out, way before I actually got into playing games). Not until the HD collection came out (and I'd gotten fully hooked) did I go back, start over at 1 again and go on through 2, 3 and a second time through 4. I have to confess to getting a little fatigued by the time I got to 3. I knew I wanted to see it all though, so I put it on easy and just waltzed through...it's almost a joke at that difficulty. But I really enjoyed it, and ended up having a blast goofing around with the AI patrols when my stealth went out the window. It's definitely not the "right" way to do it, but I had fun, and got to experience the story in a more participatory way...it also makes some of the more serious story beats hit a little harder. I'm now watching the "movie" of Peace Walker, which I probably should have done before zipping through Ground Zeroes.

I played a bit of Acid on a friend's PSP a number of years ago...sure wish they'd get that on the Vita store. No, it's not cannon, but it was a really interesting spin-off!

I've played them all as soon as they came out but the Giantbomb playthrough of all four games was an enjoyable refresher. I always enjoy watching someone play something I really love for the first time.

Don't forget to be high as a kite on some sort of a drug like acid, LSD or mushrooms. That's key.

I'd go out on a limb and say skip the Solid Snake games entirely... 1 is dated, 2 was never that great, and I found 4 unbearable after a certain point, eventually just watching the cutscenes on youtube to close it out.

You could do worse than starting with 3 (the best) then Peace Walker (loads of fun) into GZ and 5.

BIGBOSS4LYFE

Slumberland wrote:

I'd go out on a limb and say skip the Solid Snake games entirely... 1 is dated, 2 was never that great, and I found 4 unbearable after a certain point, eventually just watching the cutscenes on youtube to close it out.

Eh, 2 is probably the best MGS, thematically. And as performance art, when it was released, it's pretty incredible. Remember, everyone was expecting you to be playing Snake through the entire game, especially since the entire ad campaign was around that, and it was hyped as THE PS2 GAME sequel to MGS1. SNAKE WOULD RETURN!

But then you got past the tanker chapter.

Spoiler:

And found that you were playing Raiden.

Then Raiden lost his clothes.

Then you find out that(especially if you played MGS1), Raiden is the player's surrogate in almost every level. His training was a virtual reality simulation of MGS1, and the cutscenes were taken directly from the PS1 game.

There's also how it deals with information, especially with the idea that it's possible to control society through exposure to ideas and memes. The first MGS basically was about the nature vs nurture argument, applied to genetics. The second is about information and how it could be controlled.

Play the whole series in a cardboard box for the most authentic experience.

Clusks wrote:

Play the whole series in a cardboard box for the most authentic experience.

I concur with this. If you're not playing from a cardboard box, you're doing it wrong

I'm actually enjoying MGS1 a great deal.

The tanker section alone in MGS 2 is a master class in design. It's an amazingly designed level that allows for tons of playing around and discovering new routes and Easter eggs. I personally wouldn't skip any of them, but I'm the biggest MGS fanboy I know.

They are all masterpiece's for their time, maybe not MGS 4 but that was still a great game.

Slumberland wrote:

I'd go out on a limb and say skip the Solid Snake games entirely... 1 is dated, 2 was never that great, and I found 4 unbearable after a certain point, eventually just watching the cutscenes on youtube to close it out.

Well you're not on the Christmas card list anymore! I may look at getting a cheap PS3 to replay the originals.

So.....that helicopter fight happened.

In fact it's still happening.

I loved Twin Snakes... There... I said it.

When I first started playing them, I had just gotten a backwards compatible PS3, so I figured MGS2 would be a fine place to start. After that, I decided to pick up 1 and 3, and worked through 1. I tried to play 3 a handful of times, and I just never cared for it. Ended up skipping it. I eventually got around to 4, and enjoyed it a lot. Got turned around a lot in understanding everything, but the games were (mostly) fun.

I've watched the Giant Bomb feature for MGS. 1 was a solid refresher, 2 was crazy (as I remember it being), 3... well, I held off cuz I got sick of Dan. When they started in on 4, I picked it back up. Now that I understand the story as much as I do (it is just crazy). So I watched them play Ground Zeroes, and dusted that off on my pS4 and enjoyed it - a lot. I pre-ordered 5.

Then I went back to watching the MGS 3 playthrough they did, and I've really enjoyed more about the Big Boss character than I really ever did Snake. 5 came in yesterday, and I plan to start on that tonight.

"Insert DISC 2"

Umm.....wut?

strangederby wrote:

"Insert DISC 2"

Umm.....wut?

Hold down the PS button and you should get a popup letting you swap discs, or restart the game from a different disc.

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