YOTS: Metal Gear MSX

On 08/12/2013 at 10:49 PM by GrayHaired

Tonight I finished Metal Gear The MSX port to the Playstation 2.

I can not believe I have had this game since 2006 and I have never played it. It is an awesome game. To see how Metal Gear/Solid Snake started is just amazing. So many things I took for granted in Metal Gear Solid or I should say, things that I was first exposed to in MGS, started in this game.

The cardboard box. The infared goggles. The gas mask. The RC Rocket. Using C4 to reveal secret passages. Trap doors in the floor. Those are just to name a few. It all started in this game. Oh, and the Key Cards, which I have an issue with in this game.

Key Cards: There are 8 key cards to find. Snake uses the cards to open doors. The problem I have with this is, that by the time you reach card #7 there are still doors that use card #1 or #3 or any of the 7 or 8 cards you have. And you dont know which card opens the door, so while the enemy is shooting you, you are cycling through your inventory of cards to find the right one. I guess it does add a level of suspense to the game...or frustration! Depending on your point of view.

All in all it is an excellent game and a must play for any Metal Gear fan. It is not really a very long game, which suits me just fine.

I played on Easy and all the Bosses were really very easy, except for the trouble I had with Bulldozer. (see previous blog).

And here is another situation that shows up in another Metal Gear game.

Recognize this?

*photo courtsey of GH*

This is a codec message from Big Boss. This happens in another Metal Gear game also.

I enjoyed this game and I am glad I played it. But I really dont see any replay value. Unless you want to try for a speed run or a higher difficulty level. Beating the game opens Boss Survival mode.

I finished the game in

6 hours 32 minutes

Not too shabby for my first playthrough.

I played it on the Playstation 2 from the Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence game. It can also be found on the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PS3) and the Metal Gear Solid Legacy collection (PS3). Maybe even the PS2 Metal Gear Solid Essentials Collection, which I own but can not tell from the box if it is included.

So, this is another Metal Gear game added to my Finished games for my Year of the Snake Project.

Next up? Maybe Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. From the reviews I've watched on Youtube it is even a better game than this one. That's what I like about the Metal Gear series. It just keeps getting better and better! hahahahah

Super Step Contributing Writer

08/12/2013 at 11:27 PM

I think they may have changed things around from NES to PS2. They definitely changed that thing telling you to turn off your PS2, lol.

"Hideo Kojima designed the original Metal Gear, which debuted in Japan and Europe in 1987 for the MSX2 computer platform.^[1] A separate team created a heavily modified Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) port of the game that was released in Japan, North America and Europe."

All of that is from Wikipedia, taken from a couple Gamespot articles. It sounds like maybe the PS2 version you played was the version that was initially released on MSX2, and not the NES port I played online a while ago. I'm curious now what all the differences are.

GrayHaired

08/13/2013 at 04:55 PM

Joe: Heavily Modified is putting it mildly. From the articles I've read Hideo Kojima Hated the NES release. One reviewer went so far as to say they ruined the original. So yeah, apparently the NES version is nowhere close to the game Hideo had in mind. At least now I dont feel as if I need to play that version! hahahahaha

08/13/2013 at 05:00 PM

Yeah, don't. Playing that version is what made me suspicious, because you seemed to actually enjoy this version, and I thought you had lost your mind a bit, because I couldn't get past a stupid bush in the NES version. lol

08/13/2013 at 08:05 PM

Joe: I dont even remember any bushes in the original. They must have really messed the game up something bad!

NSonic79

08/13/2013 at 02:06 AM

Funny story but I happen upon a yard sale over the weekend and almost bought a copy of the original metal gear for the NES. I decided not to buy it because of the very reason you mentioned when it came to the door cards. I didn't want to go thru that game like that one scene in "The Naked Gun" where you see Frank trying to jimmy locked doors with various credit cards on a keyring.

08/13/2013 at 04:58 PM

Nsonic: Good thing you didnt buy it ( see previous reply to Joe) The cards can be frustrating but not enough to ruin the game. Just look at it as...added suspense! hahahah

Cary Woodham

08/13/2013 at 05:39 AM

Hey if you have MGS3 on PS2, you should also be able to play the Ape Escape mini game. Have you played that one? For YOTS, you should also track down Ape Escape 3 and play the MGS mini game on it!

Cary: I do have the Snake vs Monkey mini game and it is fabulous fun! I will blog about it before YOTS is over and yeah, I do want to get me a copy of Ape Escape 3. Especially now since I am almost exclusively playing my PS2.

TheMart22

08/13/2013 at 07:53 AM

I have the HD collection so I may play this at some stage. I'm about 2/3 the way throught MGS2 at the moment and want to do the VR Missions after that so lots to do You sell it well though. I'm looking forward to your MG2:SS blogs

08/13/2013 at 05:02 PM

The Mart: Since you're playing MGS2 that one photo will have some connection to your playthrough. When you get to it you will know what I am talking about. Yeah, completing MGS2 with all the VR missions and side missions will take quite some time. Thank you...Im looking forward to playing MG2 SS.

Jonathan Drake

08/13/2013 at 11:22 AM

I have my MGS HD collection sitting in my shelf, just waiting for me to get some sense in my head and play it. I did check the first minutes of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and it does seem awesome. It looks sharper than the original.

08/13/2013 at 05:04 PM

Jonathan: I was so tempted to play MG2 first but I convinced myself to playing MG first and Im glad I did. I enjoyed it. MG2 does look better since I guess its the newer of the two.

Ranger1

08/13/2013 at 03:52 PM

I keep forgetting I need to mail you something that I promised like last year. Oh, right, you were supposed to let me know what Mrs. GH likes, so I could send her a present, too.

08/13/2013 at 05:05 PM

Tami: I wish I knew what to tell you. Send something uniquely Maine..I just dont know myself?

08/13/2013 at 05:16 PM

Yeah, I have a couple of ideas :)

08/13/2013 at 07:33 PM

Sounds like a plan!

BrokenH

08/13/2013 at 08:28 PM

Back in the day this game was kinda hard for me. (Even on easy) Probably because there were not many games like it. Yeah, there were run N gun games like Ikari warriors and Contra but they didn't exactly require stealth and finding items to proceed. Even back then Metal Gear was the thinking man's game.

08/13/2013 at 08:41 PM

Ben: I would not have made it without the internet and online guides and videos..hahahaha.

Aboboisdaman

08/13/2013 at 11:18 PM

Another Snake bites the dust. I want to play this, but don't want to buy the Legacy collection because I already own all those games. Dagnabbit GH! What am I supposed to do? Emulation maybe?

08/14/2013 at 08:02 PM

Aaron: You can buy the HD collection or maybe just MGS3 from the PSN store?

08/14/2013 at 08:37 PM

I was expecting you to say something like "You can never have too much Metal Gear! Hahahahahaha!" Come on GH! Thanks for the suggestions though. One way or another I will play this game! Oh and before I die I hope to write a blog about MGS VR Missions lol.

08/14/2013 at 08:52 PM

You better hurry on the VR Missions. Tami is sending me the VR Missions game.

jgusw

08/14/2013 at 02:37 PM

You're awesome! I hadn't played since you informed me that I had to save in the elevator.

Switching through the cards is annoying as hell. I was aggravated and I only had 2 cards. Man..., did that suck!

08/14/2013 at 08:04 PM

James: thanks... Im playing MG2 SS and when I saved last night, today it wasnt where I saved...so I dont know how to save in this game..!!! and you can loose a lot of health while trying to find the right card! hahahahahah

PixlBit