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[SargerusBR]

On this day, 30 years ago Metal Gear was released on 1987, created by Hideo Kojima, the game would mark the birth of the stealth genre in gaming, the series would evolve bringing cinematic storylines, crazy theories and incredible gameplay. Here are the main and spin-off games of the series:

Main Titles

Metal Gear (1987)

Released for MSX2, NES, PS2(Available with MGS3), PS3(Available with MGS3 HD).

Metal Gear 2 - Solid Snake (1990)

Released for MSX2, PS2(Available with MGS3), PS3(Available with MGS3 HD).

Metal Gear Solid (1998)

Released for PS1, PC, PSN(For PSP/PS3).

Metal Gear Solid 2 - Sons of Liberty (2001)

Released for PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, PC.

Metal Gear Solid 3 -Snake Eater (2004)

Released for PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, N3DS.

Metal Gear Solid 4 - Guns of the Patriots (2008)

Released for PS3.

Metal Gear Solid - Peace Walker (2010)

Released for PSP, PS3, Xbox 360.

Metal Gear Solid V - Ground Zeroes (2014)

Released for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC.

Metal Gear Solid V - The Phantom Pain (2015)

Released for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC.

Spin-Off Titles

Snake's Revenge
A sequel to the NES version of the first game, more focused on side-scrolling action.
Released for NES.

Metal Gear Solid - Ghost Babel
The only Metal Gear released for the GBC, gameplay is based on the first two games, but with way more focus on the story.
Released for Game Boy Color.

Metal Gear Solid - The Twin Snakes
A remake of MGS, utilizes the mechanics from MGS2 and revamped cinematics and voice acting.
Released for GameCube.

Metal Gear Acid
A card-based strategy game based on the Metal Gear universe.
Released for PSP.

Metal Gear Acid 2
A sequel to the first Acid game.
Released for PSP.

Metal Gear Solid - Portable Ops
Takes place between MGS3 and Peace Walker, it's canonicity is debatable, but Kojima doesn't consider part of his MGS Saga.
Released for PSP.

Metal Gear Rising - Revengeance
An action game developed by Platinum Games featuring Raiden.
Released for PS3, Xbox 360, PC.

Metal Gear Survive
Upcoming co-op survival game utilizing the mechanics from MGSV.
To be released for PS4, Xbox One, PC.

Metal Gear Solid - Snake Eater Pachislot
A pachinko game based on MGS3, featuring scenes from the original game remade with CGI.
Released for Pachislot.

F.A.Q.

Which order should I play the series first?
Release order as shown above.

What is the chronology of the games?
Chronologically, the main games are placed like this:

Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker
Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes
Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear
Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots

Which platform do you recommend to play?
The PS3, since it's the one that has access to all main titles and some of the spin-offs.

Love the series, where can I discuss more about it on GAF?
We have a MGS Community Thread. You can always post your thoughts there.

 

[Savantcore]

My favourite franchise. Metal Gear Solid means so much to me, which I once wrote about.

 

[SargerusBR]

My favourite franchise. Metal Gear Solid means so much to me, which I once wrote about.

My favorite as well, the perfect mix of cinematic crazy story and polished gameplay is the reason I love the series.

 

[Lime]

Kojima Productions or Kojima himself should've just scrapped most of the narrative stuff after MGS3 (if not 4), because MGS4, PW, and especially MGSV had some god awful stories and characters.

 

[SomTervo]

Jesus, 30 years.

Need boot up one of these and have another playthrough. Especially the 2D ones which I don't think I ever finished.

 

[finley83]

Replayed MGS1 and 2 earlier this year and loved them - especially 2, which I was frustrated with first time around. Playing it directly after the first makes so much more sense and I think it's up there with the first now.

Was a way into 3 but think I'll hold off going further until I get a new TV. Have got Ground Zeroes on the go on my PC right now and it's fun but doesn't feel the same at all.

 

[kc44135]

Man, I love this series. Every mainline Metal Gear really is something special. I really wish there was a way to play the entire Metal Gear series on modern hardware (MGSV aside) though. MGS 1-4 are at risk of eventually being lost to time, and that saddens me a great deal.

 

[SomTervo]

Replayed MGS1 and 2 earlier this year and loved them - especially 2, which I was frustrated with first time around. Playing it directly after the first makes so much more sense and I think it's up there with the first now.

Was a way into 3 but think I'll hold off going further until I get a new TV. Have got Ground Zeroes on the go on my PC right now and it's fun but doesn't feel the same at all.

You need to finish 3. I still think it's the best in the series, above GZ and TPP which are #2 for me.

Just make sure you're playing the Subsistence version so you get the superior third person camera (instead of top-down).

 

[Ninja Dom]

With the huge popularity of the Famicom and the Super Famicom launching that year, why was Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake first released on MSX in 1990?

 

[Strangelove77]

Are the 2D games worth playing?

 

[newjeruse]

It's a damn shame that The Phantom Pain left such a rotten taste in my mouth. MGS 1-3 were all amazing and revolutionary in their own right.

 

[kc44135]

Are the 2D games worth playing?

Yes, especially Metal Gear 2 and Ghost Babel (A.K.A. MGS GBC).

 

[oldboss]

It's a damn shame that The Phantom Pain left such a rotten taste in my mouth. MGS 1-3 were all amazing and revolutionary in their own right.

Yep. Can't get over how disappointed I am in TPP. It's been almost two years, and I've never felt the urge to even replay one single misson. Never happened with any other MGS before, which I do enjoy replaying on a regular basis.

 

[finley83]

You need to finish 3. I still think it's the best in the series, above GZ and TPP which are #2 for me.

Just make sure you're playing the Subsistence version so you get the superior third person camera (instead of top-down).

Yeah, it was my favourite when I first played it in 2005 (the original version, not subsistence). The HD version on PS3 is pretty great especially the new camera. I remember really enjoying the second half in particular, it just kept escalating more and more but without getting as ridiculous as MGS2.

 

[Kazuhira]

I was introduced to the franchise with MGS1 and i never stopped after that,if there's a franchise that i could say i've mastered to the core is this one.
The thought that MGS is over hits me really hard tbh.

 

[tkscz]

How is a remake considered a Spin-off?

Anywho, about to replay Twin Snakes, just beat MGS3. Never actually played 2

 

[SomTervo]

Yep. Can't get over how disappointed I am in TPP. It's been almost two years, and I've never felt the urge to even replay one single misson. Never happened with any other MGS before, which I do enjoy replaying on a regular basis.

It's worth replaying some and trying to do the opposite of what you'd normally do. Like every time you think of a strategy to move forward, go "No, I'm going to do THIS instead".

Every time you do that TPP shows more and more how much of an amazing game it is. It's so dynamic, so flexible, it can be approached so many ways.

It's biggest downfall is that it's so different from the previous games, though, definitely. I still wish all the weapons were OSP. I think that alone would 'fix' TPP in many ways.

Imagine if new weapons and gear were actually hidden everywhere in the gameworld like in MGS1-3, so that you actually had to explore the map and try to get through dangerous situations to find them. Would make TPP's experience a thousand times better. They could balance this with the Mother Base stuff by making it like you have to research weapons to improve them and give them to your guards.

 

[StrangeRoboMemory]

I couldn't turn off my PlayStation while playing the first game...I forgot to buy a memory card, and by the time I got to Sniper Wolf, I didn't want to restart the game. Classic game, would risk screen burn for again.

 

[Roni]

My favorite... Inspired my career and my creativity for so many years.

 

[capylikesgames]

Nice timing, I just beat MGS 2 and 3 last month! Also started MG2 this month, which is bursting with charm. Pretty cool what they managed to pull off, considering its age. It's good to finally catch up with more of the series. I can definitely see why it's so beloved. I wasn't ever a big fan of stealth before I played an MG game, but this series definitely got me to appreciate the genre. There is something fun about sneaking your way through a game, trying not to get caught. I personally find non-lethal runs the best way to play them.

 

[xuchu]

Happy 30th anniversary Metal Gear:

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

I would like to play one of these again this year, but all I have is a PS3 and I don't have MGS4. I think I might still have MGS1 somewhere in the house, but PS1 games be acting funny on PS3. FFIV has some weird visual problems.

 

[Budi]

Great game series. Didn't ever own MSX so the heavily altered NES port was my introduction to it. I think Snake Eater is my favorite along with the first MGS game on PS.

 

[Zushin]

I played them all for the first time in 2014 in prep for Mgs5. Amazing games. I actually enjoyed Guns of the Patriots more than I thought after the things I'd heard. I have Twin Snakes on the way currently which I'm looking forward to playing for the first time. After that might have to do a series replay.

 

[miller.skippins]

It's dead Jimmy..

 

[JeffZero]

My friend's family kept purchasing Pizza Hut back in '98 when they were giving out free PSX demo discs. We discovered Xenogears and Metal Gear Solid in this fashion. Both games changed my 11-year-old life that year.

We replayed the MGS1 demo over and over again. We tried so many different things. It was heavenly. The series stuck with me 'til 2015, but even though I kind of saw MGS5's format coming from a mile away somehow, it's still left a decidedly sour taste in my mouth. I haven't been able to touch the previous games since -- probably because I adore MGS3 so much and I'd wanted something of a saga for Big Boss. Now I'm not sure I can ever touch Peace Walker again because I thought it was "decent as a lead-up to 5". Meh.

Someday, I will return to the portions of Metal Gear that I love. 1-4, pretty much. I will. I'll forget what happened to Big Boss' further adventures after 3 and just skip to 4. I love those first four games and the memories they come with entirely too much to forsake the series forever.

I wish y'all wonderful fun replaying the series this year.

I would like to play one of these again this year, but all I have is a PS3 and I don't have MGS4. I think I might still have MGS1 somewhere in the house, but PS1 games be acting funny on PS3. FFIV has some weird visual problems.

The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection has 2 and 3, and you can purchase 1 via PSN.

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection has 2 and 3, and you can purchase 1 via PSN.

I don't have any money though.

 

[jrush64]

To me, the series died after MGS3. MGS 1-3 were absolutely fantastic games with amazing replay value. They just so good. Then MGS4 and 5 came and just shit on the legacy...

I'll be replaying MGS 1-3. I'll play Twin Snakes instead because I prefer it to the original.

 

[PleaseDontBanMe]

Single greatest video game franchise of all time (I have it above the Mario franchise)


It's a shame there is no future for it


Would love to see Sony buy the IP and have Hideo Kojima put out more titles for it

 

[Svejk]

I've been itching to go back to PP...
Of all games to not get additional DLC. :'(

 

[tariniel]

I never played Metal Gear 1 and 2, but I'm pretty sure they're included on the legacy collection I have on PS3.

I briefly wanted to join in on the replay I just have so little time lately

This is one of my favorite game series ever though. I think I've completed Metal Gear Solid 1 close to 20 times.

 

[Buntabox]

Ghost Babel is such a good game. Its easily the best 2D MG title. I played it sooo much on my GBC and later even on GBA. It's a shame it's never had a digital re-release of any kind. Thank god for emulation.

I like this game so much I did an A/V project with it in a digital media class in College (which I will not be sharing cause I goofed a lot of stuff due to time constraints. It's not my best, but I had a lot of fun doing it.)

 

[Servbot24]

Man, what a series! Super influential for me personally.

To be honest though... I haven't played MGS

 

[____]

Kojima Productions or Kojima himself should've just scrapped most of the narrative stuff after MGS3 (if not 4), because MGS4, PW, and especially MGSV had some god awful stories and characters.

Other than The Phantom Pain which story does not exist in any real fan's heart, MGS4, PW and GZ still have better stories/characters than a ton of non-MGS games, but they're definitely steps down from all previous games in this series.

 

[MarkMclovin]

Just finished GZ and the beginning of PP for the 1st time. No clue whats going on even though I've played all of the mainline games over the years.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

My favourite franchise. Metal Gear Solid means so much to me, which I once wrote about.

This was a great read. I wrote about how much I love it too, how it evolved so well over a series of four games.

I really do love this series. It's odd, because I thought I'd hate it, and even had MGS2 sitting there in shrink wrap, unplayed, for years before my friend convinced me to play it. BOY WAS I WRONG. I fell in love.

Tanker mission in MGS2 is still in my top three sequences in gaming, ever, and it easily holds that spot to this day.

 

[Strangelove77]

To this day I still dislike the MGS1 remake.

 

[RK9039]

I'm in a box!

 

[tamaster92]

One of the best series of games ever made

I'll never forget metal gear <3

SNAAAAAAKKKEEEE

 

[Cozmogramma]

It's pretty cool that you can play all the main Metal Gear games on the PS3.

 

[jroc74]

One of my fav series. And one of the few I still get games for to this day.

Maybe Final Fantasy will pull me back in one day.....

It's pretty cool that you can play all the main Metal Gear games on the PS3.

Knowing this, I'm not so mad I got rid of my PS2 the other day now. I held on to it for San Andreas, Final Fantasy X and MGS 3.

One reason I kept my PS3 is for MGS 4, lol.

I still havent finished any of these games. :-(

 

[crpav]

Metal Gear is one of those series that I became a fan of growing up(Metal Gear on NES) and played most of the games until one day my love of the series just "died". Same happened with Final Fantasy. Both series I played at a young age when their original offerings were released on the NES but once I got to a certain age, plus life things like marriage and having a kid, the love went away.

I can still recall getting Metal Gear at the store and opening the box to read the manual on the drive home in the back seat of the car as my mom drove home. I remember how difficult it was for me at a young age but kept playing and got better. Eventually I played it enough to get better and beat it.

Metal Gear 2 I only rented. I enjoyed it but not as much as the first.

Not much to say about the Solid games on the PS1 and PS2 other than amazing games. 4 launched and I got the collectors edition, which is still sealed, and then the greatest hits to open and play but never did and that is that.

 

[SargerusBR]

It's dead Jimmy..

 

[AlteredForms]

the game would mark the birth of the stealth genre in gaming,

Weren't the original Wolfenstein titles stealth games? Basic stealth mechanics, but they beat MGS to the punch by several years.

 

[Osukaa]

Single greatest video game franchise of all time (I have it above the Mario franchise)


It's a shame there is no future for it


Would love to see Sony buy the IP and have Hideo Kojima put out more titles for it

I would say after deep thought its my favorite as well... It just has been a constant part of my gaming life and childhood that I feel a close affection to the series. When I was young I watched my cousin play Metal Gear on the NES and I was hooked ever since. Its sad that the franchise is kinda in limbo right now as far as any sequels. I would love to play more MGS but without Kojima its just not going to be the same. -_-

Heres to you Snake and an awesome 30 years of gaming.

 

[Foffy]

I decided to play Metal Gear Rising in celebration of the anniversary.

Never played it before, but I am surprised at how much dialog is in the codec calls. I remember people gave the game shit because of a short play time, but that seems to count for ingame movement and combat. I have surely doubled the ingame clock with scenes and stuff like this.

Is it also bad that I am actually trying to play Rising like a Metal Gear? I go for the silent kills primarily, and then go straight in when I don't have a choice otherwise. I find it cool, but I am getting average rankings.

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

Weren't the original Wolfenstein titles stealth games? Basic stealth mechanics, but they beat MGS to the punch by several years.

I thought Wolfenstein was the first FPS.