Feature Review

Metal Gear Solid

***

The current desktop computer has far more power than the average user needs and its potential is only tapped by the hardest of hardcore games. Unfortunately, that's not where the money is for many software companies. A game whose sales are chart-topping in the PC and Mac arenas would be considered only moderately successful, or perhaps even quaint, if matched up against the earnings of the latest PlayStation or Dreamcast blockbuster. With a less-than-stellar financial outlook, only the best of the best console games ever get ported over to the computer platform where, theoretically, they can really shine, with better graphics and additional features.

While the port of Final Fantasy VII from PlayStation to PC was a rocky one, resulting in a buggy game whose low-resolution artwork was transferred directly, making the game's backgrounds look disjointed with the high quality 3D of the PC, it finally gave computer owners a taste of what console gamers had been enjoying for years. Not to mention some of the headaches that come along with consoles as well, such as only being able to save your games at predetermined points.

Metal Gear Solid (MGS) follows in this tradition. While MGS is a great game, involving stealth and quick thinking on your virtual feet, amid a world of international intrigue and espionage, the experience has only improved slightly in its translation--considering the added horsepower it is running on.

While seeing it in high-resolution is a sight to behold, the blurry textures, low-polygon characters, and straight from PlayStation blocky fonts detract from its presentation quality and make it look quite modest compared to modern PC games. Overall, however, the world of MGS has never looked better. If you are a fan of the game, you will definitely want to check it out in the PC format to see it in all its visual glory, if only once. I would not recommend purchasing it, as it is the same game--though it does include the "VR Missions" add-on disk, which is full of training simulations, arcade timewasters, and a whole lot of corny stuff which could have only come from Japan.

But for people who have not yet played the game, it is a welcome addition to the PC's repertoire, especially for those who grew up on Nintendo, but find the sprawling complexity of many PC games to be off-putting. MGS offers short-term goals that keep the excitement level up, while never turning into a twitch-fest or button-masher, and instead, make you rely on your wits. MGS offers a lot more than just nostalgia and is well worth picking it up.

by Richard Leader