My 100 Most Favorite Video Games of All Time #87: Metal Gear Solid

Anyone who has played Metal Gear Solid (MGS) felt their pulse quicken upon seeing that this was my choice for this column. As someone who has repeatedly stated that he doesn't find a story important in video games, this must seem like an odd choice ... and it is ... because the story is what makes it so damn good.

My first exposure to the MGS universe was seeing an ad for the Nintendo game in a comic book. The ad laid out all the gear you could use. It made the game seem pretty interesting, but when I got to actually play it I found that it was not all that great. So when MGS came out for the PlayStation I was hesitant. Then I started reading reviews ...

I don't know what it was about what I was reading, but the game sounded like something I needed to try out. I actually sounded kind of, I don't know, epic? It turns out it was.

Sure, the game has its ridiculous moments. Hiding in cardboard boxes that you carry around with you? Whatever. Ketchup that fools guards into thinking it is blood? Not likely. But those moments that stretch credibility were actually few and far between. All the other stuff was kind of brilliant. Taking on a sniper. Going up against a psychic warrior of some sort that read the games on your memory card. Finding new and interesting ways to use the items in your inventory. Discovering secret codes on the back of the game case. Sneaking through hallways avoiding the usual fights. It made for an immerse experience and had a story that felt like it mattered. Take that all together and it made Metal Gear Solid more of an experience than a game. And it is one of the few where I think the story does actually make the game better. I can't say that about many games, but I can say it about this one.