Metal Gear

Metal Gear is a series of stealth-based games created by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami. The player takes control of an elite military operative (usually Solid Snake) repeatedly facing off against the latest incarnation of the eponymous superweapon, "Metal Gear", a bipedal walking tank with nuclear launching capabilities.

The games

The original Metal Gear debuted on the MSX2 computer in 1987 in Japan and Europe. The game was one of the first games, if not the first, in which using stealth was emphasized over direct confrontation with the enemy. This was due to the MSX hardware's limitations when it came to handling more conventional action games. Many of the series' trademarked aspects were already present, including the wireless communicator used by the player's character. A sequel, ', was released in 1990 for the MSX2 in Japan only. Metal Gear 2 made numerous enhancements and additions to the game, including a deeper and more developed storyline.

Related Topics:
Metal Gear - MSX2 - 1987 - Japan - Europe - 1990

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The Metal Gear franchise made a comeback in the form of Metal Gear Solid for the Sony PlayStation, adapting the basic premise and gameplay of the first two games in 3D. Whereas the first two Metal Gear titles were only moderately successful, Metal Gear Solid was a huge hit, selling nearly 15 million copies. This paved the way for similar stealth-based games and at the same time, establishing Metal Gear as one of Konami's hallmark series.

Related Topics:
Metal Gear Solid - Sony PlayStation - 3D

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Metal Gear Solid was followed by two sequels for the PlayStation 2. ' in 2001 and ' in 2004, each providing further enhancements to the Metal Gear gameplay.

Related Topics:
PlayStation 2 - 2001 - 2004

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' is currently in development, with the tagline "No Place to Hide". It is to be produced by Ken-ichiro Imaizumi and Hideo Kojima with Kojima also reprising his role as director along with co-director Shuyo Murata. The game will feature the return of several characters from Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.

Related Topics:
Hideo Kojima - Shuyo Murata

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The main games

The series consists of the following titles (in order of release) in its official canon:

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• Metal Gear (MSX2/Famicom/NES/C64/PC/Mobile Phone, 1987)
• ' (MSX2/Mobile Phone, 1990)
• Metal Gear Solid (PlayStation/PC, 1998)
• ' (PlayStation 2, 2001)
• ' (PlayStation 2, 2004)
• ' (Playstation 3, 2007)

Supplemental editions and remakes

Since the release of Metal Gear Solid, there have also been various "special edition" products, with additions, improvements, or brand new content. In Japan, the initial versions of the Metal Gear Solid titles usually feature the original Japanese voice acting, while the updated versions (Integral, Substance) contain the English dubbing from the North American version in their place.

Related Topics:
Japan - Japanese - Voice acting - English - Dubbing - North American

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Additionally, Metal Gear Solid has been remade in a Konami/Silicon Knights coproduction titled ' (2004), a GameCube exclusive. This featured fully redubbed English voices, and all-new cutscenes, directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, best known for the Japanese cult action film, Versus.

Related Topics:
Metal Gear Solid - GameCube - English - Ryuhei Kitamura - Versus

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The updated versions are:

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• ' (PlayStation, 1999)
• ' (PlayStation, 1999)
• ' (Xbox/PlayStation 2/PC, 2002)
• The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 (PlayStation 2, 2002)
• ' (GameCube, 2004)
• ' (PlayStation 2, 2005)

Other ports and versions

Shortly, after the release of the original MSX2 version of Metal Gear, Konami released a port of the game for Nintendo's Family Computer in Japan and its western counterpart, the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was first version of the game released in North America. The NES version was made without Hideo Kojima's involvement and contained several considerable changes, including different level designs and the removal of the Metal Gear mecha. Hideo Kojima has been quoted as saying the NES/Famicom port of Metal Gear was changed quite a bit from the original MSX version. It was made without his direction and he, himself, finds the game to be rather challenging. The NES version was the basis of two North American computer ports released in 1990, one for the IBM PC and the other for the Commodore 64. The Famicom version was also released for the GameCube in emulated form as part of a Japanese bundle of The Twin Snakes.

Related Topics:
Nintendo - Family Computer - IBM PC - Commodore 64

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In 2004, mobile phone ports of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 based on the original MSX2 versions were released in Japan; they feature (among other changes) new game modes and items. Ports of these two versions are scheluded to be included in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence.

Related Topics:
2004 - Mobile phone

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In 2000, Konami released a version of the original Metal Gear Solid for PC ported by Microsoft Game Studios. This port was actually based on the Integral rerelease and contained both, the original game and the VR Missions disc.

Related Topics:
2000 - Microsoft Game Studios

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In 2002, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance was ported to the Xbox and PC.

Related Topics:
2002 - Xbox

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Non-canonical sequels and spinoffs

In addition to the core titles listed above, a number of Metal Gear related titles have appeared through the course of the series that don't follow the main continuity.

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The first of these titles was Snake's Revenge, a 1990 NES game that intended to be a sequel to the original Metal Gear. The game was produced in Japan and made specifically for the western market in mind (a Japanese version was never released). Although Hideo Kojima was not involved in the production of the game, Kojima has stated that he liked the game and that it served as his inspiration for Metal Gear 2 (which supplanted Snake's Revenge as the canonical sequel).

Related Topics:
Snake's Revenge - 1990

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The next non-canonical Metal Gear title was ', a Game Boy Color game released in 2000 and retitled Metal Gear Solid for its English language release. The game is not actually considered a sequel to any of the previous Metal Gear titles, although it uses the storyline of the Metal Gear as a backstory (while ignoring the events of Metal Gear 2 and Metal Gear Solid), picking up seven years after.

Related Topics:
Game Boy Color - 2000 - English language

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In 2004, Konami released Metal Gear Acid for the PlayStation Portable. Acid is not a traditional stealth game like the other Metal Gear titles, but instead is a strategy game which combines the stealth elements of the series and card-based interface. A sequel to Metal Gear Acid is currently in development.

Related Topics:
2004 - Metal Gear Acid - PlayStation Portable - Strategy game - Card

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• Snake's Revenge (NES, 1990)
• ' (Game Boy Color, 2000)
• Metal Gear Acid (PlayStation Portable, 2004)
• Metal Gear Acid 2 (PlayStation Portable, 2005)