| The original Medal Gear Solid video game, released on the PlayStation console in 1998, is considered by many gamers and video game publications to be the greatest PlayStation game ever released. What many fans of the series may not know (especially the younger ones) is that MGS wasn't the first video game featuring Solid Snake, its star. The first was actually Metal Gear, released over 10 years earlier, in 1987, for the NES. After the release of a sequel entitled Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake in 1990, the franchise took an eight-year hiatus. In 1998, Konami breathed new life into the series by developing Metal Gear Solid. This entry utilized the day's 3D and CD-ROM technology to create a groundbreaking third-person stealth action game, complete with an intriguing storyline and deep cinematic segments. Metal Gear Solid was a best-seller, and took a moral stance against nuclear arms. The first sequel to MGS was released in 1998 and rose to the top of the sales charts. In the UK, it reached and maintained a number one position on the ELSPA's video game chart for eight consecutive weeks. Each subsequent entry into the Metal Gear Solid series (including a Metal Gear Solid Xbox game) has helped the series' fanbase grow, and continued the franchise's exciting espionage storyline. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2004. This is the last MGS game to be released on the PS2. Konami is already underway producing Metal Gear Solid 4. The game, co-directed by the series' creator Hideo Kojima, will expand on the franchise's exciting stealth gameplay when it is released for the PlayStation 3. |