Vidéotest Metal Gear Solid ( part 1 )

I think I don't have to tell you which game this video is about, you already found it.
Metal Gear Solid, of course.
A monument, one of the best games of the PS1, you can't argue.
A game created by the genius Hideo Kojima.
Developed by Konami, released fall 1998 in Japan and early 1999 in Europe.
But first of all, I really want everybody to remember what you see now on the video.
This trailer, this beautiful non-playable - unfortunately - demo.
I saw that in a bonus demo-CD of a PlayStation Magazine-like
or Whatever Mag, but I don't remember.
At that moment, I wasn't expecting at all this game, even if magazines were talking a lot about it.
But I wasn't interested, I wasn't waiting for this game.
I didn't play the two first Metal Gear games, 10 years ago, when there was not the world "Solid".
The two first Metal Gear on the 8-bit machines, NES and MSX.
I didn't know at all this saga, but I discovered it with this trailer.
And when I saw this trailer, with this incredible music, this revolutionary gameplay...
Just with this video, I started to wait eagerly for this game.
I watched this trailer about 50 times, because I couldn't believe my eyes.
This main theme of MGS has been composed by a Tappi Iwase.
Harry Gregson-Williams didn't compose the soundtrack of this game.
We often associate Metal Gear Solid with Harry Gregson-Williams' music,
but he started to work on this saga with Metal Gear Solid 2.
So, the main theme you're actually listening was composed by a man named Tappi Iwase.
Let's pay tribute to him, because it's brilliant.
Listen :
So, after this beautiful trailer, we are now back in the game.
Before I start to play, let's have a look into the options menu.
Indeed, there are some interestic things.
First, the briefing : it will give to Snake, - and also to the player, of course -
some information before the beginning of the mission.
For example, some information about the people we'll be in contact during the mission :
our commandant, the Colonel Roy Campbell, Dr Naomi and some other characters we will meet later.
There are also informations about the terrorists, the members of the FoxHound Unit.
Yeah, all the terrorists are members of FoxHound.
I'll talk about the script later. I'll try to not spoil you the story.
We can get some information about the hostages, the weapons of the terrorists - look on the right -.
Well, a lot of really interesting information, which really deserve to be discovered before the beginning of the game.
In fact, the first time, I directly began to play without paying attention to these elements,
and it was really an error.
I'm showing you that because it's the real beginning of the mission,
when the Colonel Roy Campbell is trying to recruit Snake for his third mission.
I'm showing you that because it's one of the many references Hideo Kojima made in this game.
Here, it's to two John Carpenter's cult movies : Escape form New York and Escape from L.A.
You should really watch these two movies if you don't know them.
There are a lot of Metal Gear Solid fans who already know this anectode.
Hideo Kojima himself told us than in Metal Gear Solid 2, he had been inspired a lot by these two movies,
especially Escape from New York.
Both heroes have the same face, physical abilities, way of thinking...
Kurt Russell's Snake Plissken from the two movies is really a look alike of Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid.
There are so many references...
Another example : in MGS2, Snake's codename is Iroquois Pliskin, like Snake Plissken from the movies.
And there are a lot of things like this, Hideo Kojima really made great references.
Both characters are really charismatic, in the movies and in the game.
I really recommand you to watch these movies, especially Escape from L.A.,
even if it's considerated today as a second-rate movie.
I think they are cult movies, espacially Escape from L.A. Great movie, great character.
But I think you don't give a damn about this...
So, in the Special menu, in Previous Operations, you can see Solid Snake's two previous missions.
The ones from the two first Metal Gear, released on 8-bit consoles : Metal Gear 1 and Metal Gear 2.
You'll have a summary of these two missions.
Album, it's to visionize... "Visionize" ? I mean "view". "Visionize"... I'm completely mad.
So, you can look here at all the pictures you'll take in the game.
In the game, you can find a camera, and you can take some pictures.
Sometimes, if you take a certain picture in a certain place,
you'll have some surprises when you'll watch it in the menu...
But I'll talk about this later.
The Demo Theater is unlocked when you complete the game once.
You can watch here all the cutscenes and all the conversations of the Codec.
The Codec, the well-known magical earphone. Hours and hours of dialogues...
The VR Training is a training mode.
Let's take this save. I just have one anyway, I can't choose.
There's about ten little missions in the training mode. It's really classical. Let's take the last mission.
I tried it before, I should be able to do it again. I just have to go from point A to point B,
without being spotted by the watching cameras, neither the enemies, and neither the projectors.
Er... I won't move if I don't use the analogic mode. I'm playing on the PS2, with a Dualshock pad.
So, let's go this way... Oh fuck ! Damn, I'm lucky. I could have been spotted by the projector.
God is with me. So, this way, and here we are : the finish point. It's over.
When we'll have completed the ten missions, we'll be able to try them in Time Attack.
And then, if you complete the Time Attack Mode, you'll unlock the Gun Shooting Mode.
In this Mode, we have a gun, and we have to kill all the ennemies.
A few months after the release, Konami created Metal Gear Solid : Special Missions,
an add-on which will give us about 300 extra VR missions.
Well, it's time to start.
Let's select my save... As you can see, I've one red save.
It means I finished the game twice or 3 times on this save.
We unlock bonus items when we finish the game, both with Meryl's ending and Otacon's ending :
The bandana which will give us unlimited ammo, Otacon's optical camouflage - if you want to play like a Predator -
and 007's famous costume. I think you'll have to finish the game twice to get it.
Let's take this save. At first, I wanted to choose a save at the beginning of the game.
But at the beginning, we don't have a lot of items in our inventory,
and moreover there's a lot of cutscenes, or dialogues with the Codec.
Watching cutscenes won't be extremely interesting to you, I suppose.
So, we play as Solid Snake. It's not his real name.
I played again the whole game to prepare this video and it was really fun, even if some stages are aged.
For example, if we switch into first person view, we can't shoot nor walk. We can't do anything.
This was improved a lot in MGS 2 and in the remake MGS : The Twin Snakes, on Game Cube.
Here, we can't shoot anything in the first person view.
Let's leave now. I'm going to the armory, it's the place I have to go now.
Here, I've completed half the game. I have to go to the armory to find a sniper rifle, the PSG-1.
And then I'll have to go back to another place, pass through warehouses, a place with wolves, ...
Let's take the Socom to kill him in silence.
Good, he didn't alert the orher guards. Oh, great : he dropped a ration ! But my onventory is full...
As my life bar is not full, I'll eat one ration and now I can pick up the other one.
We can only carry a certain number of items.
On the left are the usual items, those which are not weapons. And with the right trigger, we open the weapon menu.
There's a gun, the SOCOM, the FA-MAS... They choose the FA-MAS, the famous french assault gun. There's also grenades,
a NIKITA - a guided missile launcher -, anti-personnel mines, C4 which can be placed everywhere,
grenades which can be used to stun enemies or to disable electronic equipments...
And there's even more items : rations to recover life, the camera I was talking about before - I'll use it later -,
a gas mask... Oh, a guard is coming this way... Good, he didn't see me. With the mask, there's this effect which was also in MGS 2.
Damn, I'm spotted ! Great... Take this, bastard ! Let's find a place to hide. I think there's a hole in that direction.
Fuck, he saw me. I'll have to shoot him. This place wasn't a great hideout...
This can't be ! I'm gonna die... I'll use a chaff grenade... No, a stun grenade.
This one will paralyse all the enemies.
Damn, I'm doing bullshit !
I used two grenades, but now I can't see anything... Let's hide here. They won't come to find me here, because they didn't see me enter here.
This is what happens when we are spotted. In fact, there are two ways to play the game : shoot everyone or stay invisible to everyone.
I've been spotted, that's why I hide myself. As you could see, the game entered in Evasion Mode.
During this phase, we'll have to hide from the guards.
And if guards don't find us, they'll take back their place and the game will continue as if nothing had happened.
So, I need to enter one of these rooms to get the sniper rifle. I'll take my Socom and my Level 5 PAL Card.
To open some doors all along the game, we'll have to use the corresponding card.
At the beginning, we have a Level 1 card... You there, you're dead.
During the game, the characters we'll meet will give us the others cards.
A level number will be written on most of the doors, so we'll have to use the good card to open it.
What was I looking for... the cigarettes. I need to pick up the sniper rifle at the back of the room.
But there are laser rays blocking my way. If I touch them, it will sound the alarm.
As you can see, I can use the cigarettes' smoke to detect the laser rays.
But the best item to use here are the thermical binoculars.
And now I can crawl to the sniper rifle, without touching the rays.
Someone's calling me with the Codec : I can push Select to open the Codec view. This is the Colonel.
Yes, I know, I have to save Meryl, your daughter... At the beginning, he lied to us : he said she was her niece.
Let me show you the Codec now. I have to push Select to start the Codec mode.
At the moment, I can call six different characters : the Colonel, Mei Ling - who will save our game -.
She sometimes tells us chinese proverbs, it's funny. Meryl... If I call her now.
No Reponse, of course. In fact, she has been injured by Sniper Wolf.
Otacon.. What will he say if I call him ? Generally, we call them when we are stuck.
Let me explain this without spoiling you too much : he talked about Wolf because he fell in love with her, so he doesn't want us to kill her.
But we'll have to kill her after all. So sad...
Well, I think it's time to leave of this place. The video is already 14 minutes long, and I still haven't show you anything.
Damn, I have to leave quick, quick ! Phew, he almost spotted me.
Where will he go ? Right or left ? Oh fuck ! Bastard ! As you can see, he's just in front of me, but he doesn't see me.
That's due to his sightline cone, which you can see on the radar. His field of vision wasn't long enough to detect me.
But when we play with the hard difficulty level... Come here, you fucking elevator !
I'm doing bullshit... It can't be !
So, with the hard or extreme difficulty level, we won't have our radar. It will be extremely more difficult.
You'll have to flatten yourself against every wall corner to see what's behind with the camera, and such tricks.
For example : I know there's somebody there. If I didn't have my radar,
I would have to switch into first-person view to look for him, and now I know that he's here.
You'll have to use this first-person view every time.
I still didn't explain you the other moves. Snake can give a punch or kick. He can also use a weapon, the Socom or the FA-MAS for example.
The three last bullets of every magazine are lightning bullets.
When you crawl, you can go under the tank. Useful when you are spotted. It's well made.
But here, the radar is disabled. When we are in cramped places like this, you can't use it.
Where is the guard ? I don't know. He must be on the other side. Do I kill him or not ?
No, I'll show you the Box instead. I really want to show you a maximum of different things.
Diazepam can be useful when you want to use the sniper rifle. It prevents you to shake.
I'll show later, because I'll need to use it. I think that I'll have cut the video in two parts. We'll see this after.
So here's the famous cardboard box. It's amazing ! Let's wait for the guard. I can switch the view. Listen !
"What's this box ?"
Generally, he doesn't pay attention to it, but... Oh fuck ! He lift it up... NO !
He lift up the box... Let's hide under the tank. Damn, there's another guard behind...
No, he threw me a granede ! Quick, a ration to be sure to not die. Damn, that was really a grenade... Bastard !
I'm going to break his cervicals. Watch out, listen to the noise... CRACK ! And it's over !
You shouldn't have tried to fuck Hooper, you were warned. I'm in Evasion Mode, I have to hide somewhere, or other soldiers will come.
I think it's good, nobody's coming. Okay, it's over. Bastard... So, you saw how the box works.
In my opinion, he lifted the box because it was blocking his way. He asked himself what was this thing doing here.
I need to use the Level 5 PAL Card to open the door. Usually, the guards don't pay attention to the box.
It's a good way to hide. It can even be used to teleport. There are 3 boxes in the game, and 3 special trucks.
When we enter in a truck, we can be teleported. To the heliport, for example, at the beginning of the game.
It makes you save some time.
I realize that I don't have a lot of time left, so I don't know what to do... I'll need to cut the video in two parts, because they can't exceed 20 minutes.
Let's do this. I stop the video now, I'll continue later. Here, we are at the minefield.
So, I cut the video in two parts, and see you later in the next part.