Instruct: Given a question, retrieve documents that answer the question.
Query: When was the first Metal Gear Solid video game released?
Metal Gear(Japanese:メタルギア,Hepburn:Metaru Gia) is a series of action-adventure stealth video games, created by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami. The first game, Metal Gear, was released in 1987 for MSX home computers. The player often takes control of a special forces operative (usually either Solid Snake or Big Boss), who is assigned to find the titular superweapon "Metal Gear", a bipedal walking tank with the ability to launch nuclear weapons. Several sequels have been released for multiple consoles, which have expanded the original game's plot adding characters opposing and supporting Snake, while there have also been a few prequels exploring the origins of the Metal Gear and recurring characters.
The Metal Gear franchise has achieved great success, selling over 53.8 million copies as of March 2018.[8] Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty sold over 7 million copies worldwide,[209] and is followed in sales by Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, all with 6 million.[210][211][212][213] According to Chart-Track, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was the second fastest-selling PlayStation 3 game in the United Kingdom after Grand Theft Auto IV.[214] The PlayStation Portable games were met with notably lower sales, but it has been analyzed that this was because of the low sales of the console when the games were released.[215] Metal Gear Survive, the first Metal Gear game to be developed since series creator Hideo Kojima left Konami, sold only a fraction of the sales made by Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.[216]
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is an overhead action-adventure stealth video game, with the tagline "Tactical Espionage Game", that was originally released by Konami in for the MSX2 computer platform. The game was designed and written by Hideo Kojima, who also designed the MSX2 version of the original "Metal Gear". Due to the declining support for the MSX platform by the time of its production, "Metal Gear 2" was initially released only in Japan; an earlier produced NES game titled "Snake's Revenge" served as the "Metal Gear" sequel in North America and Europe instead. However, Kojima would continue the series years later with "Metal Gear Solid", which follows "Metal Gear 2" and features an in-game plot summary of its events. An English version of "Metal Gear 2" has since been included in "" for the PlayStation 2, as well its "" released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PlayStation Vita. The game was also re-released in Japan as a digital download for mobile phones and the Wii Virtual Console.
The game's main theme was chosen by the London Philharmonic Orchestra for their "Greatest Video Game Music" compilation, and the theme is a key regular in the "Video Games Live" concert when the "Metal Gear Solid" segment is introduced. A segment of the song's main chorus is included in the closing sequence of "".
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is an action-adventure stealth video game co-developed by Silicon Knights and Konami Computer Entertainment Japan for the Nintendo GameCube video game console in March 2004. The game is a remake of "Metal Gear Solid", originally developed by Konami for the PlayStation in 1998.
The game was titled "Metal Gear Solid", rather than "Metal Gear 3", due to the fact that the MSX2 versions of the previous "Metal Gear" games were not widely released, particularly "Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake", which was only released in Japan and was not ported to any other platform at the time (an unrelated sequel to the first "Metal Gear", titled "Snake's Revenge," was released outside Japan for the NES instead, which was developed without Kojima's involvement). The word "Solid" was chosen due to the switch from 2D to 3D computer graphics.
Development for "Metal Gear Solid" began in mid-1995 with the intention of creating the "best PlayStation game ever". Developers aimed for accuracy and realism while making the game enjoyable and tense. In the early stages of development, the Huntington Beach SWAT team educated the creators with a demonstration of vehicles, weapons, and explosives. Weapons expert Motosada Mori was also tapped as technical adviser in the research, which included visits to Fort Irwin and firing sessions at Stembridge Gun Rentals. Kojima stated that "if the player isn't tricked into believing that the world is real, then there's no point in making the game". To fulfill this, adjustments were made to every detail, such as individually designed desks.
Metal Gear was the first mainstream stealth game, with the player starting the game unarmed,[223] and sold over a million copies in the United States.[224] Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake evolved the stealth gameplay of its predecessor and is considered one of the best 8-bit games of all time.[225] Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 are credited with pioneering stealth mechanics.[3] Metal Gear Solid, which debuted at the 1996 Tokyo Game Show,[13] was the first 3D stealth game,[226] and is credited with popularizing the stealth game genre,[4] as well as the hiding-behind-cover mechanic.[227] The series pioneered the integration of cinematic techniques into video games,[3][5] especially Metal Gear Solid which Eurogamer considers the "first modern video game".[3]
A version of "Metal Gear 2" for mobile phones was released in Japan on October 1, 2004, for the i-mode, EZweb, and Vodafone services prior to the release of "" through the service. This was the first time the game was ported to another platform since its original MSX2 release. In 2005, Konami released an expanded edition of "Metal Gear Solid 3" subtitled "Subsistence", which included, among other new content, remade versions of "Metal Gear" and "Metal Gear 2". The release of "Subsistence" in North America and the PAL region marked the first time "Metal Gear 2" received an official international release. This version is also included in the "HD Edition" of "Metal Gear Solid 3" released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in and for PlayStation Vita in .
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is an action-adventure stealth video game developed by Kojima Productions and published by Konami for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in 2010. It is the seventh "Metal Gear" game written, directed, and designed by Hideo Kojima, as well as the second action-based "Metal Gear" title made specifically for the PSP, following ""; it was later released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as part of the "Metal Gear Solid HD Collection" in North America and Europe and as a stand-alone retail release in Japan. This is the first title in the series to alter the traditional tagline "Tactical Espionage Action" to "Tactical Espionage Operations", referring to the base building and mission mechanics of the game.
On July 2007, Konami re-released all the mainline "Metal Gear Solid" games from the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, along with the PSP game "Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops", individually and as part of a limited edition box set in Japan commemorating the 20th anniversary of the original "Metal Gear". This edition of "Metal Gear Solid 3" features the first disc from the "Subsistence" version and a new second disc containing only the MSX2 "Metal Gear" games, lacking "Metal Gear Online" (due to the discontinuation of its servers), as well as all the other content that was present in "Subsistence"'s original second disc (Snake vs. Monkey, Duel Mode and Secret Theater). A similar box set was released for the North American market on March 2008, titled "Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection", which includes the first disc of "Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence" along with the original "Metal Gear Solid" and "Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance", but lacks the second disc with the MSX2 games from the Japanese 20th Anniversary edition.
According to 1UP.com, "Metal Gear Solid"'s cinematic style continues to influence modern action games such as "Call of Duty". "Metal Gear Solid", along with its sequel, "", was featured in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's exhibition The Art of Video Games in 2012. During August 2015, Eurogamer, reanalyzed the game's technical and overall impact and claimed that "Metal Gear Solid" has been nothing less than "the first modern video game". In September 2015, "Metal Gear Solid" was voted the best original PlayStation game of all time by "PlayStation.Blog's" users.
The game was a commercial success, shipping over six million copies worldwide. It became one of the most rented games and topped sales charts in the United Kingdom. It sold 1million units in Japan, and approximately 5million units in the United States and Europe. PC Data, which tracked sales in the United States, reported that "Metal Gear Solid" sold 1.06 million copies and earned $51.8 million in revenue during 1998 alone. This made it the country's fifth-best-selling PlayStation release of the year.
Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection is a video game compilation released exclusively for the PlayStation 3. It includes all the mainline "Metal Gear" games directed and designed by Hideo Kojima that were released from 1987 through 2012. Bonus content include motion comic adaptations of the "Metal Gear Solid" graphic novels illustrated by Ashley Wood and a 100-page booklet that catalogs numerous promotional posters, brochures and advertisement related to the games in the compilation. The collection was released in North and South America on July 9, 2013 and in Japan on July 11, 2013. The European version was released on September 13, 2013. and the Australian version was released on October 3, 2013.
Metal Gear Solid Mobile is a mobile phone installment of the "Metal Gear" series first unveiled in Kojima Productions' 20th Anniversary party. The game was released worldwide. Konami offered the game as a paid download or pre-installed in a "Metal Gear"-branded cell phone. It shows Solid Snake in his attire from "".
"Metal Gear Solid V Original Soundtrack" was released on September 2nd, 2015, containing 50 tracks selected from both "Ground Zeroes" and "The Phantom Pain". Following this on December 23rd, 2015, was "Metal Gear Solid V Extended Soundtrack", containing 114 tracks again selected from both "Metal Gear Solid V" games. Finally, "Metal Gear Solid V Original Soundtrack The Lost Tapes" was released on March 30th, 2016, primarily consisting of tracks written by Ludvig Forssell for the in-game cassette tapes. The latter two releases also include music that went unused in the game, with "Metal Gear Solid V Extended Soundtrack" in particular containing two tracks from the cut "Mission 51: Kingdom of the Flies".
Several promotional DVDs have been released detailing the Metal Gear series. Metal Gear Saga vol. 1 was released in 2006 as a pre-order disc for MGS3: Subsistence. It is divided into five chapters, each dealing with one game of the then five-part Metal Gear series in chronological order (beginning with MGS3), and each includes discussions by Hideo Kojima.[105] Metal Gear Saga vol. 2 was first shown at the 20th Metal Gear Anniversary Party, and then released as a pre-order disc for MGS4. In this, the video is presented as a pseudo-documentary about Solid Snake and is divided into a prologue and four chapters: Naked Snake-the birth of Snake (chronicling the events of MGS3, MG1, and MG2), Liquid Snake-the second snake (MGS), Solidus Snake-the third Snake (MGS2) and Solid Snake-the first Snake (setting the stage for MGS4).[106]
"The Legacy Collection" consists of two discs and a booklet. The first disc contains "Metal Gear Solid 4", already updated with trophy support. The second disc is a dual-layered Blu-ray disc that contains the "Metal Gear Solid HD Collection", plus motion comic versions of IDW's "Metal Gear Solid" graphic novels (which adapted the storylines of the first two "Metal Gear Solid" games with artwork by Ashley Wood). The motion comics were previously released in Japan as a two-disc DVD set in 2008 titled "Metal Gear Solid 2: Bande Dessinée", but were not released in English until their inclusion in this set. The original "Metal Gear Solid" and its expansion are not included in either disc, but rather are downloaded from the PlayStation Store using voucher codes included in the set.
Following "Metal Gear Solid 4"s release, Raiden also appeared in more lists. IGN's Jesse Schedeen listed Raiden as one of the "gaming icons" and most valuable players of 2009, in response to his role in an upcoming "Metal Gear" title. Dave Meikleham of GamesRadar wrote an article entitled "Why "Metal Gear Solid: Rising" ["Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance"] will make you love Raiden", explaining why fans who disliked the character would find his character and role appealing in the game. In a 2010 "Famitsu" readers' poll, Raiden was voted the 42nd most popular video game character. In 2013, "Complex" ranked Raiden as the 12th greatest soldier in video games, "even as he's not as cool as Solid Snake," while GamesRadar called "Revengeance" "perhaps the greatest cyborg ninja game of all time" and "PLAY" ranked Raiden as the second top ninja in games. While surpassed by Solid Snake, GamesRadar listed Raiden as the second best video game hero of all time.
The Japanese version was released on November 29, two weeks after the American version. As with the original "Metal Gear Solid", "Sons of Liberty" was sold in a limited "Premium Package" edition in addition to the standard release, which was packaged in a black box containing the game itself with a reversible cover art on the DVD case (with Snake on one side and Raiden on the other), a video DVD known as the "Premium Disc", which features a collection of "Metal Gear Solid"-related commercials and trailers, a metallic Solid Snake figurine, and an 80-page booklet titled "Metal Gear Chronicle" featuring artwork and commentary about the series.
Metal Gear Solid is an action-adventure stealth video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and released for the PlayStation in 1998. The game was directed, produced, and written by Hideo Kojima, and serves as a sequel to the MSX2 video games "Metal Gear" and "", which Kojima also worked on. The game started development in 1996 and was officially unveiled in the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 1997, before eventually releasing in late 1998.
1998 is seen as a turning point in gaming history because of the release of "Metal Gear Solid", as well as "" and "". The ninja-themed game "Tenchu: Stealth Assassins" was released several months before "Metal Gear Solid", making it the first 3D stealth based-game. The highly anticipated "Metal Gear Solid" transformed its modestly successful franchise into a large mainstream success. The increased power of the PlayStation console over previous platforms allowed for greater immersion in terms of both story and game environment. "Metal Gear Solid" has been credited with popularizing the stealth genre. The core elements of these games, such as avoiding confrontation, minimizing noise, and attacking antagonists from "the shadows", influenced many future stealth game series.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is an action-adventure stealth video game developed by Kojima Productions and published by Konami exclusively for the PlayStation 3 console. It is the sixth "Metal Gear" game directed by Hideo Kojima and was released worldwide on June 12, 2008.
Following Metal Gear 2's completion, Kojima worked on other projects before directing his third Metal Gear game, Metal Gear Solid, for the PlayStation. It began development in 1994 and debuted at the 1996 Tokyo Game Show,[13] before being released in 1998.[14][15] The success of Metal Gear Solid resulted in a series of sequels, prequels, spin-offs, ports, and remakes for Microsoft Windows, the Game Boy Color, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Metal Gear Solid was followed up by the sequel Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty released in November 2001 for the PlayStation 2. A remake of the original Metal Gear Solid called Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes was made for the Nintendo GameCube in early 2004.[16] Later that year, the third numbered entry, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, was released on the PlayStation 2. This is the first prequel which was set prior to all the previously released Metal Gear games and which acted as an origin to the franchise.[17][18] These games were followed by a sequel to Snake Eater, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, which was released on the PlayStation Portable in 2006.[19][20] The series' main storyline was concluded in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the PlayStation 3 in 2008.[21][22] The game featured a multiplayer spin-off called Metal Gear Online.[23] In April 2010, another sequel to Snake Eater, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, was released for the PlayStation Portable and was set shortly after the events of Portable Ops.[24][25] The spinoff game, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, was released in 2013 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and in Jan 2014 on Steam(PC). The game is set after Guns of the Patriots and stars Raiden, the protagonist of Sons of Liberty who turned into a cyborg ninja.[26] Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes was released on March 18, 2014 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Ground Zeroes was much shorter than previous games and served as an introduction to the next game, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The latest game in the series is The Phantom Pain, which was released on September 1, 2015 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
The series as a whole (namely concerning the Kojima-directed titles) is often regarded as one of the most influential of all time and has received largely critical acclaim from critics and players. Most of the numbered installments are considered to be some of the greatest video games of all time. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty currently possesses 95.09% on GameRankings and 96/100 on Metacritic, making it the highest-scoring game of the series to date.[146][147] In 2002, IGN's editors ranked Metal Gear Solid as the best PlayStation game ever.[217] In Game Informer Magazine's list of top 200 games of all time, Metal Gear Solid 2 ranked at No. 50 on the list.[218] Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was also voted as the fifth greatest PlayStation game in a poll from PlayStation Official Magazine (UK).[219] Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 were featured in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's "The Art of Video Games" exhibition taking place from March 16 to September 30, 2012.[220] Games have won multiple awards such as Metal Gear Solid, which won the "Excellence Award for Interactive Art" by the Japan Media Arts Festival,[221] and Metal Gear Solid 2, which was given the Game of the Year award by Game Informer.[222]
The VR Disc was also released in the PAL region as "Metal Gear Solid: Special Missions" on October 29, 1999. Unlike the Japanese and American versions, "Special Missions" requires a PAL copy of the original "Metal Gear Solid" in order to be played. This change was done since the original "Metal Gear Solid" was released in multiple languages in Europe and "Special Missions" determines the language it uses based on which version of the original game the player owns. When the "Special Missions" disc is loaded into the PlayStation console, the game will ask the player to switch the disc with the first disc from "Metal Gear Solid" in order to load voice and language data before asking the player to switch back to the "Special Missions" disc to start the game. This requirement renders "Special Missions" incompatible with PlayStation 2 consoles made prior to the SCPH-70000 model.
Kojima began development on a 3D sequel to Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake in 1994. A gameplay demo of Metal Gear Solid for the PlayStation was first revealed to the public at the 1996 Tokyo Game Show, and was later shown at E3 1997 as a short video.[32] With the release of Metal Gear Solid in , Kojima became an international celebrity among the video game media. Metal Gear Solid was the first in the Metal Gear series to use 3D graphics and voice acting, which gave a more cinematic experience to the game. Metal Gear Solid was highly regarded for its well-designed gameplay and for its characters and storyline, which featured themes of nuclear proliferation and genetic engineering.