Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid is a game about a guy in a skin-tight leotard and a bandana trying to stop America’s chickens from coming home to roost. The 1998 PS1 stealth action shooter blew people’s minds at the time because of its polygonal 3D graphics and sophisticated storytelling. It was one of those generational leaps in both gaming technology and storytelling that we rarely see, making you think, “Oh my god, video games will never look better than this.” They eventually did, but few have retained the status, acclaim, inventiveness, and irresistible replayability of Metal Gear Solid

Case in point: the Psycho Mantis boss fight. It’s the stuff of legend now. Even if you weren’t there to experience it firsthand, you’ve probably heard someone recount it, like an otherworldly vision bestowed by the divine. Possibly one of the world’s strongest psychics, Psycho Mantis can break the fourth wall and read your thoughts, predicting Snake’s every movement and even hacking your PS1 memory card to comment on your save files. He can make your controller rumble and make the game act as if the TV just shut off. To defeat him, players have to move their controller from the player one slot and use the second port on the console. It’s genius.

Games are often carefully calibrated to make the player feel in control, painstakingly walking them through tutorials and designing entire levels to play by set rules that they can easily wrap their heads around. In such a world, the Psycho Mantis fight still feels like one of the more revolutionary rug pulls. It was the ‘90s equivalent of ChatGPT tricking you into thinking it could talk to you. I hope more games take its lessons to heart and learn to risk it all in the future. — Ethan Gach, Senior Reporter

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