You may be struggling to imagine that there would be anything interesting to talk about in regard to a NES port for the original Metal Gear, and under normal circumstances you’d probably be right. This version is not a totally unremarkable footnote for the franchise, however. In part because said franchise might have never even existed without it (more on that in a bit…), but also due to just how much is actually changed from the MSX2 release.
Now, obviously it was going to be hard to squeeze a computer game onto Nintendo’s first home console released outside of Japan. A fact that resulted in certain bosses being removed (such as the actual freaking Metal Gear itself) and being replaced with simpler ones, on top of minor alterations to the occasional level design. Some of the differences are plain bizarre though. Like, why they went out of their way to create an entirely new opening sequence where you parachute into a jungle or turn the basements of a couple buildings into their own separate bases that you have to traverse a confusing outdoor environment of repeated screens that wasn’t present before in order to reach. The latter of which, paired with the checkpoint system now respawning you at set places based on your ranking instead of whatever elevator you last left, causes you to spend more time lost and perplexed than you already would have.
Fortunately, and perhaps shockingly, not every modification was for the worse. A few legitimately make aspects of the adventure easier, believe it or not. For example, after defeating “Shotmaker/Shotgunner” on the MSX system you’d be thrown into a giant maze where you’d be expected to punch random walls to find hidden rooms containing crucial tools, but here you’re greeted by a normal hallway where the objects you seek are locked behind typical doors. There’s still plenty of wall-punching later on, but this decision removes a lot of frustration from the early portion. You also no longer lose your items when you die, slightly lessening the sting of the aforementioned checkpoint woes and reducing the number of steps you’ll have to retrace following an untimely demise.
Overall, I’d say its distinguishing features are about 50/50 in terms of quality. For every translation issue or enemies not dropping the rare consumable upon death, you get scorpions that are easier to avoid and the ability to open secret passages without the use of precious explosives. As a result, they don’t necessarily make this any better or poorer than Kojima’s handcrafted take in my opinion. So which would I recommend then? Honestly, I’m the type who couldn’t suggest playing Metal Gear in either form, as it’s not a terribly enjoyable game no matter how you slice it thanks to its frustratingly cryptic structure and vague sense of direction (if interested, you can read this review for more on that). Yet, if you’re simply determined to I see no reason to pick this option over the official one. Why not go with the canonically recognized of the two after all?
Consequently, it’s easy to look at this for what it is, largely the exact same game with a handful of questionable unique characteristics, and dismiss it as altogether unworthy of note. Especially considering the “real” MG has since been localized and is fairly effortless to get your hands on today. Although without it the property might not have reached the Solid heights it is currently known for, so I’d argue it’s about as important as any other entry. Konami’s decision to commission Ultra Games, the devs responsible for bringing the title over to the NES, to create their own sequel is what inspired Hideo to give birth to his true follow-up and the resulting massively successful series. Therefore, while it might not be necessary or fun to go and dig up a copy for yourself, it’s pretty historically significant regardless.
5/10
Now, obviously it was going to be hard to squeeze a computer game onto Nintendo’s first home console released outside of Japan. A fact that resulted in certain bosses being removed (such as the actual freaking Metal Gear itself) and being replaced with simpler ones, on top of minor alterations to the occasional level design. Some of the differences are plain bizarre though. Like, why they went out of their way to create an entirely new opening sequence where you parachute into a jungle or turn the basements of a couple buildings into their own separate bases that you have to traverse a confusing outdoor environment of repeated screens that wasn’t present before in order to reach. The latter of which, paired with the checkpoint system now respawning you at set places based on your ranking instead of whatever elevator you last left, causes you to spend more time lost and perplexed than you already would have.
Fortunately, and perhaps shockingly, not every modification was for the worse. A few legitimately make aspects of the adventure easier, believe it or not. For example, after defeating “Shotmaker/Shotgunner” on the MSX system you’d be thrown into a giant maze where you’d be expected to punch random walls to find hidden rooms containing crucial tools, but here you’re greeted by a normal hallway where the objects you seek are locked behind typical doors. There’s still plenty of wall-punching later on, but this decision removes a lot of frustration from the early portion. You also no longer lose your items when you die, slightly lessening the sting of the aforementioned checkpoint woes and reducing the number of steps you’ll have to retrace following an untimely demise.
Overall, I’d say its distinguishing features are about 50/50 in terms of quality. For every translation issue or enemies not dropping the rare consumable upon death, you get scorpions that are easier to avoid and the ability to open secret passages without the use of precious explosives. As a result, they don’t necessarily make this any better or poorer than Kojima’s handcrafted take in my opinion. So which would I recommend then? Honestly, I’m the type who couldn’t suggest playing Metal Gear in either form, as it’s not a terribly enjoyable game no matter how you slice it thanks to its frustratingly cryptic structure and vague sense of direction (if interested, you can read this review for more on that). Yet, if you’re simply determined to I see no reason to pick this option over the official one. Why not go with the canonically recognized of the two after all?
Consequently, it’s easy to look at this for what it is, largely the exact same game with a handful of questionable unique characteristics, and dismiss it as altogether unworthy of note. Especially considering the “real” MG has since been localized and is fairly effortless to get your hands on today. Although without it the property might not have reached the Solid heights it is currently known for, so I’d argue it’s about as important as any other entry. Konami’s decision to commission Ultra Games, the devs responsible for bringing the title over to the NES, to create their own sequel is what inspired Hideo to give birth to his true follow-up and the resulting massively successful series. Therefore, while it might not be necessary or fun to go and dig up a copy for yourself, it’s pretty historically significant regardless.
5/10