#20. Metal Gear Solid (PS1)
I don't care what anybody says, this is the best Metal Gear Solid game. The story is well constructed with nice plot twists, great intrigue and amazing characters. The whole cast was fleshed out, even characters you never meet like Naomi Hunter (who still had her English accent back then) had a backstory , most vilains left a lasting impression, Psycho Mantis being the one that impressed me the most but Liquid Snake, Revolver Ocelot, Vulcan Raven and Sniper Wolf were all awesome in their own way.
The gameplay was unlike anything I had played before, you had to think your way through, avoid being spotted, enemies could follow your footsteeps in the snow but were totally fooled by you hiding in a cardboard box. While the focus of the game was to avoid confrontation, when you did get in a fight, the combat system was more than adequate and boss fights were innovative and constantly different. On your way to the end, you find yourself fighting a tank, a helicopter, a sniper, a cyborg ninja and a bullet bouncing Russian.
To me this game had the perfect balance between great gameplay and captivating story which the sequels never manage to recreate entirely (Snake Eater came close).
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