Opening up with a real-time cinematic (this is used through most of the game) the player takes control of Solid Snake, a ‘retired’ operative that is sent in to stop a group of terrorists attempting to steal some nukes and do some evil. Metal Gear Solid operates from a third-person perspective using a nice blend of action, story, and believable problem solving situations.

The audio/visual benefits gained from being on a gaming platform that is (depending on the setup) quite a bit more powerful than the system it was originally intended for cannot be denied. The biggest, and by far the most dramatic improvements made are courtesy of the option to crank the resolution well above 640x480. At the highest resolution models look sharp, and the environments even sharper. It is easy to notice that the games many character models have not been enhanced, which is sort of disappointing but the textures manage to make up for most of it.

MGS already had really good audio effects even in its original form. All of the great voicing and solid sound effects are still packed in and will probably gain quite a bit more of a punch from even the average speaker/subwoofer set.

With so many perspectives used to present a very cinematic and dramatic feel, control can become an issue. It was fairly tight in the console version, but it is a game like Metal Gear Solid that proves the PC has yet to have a really nice game pad. I currently use my old Microsoft Sidewinder for all games requiring a solid pad, and it has performed quite well. MGS PC’s dynamic perspectives mixed with the somewhat muddy control when using the keyboard or pads is frustrating at times. One minute Snake is hiding safely around the corner and with just a bit of pressure in the wrong direction he could end up running out into the open into plain sight. It just could be so much tighter.

Fancy hi-resolution enhanced visuals aside, the real advantage to buying the PC version of Metal Gear Solid is that it not only includes the original title, but the VR Missions as well. The VR Missions allow the player to practice with all of the weapons as well as various tactics involving stealth and other forms of combat. Konami also spiced things up with several ‘Puzzle’ and ‘Mystery’ simulations in which the goal is to use the brain opposed to brawn. My favorite VR Missions allow the player to take control of the illusive and very deadly ninja character from MGS.

Metal Gear Solid PC is quite a package. With the enhanced visuals, the wealth of gameplay provided by both MGS and VR Missions, and the simple fact that Metal Gear Solid is fantastic title in the first place makes this a pretty smart buy for any PC gamer. It couldn’t hurt to try something a little different from the latest RTS, FPS, and RGP titles currently on the market.