Hail To The King
The mastermind behind the Metal Gear series has been messing with the heads of players since the late 90s, defying the traditional conventions of video games all for the purpose of improving his intricate narratives. In spite of his departure from Konami and the subsequent cancellation of Silent Hills, it looks like Mr Kojima is showing no signs of slowing down, as evident from the mind-trip that is Death Stranding. In lieu of his appearance at E3, we’re going to be counting down the times that this pioneer of the gaming industry went balls to the wall!
#5: The Ladder
“Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” (2004)
This might as well have been another member of the Cobras for how much time we spent trying to best it. While continuing on his mission to take out The Boss and the rest of her unit, Naked Snake finds himself having to climb a ladder that appears to go on forever. Seriously, we spent so much time scaling this thing that the theme song starts to kick in just for a change of pace. This might be one of the best example of Kojima-trolling to date.
#4: The End
“Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” (2004)
Arguably the best boss battle in the entire franchise, this clash sees Snake take on the ultimate sniper; an ageing old man whose skills allow him to take you out from pretty much any angle. What’s most intriguing is the variety of ways that the player can try and triumph against him. Sure, you can go the route of a conventional sniper duel, but why not save yourself the hassle and just lay low for about a week and let the old man expire on his own? Or better still, why not bypass the need for a boss battle altogether by sniping him down earlier on in the game?
#3: Trailers
“Death Stranding” (TBA)
Nothing could have prepared us for our first glimpse at Kojima’s new project. We barely had enough time to try and decipher why Norman Reedus suddenly had ghostly hand-prints all over him before we were hit with a second trailer, one that blew all our expectations out of the water. It’s not everyday you see invisible monsters, children in jars and giant water larvae all in the space of a couples of minutes. We have a million questions and so few answers, yet we can’t wait to see what kind of crazy world he has waiting for us.
#2: All of It
“P. T.” (2014)
It’s a true tragedy that Silent Hills will never see the light of day, after all, Kojima certainly has a keen eye when it comes to horror. This playable teaser threw players the world over into a endless corridor filled with visceral imagery, ghostly apparitions and the cryptic pieces of a ghastly murder. As if trying to find clues on how to escape said perpetual hell wasn’t tricky enough, we have to deal with a fetus in a dirty sink berating us for how much of a crappy husband we have been. Thanks for the nightmare fuel!
#1: Psycho Mantis
“Metal Gear Solid” (1998)
Before fourth wall breaks in video games became commonplace, there was one villain who was making memory cards his personal playground. A member of FOXHOUND and the first boss that Solid Snake encounters, this telepath broke all conceivable barriers when he went on to read-out the players’ gaming histories, all before changing their screen to black and forcing them to change controller ports. Many have imitated Mantis’ antics, but few have actually managed to replicate the same level of impact. Well played Kojima.
Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Greatest Metal Gear Bosses.Â
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