The Metallic Gear franchise has been a mainstay in gaming historical past, a showcase of Hideo Kojima’s skill to weave in advanced themes and nuanced takes on the issues he chooses to deal with whereas presenting experiences that push the boundaries of the style he chooses to tackle.
As a franchise that has pioneered the rise of the stealth motion style, and one whose meta-narrative may very well be fairly overwhelming to anybody who hasn’t been taking note of its many twists and turns, it options nice titles which have every introduced one thing sensible to the desk.
Whereas the duty of rating every instalment within the title may very well be fairly daunting, that’s precisely what we’ve got down to do! With out additional ado, right here’s our tackle the Metallic Gear titles which have caught our consideration – and saved it – over time.
13. Metallic Gear (1987)
The title that began all of it options every thing the franchise has come to be identified for. There’s the stealth-action gameplay loop, a major narrative that options Stable Snake and Huge Boss, and Kojima’s penchant for analyzing the world round him via the eyes of his characters, and a few fourth-wall breaks.
However given its age, it does rank decrease on this checklist just because its successors have overtaken it by way of each their gameplay and presentation, regardless of the sport being ok to make it to the PS3’s Metallic Gear Stable: The Legacy Assortment. In case you have a kind of mendacity round, this one is effectively price a go to and will have you ever fairly invested in its story!
12. Metallic Gear Stable: Moveable Ops (2006)
This PlayStation Moveable title, which options Bare Snake within the lead just a few years after his time in Russia, introduced a number of noteworthy additions to the desk. The Comrade System, for instance, allowed Bare Snake to recruit fallen foes and different troopers to his trigger in numerous creative ways in which stayed true to the franchise’s stealth-action roots whereas giving gamers a singular mechanic that will later make its option to different titles within the franchise.
Its story is nothing to be scoffed at both, bringing Bare Snake in battle with the FOX Unit whereas different vital characters like Campbell are additionally in play. Though Kojima was solely a producer on this one, it’s nonetheless fairly a stable addition to the franchise. Nevertheless, like Metallic Gear, its relative inaccessibility, because of it being PSP-exclusive, doesn’t let it rank larger on this checklist.
11. Metallic Gear Stable: The Twin Snakes (2004)
Though an effort to mix the story and areas of Metallic Gear Stable with the gameplay and graphics of Sons of Liberty feels like a really formidable and daring transfer on paper, The Twin Snakes each succeeded and failed to completely recapture the magic of the sport it was imagined to emulate.
Whereas the brand new graphics, improved enemy AI, and naturally, the story had been well-received by critics and gamers alike, the GameCubie appeared unable to deal with the load that the sport’s programs positioned on it. Furthermore, the gameplay loop from Metallic Gear Stable was marred by the addition of latest mechanics from Sons of Liberty, making a number of components of the unique recreation really feel too straightforward by comparability.
The Twin Snakes’ formidable effort does earn it a spot on this checklist, albeit a low one owing to its flawed tackle an excellent title.
10. Metallic Gear Stable V: Floor Zeroes (2014)
As a bridge between the occasions of Peace Walker and The Phantom Ache, Floor Zeroes brings a superb story to the desk, persevering with the adventures of Huge Boss whereas establishing the occasions of its sequel with aplomb.
Regardless of its comparatively brief runtime, the gameplay loop was, and maybe nonetheless is, an excellent illustration of the franchise’s greatest strengths, made even higher by its companion app, wonderful stealth animations and mechanics, and what Kojima noticed as a stepping stone to Metallic Gear being a “true open-world expertise”.
Nevertheless, its place within the franchise’s canon as a prologue to The Phantom Ache doesn’t let it rank very excessive on our checklist, owing to different titles proving much more expansive of their tales or just extra memorable as a complete.
9. Metallic Gear 2: Stable Snake (1990)
Because the sequel to the unique Metallic Gear Stable, Stable Snake builds on its mechanics whereas persevering with the adventures of its titular character in a narrative that sees him face off in opposition to Huge Boss as soon as once more.
The expanded enemy AI, together with matching expansions to Stable Snake’s ability set, makes this a title that enthralled many followers of the unique recreation whereas additionally being a really enticing possibility for newcomers to the franchise. Its very constructive reception earns it a spot among the many franchise’s greats, and its affect on the later titles can’t be ignored, too.
8. Metallic Gear Stable: Snake Eater 3D (2012)
As a 3DS port of one of many franchise’s best titles, Snake Eater 3D made good use of the console’s options to recreate the magic of Bare Snake’s battles in opposition to The Boss and Colonel Volgin, a story that set occasions of your entire franchise in movement.
As such, bringing that journey into the fingers of gamers who might not have skilled it was a intelligent transfer from Kojima and Konami, who did an excellent job working across the console’s limitations whereas making good use of its distinctive strengths. As an illustration, the third-person digital camera view and crouch-walking added new layers of nuance to the gameplay loop, whereas the progressive use of the 3DS’s gyroscope to make balancing on bridges and tree branches extra immersive was a welcome contact alongside a camouflage system that made wonderful use of the console’s digital camera.
Snake Eater 3D deserves its place among the many franchise’s greatest video games and does an excellent job of bringing the title that impressed it to life on a brand new platform.
7. Metallic Gear Rising: Revengeance (2013)
Bringing Raiden again into the fold after the occasions of Weapons of the Patriots whereas straying away from the franchise’s common stealth-action formulation? Revengeance is a spin-off that shouldn’t have labored, however did.
The sword-wielding fight was a complete lot of enjoyable, whereas Raiden’s story was poignant and philosophical, his inside battle arising from his conditioning forming a significant a part of each the narrative and gameplay.
Kojima Productions’ story labored very effectively with PlatinumGames’ gameplay concepts to current a novel strategy to Metallic Gear by which fight was the one possibility, and a really entertaining one as well!
6. Metallic Gear Stable: Peace Walker (2010)
We’re now diving into the meat of this checklist, with Peace Walker being an excellent car to take us towards one of the best of the Metallic Gear franchise. After making its debut on PSP, it was finally ported to the PS3 and Xbox 360. Huge Boss’s time with the MSF was a superb look into the character’s previous with The Boss whereas additionally taking his story ahead.
Its examinations of nuclear deterrence are one other welcome addition to the title, giving Sizzling Coldman quite a lot of credence as the primary antagonist, whereas Zero’s motivations with Cipher had been fairly the fun after we first performed the sport. It’s good as a bridge between Huge Boss’ previous, current, and future, and handles its advanced themes with type and substance.
Peace Walker is a Metallic Gear title that we might dive again into with glee.
5. Metallic Gear Stable V: The Phantom Ache (2015)
Though The Phantom Ache suffered from being bang within the middle of Kojima and Konami’s well-documented fallout, it does rank excessive on our checklist of one of the best Metallic Gear titles nonetheless.
Its place within the franchise’s meta-narrative makes it an vital a part of its lore, connecting Huge Boss to occasions within the unique video games in a manner that is sensible, whereas not directly setting him as an antagonist to Stable Snake.
Its gameplay and stealth mechanics are one other spotlight, bringing new twists and turns to the franchise’s formulation. Whereas we are able to’t assist however marvel about what it may have been if Kojima had achieved his imaginative and prescient for it, The Phantom Ache continues to be Metallic Gear at its most interesting.
4. Metallic Gear Stable 4: Weapons of the Patriots (2008)
Because the title that introduced an finish to Stable Snake’s adventures, Weapons of the Patriots was a rollercoaster from begin to end.
Story beats apart, its gameplay was one other feather in its cap, with the Octo Camo and Stable Snake’s superior ageing being built-in fairly effectively into the sport’s mechanics. These additions made for an expertise that felt genuine in its presentation and really immersive in the way in which gamers needed to account for Stable Snake’s limitations.
Difficult and riveting, Weapons of the Patriots continues to be a narrative that haunts us every so often.
3. Metallic Gear Stable (1998)
As the journey that introduced Stable Snake to his iconic showdown with Liquid Snake, this one was positive to rank excessive on our checklist of one of the best Metallic Gear titles. Nevertheless, its story isn’t the one issue that makes it particular; its gameplay for its time manages to thrill many gamers regardless of the years since its launch.
It brings in some insane twists and chills that will outline the franchise’s future entries, and is a really fascinating peek on the early years of its stealth-action trappings. Its affect on the style in addition to on the cinematics and presentation of different standard franchises makes its excessive place on this checklist a no brainer, actually.
2. Metallic Gear Stable Delta: Snake Eater/Metallic Gear Stable 3: Snake Eater (2025/2004)
It’s no shock that Snake Eater, in each of its iterations, ranks very excessive on this checklist of one of the best of Metallic Gear. Its story, gameplay, bosses, and distinctive mechanics have made it the best selection for Konami’s try to introduce the franchise to a brand new era of avid gamers.
Kojima’s storytelling chops are almost in overdrive on this title, as is his skill to create characters which have withstood the check of time. The members of the Cobra Unit proceed to be amongst our favourite bosses within the franchise, whereas Bare Snake’s poignant battle together with his former mentor and his studying the reality about her actions is true up there with a few of trendy gaming’s greatest moments.
Snake Eater is a Metallic Gear title that may rank excessive on any checklist of our favourite video games, and the remake simply makes its strengths all of the extra apparent whereas making helpful tweaks that elevate the wonderful expertise it presents.
1. Metallic Gear Stable 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)
There’s a cause that Sons of Liberty earns the throne of one of the best mainline Metallic Gear title. Raiden’s journey, and his partnership with Stable Snake in his quest to carry down Solidus Snake, is now the stuff of legends.
It’s a story that solidified Kojima’s fame as a person forward of his time, contemplating how the themes he tried to deal with through the sport’s narrative at the moment are part of trendy discourse surrounding social media and the hostile results of misinformation and a shorter consideration span.
Its gameplay was nothing to scoff at both, presenting an enemy AI that was capable of work in teams to aim to seize the participant, whereas a dearth of stealth choices made it keep very true to the franchise’s roots. It’s a stable recreation throughout and is one which displays one of the best of what the franchise has to supply with ease.
What do you consider these rankings? Is there a title that you simply really feel ought to have ranked larger, or maybe taken the highest spot? We’d love to listen to what you suppose within the feedback!
