Metal Gear (NES) Playthrough
Вставка
- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- A playthrough of Ultra's 1988 action-adventure game for the NES, Metal Gear.
Metal Gear, originally created for MSX2 computers, marked the directorial debut of Hideo Kojima when it was released in the summer of 1987 ( • Metal Gear (MSX2) Play... ).
The NES port, released five months later, was produced without the knowledge or blessing of the original development staff. Kojima was incensed by the liberties taken with his work and publically decried the console version, declaring that it did not exist within the series' canon.
But regardless of his feelings on the game, Metal Gear for the Nintendo went on to sell over a million copies and served as many gamers' first exposure to the unique story, mechanics, and logic that would drive the series over the following decades.
Metal Gear introduces players to “Outer Heaven,” a small African territory ruled by autocrat Vermon CaTaffy. CaTaffy's regime has developed a revolutionary new weapon of mass destruction known as Metal Gear, an all-terrain, bipedal tank outfitted with a full nuclear armament and long-range strike capabilities.
Solid Snake, the newest member of the elite FoxHound unit, has been assigned the task of infiltrating Outer Heaven, rescuing prisoners of war, and destroying Metal Gear. With the fate of the free world resting on his shoulders, Snake must not fail.
Metal Gear differentiates itself from the typical action fare by shifting the game’s focus from shooting to stealth. While Snake can fly at his enemies with guns blazing, doing so will likely leave him badly injured or dead.
In most cases, Snake's best bet is to avoid detection by running past soldiers when they aren’t looking and by taking advantage of surveillance cameras’ blind spots. There are several items that can aid Snake in his sneaking, including infrared goggles (to see invisible laser tripwires), a suppressor for his pistol, and a cardboard box that functions as a makeshift disguise when Snake doesn’t have time to find more substantial cover.
Snake may be an army-of-one, but he maintains regular contact with FoxHound through his transceiver. Big Boss issues the orders and the others offer advice and tactical support. These short conversations provide Snake with important hints and tips on how to deal with his current predicament, and they move the plot forward at several key junctures.
The transceiver is a slick way of injecting the game play with a narrative without breaking the fourth wall, but the impact of the story is somewhat blunted by the poor translation. Characters spouting lines like, “You will need your gas mask in gas-covered areas,” and, “I feel asleep,” often break the suspension of disbelief needed in the telling such a far-fetched story, but it's still engrossing enough to pull off the surprise plot twist at the end.
Metal Gear‘s graphics, though heavily downgraded from the MSX2 version, are fair by 1988 NES standards, and the music does a nice job of accentuating the tense feel of the gameplay.
The game play mechanics and responsive controls suitably do their job, save for the few irritating instances when enemies spot you the moment you enter a screen. The binoculars can help sidestep this, but they're a total pain to use. The game’s difficulty level could also do with some balancing - Metal Gear is brutally difficult through its first third, but once Snake has ranked up a few times and stocked up on supplies, encounters rarely pose a threat.
Though it’s not without its flaws, Metal Gear stands as an innovative pioneer against the glut of Mario and Xevious clones that made up a large chunk of the NES’s library in its first few years, and it's still a game that's well worth playing.
One particularly funny thing that really dates it, though, is how you carry around a pack of cigarettes as a usable inventory item. I never thought anything of it as a kid since smoking wasn't a big deal back then. Everyone smoked, and even McDonald's had ashtrays on their tables. Different times, they were.
(My original playthrough of MG was seven years old and was badly in need of an update, so this is a brand new playthrough with much better video quality.)
You can find my video of Metal Gear's US-exclusive NES sequel here: • Snake's Revenge (NES) ...
_____________
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
![NES Longplay [255] Metal Gear](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/NJPVTylzt80/mqdefault.jpg)
As a child I found this game way too complicated and difficult. As an adult I find this game way too complicated and difficult.
😂😂😂 I agree
You forgotten to add Still after I!
@@michaelsimpson208 If he used the "Still" he would lose the comic effect of the comment.
No doubt. I think legally acquiring a suppressor is actually easier in real life …
Same
"I worked on Metal Gear for NES when I was with Konami in Tokyo, which is still an important IP for Konami. My team was asked to port the original MSX2 version to NES in three months and we had to make some changes per management's request and due to the hardware limitations. What I did was simply port the game, so I can't claim credit for the gameplay. I was a fresh graduate when I worked on Metal Gear. I actually worked on an educational game for the Famicom Disk System before, but it was cancelled, so Metal Gear was my second project, but my first shipped game.
As for why the start of the game was changed to parachuting into a jungle, the management wanted to differentiate the Famicom version a bit since the MSX2 version had already shipped. Having a different intro was the easiest and most efficient way for us to do that since we only had the three months. The final boss was changed from a robot to a computer simply due to the hardware limitations. It was probably possible to implement the robot if we used a better chip such as VRC4, but it wasn't available for us back then."
-- Masahiro Ueno (programmer - Konami - NES/Famicom)
You done good jop
Music is insanely good
Thank you for making our childhood amazing. We used to play this game every day after I came back from school, while my late brother waited for me. It was way back in 2012 when I was just 11 years old. All we had was an old, cheap DVD player because we were poor and couldn’t afford any other devices. It feels like just yesterday when we randomly punched a wall and discovered a secret door. We were so excited that we jumped in, but I slipped and ended up losing a tooth.
Why you all thank him? I mean he just quoted what masahiro said.
This was one of the first NES games I rented as a kid. I had no idea what to do but I still found it to be a fascinating game. “I FEEL ASLEEP!!”
The truck have started to move!
@@bobobandy9382 Whoa it’s Conky!
@@rjcupid Haha! It sure is.
I feel you. I didn't really understand what it wanted me to do, and the rental games rarely had manuals with them. I don't think I ever made any real progress until I saw some tips in Nintendo Power.
@@NintendoComplete Great play through. You’re right, there rarely/never were manuals with the rentals (depending on the video store). It’s a cryptic game, but an awesome one once your understand it.
I grew up in Mexico and my dad bought this for me when he went to El Paso once. The original version came with a map that told you all of the cards needed for each door, etc. Love this hame series!
What a classic NES game! With the MGS collection coming soon, it felt like the perfect time to revisit Snake's first stealth adventure.
I'm excited about the Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake Next Year. 🙂🙂🙂
Metal Gear is coming back in the best way possible.
Ever played Herzog Zwei?
Metal Gear, Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid II: Sons of Liberty are the best Metal Gear games ever! Snake’s Revenge? (Insert buzzer) NOT SO MUCH!!!!!!!
@@danalong1237 Well Kojima-san says he likes Snake's Revenge and thinks it is loyal to the spirit of the franchise so you are out of luck. And I agree with him. It is a good game.
This brings back memories. Thanks for not ruining it by talking all the way through.
I still remember the first time playing this as a rental back in the day. This one has a lot of depth, atmosphere, and grit for a NES game - super nostalgic!
Whilst I understand the game’s giving tutorials on its mechanics, it is amusing to see crack commando Solid Snake needing guns and binoculars explained to him.
Actually, the manual says that in this mission, Solid Snake is a rookie, so the explanations make sense :D
Solid Snake: a well-trained special force operative.
Also Solid Snake: Ask every damn thing about basic equipments as if he doesn’t know how to use them
With a boss who forgot to tell him everything, to be fair.
Took me a year to beat this game back in the day, had no help whatsoever, no map, no internet, etc... To me it's an early version of the wonderful classic Syphon Filter series.
Yo Syphon filter!!!! One of the best games ever. Thanks for bringing it up. Looking for it now
@kimoquickreyes81 I have every Syphon Filter game. It's one of my all-time favorite game series.
I hear ya! I drew out all my own maps on old paper grocery sacks I cut open. Loved this game.
I don't believe you. I know you called the Nintendo hotline.😂
Despite it's unusual style for the NES. Never compare syphon filter to metal gear it's blasphemy
Brings a lot of childhood memories as a kid playing this on late summer nights working to defeat the game. This is one of my favorite games… including Commando, Zelda #1, Metroid, Castlevania 1 & 2, Contra/Super Contra, & every Megaman on the original Nintendo,.
Thanks for playing this with exceptional performance!! 👊🏻
I loved this game as a kid. Pretty sure it’s still at my Parents house. They still pay the nes time to time. They still have all my games.
Well done, Completing Hideo Kojima's Deformed Grandchild!
You done as the Greatest Solider in the World as ever Done to Defeat Big Boss in this Version.
Thankfully No Sequence to Defeat Metal Gear on the Legs!
Love me some Metal Gear. I rented this one on a weekend and managed to finish it before I had to take it back. Still a fantastic game, even if it does have some flaws.
Oh man, this really brings back memories. Used to play this all the time as a kid and loved it. However, I still find it dumb you have to switch from a gas mask to a key card and are guaranteed to take damage.
Wow.. what a nice game.. remember playing with my dad I was only 6 at the time.. and remember the map included on the NES game.. what a classic.. thanks to bring the playthrough..!!! 🤗🤗🤩🤩😄😁
Nice upload. Wasn’t expecting NES Metal Gear.
I have been trying to remember the name of this game for years. Great to see a walkthrough.
The ultimate classic NES game. I wish I still had my console. 😢
You can buy any PSP cheap and play it on NesterJ emulator on PSP any time
Like me right now 😊
Get another one! They aren't too expensive. :)
... I have NES games modded on PSP. Emulators and games found online
Nothing beats two frame walking animation
I was born september 19 1978 i start playing this game when i was 9 year old in 1987
The only Metal Gear I've ever played, could never make it past the final boss. But the memory skills developed from knowing which card opens which door have lasted me all through my adult years, I'm 54 now.
Wait a minute. This is the first time you played through Metal Gear. I remember looking though this ad for months waiting to get this game.
“I FEEL ASLEEP!!” ranks right up there with "You! Invaders! Get you the hot bullets of shotgun to die!"
Should "All your base are belong to us." Be there too? Lol
English is not my native language
What's wrong with I feel asleep?
It must be "I feel sleepy"?
@@ПаноДол Yeah, its supposed to be "I feel sleepy!" or perhaps it would have worked better as a narration "He fell asleep!"
"A Winner is You" from Pro Wrestling is an unforgettable one my childhood.
The same guy who programmed this also typed in "Uh-oh, the truck HAVE started to move".
Literally smokin' that Big Boss pack after the final battle
On of the toughest games ever....🍻
This is one those game I wish I played on my childhood
@@Phantom.Gaming64 Not this game at all. The MSX one is a fundamentally different game and by far the superior one.
@@Phantom.Gaming64 You also said this previously:
"I think this game will be part of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection that's coming in October."
You were contradicting yourself in the full comment and I pointed it out because someone might have read that and come to the conclusion that the NES version was a faithful port, which many people sadly still do.
@@cormano64 Leave me alone.
Nice choice man! Looking forward to this!😁👍❤️
The game that started it all. Happy 35th to the us release
You mean the msx version of metal gear.
@@goti4no820 If msx was originally the American version too then that game will get extremely high score. NES was indeed a very bad washed out msx and its difficult to find enjoyment on that version.
Beat this on the NES back in '88 as a 14 year old. NES is still the GOAT of game systems.
I had no idea you could use the trcvr to ask about items after getting them until seeing this.
Neither did I. Great video!
Me either. And I played it way back in 89. lol
Thank you for the video! I would of been forever stuck if it wasn't for this!
I remember this game came with a map and there was an error on the door labels, so I was super stuck. I had to call the nintendo power game hotline to continue 😂🤣😂
Hahaha, man, I had to make that same call more than once.
Immediately regretted renting this as a child. Thanks for the anxiety flashback.
Say what you will about the NES port of Metal Gear, but the soundtrack is excellent and imo superior to the source material regardless of Kojima's opinion.
It was composed by Kazuki Muraoka, who went on to compose music for Metal Gear Solid for the PS1.
@@danalong1237 Didn't know that!
I don't care what anyone says I like this version and have since I was a kid! Saving for later!
I have always loved that old 8-bit music and sound effects! 😆😊😊☺️
Two things to know about this version of the game: 1) the translation is better than the official English translation of the MSX2 original, which I believe was exclusive to Europe; and 2) the nonsense with "Vermon CaTaffy" and "Commander South" is only in the instruction manual, not anywhere in the actual game.
Yeah, Ultra was always pulling bs like that in the manuals.
@@NintendoCompleteAll of Konami was like that back then. People like to trot out the old copypasta about disrespecting the original Japanese creators' intentions, but until the person who wrote the manuals is found and interviewed, I don't think there was any sort of actual malicious intent behind it.
Also, yes, the MSX2 original has an official English translation that I think was only available in Europe, where the MSX and MSX2 were very popular. It's so bad of a translation that I only discovered Schneider's radio frequency by complete accident (the part where Big Boss tells you about a resistence member who's trying to talk to you was rendered as "SOMEONE MUST BE WAITING !!"). The NES one is actually understandable beyond the grammatical errors.
But better translations have been made since, officially and unofficially, so that's all moot now.
@@ElZorroHonesto Honestly, I think a lot of it was that there simply wasn't any communication - or at least only very limited communication - between the Japanese and whatever other branches they were working with during the NES era. That is to say, I don't think it was so much about disrespecting the original Japanese creators' intentions so much as it was I honestly think they literally didn't know what those intentions WERE outside of maybe a couple of companies.
You have to remember that localization was in its absolute infancy back then, and even in the SNES era, having ONE localizer taking care of entire RPG scripts under a combination of a hellish time crunch (one or two months max in most cases), a near-complete lack of context in the text dumps they were given, and uncertainty regarding what trouble they may or may not run into with NoA's content policies of the time - that wasn't even slightly out of the ordinary. I imagine it was even worse in the NES era, where I get the suspicion that the guys making the manuals weren't given more than the gameplay basics to work with, may well have not had the means to play the actual games for context, and GOOD FREAKING LUCK translating the Japanese manual if your boss is demanding you mention the story of the game (because who the hell knew Japanese back then, and I'm only half-joking; Japanese is REALLY bloody hard to translate properly and I doubt the tiny teams of the time had a lot of options there), at which point I wouldn't have been surprised if the guys doing this stuff for Ultra just threw up their hands and put something together that seemed plausible from the screenshots and game information, that might sound interesting enough for the NA children who probably didn't read a word of it regardless.
I do wonder if I'm right regarding any of that, but it's been thirty-plus years since what was almost assuredly just a short little gig for a bunch of random people who have likely long since forgotten the experience - they probably didn't have the slightest inkling how legendary some of this weirdness would become and just let it breeze on by as just another day at the work desk. Ah well.
The MSX version was the "true" Metal Gear game. It had features the NES version lacked, including the Metal Gear as the next to final battle.
I know this game by heart... it is something I learned from beginning to finnish since childhood... You forgot to open the door where Schneider is about to tell you the identity of Big boss.. it is the door next to coward duck, opened with Card No. 1
Is there a way to save the game so I don't have to keep starting st the beginning?
@@Tealtown408by the nes emulator, save states
That awesome game music!
Gotta be honest, I still find the codec calls to be amazing, def makes you feel like
Never could beat this
Me either. lol
Why I like watching these games? Because it does not need more effort, time and waiting to play it , simple game
Loved this game as a kid. Took me ages to get past the dang dog at the very beginning. Once I finally did, the game opened up and I had a blast playing it. I don't think I ever did beat it though. Only got to play when we rented the console on a few weekends here and there. Blockbuster was my only way of playing it. LOL
I’ve played this 1000 times and never knew you could radio for item usage commentary.
Quality of this game is outstanding
I could never figure out the jungle maze. I had the compass but couldnt get back to the area where Snake was locked up earlier.
As a child, I found this game confusing and difficult however much I wanted to play it. I still find it difficult. But I am enjoying seeing levels I could never have gotten to.
Love how Snake strums a guitar the whole time.
You can use the cigarettes at the end? Never knew that!😮
This was my sh*t as a kid!
God, I miss the 80s!
Remember seeing an ad for Metal Gear on the back cover of a comic book.
Super Nostalgia, I remember finishing this game with some glitches like entering the door to big boss without destroying the big computer, LOL
For some reason, I remember being able to hold up patrolling guards in Metal Gear on NES. It's possible I am thinking of some other game though, or it could just be the Mandela Effect.
I like big boss's speech at the end....excuse me Venom Snake.
Thanks for saving me probably 15 years of my life if i tried to beat this game myself. HIDEO KOJIMA
Love this game and still remember the day i bought it.
Was a bit dissapointed when i played it the first time since you had no weapons and was unable to get past the dogs in the first part of the game.
After about an hour or so i turned it off and forgot about it for a few weeks and just played other games.
But as i went back to the manual and the map i thought oh man this game has so much stuff in it but where is everything so i started playing again and once i got in to the first truck where you go to another area that's when i started loving it that to this day is one of my favorites.
the phrase "I feel asleep" is honestly so powerful
I've played this game through dozens of times, and I legit had no idea there were so many interactions with Big Boss on the receiver!
this game was the first 3 nes games i ever owned (the other two was RC PRO-AM and super mario/duckhunt/track and field collection). it was jank. pure, early nes jank.
*SNAKE? SNAKE!? SNAAAAKE!*
YOU HEAR ME?
Watching this game being played is almost comical. Video games have come a loooooong way 😂😂😂😂 still one of my favorites though!!
Its funny: I like the music on this version better. Maybe it's just because I played it first, but I love the jungle and building themes.
I watch my cousin play this when I was 6 .. now im 26 and my cousin no longer a gamer since he's a busy married man.. I have no idea that he played a title that is now one of the famous Title ever , Metal Gear
A simpler time where the game was about infiltration and covert operations, not about psychic beings being a possy of superpowered vilains ala Dragon Ball Z.
You could see in the original game how Kojima wanted it to be like this from the get go, though.
The MSX (much like the NES) didn't have that much space for text alongside the graphics and logic, but you can still see the cheese in the bosses' intros.
Simple doesn't mean good
@speedwagon1824 you're living proof!
This is the original metal gear. Outer heaven should be remade no joke!!!!!!
I loved this game as a kid, and watching this playthrough makes me realize why I never actually finished it myself. The cards man...the nonstop trying to figure out which cards open which doors all.the.time. It's so annoying. I completely understand requiring cards to be found in order to progress through the game without skipping ahead but for the love of God...make the new card take the old card's place and have them be universal.
I never finished it either. Last time I had access to an NES AND the game was 1990. That’s the last time I played it. lol
“Uh oh! It look like the truck have started to move!”
“I feel asleep”
2:18 AVGN: “You Son of a Bitch, the enemies respawn when you use an item!”
Haha they also do when you put away your binoculars. It's a total pia.
@@NintendoComplete Clearly, while you were using the binoculars, enough time passed for them to change guard shifts. They just skipped the time lag for the sake of gameplay.
(Yes, I know it's really because the NES and most games of that era had object permanence skill levels akin to particularly stupid babies.)
I never realized Big Boss was a chatterbox
I dont think allot of people know this is the very 1st Metal Gear out ever
actually it wasn't, the MSX version was before this one, the NES one is a slightly improved version.
@@sarcophegusI wouldn’t call the NES version improved, a lot of people think it’s worse, but I’d personally just call it different.
@@sarcophegusinteresting. I always thought the same, that this was the 1st.
@@sarcophegusI don't think replacing the Metal Gear with a big ass TV while the "Metal Gear" title is still kept in the final from a Metal Gear-less port would be called an "improvement" and more of a joke to the OG MSX imo except for the NES soundtrack which itself is an actual upgrade compared to the MSX original.
I was too young for this game when I played it. Then when I tried playing it later in life, I needed the damn map, and didn’t have it anymore. Even played it through with a buddy and without the map we were both stumped. To this day have haven’t beaten it. I should try it now.
If you want to play the best version of the game, I’d recommend the MSX version that’s on Steam. It’s the original version and it’s cannon to the rest of the series. The version was intentionally changed for people who have already played the MSX version and it’s definitely more confusing.
What a great game I still have my NES copy
I think the tank is where I got stuck at, I def remember that though
1:34:22 Thank you for this. Went back the way I came and a certain trap door was impossible to get around coming back.
A well preformed playthrough
Awesome Video from you 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
One of my favourite games 👍🏻
Back when gaming was a challenge and actually mattered unlike the
games designed today for easy wins to make people feel good….
I've played this game before and I never beat it because it's hard
As a kid I never went back to Dr. P. No wonder why I couldn’t blow up the supercomputer. Eventually I found the way into Big Boss’s room.
This is mad. I've always said I've never played a single MGS game. I just checked out its Wiki page and noticed that it started with a NES game. Thought I'd UA-cam it and just realised that this was one of my favourite ever NES games. 😂 I completely forgot about this game and now I remember it like it was yesterday. 😂
Correction, it didn’t start on NES. It started on the MSX2 computer. The NES game is a butchered port that has a different map design and soundtrack.
the best metal gear game. simple as
Troll harder.
Who the hell goes around punching dogs?!
It's just a game
I know, @@SebastianJung422 .
Bayou Billy & a couple of Bad Dudes.
Rockin' kats.
The Ninja Baseball Bat Men did, but in fairness, the dogs just walked up and started blasting like jerks. >:3
Maybe not the best version of Metal Gear but it's a lot of fun regardless.
I never made it past the first dog as a kid...
Nice one!
The truck have started to move. Lmao
How could you keep track of where you are and where to go back in the day? Did the game come with a printed map like GTA in ps1?
I FEEL ASLEEP!!
I always liked this game! Trying to stay away from them damn guardsmen and dogs drove me INSANE! lol
Uh oh the truck have started to move lol
Damn i miss tha 90's ya'LL!!
300 years from now people will still be confused on the metal gear storyline
I am playing these days through Metal Gear, the MSX Port from Gog, it is funny to compare it with you Video.
Some Areas are ported straight, some are new or turned down.
Playing the game myself currently,
And while it’s slightly annoying realizing I’m only about 14 minutes through it,
It’s even more annoying to see there’s at list 6 more data cards to look forward to.
Juegazo nunca podría pasarlo
Buen juego manito exelente
Snake !
Your equipment is to be procured on site !
I loved Phantom Pain and the next chronological step in the story would've been to remake the original Metal Gear (the MSX version would've been what Kojima would've based it on, not the NES version) Phantom Pain takes place in the 1980's and Metal Gear 1 MSX takes place in 1995. Maybe there would've been a side release to show the creation and training of Solid Snake. Or maybe that would've been covered in the first half of "Metal Gear Remake" and the second would've been the reimagining of the mission in MG1. It's fun to think about. Too bad about Konami. RIP Metal Gear.