Metal Gear Solid by Raymond Benson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Metal Gear Solid
Book Review: Entertaining For Metal Gear Solid Fans
Summary: 4 Stars
For fans of the game, 'Metal Gear Solid' is an entertaining work that will keep gamers happy. Benson has crafted a fun story that will add to the Metal Gear universe and it's an enjoyable read.
If you are a fan of the game and want something to do when you don't have controller in hand that is Metal Gear related, you will be happy with this book.
**** RECOMMENDED
Book Review: Faithful to the Game and fun to read.
Summary: 5 Stars
Usually I am not a fan of books based on video games, as they are usually not very great. I bought this, seeing as MGS is my favorite video game series of all time, to see how faithful it was to the actual game. To be honest, this book far exceeded expectations, it seems as though Raymond Benson either played the game, got his hands on the game's script, or watched someone else play it. The book is very accurate, with the exception of a few parts which needed to be changed, such as the Psycho Mantis fight (that would have been a good laugh if he hadn't written something new for that part.)
As I read the book, I remembered playing every part I read, which made it more fun for me to read. I also could not put this book down, which is uncharacteristic for me as I usually hate reading.
For someone who hasn't played the game, or knows little to nothing in the MGS universe, I can't say how much you'll enjoy it; its hard to gauge how good it would be having previously played the game myself.
I recently got the book Benson wrote about MGS2, but I haven't had a chance to start it. If he can make that game's story great in book form, I'll pledge my allegiance to his writing.
Book Review: Fan or not, this book sucks
Summary: 1 Stars
Author Raymond Benson condenses the original Metal Gear Solid game to book form with undesirable results. Reading it through for the first time (and probably the only time) was a chore, as Benson's writing comes across as plain and uninteresting. A good chunk of the dialogue was taken directly from the game's script, and much of the story elements stay very true to the plot, but Benson's additions simply lack substance. There are only so many ways one can describe the repetitive actions performed by a player during a game and still keep it enjoyable. It's almost as if Benson followed the game too well, moving from point to point monotonously instead of introducing his own unique take on the story. Being published in 2008, long after the original game, small portions of the book's writing unnecessarily allude to future Metal Gear Solid game titles. These bits add nothing. The writing already struggles heavily enough trying to compress one very long game into one very short book. As a result, the events become less descriptive, rushed, and robotic. The book's dead-on copycat approach could have been considered average if not for the terrible depiction of the game's most important character, Solid Snake. Known for a few charming wisecracks, Snake certainly has a sense of humor, but Benson's novelization takes the silliness way too far. In addition to consistently making bad jokes that are anything but charming, Snake is often found blurting out one-liners that are either way too cheesy, or just plain out of character. In high contrast to the game, Snake's presence in the field is anything but stealthy. Instead of sticking silently to the shadows, Snake mercilessly and sloppily picks off every guard he encounters, raising the body count with every rampaging bullet. Benson's writing does no justice to Snake or any of Kojima's beloved characters. Other than increasing the physical mass of a Metal Gear fanboy's collection, there is hardly a good reason for this book to exist.
"But even though she was green, Snake had to admit she had a lot of balls."
Book Review: From J. Kaye's Book Blog
Summary: 4 Stars
Solid Snake and his brother Liquid Snake were 'made'. DNA from 'Big Boss', the greatest modern day warrior/soldier, was taken and manipulated to produce better soldier/warriors - thus the Snake Brothers. This action-packed novel reads like a combination of Rambo and the Power Rangers with the Snake's mentor, the Colonel, and villains named Revolver Ocelot and Decoy Octopus. However, there is a undercurrent of depth with Solid Snake's questioning himself about his destiny and the correctness of DNA manipulation.
Raymond Benson also wrote some James Bond books, so the action is detailed and the weapons are 007ish.
All is all, is was an entertaining and fast read. While I probably wouldn't read another book of this series, I would watch a movie.
Book Review: Gaming Redefined
Summary: 5 Stars
In 1998, the gaming world once again saw a huge boost. Nintendo 64 gamers were being blown away by The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time while Playstation gamers got the much anticipated follow up to Resident Evil. Later on in the year, however, a game developer named Hideo Kojima released a game that would invent a genre and change the way a story is told in a game. The game was called Metal Gear Solid. Rather than being an all out action shoot 'em up, the point of the game was to avoid the enemy at all cost, kill as few enemies as possible and stop a terrorist threat. The game changed the way we played games, and changed storytelling for the better. Quite simply put, Metal Gear Solid was quite possibly the greatest achievement on the Sony Playstation. Now, ten years later, gamers still play the game regularly and religiously.
Metal Gear Solid has players controlling Snake as he sneaks into the Nuclear Warhead Storage Facility known as Shadow Moses. An island off the coast of Alaska. His mission is to rescue the DARPA Chief Donald Anderson and Armstech President Kenneth Baker. He is also tasked with finding out if the terrorist actually have a nuclear warhead... and stop them if they do. The game's story is told through cinematics with some of the best voice acting the video game community has ever seen. With some incredibly well developed characters as well as some of the greatest plot twists in gaming history, Metal Gear Solid was an iconic game. It's villain: Liquid Snake, has often been labeled as one of the greatest villains in video gaming history.
The gameplay of Metal Gear Solid was groundbreaking at the time. While it doesn't have the same mechanics as later games in the series, it's still quite incredible for the Playstation. In the game, players have a soliton radar which lets them see the enemy guards. If Snake gets into their field of vision, he'll be spotted and trigger an alert phase. If Snake should be spotted he'll have to hide until the alert phase has been lifted. Sneaking around is actually quite fun, though. Staying out of sight is fairly simple. Snake will encounter more than just guards. He'll also encounter surveillance cameras as well as face off against some of the most breathtaking boss fights in gaming history.
Metal Gear Solid is known for its incredible boss fights. While the first boss doesn't seem worthwhile, you'll be surprised when you have to take on a tank, a ninja, a psychic (Psycho Mantis, the most iconic moment in the game), an intense sniper battle and even a Hind D, among other things. All the battles keep you on your feet and are intense. They're also incredibly fun.
Metal Gear Solid is by no means a hard game. Even on some of the higher difficulty levels. Unlike the later games in the series, however, Metal Gear Solid doesn't have too many incredibly long cutscenes. There are quite a few, however, but they can be skipped. If there was any real problem with Metal Gear Solid, it would be that it's an incredibly short game. Despite spanning two discs, most of that is due to the games cutscenes. Even for a Playstation game, Metal Gear Solid is short. The first time through it might take you seven hours or so, but on subsequent plays it can take you less than three.
Visually, Metal Gear Solid is easily one of the best looking Playstation games ever made. It runs smoothly and load times are kept to a minimal. The character models and voice work are also excellent, and there's a wide range of different looking environments you'll traverse. The game also sounds very good. Giving you the feeling that you're in a stealth game at many different spots. Some of the music during the cutscenes is also very good. In the Playstation era, this was truly a cinematic gaming experience with Hollywood like production values.
Metal Gear Solid is easily one of the greatest games ever made. With a fantastic story, great voice work and incredible cinematics... Metal Gear Solid is a masterpiece. It's a great game that anyone looking for something a little different might want to play. Metal Gear Solid isn't a game you just play. It's a game you experience.