How Metal Gear Solid Shaped and Changed The Stealth Genre
The year that Metal Gear Solid was released, 1998, is by far the most important year for the stealth genre. Though predecessors had included stealth mechanics—including Konami's own Metal Gear—advancements toward the turn of the millennium allowed stealth to be elevated from an interesting gameplay aspect to a complete experience. While other important titles dropped in 1998, Metal Gear Solid managed to capitalize best on the genre's newfound potential.
Up until the release of Metal Gear Solid and its contemporaries, stealth games were built almost exclusively around line-of-sight detection, with the stealth portions usually coming as an afterthought to a different core experience. Metal Gear Solid, however, shifted the genre by creating a title where stealth was not only prominent but essential, a concept that many games still owe to Metal Gear Solid.
Metal Gear Solid's Legacy of Iconic Sound Design
The advancement of the stealth gameplay in Metal Gear Solid is a perfect illustration of just how fast technology progressed during the 32-bit era of gaming. While predecessors had played with the idea of sound detection — notably, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake introduced the ability for enemies to detect footsteps as well as shots from unsilenced guns — Metal Gear Solid established a whole plethora of new concerns. Now, not only did players have to contend with the usual line-of-sight and noise detection, but they also had to worry about things as simple as leaving footprints behind in freshly fallen snow.
On the other side of the coin, Metal Gear Solid also equipped players with a handful of new methods for avoiding detection. While players could employ Metal Gear Solid's ever-famous cardboard box to perplex guards, they could
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