Metal Gear -- Initial Impression.

Back to old-school action with the next game. I'm playing Metal Gear via Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence's second disc which itself is named Persistence. This is a perfectly emulated version of the original MSX computer version of Metal Gear released in 1987. It even emulates the MSX startup and RAM check sequence. The MSX version was created by Kojima and his team at Konami. The Nintendo Entertainment System version is actually a heavily altered port of the MSX version that was handled by a different team within Konami. Kojima had nothing to do with it at all and even goes as far as to call it "crap" on the series history disc that came with preordering MGS3: S. The NES version changes things considerably. You have an entirely different infiltration method, an entirely different maze layout, different and missing bosses, and one of the most infamous "engrish" translations. The game controls simply enough. The right analog stick or D-pad move Snake. The square button fires the selected weapon. The circle button punches. The L2 button brings up the item selection window. The R2 button brings up the weapon selection window. The select button access the codec communication system. The MSX version has easily superior graphics without breakup glitching. The music is better in using the original superior compositions and also in sound quality. The translation is entirely new. Gone are "The truck have started to move!" and "I feel asleep." Now we get "Argh! The truck has been moved" and "Ah, fell asleep." There are some more important changes to the translation though. Like the character of Dr. Petrovich in the NES version now has his proper full name of Dr. Drago Pettrovich Madnar, which makes Metal Gear connect to the Snatcher series both ways instead of the one way of the Metal Gear references within Snatcher. And that's very cool to me. We still have to see how a game from 1987 comes off as far as actual gameplay is concerned in 2006 and I'll save that for my final opinion.