Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake virtually invented the idea of stealth in video games. Originally it was only used because the MSX2's hardware couldn't handle the amount of combat Director Hideo Kojima wanted, but turned out to be a masterstroke. Metal Gear was characterised by it's stealth play and Hollywood themed characters and plot, pitting Solid Snake against a giant robot after which the game is named and an army of nasty mercenaries in a secretive facility. Set eight years after the events of Metal Gear 2, the plot of Metal Gear Solid was much the same as Solid Snake infiltrated another mysterious facility and destroyed another giant robot. The familiar plot gave the game an instant connection to the originals, and when combined with the same kind of stealth gameplay, created an experience that thrust the Metal Gear world gloriously into 3D. This game was all about stealth and clever improvisation: hiding round corners, climbing through vents, using a cigarette to see laser wires, it was all ingeniously crafted into a realistic espionage adventure. Metal Gear Solid even made hiding in cardboard boxes fun. For better or worse, that's something that can't be said about any other game.