8. Metal Gear Solid (1998)
Cinematic has become a common adjective in the lexicon of game reviews, perhaps to the point of overuse. Recent titles such as Uncharted and Mass Effect have done plenty to justify the term, but it is Metal Gear Solid both as an individual game and as the first installment in the series which marks the definitive merger between games and cinema as mediums. From its opening sequence (overlaid with credits) through to its numerous cut scenes, Hideo Kojima borrowed liberally from the filmic toolkit in the construction of his complex tale of nuclear robots and snow. Metal Gear Solid 4 brought the game-cinema merger initiated with this game full circle, featuring cut scenes which, in themselves, hovered around feature length. Other series, on the other hand, decided to do things differently...