10 Hugely Important Video Games Kids Today Can Never Fully Appreciate

3. Metal Gear Solid

Until Metal Gear Solid released in 1998, games were mostly simple mechanical affairs. While stories were of course included in titles before the original Metal Gear, none had really ever adopted a cinematic style quite like Hideo Kojima's narrative-driven title. Not simply separated into "gameplay sections" and "cinematics", Konami's release perfectly blended the two, creating the franchise's signature stealth gameplay that could seamlessly blend into story beats and vis-versa. With top-notch voice acting and brilliantly indulgent direction from Kojima, Metal Gear Solid was like a pulpy mature spy thriller brought to life through the PS1's primitive polygons. However, since the game's release cinematics and fully-voiced characters have become the norm in the industry, and the title's style of storytelling has been aped on countless occasions in the almost two decades since the original first hit store shelves. While video game storytelling has evolved rapidly ever since, no older gamer will ever forget the beautifully cinematic first moments of this console-defining release - a feeling that would simply be lost on today's motion capture-saturated audience.