10 Most Essential Japanese Video Games

4. Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear's very core ideology was a purposeful blend of "East-meets-West" ideologies and entertainment philosophies, but that's precisely why it's still so treasured.

With Hideo Kojima becoming a household name overnight, Metal Gear Solid upended how to even tell a story in video game form, ushering in over a decade of Hollywood-influenced cinematography, scene setting, voice acting and tone.

It's hard to put into words how mind-blowing and literally game-changing all of this was, but alongside a brilliant script loaded with memorable characters and plot twists, was the mainstreaming of the stealth genre.

MGS let you experiment with enemy A.I. in a genuinely playful manner. A slew of weapons and takedown methods kept things fresh on the 20th playthrough, but ultimately it's Hideo Kojima's vision of what video games could be, that will always be his lasting legacy.