18 Essential Landmark Titles Every Gamer Must Play

7. Metal Gear Solid

It wasn't the first instalment in the Metal Gear franchise, but 1998's Metal Gear Solid was the entry which defined the genre to a generation of gamers looking for the perfect combination of stealth, action and brains. While it doesn't skimp out on a ludicrous plot the game is a jewel in the PlayStation crown, paving the way for titles like Splinter Cell and the stealth genre in general. There's a whole lot of things worth noting about MGS, but what really made it stand out from the crowd was its perfect balance between gameplay and cinematics. Countless games had tried to put players within interactive Hollywood blockbusters before, but few managed to pull it off with such grace as this. The likes of using cigarette smoke to uncover laser beams was the sort of thing you'd previously seen on the silver screen with the likes of James Bond, but MGS integrated it and other mechanics into the game flawlessly. In fact, the game is probably a better movie already than the proposed adaptation will likely be.