The Best PlayStation Game Every Year 1994 - 2024

Trust Hideo Kojima and his team to push the industry forward. Metal Gear Solid 2 set a benchmark that few games across the PS2’s lifespan ever got close to touching, but one title that did manage to gracefully soar over that bar was, of course, the next mainline entry in the series. Whilst the industry was still playing catch-up with the last game, MGS3 upped the ante again.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is one of the best-looking games to grace the PlayStation 2 and it’s down to the team’s attention to detail. Crawling through the undergrowth, clothes flapping in the wind, the innumerous subtleties of the lighting system; MGS3 is consistently stunning. It also contained some of the best character models of the generation, obviously helping its grand storytelling and immersion. 

Snake Eater worked brilliantly as a standalone tale but, as a prequel, added immeasurable depth to the overall canon. The performances were the stuff of legend, with a cast of characters as memorable (or moreso) than the original game.

Taking MGS back into the past and out into the jungle made for some big changes that the team rose to completely. With no radar, Snake’s approach to sneaking required more precision, asking players to carefully choose the best camouflage. Players more than ever must scavenge what they can, including wildlife for food and stamina, as well as healing specific injuries. There was a greater choice of camera control, deeper close-quarter combat mechanics and enough minor gameplay touches to fill three other games.

It was and remains a mind-boggling feat that such a lengthy, content-rich product could be one of the biggest graphical powerhouses on the system.