The Best PlayStation Game Every Year 1994 - 2024

At this point it’s easier to cut to the chase and ask the question: “it’s a new Metal Gear Solid, so how did this one revolutionise the industry?”.

MGS4 pushed the series’ gameplay forward. The automatic camo system where Snake can blend into whatever background the player puts him on was jaw-dropping at the time and the Solid Eye’s threat ring alerts Snake to potential targets without holding the player’s hand. Alternatively, for those who wanted to go all guns blazing, the game made use of its “war is everywhere” theme by making ammunition easy to purchase and guns fun to upgrade.

MGS4 pushed the franchise’s story into new territory, ageing up Snake and having him reunite with most everyone in the cast in a bid to wrap up ten years of history in what still feels like the send-off to the franchise, even after the release of MGS5. 

It’s easy to forgive the character arc of IBS sufferer Johnny and his exposed buttocks when that epilogue between Snake and Big Boss is as grand as it is.

MGS4 pushed the PS3 to its limit. The visual fidelity still looks solid today, which meant that in 2008 it was at the top of its class. This is good news, since MGS4 was (famously) as cinematic as Kojima had gotten to this point with most of the game being cutscenes rather than gameplay.

It seems appropriate that the first PS3 title to grace this list is Metal Gear Solid 4. For one thing, it remained one of the most attractive console exclusives for the generation. Additionally, it’s a game that - at the time of writing - is still locked to the specific system. Ergo, very few games define the PS3 era like MGS4.