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Over the last week, it has been unclear what will happen to Metal Gear Creator Hideo Kojima after the latest installment, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain releases. While this may be a sad time for fans, we on the other hand, have decided to celebrate (we're not happy about this news either) and look back at some of our favorite Kojima games. As you can probably guess, this list will most likely consist of the Metal Gear franchise, but not all.

Snatcher

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Who doesn't love Blade Runner and The Terminator? Add the two films together and you get Snatcher. The game takes place in the fictional city of Neo-Kobe, where Snatchers (terminators) are killing their victims and then taking their place in society. It is up to Gillian Seed and the anti-Snatcher agency, J.u.n.k.e.r, to take down the source of the Snatcher situation. At first glance, Neo-Kobe is reminiscent of Neo-Tokyo from Akira. With Gillian, the character is an exact replica of Rick Deckard from Blade Runner. The game took influences from so many films and I loved it. The whole cyberpunk vibe the game brought to the table was inviting and having Metal Gear as my sidekick was a nice touch indeed. I always enjoyed the Point-and-Click aspect of Snatcher, but I sometimes wonder what the gameplay mechanics would be like if the game came out today. It is unlikely, but maybe once Kojima finishes Metal Gear Solid V, he will return to this game.

Metal Gear Solid

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It is no secret that Metal Gear Solid is not only one the best PlayStation games, but one of the best video games in general. I absolutely loved the story in this game. While some parts were definitely complex and confusing, there was always Snake, Otacon and Meryl to keep me interested. Watching Snake infiltrate Shadow Moses to take down Liquid Snake was and still is a roller coaster ride. There was also a smooth side to Snake and getting a chance to see him hit on Mei Ling was amusing. The bosses were also fantastic. From Revolver Ocelot to Vulcan Raven, each boss had their own distinct personality. Psycho Mantis and Sniper Wolf were my personal favorites. With Mantis, the fact that he could manipulate Snake's movements and could read my memory card, changed the dynamic of how the game played. Sniper Wolf was also intense, forcing players to patiently wait for her to pop out from the trees, at which point it was all to common to either miss completely or just graze her shoulder with the sniper rifle.

The graphics and presentation of Metal Gear Solid were ahead of the curve at the time compared to other games. Even today, when I go back and replay the first installment(I didn't forget you Metal Gear), there is a certain charm attached, especially with voice acting and cinemtics. While the voice acting is stellar throughout, there are two performances that come to mind: David Hayter and Jennifer Hale. I could not tell you why, but these two actors captured the essence of Both Solid Snake and Naomi Hunter. As far as cinematics, every thing was on point. I loved how Kojima included the live-action cuts scenes of nuclear power plants. I found myself immersed in the plot time and time again. Metal Gear Solid left a huge impression on me, not only that, the game paved the way for future installments and confusing story lines....ugh what?

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

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“What! What About Metal Gear Solid 2?” While the second game's Big Shell setting is great, Snake Eater stood out even more. This game added a plethora of new features, including the setting, gameplay mechanics and introduction of Big Boss or Naked Snake as a playable character. Unlike its predecessors, Snake Eater was set in Russia during the Cold War and was a nice change of pace. Some may disagree, but the addition to the camouflage mechanic was a welcomed feature. Rather than using a cardboard box, players were forced to switch between various uniforms to blend in to what the current surrounding called for. The hunting aspect was well thought out too. Keeping an eye on how hungry Snake was brought a new challenge as stamina would decrease over time.

It's hard to believe that this game is over 10 years old and the graphics still hold up well. Snake Eater released near the end on the PlayStation 2 era, so it is not too surprising that the game was pushing the graphical limits of the console.

P.T.

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This is Hideo Kojima's and Guillermo del Toro's latest project and while P.T. Was just a taste of will eventually become Silent Hills, the demo stood out in the midst of all the other games of 2014; so long as it was played the right way; alone in a dark room. The house in the demo is small, but one of the aspects that was the most jarring was how you kept going in circles solving bizarre new puzzles from one loop to the next. Not only that, but the environments would change, and not for the better. An eerie game indeed, I cannot wait for Silent Hills to release, although With Kojima's possible departure from Konami, will he be apart of it?

Hideo Kojima created many more great games like the original Metal Gear for the NES and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake for the MSX2 and these were just some of our favorites. Considered one of the best game developers, it is unclear at this time what will happen to Kojima after the release of Metal Gear Solid V:The Phantom Pain. Whatever his next project is, though, it will be gold.