Metal Gear Solid

The Good
The story's so good and layered it leaves many multi-million Hollywood blockbusters to shame. You play as Solid Snake, the world's greatest super soldier who's like gaming's James Bond and Captain America rolled into one: he's suffered PTSD and this mission at Alaska's Fox Archipelago may finally bring some closure to Snake's perpetual guilt over his haunted past.

The story's topped off by some truly wonderful stealth action-adventure gameplay that inspired Splinter Cell and Assassin's Creed, and when you get spotted by the genome soldiers, the iconic alarm sound (that's since become an internet meme) sets off and it always shocks you even if it's done deliberately. Get out of there or else you're screwed.

Metal Gear Solid showed that you can have Nintendo-level quality of games not on Nintendo systems at all and still make an experience to remember. From Raven's boss-fight in the tank out in the snow, Psycho Mantis and Grey Fox challenging the player's persistence, and of course Liquid Snake himself ready to kick some ass in Metal Gear itself.

The Bad
Though the game's graphics are dated by today's comparisons, it's still a technical marvel. With that said, it can be cumbersome trying to sneak around when enemies suddenly see you out of nowhere. Though the detection system in Metal Gear Solid was, and still is, groundbreaking, sometimes a simple slip-up as timing incorrectly would leave you vulnerable.

The Bottom Line
It's the game that changed video games forever: it's James Bond mixed with Mission Impossible, Godzilla and Neon Genesis Evangelion (or Mobile Suit Gundam and Robotech).

It's incredible. It's as quintessential as a movie you've been waiting to see for years.