Metal Gear Solid is a Tactical Espionage Action game that was developed by Konami and was first published for the Playstation games console in 1998. Produced by Hideo Kojima, artwork by Yoji Shinkawa, Metal Gear Solid is a continuation of the Metal Gear Series of video games that started on the MSX in 1987.
As well as being a reference to the game's protagonist, Solid Snake, the suffix Solid is also used to indicate that this is the first Metal Gear to use competely 3D technology.
In the game, Solid Snake's is assigned the following objectives by Colonel Campbell:
"You'll have two mission objectives. First you're to rescue the DARPA Chief Donald Anderson and the president of Arms Tech, Kenneth Baker. They're both held as hostages. Secondly, you're to investigate whether or not the terrorists have the ability to launch a nuclear strike and stop them if they do... Any questions, Snake?"
Having grown from the genre popularized by Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid was ground breaking in its use of spoken dialogue, an intricate if somewhat obtuse plot, and cinematic presentation, despite the fact that there is very little difference in gameplay between Metal Gear Solid and its predecessors for earlier systems, namely the NES and MSX. See also its groundbreaking cousin Silent Hill.