Metal Gear Solid: The 5 Best Titles of All Time Ranked By Metacritic Score

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - The Metal Gear Solid game franchise has long been recognized as a pioneer in the stealth-action genre, delivering complex narratives, iconic characters, and ever-evolving gameplay innovations.

Developed by maestro Hideo Kojima, each title in the series often sets a benchmark for the gaming industry. Fans and critics alike eagerly await each new release.

The series' popularity and quality are reflected in its consistently high Metacritic scores.

With a Metacritic score of 96, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty stands as one of the highest-rated games in the series.

Released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2, this stealth action-adventure game was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami.

It is a direct sequel to Metal Gear Solid (1998) and the fourth Metal Gear game produced by Hideo Kojima.

The story takes place between 2007 and 2009, focusing on two narratives around New York City.

Solid Snake infiltrates a secret tanker in pursuit of a new nuclear weapon called Metal Gear RAY, while Raiden of the new FOXHOUND unit infiltrates an offshore facility occupied by terrorists.

Metal Gear Solid (MGS) holds a Metacritic score of 94, indicating universal critical acclaim.

This stealth action-adventure game, directed, produced, and written by Hideo Kojima, was first released in 1998 for the PlayStation.

The game follows Solid Snake, a retired US government agent, who is sent to a nuclear weapons disposal base in Alaska to investigate and stop a terrorist threat from his former team, FOXHOUND, a renegade special forces unit.

Snake must infiltrate the facility undetected, evading enemies and surveillance cameras, freeing hostages and preventing the terrorists from launching a nuclear attack.

The game is known for its complex storyline, rich gameplay mechanics, and memorable classic moments, such as boss fights and the use of fourth-wall-breaking elements.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence earned a Metacritic score of 94, slightly higher than the original, Snake Eater.

Released in 2005 in Japan and 2006 in North America, Europe, and Australia, Subsistence is an expanded edition of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

The main improvement in this version is the addition of a controllable third-person camera angle, which makes gameplay feel "less restrictive and more natural" than the original's overhead camera.

The game is set during the Cold War in the 1960s, offering a rich story and survival elements in a tense jungle environment.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots earned a Metacritic score of 94, recognized as a pinnacle achievement in the series' 20-year history.

Developed by Kojima Productions and published by Konami for the PlayStation 3, it was released on June 12, 2008.

Set five years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, the story centers on a prematurely aging Solid Snake, known as Old Snake, on his final mission to end his rival, Liquid Snake, who now inhabits the body of Revolver Ocelot as Liquid Ocelot.

The gameplay involves stealth, melee combat, and traditional Metal Gear combat, with a simplified third-person camera and an over-the-shoulder camera for aiming weapons.

New features include a "Psyche Meter" influenced by battlefield psychology and an OctoCamo suit that allows Snake to blend into his surroundings.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has a Metacritic score of 93, recognized as one of the best stealth games ever made.

This stealth action-adventure game, developed by Kojima Productions and published by Konami, was released on September 1, 2015, for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

The game is set nine years after the events of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and the fall of Mother Base, where Snake, aka Big Boss, awakens from a nine-year coma.

The game was praised for its revolutionary gameplay, open world, graphics, themes, and performance.

Although the narrative and some changes to the series' formula initially divided critics, The Phantom Pain remains considered a remarkable technical and design achievement in the gaming world.