However, one can start on this debate by comparing Metal Gear Solid with an earlier game of Kojima’s, and another game that appears in a Great Game article here on Gamecritics.com, Snatcher. Snatcher succeeds in being a narrative-driven game because the game is designed as a vehicle for the narrative. That is, the gameplay itself is designed around advancing the plot through in-game actions, meaning that you do not get the interruption of narrative flow that takes place in Metal Gear Solid.

Even though the use of cutscenes affects the overall experience of Metal Gear Solid as an action game, it does allow for something not generally seen in video games, which is conveying a message. Although gamers may have regarded the anti-nuclear message as heavy-handed, it is remarkable that a game was made with not only a coherent message, but a message grounded in our own reality. In embedding a relevant message in a video game, Kojima proves that it is possible to use video games as vehicles for expressing an artistic vision. That so few games do so is an absolute crime and an insult to the intelligence of the gaming public.

In the end, it is a pity that the dualist nature of the game winds up damaging the action-oriented experience of Metal Gear Solid, considering that the game is also full of gameplay innovations. Aside from the development of the espionage-style genre, Metal Gear Solid displays an impressive level of causality—it still relies on a "key-fetching" style of advancement at times, but the "keys" are just as often actions taken by the character, and the game presents the puzzles in a logical manner, which is a welcome change from the simplistic and nonsensical puzzles usually seen in video games.

But perhaps the more revolutionary aspect of the gameplay is the self-knowing nature of the interaction between the player and the game. That is, the game at times will display the recognition of itself as a game in its presentation. It can be as simple as the codec conversations referencing how the controller is used, or the characters within the game interacting directly and implicitly with the hardware. For example, the equation of psychic powers and the nature of time with the hardware of the console itself in the battle with Psycho Mantis.

Referencing the controls of the game within the game itself is not an unusual occurrence, but the way that Kojima does so is unique. The information does not appear in an obviously out-of-game context, a la the talking question blocks in Super Mario World. Rather, the information is presented to you alongside plot development in your conversations with other characters. Along with the moments when characters reference and control the hardware of the console from within the game, Kojima has included scenarios where characters within the game interact directly with the hardware. Usually, the technique of making the characters self-aware is regarded as an attempt to push back at or define the medium while sabotaging the omniscient narrator, but this view is not applicable to the video game world. The absence of the narrator and the lack of tradition in the video game universe means that such efforts do not come across as they would in literature or film. Rather, they are used as methods to greater involve the player with the game, even though they remind the player that it is a game, these methods are less obtuse than the usual in-game instructions, and the novelty of these interactions excites and involves the player.

Another aspect of this revolutionary design is the use of the codec conversations as a hint system. At any time in the game, if the player feels stuck, they can call various characters on their codec system. In almost every situation, one of the characters will be able to provide you with information that will help the player get through a situation that they might find difficult. This is another great example of how Kojima has managed to take an out-of-game function and imbed it in the gameplay in such a way that the player is not alienated from the story.

Although Metal Gear Solid is a conceptually flawed effort, it represents an attempted revolution in the medium of video games. Obviously Kojima has proven that he can make a game that challenges expectations, and is not afraid of making design decisions that most development teams would find too ambitious. In the case of Metal Gear Solid, Kojima might be too ambitious for his own good with the use of frequent cutscenes, but the rest of the game is filled with innovative design choices. It is a pity that these innovations have not spread to other, more recent titles, especially considering the acclaim that Metal Gear Solid deservedly received. The video game industry is one that is especially devoid of people and companies willing to take chances. When a game is made that revolutionizes and challenges concepts of video games, it deserves special recognition. Even if Metal Gear Solid has aspects that make it less of a complete masterpiece, it contains more than enough revolutionary elements to make it a Great Game.