Every Hideo Kojima Game Ranked

With the merchandise of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, manager Hideo Kojima enters his 4th decennary successful crippled improvement arsenic a director. While the celebrated “auteur” has spent the bulk of his vocation truthful acold moving connected the Metal Gear series, Death Stranding 2 sees him expanding upon his newest universe, wherever helium some introduces caller concepts and revisits immoderate of his astir enduring ideas.

With a genuinely staggering database of credits successful his awesome resume, there’s nary amended clip to revisit each genre-defying escapade Kojima has taken america on. Here is each Kojima crippled that helium directed oregon designed, ranked from worst to best.

12. Policenauts

Before the Metal Gear Solid bid took implicit his life, Kojima dabbled successful the graphic escapade genre. One of his earliest games, Policenauts is simply a point-and-click, ocular caller crippled for the PC-9821 billed arsenic a hard subject fabrication detective story. Set successful the not-too-distant future, players instrumentality connected the relation of Jonathan Ingram, an astronaut turned hard-boiled L.A. detective investigating a man’s disappearance. As a ocular novel, Policenauts doesn’t person the level of gameplay innovations Kojima would yet beryllium known for, but this aboriginal enactment highlights however movies — successful this lawsuit buddy bull films similar Lethal Weapon — would seep into his video crippled works for years to come.

11. Snatcher

Before determination was Policenauts, Kojima had already dabbled with graphic escapade games. Clearly influenced by cyberpunk stories similar Blade Runner, Snatcher is acceptable successful a futuristic metropolis wherever human-like robots known arsenic Snatchers are murdering humans, with peculiar members of the anti-Snatcher unit tasked to halt them. While the crippled whitethorn dependable precise derivative of Ridley Scott’s iconic movie, critics praised Snatcher for however Kojima took these ideas to adjacent much utmost places with violence, humor, and an operatic scope that was up of astir ocular novels astatine the time.

10. Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake

Following the occurrence of the precise archetypal Metal Gear, Konami pushed guardant with a sequel called Snake’s Revenge that was being made wholly without immoderate engagement from Hideo Kojima. Unaware a sequel was adjacent being made, a coworker yet told Kojima astir the sequel and convinced him to make a existent follow-up to the 1987 original. While Metal Gear 2’s visuals are much blase and its communicative introduces immoderate important characters to the Metal Gear canon, Metal Gear 2 mostly feels similar a half-step. Thankfully, Kojima would spell connected to wholly revolutionize the bid with the 3D Metal Gear Solid games, yet righting the wrongs of his iterative effort astatine advancement successful Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.

9. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was primitively designed to beryllium the finale of the series, capping disconnected the Solid Snake storyline with a bang. This mega-budget, PS3 exclusive was released successful 2008 and acceptable a technological benchmark acknowledgment to its breathtaking graphics and cinematics. Snake is back, but this clip he’s aged significantly. The acquainted faces of Otocon, Meryl, and Revolver Ocelot each return, arsenic good arsenic different fan-service surprises. Together, these characters enactment done a communicative that yet closes the publication connected an highly analyzable communicative that began with the precise archetypal Metal Gear game.

Despite being the melodramatic last enactment successful an iconic crippled series, MGS 4 besides represents Kojima indulging successful immoderate of his worst originative tendencies. While the crippled ties up a batch of escaped storylines and gives Old Snake a hero’s farewell, the bulk of cutscenes borderline connected self-parody (including 1 character’s changeless request to find a toilet) and Kojima, successful general, seems excessively focused connected his nostalgia for older games successful the series, which has an interaction connected the wide execution of Solid Snake’s last tale. There are besides a batch of large gameplay ideas present that aren’t afloat fleshed out, possibly owed to the technological limitations of the PS3 – immoderate of these mechanics, similar progressive camo, would yet beryllium refined successful Metal Gear Solid 5. With each this successful consideration, Metal Gear Solid 4, contempt being an unthinkable spectacle successful its ain right, is our slightest favourite crippled from the Metal Gear Solid series.

8. Metal Gear

The archetypal Metal Gear connected the MSX2 was the crippled that started it all, introducing the satellite to the iconic Solid Snake. Metal Gear combines compelling (and revolutionary for the time) stealth enactment gameplay with a twisting communicative of Cold War epoch paranoia, atomic proliferation, and espionage. You play arsenic Solid Snake, a young subordinate of the peculiar forces radical FOXHOUND sent to halt the improvement of a caller limb known arsenic Metal Gear. Inspired by James Bond stories and the archetypal Mission: Impossible TV series, Metal Gear stood retired successful 1987 acknowledgment to a heavy twisting crippled that culminates successful Snake facing disconnected against Big Boss, Snake’s commanding officer-turned-villain. Metal Gear’s unsocial stealth gameplay made waves astatine the clip and though its crippled was comparatively simple, it would extremity up starting 1 of the top decade-spanning stories successful gaming history.

7. Death Stranding

Death Stranding was a implicit departure for Kojima and his archetypal crippled developed extracurricular of the walls of Konami. Starring Norman Reedus arsenic the post-apocalyptic mailman Sam Porter Bridges, the crippled is little astir sneaking past Soviet agents and much astir sneaking past goopy monsters from beyond the astral plane. Despite each the sneaking action, this clip astir stealth takes a backseat to tons and tons and LOTS of walking. While Death Stranding indulges successful dense usage of sponsored products, bizarre quality names similar Die Hard Man, and an assertive fig of personage cameos, underneath each that questionable contented mightiness beryllium 1 of Kojima’s astir prophetic stories yet. Set successful a satellite wherever humans are painfully disconnected from each different owed to an apocalyptic lawsuit that forces everyone to seclude successful bunkers, Death Stranding was really released earlier the COVID-19 pandemic. The travel of Sam Porter Bridges arsenic helium goes connected ft to re-connect the United States with a mystical signifier of the net feels similar thing written successful 2023 with each the acquisition of an isolating lockdown, alternatively of a crippled that began improvement respective years prior.

6. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

When Kojima announced the PSP-exclusive Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, helium made wide that this was a full-fledged, canonical introduction into the Metal Gear bid with ramifications for the overarching storyline. And helium wasn’t bluffing. The events of Peace Walker, which is acceptable aft Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, forms a important section successful the fable of Big Boss and Outer Heaven, and plays straight into the events of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

Kojima recovered a mode to chopped up his stealth-action gameplay into bite-sized chunks that are cleanable for on-the-go fun. Despite the constricted method capabilities of the PSP, mechanically this mightiness beryllium 1 of the astir amusive and originative games successful the Metal Gear series. New systems similar basal building, weapons R&D, and recruiting force soldiers by fulton-ing them up into abstraction means that Peace Walker not lone delivers mode beyond expectations for a handheld game, but besides stands retired arsenic an fantabulous summation to the bid successful its ain right. These mechanics and crippled connections spell connected to reappear successful Metal Gear Solid 5, proving however captious Peace Walker is to the full Metal Gear canon.

5. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain + Ground Zeroes

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain would extremity up being Kojima’s past Metal Gear game, but successful our sentiment helium near the franchise connected a banger, with Metal Gear Solid 5 being the best-playing Metal Gear crippled successful the full series. Combining decades of stealth enactment acquisition and each mechanic Kojima ever fiddled with, MGS 5’s stealth combat feels amended than ever. That’s mostly acknowledgment to the assortment of tools and weapons that tin beryllium mixed and matched, ensuring you tin infiltrate utilizing your nonstop preferred playstyle. Want to spell successful guns blazing connected an force camp? No problem. Prefer to beryllium the sneaky stealth warrior utilizing camouflage, distractions, and adjacent the clip of time to your advantage? You tin bash that, too.

Metal Gear Solid 5 and its prologue, Ground Zeroes, is acceptable aft the events of Metal Gear Solid 3 and Peace Walker, focussing erstwhile much connected Big Boss’ quest to physique a backstage service successful the mediate of the ocean. If we’re being uncharitable, Metal Gear Solid 5’s large twist feels similar Kojima enactment a batch of effort to explicate however Big Boss survived the archetypal Metal Gear game. But Metal Gear Solid 5 feels much similar a code portion wherever Kojima gets to research the galore horrors of war. From kid soldiers, torture, and chemic weapons, to different nightmarish scenarios calved of humanity’s never-ending thirst for conflict. Yes, connected the whole, the events of MGS 5 don’t impact the wide canon of Metal Gear excessively much, but by the extremity of the acquisition you will begin to consciousness ashamed for your words and deeds.

4. P.T.

One of gaming’s astir celebrated almosts. P.T. (or Playable Teaser) was meant to beryllium an interactive preview for Kojima’s Silent Hills, the doomed-to-be-cancelled adjacent installment successful Konami’s legendary fearfulness bid starring Norman Reedus and developed successful collaboration with manager Guillermo del Toro. P.T was thing of a objection of Kojima’s intent for that project. At conscionable a mates of hours long, P.T. is acceptable astir wholly wrong the confines of a azygous hallway successful a non-descript, American house, and is genuinely 1 of the astir terrifying games of each time.

Trapped successful a loop, you are forced to endure terrifying events connected each thigh of the house, specified arsenic the vigor recounting a gruesome murder, unimaginable horrors recovered successful the bathroom, and a blood-chilling shade stalking your each move. This self-contained teaser is truthful afloat of terrifying ideas that it’s genuinely a calamity that Kojima ne'er got a accidental to implicit Silent Hills. P.T., however, is truthful satisfying that adjacent though it tin hardly beryllium considered a afloat game, it inactive feels similar a implicit experience.

3. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Kojima famously said that determination was a accidental that Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty would ne'er beryllium released. Scheduled to deed shelves successful 2001, a fewer months aft the events of September 11, Kojima explained to Konami’s committee of directors the communicative of Metal Gear Solid 2 and, from his recollection, “they each turned pale”.

Set against a backdrop of authorities conspiracies, United States warfare profiteering, and presidents-turned cyborg warriors, Metal Gear Solid 2 is impervious that Kojima’s thematic obsessions with atomic proliferation, memes, and the military-industrial-complex aren’t conscionable for show. He adjacent goes arsenic acold arsenic to regenerate everyone’s favourite Solid Snake with newcomer Raiden to hammer location his points astir however the satellite operates nether the shadiness of duplicity, and you tin ne'er spot anyone to beryllium who they truly are (and besides due to the fact that Kojima truly did privation to present a younger playable quality to the series).

Metal Gear Solid 2 is specified an astronomical leap supra the archetypal Metal Gear Solid successful presumption of gameplay that it’s hard to judge the 2 games were released conscionable 3 years apart. It's Metal Gear Solid connected steroids acknowledgment to massively improved graphics that genuinely seizure Kojima’s cinematic intentions, and controls that yet springiness Snake and Raiden the due tools to beryllium the eventual stealth warriors.

2. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Metal Gear Solid 3 is considered 1 of the top games of each time, and rightly so. With the 3rd introduction successful his ever-popular series, Kojima took connected his biggest situation yet. Gone are the constrictive corridors, tankers and subject bases arsenic Metal Gear Solid 3 welcomes the unfastened jungles of the confederate USSR. Naked Snake, the codification sanction for the quality who’d yet spell connected to beryllium called Big Boss and our leader this clip around, is forced to brave harsh environments crawling with Soviet soldiers, execute exigency on-the-field archetypal aid, and devour immoderate creatures helium could drawback successful the chaotic (hence that subtitle). It was the eventual matrimony of stealth combat and survivalist wish-fulfilment that would spell connected to animate games similar Escape From Tarkov.

With Metal Gear Solid 3, Kojima created 1 of history’s champion tributes to James Bond. Snake’s ngo brings him look to look with disfigured villains, sees him autumn for a mysterious femme fatale, and is adjacent prefaced by a big, brassy taxable opus that’s a wide homage to 007’s champion intros. But portion it features a checklist of Bond’s cardinal tropes, there’s a heavy and emotionally resonant communicative beneath them all: Naked Snake is forced to face his erstwhile mentor, who defects to the Soviet Union to state herself with the certifiably insane Colonel Volgin. A treatise connected the planetary divisions caused by the Cold War and a continuation of his long-running anti-war themes, Metal Gear Solid 3 stands astatine the pinnacle of playability, storytelling, and method achievement.

1. Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid is the crippled that enactment Kojima connected the map. While the older Metal Gear games were lauded for their originative gameplay, 1998’s Metal Gear Solid connected PlayStation took that innovation and creativity to the adjacent level. At the time, its cinematic storytelling techniques were considered 2nd to nary (and adjacent by today’s standards, it remains special), its interactive movie-like presumption demonstrating Kojima’s emotion and knowing of cinema. The crippled of a peculiar ops worker sneaking into a distant subject basal to instrumentality down a stolen atomic limb whitethorn beryllium elemental compared to immoderate of the aboriginal games’ heavy lore wells, but it became an instant and enduring classic.

With Metal Gear Solid, Kojima’s bonzer skills arsenic a crippled developer are wide to see. Advanced stealth mechanics that made extended usage of force imaginativeness cones, a assortment of unsocial and ingenious brag battles, and uncovering superb surprises specified arsenic having your crippled controller “taken over” by Psycho Mantis are long-standing reminders that Kojima’s ideas astir however players tin interact with video games (and however video games tin interact with their players) were up of their time. In an epoch wherever truthful galore crippled developers were focused connected pushing the boundaries of graphics and gameplay, Kojima managed to basal caput and shoulders supra the rest, pushing the mean guardant successful ways fewer others could imagination of. With MGS, Kojima evolved however games look, play, archer stories, and ultimately, mature.

Metal Gear Solid is simply a existent masterpiece. It’s the crippled that created the blueprint for generations to come, and genuinely is Hideo Kojima’s Magnum Opus.

And that’s each Hideo Kojima crippled ranked. Disagree with our picks? Let america cognize which Kojima crippled is your favourite successful the comments below.

Matt Kim is IGN's Senior Features Editor.