A Metal Gear primer

So let's say you're excited, interested, or even mildly curious about the pending release of Metal Gear Solid 4, but you never got around to playing some of the titles in the series. Heck, let's say you've never played any of the games, but all the ballyhoo about "OctoCamo," new reconnaissance toys, and movie-length cutscenes has you thinking it's finally time to jump into the Metal Gear universe. Let's also assume real life prevents you from running out and buying all six previous games and playing them non-stop before MGS4 comes out in 11 days.

Well, my friend, you have a problem. Of all the franchises that have attached a story to a video game, none have done so with more (and often maddening) intricacy than the Metal Gear games. What's what and who's who matter a lot in the world of Metal Gear, and while it's possible to enjoy the stealth and combat without knowing anything about the characters or story, Mr. Kojima really expects us to have been paying attention all these years, and MGS4 will undoubtedly reward those who have - at least those who are able to make sense of it all.

But don't worry, my friend, the Brainy Gamer is here to help. :-) I've assembled a modest Metal Gear primer intended to get you up to speed and fill in all those nasty gaps. Here's what you'll find:

1. A chronology of the series with brief blurbs on each game. The list is arranged in ascending order by the year in which each game is set, not by the release dates of the games.
2. A complete compilation of cutscenes for each game. Clicking play will initiate a playlist that automatically strings together all the movies in the order they occur in each game. Obviously, these are full of spoilers, but that's sort of the whole point in this case, isn't it? Watch these, and you'll understand the narrative arc of the series. Possibly. I mean, it depends how you define "understand."

So go to it, intrepid Metal Gear catcher-upper! Special thanks to Hcloud 13 who assembled the cutscene compilations on his YouTube channel. The game descriptions appear courtesy of the "MGS History" section of the official Metal Gear Solid 4 site.

Remember, MGS4 drops on June 12. Be like Snake and be prepared!

Update: Fans of the Metal Gear Solid games may also enjoy Chris Doucette's wonderful webcomic "The Last Days of FOXHOUND" which recently concluded after 5 years of creative and clever work. Gametrailers also has a 3-part Metal Gear Retrospective which will take you through MGS2.

Click here for the Metal Gear primer.