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Konamiexisted as an arcade maker before leaping to consoles and creating some of the most memorable games on the NES, includingCastlevaniaandMetal Gear. They got along great with Nintendo until the first 3D era, when they started to support Sony more on the PS1. It was a trend many Japanese companies followed during this generation because the PS1 was the new hotness, and the N64 just didn’t have the same pizazz that the NES or SNES did.
Beyond the PS1, Konami helpeddecorate PlayStation consoleswith unforgettable experiences. Let’s try to figure outwhich Konami game reigns supreme above others on each of the seven current PlayStation platforms.
Konami came out in strong support of the PS1 with four really good choices for games on the platform, includingMetal Gear Solid, Silent Hill,andSuikoden 2.Castlevania: Symphony of the Nightis a step above them all, though, because the experience helped create an entire genre. How many games have that claim to fame or have a place in meme history with cheesy lines like, “What is a man…a miserable pile of secrets.”
Symphony of the Nightis also an infinitely replayable game on any platform it appears on, thanks to its RPG mechanics and deep gear system. The game may not have cutting-edge graphics, but it more than makes up for that withits genre-defining Metroidvania gameplay.
There are twoMetal Geargames clashing for their place at the top of Konami;s PS2 days, including other Konami games likeCastlevania: Lament of Innocence, Silent Hill 2,andZone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner.Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eaterwins out as not only the best Konami game on PS2, but for many, as the best entry in the series. This was the game where Hideo Kojima proved that Big Boss worked just as well as a protagonistas Solid Snake.
As the sequels went on, players could see why Big Boss had his downfall in the originalMetal Gear. Beyond the gripping narrative, this PS2 game had a cool camouflage system and inventive boss fights, and it squeezed the PS2’s power for everything it had.
The PSP might be the best-supported system as far asMetal Geargames go, betweenMetal Gear Solid: Portable Opsand its expansion, bothMetal Gear Acidgames, and even a motion-based pseudo-remake ofMetal Gear Solid. Then there was the cherry on top:Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. It was the perfect portable experience with short missions and a gameplay twist on Nintendo’sPokemongames.
Instead of capturing cute critters, players could go out and recruit soldiers for Mother Base. Beyond that,Peace Walkerfelt like a fully-fledged numbered sequel, not just a throwaway spinoff, thanks toBig Boss’sgripping backstory.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriotshad a lot of great things going for it, andCastlevania: Lords of Shadowwas an interesting idea for a reboot. However, there’s nothing quite like the over-the-top nature ofMetal Gear Rising: Revengeance,between its gameplay mechanics and narrative.
How manyMetal Geargames have allowed players to literally slice through Metal Gears before or jam out to fast metal? It was a brilliant collaboration between Konamiand PlatinumGames that madeRaiden an even cooler cyborg ninja than before. The only downside is that this spinoff was never given a proper sequel or even a remaster, despite retaining its sterling reputation to this day.
The PS Vita had almost no support from Konami, and so this top pick may be controversial.Silent Hill: Book of Memoriesdoes not make sense, as it was a weirdDiablo-like dungeon crawlerinstead of a moody horror game. It didn’t match up with the rest of the series, but that doesn’t make it bad. Years late,r fans and critics alike have come to appreciate what the game does well instead of what it wasn’t.
It should be noted that theMetal Gear Solid HD Collectionwas a good collection that worked well on the PS Vita, and it includedMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyandMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. However, unlike the console versions, it was missingMetal Gear Solid: Peace Walkerin the package, which is just not right, and a collection doesn’t seem like the proper way to celebrate a company’s contribution to a system.
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom PainwasHideo Kojima’s last big gameat Konami before leaving due to creative differences and starting his own studio. It could be said that the game remains unfinished, at least to Kojima’s standards, but at launch it was still a remarkable experience.
It took all thoseMetal Gear Solid: Peace Walkerideas and made them better, from the CQC mechanics to the Fulton balloon system. Additionally, the open-world environments encouraged players to be more creative with their stealth tactics. It was a solid (pun intended) way for Kojima to go out, and it also made for a good final chapter for the misunderstood one-eyed antihero, Big Boss.
The fate of the PS5 has yet to be determined, but so far there have been some good Konami games likeSuikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster, Gate Rune, and Dunan Unification Wars. Plus,Silent Hill fandMetal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eatershow promise in terms of upcoming titles. However, right now, the remake ofSilent Hill 2is far and away the best Konami game on the system.
Silent Hill 2was already the best game in the series, between its haunting story of James Sunderland trying to find his deceased wife among weirdos in an abandoned town and its nightmarish yet iconic monsters. Bloober Team did a good job of remaking a classic for Konami, preserving the integrity of the original while going a step above to give the game its signature horror mark.
