Top 7 Best Hideo Kojima Games To Play in 2019

Updated:

04 Aug 2020

Here Are The Best Hideo Kojima Games

If you follow the gaming business even a little bit, then I’m willing to bet all the money in my imaginary pant’s pocket that you know the biggest head on the mount Rushmore of this industry.

Some critics might say his head is a bit too big.

That head would be the never aging head of Japanese video game producer, Hideo Kojima.

Hideo Kojima is the founder of Kojima Productions and the mind behind one of the best franchises in gaming

Arriving on the scene in 1986 as a designer of Konami’s MSX home computer division, Hideo has definitely made his mark on gaming.

Regardless of your personal feelings about him, his many contributions to this genre of entertainment are undeniable.

But reading these words that I’m sitting here typing obviously won’t be enough to convince you of Hideo’s greatness.

Talk is cheap! Afterall… Instead I’ll show you 7 of his current best games so you can personally experience the greatness that is Hideo Kojima!

Starting us off is:

7. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES gameplay

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes was originally just a mission for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain but was released as a standalone prelude for it instead. Something for the fans to play until the full game was released.

The stealth-based game takes place in 1975 just a few months after the events of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

It’s story follows Big Boss on a rescue mission to Cuba to free Cipher agent Paz Ortega Andrade and a child soldier by the name of Ricardo Chico Valenciano Libre.

Ground Zeroes got a lot of praise upon release. But the biggest criticism of it was the fact that it was really short despite costing fans $40.

This criticism even got Hideo’s attention, causing him to descend from the gaming heavens to deliver this message to the Metal Gear community. His message:

As Hideo said, don’t let the games short “clear time” fool you.

There’s plenty to do in this game. The mechanics make the game much easier than old titles, yet they’re still sophisticated and take getting used to.

This game is special because it gives the player a story AND offers them many different ways of going through that story. Imagine you’re crawling through an enemy Afghani militia base on a mission to take out their general which will deal a strong blow to their forces.

You make it past all the soldiers, UAV choppers, and light posts, collecting intel along the way.

You’re finally able to get the bases leader alone and in a chokehold from behind before he even knows what happened.

Now he’s beginning to panic, so you have to make this quick.

You’re finished interrogating him for intel that’ll surely be useful to you. So now it’s time to decide, do you kill him… or do you let him live and recruit him to potentially be one of the finest officers in your private army.

Well my friend, that choice is yours.

Experience the creation of Diamond Dogs and uncover the secrets of Motherbase in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

There's plenty of fun and Easter eggs to experience in Ground Zeroes

6. Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater

METAL GEAR SOLID 3: SNAKE EATER gameplay

You’ve heard of this game so I won’t say very much here… BUT… I understand that some of the people reading this may have either been born yesterday or have been living under a rock… A rock at the bottom of the ocean that is.

Like seriously even my neighborhood earthworm that stays underground 75% of the year has played Snake Eater. Well maybe that’s a stretch… but seriously if completing this game isn’t on your list of accomplishments, it should be.

It needs to be.

Especially if you call yourself a gamer!

Here’s a quick rundown of the game that journalists consistently rank among the greatest video games of all time: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater released in late 2004 and is the 5th Metal Gear game directed by Hideo Kojima.

It’s a prequel to the previous installments in the franchise.

The story takes place in 1964 and stars FOX agent “Naked Snake” who goes on a mission in Soviet Russia.

This mission involves rescuing a Russian rocket scientist, sabotaging an unconventional superweapon and killing a former boss.

Snake eater sets itself apart from other games with its seemingly endless amount of stealth options.

You can choose specific face paints and disguises that camouflage you among even the most dangerous of enemy territories. If you want to get even more creative, you also have the ability to poison the food of enemy soldiers and even distract them with adult magazines!

Who wouldn’t love that!?

While the gameplay is awesome what makes MGS3 really great is its story. The campaign explores the background of characters who were antagonists in the previous games and totally shifts your perspective on things.

Personally my favorite part of the campaign is seeing a young, gunning Ocelot.

MGS3 shows us exactly how his relationship with Big Boss began. It also gives us an insight into his backstory.

Best of all, we see Ocelot’s spectacular display of gun slinging and marksmanship.

These are some of the most staple scenes in the Metal Gear Solid franchise so you’ll want to check them out.

Metal Gear Solid 3 has some of the most legendary moments in the franchise. Above is a gentlemen's showdown between a young Snake and Ocelot.

Metal Gear Solid 3 offers a variety of ways to stealth behind enemy soldiers and take them captive.

5. Metal Gear Solid HD Collection

METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY HD gameplay

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is simply a collection of remastered Metal Gear Solid games.

These games include Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

They were released for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Playstation Vita.

This port allows a new age of fans to play the vintage games they probably wouldn’t have otherwise been exposed to.

It also gives the longtime fans a way to enjoy some of their favorite games without the graphics being so…Uhhh... “outdated” to say the least.

Yup, this new version of the game supports 720p. So when you decide to play these classics, It’ll be in your best interest to get the HD version.

Don’t worry, all the gameplay and mechanics are the exact same from the older games so you don’t have to worry about missing that original MGS feel.

Metal gear Solid 1 and 2 aren’t really necessary to understand the franchise anyway but they’re definitely nice to play for the overall tone.

The graphics in Metal Gear Solid HD Collection definitely enhances the experience of our classic Metal Gear games.

Metal Gear Solid HD combines the best of both worlds. That vintage Metal Gear feel with new age graphics!

4. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS gameplay

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots released exclusively for the Playstation 3 on June 12, 2008.

It takes place 5 years after Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and follows the story of a rapidly aged Solid Snake.

Solid Snake is the son(kinda) of the legendary soldier and protagonist, Big Boss.

In this game he’s on one last mission to kill his longtime enemy, Liquid Snake.

You want to know what the plot twist is? Liquid snake is his “brother”. Crazy huh?

Metal Gear Solid 4 brought a new experience. Not just to the franchise, but to the entire gaming world.

An experience that forced even those who had no intention of getting a PS3 to go out and buy one. Just to play that one game.

The MGS4 story is like none other. It answers a lot of questions fans had about the previous games.

Guns of the Patriots is also the 2nd to last game in the franchise story wise.

Thanks to this we get a firsthand experience of the consequences of the choices made in the previous MGS titles.

There is a ton of fan service in this game so it’s advised that you’re familiar with the franchise before playing this game. You should also know that MGS4 doesn’t shine just because of its story mode. Its gameplay deserves just as much praise. Heck, maybe even more.

Without spoiling too much about the game, MGS4 has some of the best boss battles, a unique weapons bartering system, and great mobility mechanics.

It also offers a lot of ways to engage in close quarters combat. MGS4’s CQC system really pays attention to detail and variety. You can choose to sneak up on an enemy soldier and throw him to the ground before he even knows what hit him.

Or you can take a frontal approach and hold him at gunpoint while you frisk him for valuables such as ammo, intel, and collectibles.

Once you’ve confiscated the soldier’s possessions you can send him tumbling to the floor with a swift punch to his “royal jewels”.

Doesn’t that just sound like a fantastic time?

Get up close and personal to enemy hostiles with Metal Gear Solid 4's exceptional close quarters combat(CQC) system.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots takes place in a more modern war zone than it's predecessors

3. Metal Gear Rising Revengeance

METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE gameplay

Now, we’ll take things, to the future!

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a Metal Gear spin off that takes place 4 years after Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots.

This makes it the latest game in the franchise story wise.

It follows the former child soldier named Raiden. Raiden was present in former MGS games as a human, but in MGRR he’s a cyborg.

A cyborg bent on stopping a cyborg terrorist group called Desperado Enforcement LLC.

Revengeance is much different from the other Metal Gear games because it’s a hack and slash. This means it relies less on stealth and tactics and more on head to head combat.

I mean why sneak up on your enemies when you can just dismember them limb from limb? You may feel iffy about there being a hack and slash Metal Gear game and that’s understandable.

I mean the series is known mainly for it’s stealth and shooting gameplay. How could they possibly pull off a game that revolves around swordplay? Seems out of their element. Well… Guess what? They did it! That’s right!

Kojima paused the games development until it’s sword based gameplay could be developed properly.

The game was eventually developed by PlatinumGames who, might I say, did a phenomenal job.

As a result, we have a game with an aggressive but silky smooth combat system.

Metal Gear Rising’s mechanics give you the freedom to maul enemy cyborgs with a combination of heavy and light attacks, aerial juggles, stuns, kicks, and other unique attacks.

On top of that there are special modes like “blade mode” and ripper mode that give our protagonist Raiden some spectacular abilities.

If you’re into games with constant action that help you blow off steam or undwind after a long day, then Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance should definitely be on your future play list.

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance allows you to do unspeakable damage to your evil doing enemies

Push yourself in the unforgettable boss fights that Metal Gear Rising has to offer!

2. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOW gameplay

Did you think that Hideo was only good at making Metal Gear games? I hope not!

You’ll see that he’s not a one trick stealth-pony with this game “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” Castelvania: Lords of Shadow is an adventure video game set in Southern Europe during the Middle Ages.

The story is about a guy named Gabriel Belmont whose main mission is to defeat an evil organization known as the “Lords of Shadow”.

Well, after his real main mission anyway.

You see, Gabriel’s main concern is reviving his dead wife Marie with something called “God’s mask”.

Without spoiling the game too much, you should know that things don’t go very smoothly for Gabriel.

He ends up making choices towards the end that we’re inconceivable to him in the beginning.

Play as Gabriel Belmonte and go on an adventure to bring his wife from the dead!

Castlevania has all types of uncanny creatues for you to wage combat against!

1. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN gameplay

So, You’ve made it to number 1... That’s some fancy reading. You’re pretty good!

For you less fortunate readers that haven’t experienced Metal Gear Solid, that was a reference that’s popular among fans of the franchise.

If you liked that then you’ll be happy to know that Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has an abundance of allusions like that.

There’s plenty of references in there that’ll either put a cheeky smile on your face or just make you laugh out loud. Just one of the many reasons it’s the top Kojima game to play right now!

The Phantom Pain was released on September 1st 2015 and immediately received critical success. MGSV takes place in 1984. This means it happens nine years after ground Zeroes and 10 years before Metal Gear 1.

We follow “Big Boss” on a revenge mission after the people who destroyed mother base years ago. We also get to see the creation of a new base for the newly formed private militia called Diamond Dogs.

In most games the gameplay is the icing on the cake of a good story. It’s a part of the reason we go back and play those classic games despite the graphics being outdated. Right?

But honestly in MGSV the gameplay is just so robust that the story, while very good, isn’t all the game will be remembered for.

The smooth as butter mechanics, variety of gameplay options, and movie esque graphics make this game Fun! With a capital F!

I personally think it’s the best in the series.

You even have a multitude of choices in the average stealth scenario of being in a crouching position behind an enemy hostile.

These choices include:

Shooting them with a sleep dart that renders them incapacitated for a long period of time
Putting them in a rear naked chokehold to interrogate them for intel
Killing them
Having your dog kill them
Having your allied sniper kill them
Killing them yourself to cause turmoil in the enemy camp
Extracting them to work for you.
And much more!

If you love an open world game that also leads you along a main story, then MGSV is the game for you. Not to mention it has a fun online mode so you can share the experience with your friends. If having a ton of options are your thing, then you should definitely make an effort to play this game.

Metal Gear Solid V allows you to Sneak up on enemies and make quick work of them in more ways than you can count

The Story in Metal Gear Solid V is nothing to be ignored. This scene with the Boss and Skullface provides amazing dialogue and a lesson that transcends videogames.

Bonus: Death Stranding:

DEATH STRANDING gameplay and trailers

What do Babies, black sludge, and men in hazmat suits have in common?

You guessed it! Nothing!

Well besides the fact that these are all present in the trailers we’ve gotten for Kojima Productions new game, Death Stranding.

Kojima fans were all a bit confused after seeing the trailers for his newest title. And that confusion is totally warranted.

The trailers are pretty crazy and indirect. There’s only been a few trailers released to the public. And not many details have been released, so a lot of what is said about it is simply guesswork.

Luckily though, Hideo was gracious enough to share some information with the fans about it.

On his Twitter, he states that Death Stranding will come out “before the Tokyo Olympics and before the new Akira” Not an exact date but the Tokyo Olympics take place in the summer of 2020; so be on the lookout for an announcement between now and then.

Regarding the details of the game, Hideo said “I’m trying to make something different.

How to show that, how to have people see that, that’s something I’m trying to figure out… Games started over 40 years ago with arcades. When the player dies, it’s game over. You continue, and time goes back to before you die. You can die as many times as you want, but you always go back to a little bit before you die.

That was a mechanic made specifically for putting in coins, and it hasn’t changed since then.

One of the themes of this game is life and death. So I want people to realize that when they die in the game, that isn’t the end… At that point, you’re not dead or alive.

It’s the equivalent of that screen that says Continue?’ and a counter ticking down towards zero.”

Basically Hideo is making a game that changes how death has been used in the traditional video game formula. Dying never takes you out of the game. Instead it’ll take you to a world after your death. I don’t know about you, but this sounds awesome.

I’m really curious as to how it’ll be pulled off. Due to his departure from Konami, the whole gaming world has their eyes on Hideo.

Everyone is waiting to see if he’ll live up to expectations and win the Konami “breakup” or if he'll fail, proving that Konami was right to let him go.

Lots of people are skeptical but personally, I have faith in Hideo.

And so do his fans.