https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/oct/26/metal-gear-solid-at-25-it-played-a-big-part-in-making-games-grow-up

Game developers, musicians and artists reflect on Hideo Kojima’s landmark political stealth-thriller on its 25th anniversary

For me, there are few games that encapsulate the turn of the millennium better than Metal Gear Solid. This month marks the 25th anniversary of its release on PlayStation in Japan, but it hit UK shelves a few months later in 1999, the same year as the first Matrix movie. While my school peers were mimicking Keanu and dodging invisible bullets, whispers reverberated around the playground of a PlayStation game that was somehow even cooler. You played a grizzled spy who snarled at you through the speakers. You took out helicopters, duelled with cyborg ninjas and spent a lot of time hiding under cardboard boxes. It was all exhilaratingly bizarre, and the hype seemed almost impossible to live up to.