Hideo Kojima has built a name for himself in the video game industry largely for his work with Konami fleshing out the Metal Gear Solid series. In recent years he’s branched out to do his own thing within the horror realm such as the short-lived P.T. demo for the canceled Silent Hills game, and his recent creation Death Stranding.
According to Metacritic, these are the best games that Hideo Kojima has ever worked on, whether he was a producer, director, writer, designer, or all the above. Spoiler alert, they're all from the critically acclaimed Metal Gear series.
10 Metal Gear Online (Metascore 81)
Built for the Playstation 3, Metal Gear Online was a game that Hideo Kojima acted as producer, director, writer, and designer. Critics said that while it was a little slow compared to series like Call Of Duty, it was a multiplayer shooter experience they could definitely get behind.
There were a few glitches, but nothing that seemed to affect gameplay too dramatically and many fans felt it was a lot of fun. The application process to get online was a bit annoying for some, but many critics felt it was more than worth the hassle.
9 Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Metascore 83)
Ported to the PC, critics felt that this was the best version of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance given its superior controls, DLCs, and enhanced graphics. Hideo Kojima acted solely as producer on this title and many felt his lack of influence on the story was part of its flaws.
The gameplay was solid, but it was a shorter game that took about five hours to complete and left players feeling like they hadn’t accomplished much. Critics had a lot of praise for the combo mechanics and gameplay, but it definitely needed more of Kojima’s talent.
8 Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (Metascore 85)
The first Metal Gear Solid title to be released for the Gamecube, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes was a hybrid of Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Many critics felt it was the best game to come out on the Gamecube and was a significant improvement from earlier games.
Kojima was both producer and writer for this title and many fans felt it showed in the intriguing storyline. Some felt the game was trying to be too innovative and that pulled from the player experience a bit, but it also gave it some defining characteristics that more than made up for it.
7 Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (Metascore 87)
Acting as the producer, Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops was a solid entry for the PSP that played surprisingly well on the controversial mobile device. Critics raved about how well the gameplay translated to the PSP without sacrificing any of what made Metal Gear Solid games great.
In fact most of the complaints regarding Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops had more to do with the limitations and flawed design of the PSP than the actual game itself. It would be interesting to see how well this game stands up with the better designed handhelds of today, but the fact that it was such an acclaimed game in spite of the device it was on says a lot.
6 Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (Metascore 89)
With this title Kojima contributed as producer, director, writer, and designer and critics wouldn’t have it any other way. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker was considered a great game for the PSP. Fans couldn’t get enough of the great singleplayer campaign that had hours upon hours of interesting gameplay and a compelling story of political intrigue and the thrills of espionage.
Once fans finished the singleplayer experience or if they suffered through the co-op version they could dive into the six player competitive modes. Again the fact that this was so heavily enjoyed while being played on the PSP is impressive.
5 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Metascore 91)
Building upon the success achieved with previous games Kojima used his talents as producer, director, writer and designer to create an excellent game for the Playstion 2. It was considered incredibly immersive with quality stealth gameplay and a solid story that pulled gamers along until the end.
Critics will admit the first few hours were a little boring, but once the train got some momentum it didn’t stop. There were some who felt like it pulled too heavily from Rambo 3 and the dialogue was cheesy in spots, but the gameplay was spot on.
4 Metal Gear Solid (Metascore 94)
The first Metal Gear game that Kojima wrote, produced, designed, and directed, Metal Gear Solid was the game that fans felt really took the Metal Gear series and turned it into something incredible. Introduced on the Playstation this game took critics' breaths away with innovative gameplay for its time and a great story.
It was a bit shorter than previous games and some felt the game focused more on telling a story at times then letting the player play the game, but many critics felt it was a great cinematic experience.
3 Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots (Metascore 94)
Once again Kojima displayed his skills as a producer, director, writer, and designer with the creation of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots for the Playastion 3. Upon release many thought it was supposed to be the last entry in the franchise and as a result many were upset with the story’s outcome.
In spite of this critics absolutely loved the gameplay and felt it was an incredible entry that they thought at the time ended things on a high note. Perhaps the greatest praise was that you didn’t need to play the dozen or so games before to understand and appreciate what was going on.
2 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Metascore 95)
Yet another title Kojima was producer, director, writer, and designer for, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain surprised many who thought the franchise was over. With a changed hero, darker storyline, and polished gameplay, many consider this to be the greatest entry in the franchise.
It had the best graphics, great gameplay, and managed to pay homage to the entire series while trying new things. This was a great game for the Xbox One.
1 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty (Metascore 96)
The most highly reviewed work Hideo Kojima was involved in was Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty for the Playstation 2. It should be no surprise that yet again he was the producer, director, writer, and designer for this title and is a large part of why it was so popular for critics.
It had a lot of replay potential thanks to a more open world and a more lenient script. The story wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but it delivers a lot of innovation to gameplay and really brought stealth-action to the forefront for many gamers.