if the original metal gear was ported to pc-e/tg-16?

[DragonmasterDan]

Agh, if this is true, then you make a very compelling argument that Metal Gear sold well!

Interesting.

Solid Snake was NES exclusive so this is accurate. But lots of games are sequelized without being monster sellers, especially in the 8-bit era when development costs were reasonably cheap.

[Black Tiger]

...

Since Metal Gear was so popular (especially in USA) they even made a NES exclusive sequel, before the real MSX2 sequel was made.

Agh, if this is true, then you make a very compelling argument that Metal Gear sold well!

Interesting.

Then why drop the "Metal Gear" title make it play so differently? Even a sequel to a genuine hit and well received game like The Adventure of Link has a very noticeable "ZELDA II" on the cover.

Ultra games existed soley as a loophole to saturate the market with NES games. They also developed NES titles instead of just localizing Famicom titles. The military theme probably had more to do with a second attempt to cash in with a Metal Gear bastardization.

Metal Gear sold well enough, as I stated early, but wasn't an influential hit on NES. The MSX versions didn't spawn a glut of look alikes either.

Look at how poorly the Dragon Warrior games sold (Nintendo resorted to literally giving away the massive surplus of unsold copies of the original) and how unpopular the genre was. There was always a modest market for niche games and the NES was such a massive success that a game didn't have to be a hit to be profitable. Especially for a publisher as prolific and with such close ties to Nintendo of Japan.

Does anyone honestly believe that Metal Gear played a major part in the success of the NES? If not, then how was a late rehash supposed help the TG-16 defeat both the NES and Genesis?

[Punch]

The NES Metal gear is not too bad besides the random forest mazes (which were more of a shortcut cheat since there are some buildings that are linked with multiple paths and the game plays a sound effect when you enter through the correct path), buggy floor traps and some minor issues. Source: I've neaten the NES and MSX versions.
I'm not sure if Metal Gear would have had made ANY difference at all to the turbob buy a proper port would surely be one of those fondly remembered games. Plus I think that MG2 Solid Snake would be a better fit to the system's capabilities

By the way, I highly recommend both games, get the JD or Legacy collection on PS3, MG1&2 is included with MGS3 just like in the PS2 version, plus the ports of MGS2, 3 and Peace Walker are great!

[ShadowKitty777]

I agree. I would also say Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake (also on those collections) Is worth checking out, more-so than 1 actually.

It's a newer and more polished game. But for those of us who grew up in the US and played the NES original this isn't as easy of a pick over the original.

Really? o.o
(I grew up in the US and played the NES one when it came out as well, still have my complete copy)
I could see the appeal for the nostalgia factor on the NES one, but those MSX versions were pretty spiffy in my personal opinion. Enough so that I actually sealed up my copies of the original, and put them on my Metal Gear Collection shelf.

[Pokun]

...

Since Metal Gear was so popular (especially in USA) they even made a NES exclusive sequel, before the real MSX2 sequel was made.

Agh, if this is true, then you make a very compelling argument that Metal Gear sold well!

Interesting.

Then why drop the "Metal Gear" title make it play so differently? Even a sequel to a genuine hit and well received game like The Adventure of Link has a very noticeable "ZELDA II" on the cover.

Good point!
I think the reason it plays so differently is simply because it wasn't made by the same people.

Does anyone honestly believe that Metal Gear played a major part in the success of the NES?

Of course not. It was just one among many successful Famicom games.

Look at how poorly the Dragon Warrior games sold (Nintendo resorted to literally giving away the massive surplus of unsold copies of the original) and how unpopular the genre was. There was always a modest market for niche games and the NES was such a massive success that a game didn't have to be a hit to be profitable. Especially for a publisher as prolific and with such close ties to Nintendo of Japan.

I thought Nintendo of America gave away DW1 games as a promotion in order to introduce the American market to RPGs (ironically enough considering USA is the place of origin of the genre), and that Dragon Warrior was a moderate success in USA until DW VII. It was apparently not successful enough since Enix withdrew their American office before the completion of DW V (the best game in the series IMHO).

[esteban]

NOA was expecting Dragon Warrior to sell legitimately.

Black_Tiger is correct...when NOA realized that Dragon. Warrior was not selling, they swallowed their mistake and had a huge promotion.

My friend got into NES late, but I was actually jealous because some of the best NES games I ever played were with him, at his house, since I had sold all my NES gear to fund 16-bit gear.

It was obvious, even to high school kids, that NOA was "trying to salvage" the situation.

The first issue of Nintendo Power had mentioned the huge popularity of DW in Japan, so the seed had been planted for lots of nerds like me.

The average consumer, however, was not immediately (nor particularly) intrigued by DW (I myself had played many far more sophisticated games on Apple and IBM PC's....plus I played pen and paper D&D, so I was in nerd territory), but most of my friends were "mainstream" (relative to the time) enthusiasts, who enjoyed more action-oriented fare. 

[Pokun]

Europe was even worse than America, we got almost zero traditional RPGs for Nintendo consoles (RPGs for computers and Sega consoles existed though) due to Nintendo of Europe not being interested in anything but action games.

I know Swedish Nintendo wanted to bring in FF VI but Nintendo of Europe said no, so no PAL version was made. The first Final Fantasy in Europe was FF VII and the first DQ was VIII!

[Black Tiger]

Even though Dragon Warrior felt like an old and small game by the time Nintendo began giving it away and even though I had already played through it as a rental... it was still a physical game and an RPG. So I renewed my Nintendo Power subscription for two more years and gave a copy to my buddy. I believe that the laminated spell guide only came with the giveaway copies. But it may have just seemed that way at the time.

[Gentlegamer]

Dragon Warrior is terrible. I got a free copy from Nintendo Power and since I was a big D&D nerd, I thought it would be awesome.

I ended up trading it to someone for Ninja Gaiden II. I win!

[Pokun]

I love the game (Japanese version at least). The world, music and characters are fantastic, but it's extremely simple and a bit repetitive. Though the simplicity is part its charm, I can see one who expects more of it being disappointed.

[esteban]

I love the game (Japanese version at least). The world, music and characters are fantastic, but it's extremely simple and a bit repetitive. Though the simplicity is part its charm, I can see one who expects more of it being disappointed.

I enjoyed Dragon Warrior, as well. It's just a shame that I couldn't play it when I first read about it!

[seieienbu]

I thought the first Dragon Warrior was well designed and charming.  You were given exactly enough information to figure out what to do/where to go without being spoon-fed anything.  The enemy designs looked really cool and it had a great soundtrack. 

As a kid I died an awful lot when I first tried to play it until I learned how to survive in the world and not stretch myself too thin during excursions into the wilderness.  Being able to gain a few levels and then be able to stray further from home and eventually explore the whole of the world seemed really grand to me in 3rd grade when I first played it.

When I played it, I didn't care for Dragon Warrior 2 as much.  Meanwhile, I still think that both Dragon Warrior 3 and 4 are two of the best games on the NES. 

[Arkhan]

Even if you have a raging tard-boner for the shitty NES one, at first glance, MG2: Solid Snake is 100% more f*ck-yeah inducing than NES Metal Gear will ever be.

[ShadowKitty777]

Even if you have a raging tard-boner for the shitty NES one, at first glance, MG2: Solid Snake is 100% more f*ck-yeah inducing than NES Metal Gear will ever be.

Yessssssssss 

I kinda do have a (tiny) soft spot for DW though.... >_>   

[Pokun]

Even if you have a raging tard-boner for the shitty NES one, at first glance, MG2: Solid Snake is 100% more f*ck-yeah inducing than NES Metal Gear will ever be.

Exactly!

When I played it, I didn't care for Dragon Warrior 2 as much.  Meanwhile, I still think that both Dragon Warrior 3 and 4 are two of the best games on the NES.

I agree. The second game is probably among the weakest in the series. It's much longer than the first game and still quite repetitive. The third and fourth game however are the prime examples of Famicom RPGs. They were ahead of their time.