Konami Holding's Corporation, or better known as just Konami, is Japan's own version of Electronic Arts; at least, that's what it has become for many fans of a franchise whose name rhymes with "kettlerear squalid."
Still, were it not for Konami, the video game industry might not have been graced with Hideo Kojima's genius and vision. After all,Konami allowed such a game franchise to blossom...for a time.
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Suffice to say, Konami's best game franchise remainsMetal Gear and its countless confusing titles. That isn't to say Konami's success relies solely on Kojima's video games; when not making (or ruining) theMetal Geargames, they're signing up big deals with football stars and corporations to make yearly soccer games. Together with theMetal Gearfranchise, they make up Konami's roster of its best video games for the 2010s, according to Metacritic.
10 PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2015 (PS4) - 82
By the timePro Evolution Soccer 2015got released on multiple platforms, there has already been 13 of them. Along with theFIFAvideo games, thePES (Pro Evolution Soccer)franchise is theNBA Liveversion of football or soccer. At least one game gets released every year and the changes are rather minuscule.
However, critics still apparently love this franchise to death as they keep giving them decent scores regardless of how the actual player base likes them. InPro Evolution Soccer 2015's case, it was also seen as a decent game in the community's eyes, averaging a user score of 7.1.
Released in 2013,Metal Gear Rising: Revengeanceis an electrifying spin on the standardMetal Gearfranchise. It's also part of the series' canon, taking place in the far future of theMetal Gearuniverse where Raiden seems to be the only good guy left that can sort of save the world.
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Instead of being a stealth game like anything else withMetal Gearin its title,Revengeanceis a straight-up action-adventure game with an overpowered protagonist. Despite the change of scenery for theMetal Gearfranchise, both the critics and the community like this game enough to grant it similar scores.
8 PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2018 (PS4) - 83
Pro Evolution Soccer 2018is much like its2015predecessor (who'd have thought). It's also decently-rated by the critics and liked enough bya sizable percentage of the player base. Critics in the meantime, have laudedPro Evolution Soccer 2018for changing its pace to something more representative of a real-life soccer game.
This game alsobrought backRandom Selection Match that shufflesthe players of select teams or leagues to create a random lineup. This makes for a fun way to play the game in case you're bored with your usual selection or lineup.
7 CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOW (PS3) - 85
Castlevania: Lords of Shadowis a glaring outlier in this list given thateverything else iseitherMetal GearorPro Evolution Soccer. Still, anyone who has ever played this old gem from 2010 will know that it deserves to be on this list and its critics seem to agree. For Castlevaniafans,Lords of Shadowis digital justice done for the franchise.
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Before this one came along,Castlevaniaonly existed in 2D sprites or barely passable 3D games for Nintendo's consoles. Then,Lords of Shadowsuddenly happened, and Konami showed everyone howCastlevaniais done for the modern generation of gaming hardware.
6 PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2016 (PS4) - 87
Here we go again, more of the same thing. Even so,Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 hasits own undeniable charm in the eyes of the critics. According to some of them, while the game is a little too similar to the previous iterations, PES 2016has something inexplicable that will make it hard to put down for players.
In terms of gameplay,PES 2016doesn't have anything all that new or revolutionary; however, the new graphics and physics make it a must-buy for the fans of such games. Additionally, the artificial intelligence of computer opponents and players received noticeable improvements. All those little things add up, though the community for the game disagrees wholeheartedly with the critics since the user score only amounted to a measly 6.0.
5 PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2017 (XONE) - 87
Like the2016version,Pro Evolution Soccer 2017is a mixed bag when it comes to users and critics. The critics generously regard the game as a good title with an 87 percent positive rating. Meanwhile, the regular players of the game only think it as an average title, which is often the case with many sports games these days.
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The2017version improved the gameplay, mainly thanks to the new A.I. Moreover, the developers included a new story mode for the game which best highlights the stunning accuracy of the graphics engine, particularly the players' faces.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walkeris a hidden gem that was initially limited only to Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP). However, it's one of the best and most memorableMetal Geargames to date despite the lower production value and the PSP-level graphics.
Peace Walker's writing and dramatic storytelling are one of the best in the franchise, especially since it follows the story ofMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.Additionally,Peace Walkeralso bridges the gap betweenSnake EaterandThe Phantom Pain,introducing an important new gameplaymechanic that would eventually be integrated into the latter.
3 METAL GEAR SOLID HD COLLECTION (X360) - 90
Can't get enoughMetal Gear? Konami understands and wants you to experience some of the best the franchise has to offer, all in remastered high-definition graphics and sound. Hence, in 2011, it introduced theMetal Gear Solid HD Collectionto the world.This is a collection ofMetal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.
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Those five entries are thedefinitiveMetal Geargames and it's only appropriate that their developers give them a shiny new coat of paint. The gameplay remains unchanged but the graphics of all five games were updated to run in 720p resolution and 60fps. More importantly, this collection also bringsPeace Walkerto consoles.
Turns outHD Collectionwasn't the ultimatecompilationKonami and Kojima could muster. That accolade goes toMetal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection. It was released in 2013 only on the PlayStation 3 (PS3) and contained a more complete package. Along with allthe games in theHD Collection,The Legacy Collectionalso hasMetal Gear Solid,Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions, andMetal Gear 4: Guns of the Patriots.
Basically, it includes all the canonically relevantMetal Geargames since the franchise began in 1987, from its humble 2D beginnings all the way to 2010'sPeace Walker.It's a complete (but still confusing) tour for theMetal Geargames released by 2013.
1 METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN (XONE) - 95
It may not be perfect or as Kojima ambitiously intended it to be, butMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Painis the biggest entry in the franchise. It marks thelicense's first venture into open-world design and also replaces the legendary David Hayter with Kiefer Sutherland as Snake (whether it was Big Boss or Venom).
From a critical and cinematic standpoint,The Phantom Painis a masterpiece. Its gameplay is no bore either and will definitely entertain anyone as a stealth open-world hybrid, even if it does feel a bit incomplete and rushed. It seems we all have Konami to thank for that.
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