article

For the original video game titled Metal Gear, see Metal Gear (video game). For the titular weapon, see Metal Gear (weapon).

Metal Gear is a series of stealth based games created by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami. In the series, the player takes control of an elite military operative (usually Solid Snake) repeatedly facing off against the latest incarnation of the eponymous superweapon, "Metal Gear", a bipedal walking tank with nuclear launching capabilities.

The games

The original Metal Gear debuted on the MSX2 computer in 1987 in Japan and Europe. This was one of the first games in which using stealth was emphasized over direct confrontation with the enemy. This was due to the MSX hardware's limitations when it came to handling more conventional action games. Many of the series' trademark aspects were already present, including the wireless communicator used by the player's character. The game was later released in North America, Europe and Japan on the NES/Famicom, selling over a million units.

A sequel, Solid Snake, was released in 1990 for the MSX2 in Japan only. Metal Gear 2 made numerous enhancements and additions to the game, including a deeper and more developed storyline, along with significant improvements in gameplay and AI. Many of its gameplay and plot elements were carried over to its sequel Metal Gear Solid.

The Metal Gear series made a comeback in 1998 in the form of Metal Gear Solid for the PlayStation, which adapted the gameplay of its predecessor Metal Gear 2 in 3D. While the first two Metal Gear titles were moderately successful, Metal Gear Solid was a huge hit, selling approximately 6.6 million units. This paved the way for similar stealth-based games and at the same time, established Metal Gear as one of Konami's hallmark series.

Metal Gear Solid was followed by a sequel Sons of Liberty for the PlayStation 2 in 2001, which sold over 7 million units.* Metal Gear Solid 2 was followed by Snake Eater in 2004, which was a prequel to the original Metal Gear, and sold approximately 3.75 million units. Both games provided further enhancements to the Metal Gear gameplay and expanded the scope of the Metal Gear storyline.

Guns of the Patriots is currently in development, with the tagline: "No Place to Hide." It is to be produced by Ken-ichiro Imaizumi and Hideo Kojima with Kojima also reprising his role as director along with co-director Shuyo Murata. The game will feature the return of several characters from Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Portable Ops, an interquel set between the events of Metal Gear Solid 3 and the original Metal Gear, is also currently in development for the PlayStation Portable.

The main games

The series consists of the following titles (in order of release) in its official canon:

Supplemental editions and remakes

Since the release of Metal Gear Solid, there have also been various "special edition" products, with additions, improvements, or brand new content. In Japan, the initial versions of the Metal Gear Solid titles usually feature the original Japanese voice acting, while the updated versions (Integral, Substance) contain the English dubbing from the North American version in their place. An exception was made with the Japanese version of Subsistence, which kept the original Japanese acting.

Additionally, the first Metal Gear Solid has been remade twice: First in a Konami/Silicon Knights coproduction titled The Twin Snakes (2004), a GameCube exclusive. This featured fully redubbed English voices, and all-new cutscenes, directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, best known for the Japanese cult action movie, Versus.

The second "remake" is actually a conversion of the comic series produced by IDW Publishing & Ashley Wood, titled Digital Graphic Novel (Metal Gear Solid: Bande Dessinée in Japan) and is currently scheduled to be released in 2006. Not a game in the traditional sense, it is comprised of scanned images from comic with added animations and sound effects. The player can scan objects featured in the artwork, which are then saved to a database. A trailer of the game has been posted on Kojima Productions' official website.

The updated versions are:

Other ports and versions

Shortly, after the release of the original MSX2 version of Metal Gear, Konami released a port of the game for Nintendo's Family Computer in Japan and its western counterpart, the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was the first Metal Gear game released in North America. The NES version was made without Hideo Kojima's involvement and contained several considerable changes, including different level designs and the removal of the Metal Gear mecha. Hideo Kojima has been quoted as saying the NES/Famicom port of Metal Gear was changed quite a bit from the original MSX version. It was made without his direction and he, himself, finds the game to be rather challenging. The NES version was the basis of two North American computer ports released in 1990, one for the IBM PC and the other for the Commodore 64. There was an ad for a Famicom version of Metal Gear for the Amiga by Ultra Games, but it was never released. The Famicom version was also released for the GameCube in emulated form as part of a Japanese bundle of The Twin Snakes.

In 2000, Konami released a version of the original Metal Gear Solid for PC ported by Microsoft Game Studios. This port was actually based on the Integral re-release and contained both the original game and the VR Missions disc. Metal Gear Solid was planned for Game.com, but was cancelled. A version of bleemcast! was made, allowing Metal Gear Solid to be played on the Sega Dreamcast.

In 2002, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance was ported from the PS2 to the Xbox (although, the latter was released first in North America and Europe). In 2003, it was then ported to the PC.

In 2004, mobile phone ports of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 based on the original MSX2 versions were released in Japan; they feature (among other changes) new game modes and items. Ports of these two versions are included in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. The original MSX version of Metal Gear was offered as download in emulated form for PC in Japan only. This was for their i-Revo services and was an exact copy of the Japanese MSX version.

Non-canonical sequels and spinoffs

In addition to the core titles listed above, a number of Metal Gear related titles have appeared through the course of the series that don't follow the main continuity.

The first of these titles was Snake's Revenge, a 1990 NES game that intended to be a sequel to the original Metal Gear. The game was produced in Japan and made specifically for the western market (a Japanese version was never released). Although Hideo Kojima was not involved in the production of the game, Kojima has stated that he liked the game and that it served as his inspiration for Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (which supplanted Snake's Revenge as the canonical sequel). Snake's Revenge was adapted into an LCD handheld game by Tiger Electronics.

The next non-canonical Metal Gear title was Ghost Babel, a Game Boy Color game released in 2000 and retitled Metal Gear Solid for its English language release. This game uses the storyline of Metal Gear as a backstory (while ignoring the events of Metal Gear 2 and Metal Gear Solid), picking up seven years after.

In 2004, Konami released Metal Gear Acid for the PlayStation Portable. Acid is not a traditional stealth game like the other Metal Gear titles, but instead is a strategy game which combines the stealth elements of the series and card-based interface. A sequel, Metal Gear Acid 2, was released in 2005 in Japan, and 2006 in America and Europe.

Cameos

Every so often characters, areas and music from the Metal Gear series appear as special characters in other games.

Tone and themes

Although the series has a war setting and is of the action genre, and thus contains large amounts of (occasionally graphic) violence, it has an underlying tone of pacifism. This is reflected throughout the series which has dealt with such themes as the futility of war, the stupidity of nuclear deterrence, the dangers of nuclear weapons in general, the psychological effects of warfare on children and adults, and the concept that enemies are only enemies in relative terms. This tone and some of these themes reflect the mindset of a large amount of the Japanese cinema made since the Hiroshima bombing of 1945.

The original Metal Gear, which was released in 1987 during the Cold War, dealt with the manipulation of soldiers by politicians of the East and West, countered by the concept of "Outer Heaven", a country without politics. Its sequel Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, which was released in 1990 at the end of the Cold War, expanded on this with themes regarding political intrigue, battlefield ethics, military history, and the negative effects of warfare.

The overarching theme of the Metal Gear Solid series is that of the "meme, gene, and scene" and how people are affected by these factors according to the game's producer Kojima — Metal Gear Solid deals with genetics and the moral implications of genetic engineering, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty deals with how identity can be affected by the philosophies of one's society (a 'meme') and the effects of censorship on society, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater deals with how the time and place one lives in (a 'scene') affects their identity and how politics change along with the times. *

The longest running theme of the series is the continued manipulation of soldiers by politicians, countered in the series by a concept called "Outer Heaven". The original main villain, Big Boss, attempted to establish a purely military nation run by mercenaries solely for mercenaries. The following villains felt they shared this ideal, coming up with new ways to create this so-called country without politics. Recently, the series has shown Big Boss in prequel games as the protagonist: a mercenary that is continually manipulated and forced through subsequent tragedies for political gain.

"Outer Heaven" has been attempted in many forms. Big Boss attempted to build such an 'ideal' state in Southern Africa in Metal Gear and Central Asia in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Liquid Snake spoke of turning a remote Aleutian island into a sovereign mercenary state in Metal Gear Solid. Solidus attempted to free Manhattan from "the Patriots" or "the La-li-lu-le-lo" in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. In Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, "Outer Heaven" is a parent company for private military companies that employ thousands of soldiers without a country.

While every attempt to secure an "Outer Heaven" immediately results in violence, the series balances the argument with politicians continually throwing mercenaries and soldiers to the wind for personal or political gain. In Metal Gear Solid, the game's protagonist is purposely infected with a bio weapon because he was expected to fail as well as repeatedly lied to about the nature of his mission. In Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, the main protagonist was taken from being a child soldier and inducted into a non-existent covert ops group complete with artificial intelligence stand-ins for commanding officers and loved ones. The prequel game Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater shows Big Boss and his mentor's dialogue over the subject of loyalty to a fickle and temporary government while carrying out missions that only benefit politicians at the cost of soldiers minds, bodies, hearts, and futures.

Adaptations to other media

Novelization

A novel based on the original Metal Gear was published in 1989 as a part of Scholastic's Worlds of Power lineup of novelizations created by FX Nine based on third-party NES games. It was written by Alexander Frost. The Metal Gear novelization is not based on the game's actual storyline (as Kojima was not involved in the production of the book), but rather on Konami of America's reinterpretation of the plot (as depicted on the game's manual). The book takes even further liberties by giving Solid Snake the name of Justin Halley (a fact already made dated by Metal Gear Solid) and by changing the name of Snake's unit from FOXHOUND to the "Snake Men". Since the books were aimed at younger readers, Snake doesn't kill anyone and only uses his handgun once to destroy a lock (the book's cover was airbrushed to omit Snake's gun). The novel also provided gameplay tips within its own narration.

Radio drama

A radio drama based on the original Metal Gear Solid aired in Japan from 1998 to 1999 as part of Konami's syndicated clud DB program. Directed by Shuyo Murata and written by Motosada Mori, the serial lasted over 18 weekly installments spanning three story arcs. The entire series was available on two separate CDs (currently out of print).**

The series serves as an alternate continuation to the events of Shadow Moses, with Solid Snake, Meryl Silverburgh, Mei Ling and Roy Campbell going on further missions as FOXHOUND operatives (Mei Ling and Meryl are depicted wearing a BDU and a sneaking suit respectively), although the stories are not considered part of the mainstream Metal Gear canon. The Japanese voice actors from the game (Akio Otsuka, Kyoko Terase, Takeshi Aono and Houko Kuwashima) reprised their roles for the series, while new characters are introduced as well.

Comics

A comic book adaption of the original Metal Gear Solid was published by IDW Publishing in 2004. Written by Kris Oprisko and illustrated by Ashley Wood. The series is comprised of 12 issues and has been collected in two trade paperbacks. A comic book adaptation of Sons of Liberty is currently being published with the writing handled by Alex Garner. The artist remains the same. It is currently up to its sixth issue as of June 2006.

Film

Rumors of films based on the Metal Gear series have frequently surfaced, although none has been publicly announced. In 2004, Hideo Kojima was quoted to have said that, "Things one can express in a game are different of those in a movie...It would have to be a very different script, almost a different story".

Before official announcments had been made, the internet was rampant with rumours that controversial filmmaker Uwe Boll was set to direct, rumours that were met with varying degrees of horror from fans.

On May 1, 2006, Hideo Kojima confirmed rumors that a Metal Gear Solid movie is in the works, although a date of release is currently unknown. *. Kojima has also stated that Uwe Boll would not be directing. In a recent interview, Kojima said he would like Viggo Mortensen as Snake, but whether this will actually happen is unknown. It is also mentioned that David Hayter could possibly write the screenplay. For more information see the full Metal Gear Movie article.

Characters

The main focus of the first two Metal Gear games for the MSX dealt with rivarly between protagonist Solid Snake, a rookie member of FOXHOUND, and antagonist Big Boss, who is initially introduced as the commanding officer of FOXHOUND in the original Metal Gear, but is later revealed to be the leader of the South African fortress of Outer Heaven. In the following game, Solid Snake, Big Boss returns, taking control of the hostile nation of Zanzibar Land in Central Asia, confronting Snake for the second and final time. Supporting characters during this period includes fellow FOXHOUND agent Gray Fox and Metal Gear designer Dr. Drago Pettrovich Madnar, both whom were on Snake's side during the first game, but became antagonists in the second.

Metal Gear Solid retcons the storyline of the early games, by revealing Solid Snake's heritage as a genetic clone of Big Boss, created from a secret government project. Here we're are introduced to a new antagonist in the form of Liquid Snake, Snake's long-lost twin brother and leader of FOXHOUND after Snake's retirement. A third Snake brother also exists in the form of Solidus Snake, who is first introduced as the U.S. President in the end of MGS and serves as the main antagonist of Sons of Liberty. Several notable supporting characters are introduced during this period, including Russian cowboy Revolver Ocelot, who serves as a henchman to both Liquid and Solidus, but is revealed to be a mole (and the main representative) of an organization known as The Patriots, Hal "Otacon" Emmerich, Metal Gear REX designer, who becomes Snake's sidekick and forms the Anti-Metal Gear organization of Philanthropy with him. Other notable characters include Roy Campbell, Snake's former commander from MG2 and his niece, Meryl Silverburgh, who is based on her namesake from Policenauts. Raiden, whose role as the surprise protagonist of MGS2, is considerably one of the most controversial characters in the series. The upcoming Guns of the Patriots, will feature the return of several characters from the first two MGS games.

Snake Eater, which is chronologically the first game in the series, introduces a younger version of Big Boss during the Cold War, who goes by the codename of Naked Snake. The game focuses on the rise of Naked Snake from apprentice to legendary soldier, as well as the downfall of his mentor and mother figure, The Boss. The origins of the Metal Gear mecha, The Patriots and FOXHOUND are all explored in MGS3. The game also features a younger version of Ocelot, where his origin as a triple agent for the KGB, GRU and CIA is explored. The upcoming Portable Ops, serves as a direct sequel to MGS3 and features some of the same supporting characters.

Storylines

The storylines for each game are listed in chronological order.

Snake Eater

Set in 1964 at the height of the Cold War, this game follows Naked Snake - the man who will become Big Boss - into the Soviet jungle to recover a scientist who has been working on a new type of tank that can fire a nuclear missile. It is heavily influenced by the style of James Bond movies, from the plentiful love interests to the classic visual style of the opening credits.

Snake Eater provides closure to many hanging plot points raised in other MGS titles. For example, the role of The Patriots in the series' narrative is explained, as well details of Big Boss's character arc. The game made several references to actual events in the series' past, and provided a background to the mysterious Revolver Ocelot, first introduced in Metal Gear Solid.

Portable Ops

Set in 1970, MGS: Portable Ops for the PSP (officially abbreviated MPO), will fill the gap between Snake Eater and Metal Gear. Big Boss, who still goes by his old codename of Naked Snake, teams up with SIGINT, Para-Medic, and Major Zero to stop the revolting FOX organization. In order to do so, Snake establishes FOXHOUND.

Metal Gear

In 1995, 200 km north of Galzburg, the South African nation of Outer Heaven is held by a mysterious mercenary. Word had gotten out to the western world that deep within the Outer Heaven stronghold, that a weapon of mass destruction was being constructed. Government officials orders the high-tech Special Forces squad, FOXHOUND, to infiltrate the fortress, assess the situation and neutralize the threat. Known as operation "Intrude N313," FOXHOUND operative Gray Fox infiltrated the Outer Heaven stronghold. Days later, contact with Gray Fox is lost. His last transmission reads, "METAL GEAR..."

Another operative, the rookie Solid Snake, is ordered by FOXHOUND leader Big Boss to find the missing operative Gray Fox and carry out his mission. Upon infiltrating Outer Heaven, Snake discovers the advanced nuclear weapon system Metal Gear and learns from its imprisoned creator how to destroy it. Snake succeeds after a series of grueling battles with the mercenary forces which defend Outer Heaven and the sophisticated electronic defenses surrounding Metal Gear itself. It is then that he meets the man who rules Outer Heaven: FOXHOUND's own commander, Big Boss. Big Boss activates the destruct sequence for the fortress, but is defeated by Snake, who escapes as the base crumbles behind him.

Solid Snake

By 1999 the Cold War had thawed, and nuclear disarmament by the major world powers promised a bright beginning to the 21st century. Despite this, all was not well in the world. A series of shocks to the oil market spurred the development of new high-tech energy sources, including nuclear fusion power. However, most vehicles still relied on oil for power. A breakthrough solution is presented in Prague by Czech scientist Dr. Kio Marv: a type of algae which can produce petroleum-grade hydrocarbons. However, somewhere between the (presently known as) Czech Republic and the United States, he is kidnapped by forces belonging to the heavily fortified nation of "Zanzibar Land."

Solid Snake is sent in to rescue the scientist. He discovers that the nation's leaders plan to hold the world hostage through both the oil supply (now tied inexorably to Dr. Marv's research) and nuclear weapons (through a new form of Metal Gear). The man in the seat of power in Zanzibar Land is none other than Big Boss, and his newest lieutenant is Snake's old comrade Gray Fox (who supposedly dies in a fistfight in a mined room). While Snake succeeds in destroying Metal Gear and bringing down Big Boss, he finds the blood of his best friend on his hands. Upon completing the mission, Snake leaves the military and disappears into the Alaskan wilderness to seek isolation and solitude.

Metal Gear Solid

Sometime in February 2005, Solid Snake is forcefully called out of retirement by his old commanding officer Roy Campbell and given a new mission. Apparently, the Special Forces unit FOXHOUND and the Next Generation Special Force were conducting a training exercise on Shadow Moses Island in Alaska's Fox Archipelago when the unit suddenly revolted against the U.S. government. Their demands include the remains of the legendary mercenary Big Boss, and they threaten a nuclear strike within twenty-four hours if their demands are not met. Snake is given two objectives: first, to infiltrate the nuclear weapons disposal facility and rescue DARPA Chief Donald Anderson and Kenneth Baker, the President of ArmsTech. Secondly, he must stop the terrorists from launching a nuclear strike. Secretly, this is also to prevent FOXHOUND from making away with the first (known) American Government backed Metal Gear but eventually Snake uncovers this.

Solid Snake defeats or otherwise neutralizes most of FOXHOUND and the other terrorists in battle while Decoy Octopus, Baker, die from a specially engineered assassination virus called 'FOXDIE', which may have also been responsible for eventually killing Liquid Snake (Solid Snake was the carrier of the virus, and may also be one of its targets, according to Naomi Hunter, who was in charge of the FOXDIE aspect of the operation). Snake also learns of his origins as a genetic son of Big Boss and also as a genetic twin of Liquid Snake. Solid Snake, Meryl Silverburg, and Dr. Hal Emmerich are officially recorded as dead after the events on Shadow Moses Island; the recorded outcome of the only other physical survivor, Revolver Ocelot, is most likely unchanged due to his "Top Secret" status.

This game was later remade as The Twin Snakes in 2004, as is noted above.

Sons of Liberty

Sons of Liberty#Tanker Chapter
Metal Gear Solid 2 opens on the George Washington Bridge in New York City, in August 2007, two-and-a-half years after the events of Metal Gear Solid. Solid Snake, now a member of the NGO Philanthropy, is investigating the development of a new Metal Gear, consistently described only as having been designed to "wipe the floor with all the other models." The new Metal Gear model is being transported for testing by the U.S. Marines following the proliferation of Metal Gear REX's blueprints. Shortly after Snake's arrival to the aptly named oil tanker "Discovery," a large group of Russian terrorists hijack the ship. These troops are later identified to be under the command of Sergei Gurlukovich, the GRU commander to whom Liquid Snake was scheduled to sell the plans for Metal Gear REX after the events of Metal Gear Solid. After sneaking up to the bridge of the ship, Snake must fight off Olga Gurlukovich, daughter of Sergei. After achieving victory, Solid Snake steals his way down to the holds in order to record pictures of the new Metal Gear. The Metal Gear in question is found out to be Metal Gear RAY, an amphibious prototype. The mission rapidly goes from bad to worse as Revolver Ocelot murders Sergei Gurlukovich, sinks the tanker, and steals Metal Gear RAY.

Incidentally, Revolver Ocelot is sporting a new right arm after his heated conflict with Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid; it is revealed that the arm is that of the late Liquid Snake via a change of personality in Revolver Ocelot's demeanor and behavior.

Sons of Liberty#Plant Chapter
The player finds himself in control of Raiden, supposedly operating under FOXHOUND two years after the Tanker Chapter, April 29, 2009. His mission is revealed to be to rescue the U.S. President and other hostages from the "Big Shell" facility off of the shoreline of New York City from the anti-terrorist group Dead Cell, who are calling themselves the "Sons of Liberty" and claiming to be led by Solid Snake. Raiden enters through an oil fence while SEAL Team 10 enters by air as a distraction from Raiden's infiltration. During Raiden's mission he meets with the self-proclaimed Lt. Junior Grade Iroquois Pliskin as well as Peter Stillman, a bomb disposal expert that was brought in with the SEALs; and a cyborg "ninja" imitating Gray Fox's ninja persona but calling himself Mr. X.

It is revealed that the Solid Snake leading Dead Cell is in fact Solidus Snake, a third clone from Big Boss, and that Iroquois Pliskin is the real Solid Snake in disguise. It is later revealed that the Big Shell (and the sinking of the oil tanker) was merely a cover-up for the development of "Arsenal Gear", an amphibious mobile fortress defended by a fleet of mass-produced, unmanned variants of Metal Gear RAY as well as a large payload of missiles. Through meeting with Emma Emmerich (Otacon's step-sister), Raiden discovers that Arsenal Gear was secretly built as part of a conspiracy by the Illuminati-like "Patriots" to further their control over the public interests. It carries a neural network of supercomputers facilitated by several AIs, two of which are named "GW" and "JFK", which is designed to monitor, block, and tamper with Internet communications, in order to further the totalitarian agenda of "The Patriots." By the end of Metal Gear Solid 2, all of the members of Dead Cell (and Peter Stillman, Emma Emmerich, James Johnson, and Richard Ames) are dead (with the exception of Vamp) and Liquid Snake's personality seems to have completely dominated Ocelot's body. Few of the questions raised by the original Metal Gear Solid are answered, and Sons of Liberty brings up even more. The game ends on April 30, 2009.

Guns of the Patriots

Using the "No place to hide" motto and the theme of "Senses", Guns of the Patriots was set to be produced by Kenichiro Imaizumi, with series creator Hideo Kojima co-directing the game with Shuyo Murata. However, it was revealed that this was a gag at misdirection, as Hideo is famous for, and he is, in fact, directing this game himself. It is being developed by Kojima Productions (a newly-formed subsidiary of Konami) for the PlayStation 3.

In the recent trailer released by Kojima Productions (shown at TGS) , the phrase, "X YEARS SINCE BIG SHELL" is shown, both confirming that the game will take place after the events of MGS2 and sparking debate on how many years after the Big Shell Incident the game will be set.

Some fans speculate that the "X" is a use of the Roman Numeral for Ten, meaning that the game would take place in 2019. However, this is disputed, as the Japanese captions displayed on the trailer read "あのビッグシェル事件から数年後..." (ano Big Shell jiken kara suunen go...), which translates to "Several years after the Big Shell incident" in English. This would indicate that the X is simply a variable, employed in an effort to retain ambiguity over the game's setting rather than the Roman numeral.

At E³ 2006 a new 15 minute trailer was shown. Appearing in the trailer were Solid Snake, Naomi Hunter, Otacon, Roy Campbell, Meryl Silverburgh, Liquid Ocelot and Raiden. In the trailer we find out, among other things, that Snake has only six months to live and a new FOXHOUND and Outer Heaven (being lead by Liquid Ocelot) have been formed.

See also

External links

Official

Game Archive and Review sites

Unofficial sites

Computer and video game franchises | Stealth computer games | Metal Gear

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