An Obsessive’s Guide To Metal Gear – Part 3

N.B: This is part three of this guide; you can read Part 1 and Part 2 here.

This article covers one of the most important sections in the entire Metal Gear saga – at least for me – as it acted as my introduction to the weird and wonderful mind of Hideo Kojima. I first played Metal Gear Solid when I was an impressionable 14 years old – I can still remember getting a loan of the demo disk from a cousin of mine to play it early. By the time I had completed the game, I already knew that this pastime had now become a passion.

Once more, I would like to clarify that this article will contain spoilers; specifically for Metal Gear: Solid Snake and Metal Gear Solid, though there may be some from other games in the series too.

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1999 – Metal Gear: Solid Snake [MSX]

When the world is in crisis, Roy Campbell, the new commander of FOXHOUND, decides to bring Solid Snake out of retirement on Christmas Eve (perhaps Kojima was channelling his inner Shane Black). The crisis in question revolves around a brilliant scientist named Dr. Kio Marv. He has created OILIX – a new type of algae that can produce a cheap alternative to petroleum – and this makes him a target. Soldiers from Zanzibarland, a newly-formed country in Asia, kidnap Dr. Marv and hold the world to ransom, not only with OILIX but also with a stockpile of stolen nukes (isn’t it always the case). Our titular hero must infiltrate the country, rescue Marv and stop any launches from happening.

Snake is joined by Holly White, a CIA agent, and Gustava Heffner, Dr. Marv’s bodyguard (though this seems counter-intuitive in light of what happened to Kio!). Snake also enlists the help of the original Metal Gear’s creator, Dr. Madnar, as he informs FOXHOUND that not only was he himself kidnapped and forced to build a new version of the dreaded machine for Zanzibarland, but that Big Boss, back from the dead seemingly, is now the country’s leader.

As soon as Snake begins his mission however, things take a turn for the worse. Heffner is immediately killed by the new Metal Gear, designated D, and Dr. Madnar is captured. It also turns out that Grey Fox is still working for his former superior, Big Boss. As if things could not get any worse for our hero, Snake finds Dr. Marv’s corpse – having apparently been tortured to death by Dr. Madnar (Snake really can’t trust anybody). Madnar is eventually taken care of, which leaves Snake to take on the new Metal Gear.

Snake defeats Metal Gear D and – in one of the most thrilling fights in the Metal Gear saga – fights Grey Fox in hand-to-hand combat on a minefield (easy peasy lemon squeezy). After somehow surviving this battle, Snake runs into Big Boss, but with no weapons at his disposal, he must improvise using the only items he can find – a lighter and an aerosol can. Channelling his inner MacGyver in this case, Snake creates a make-shift flamethrower from these parts and defeats his former boss with them… again.

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2005 – Metal Gear Solid [PSX]

Six years later, Solid Snake is once again called into service when his former unit, FOXHOUND, take over a nuclear weapons disposal facility on Shadow Moses Island, off the coast of Alaska. Using a genome army and the threat of a nuclear attack, the group request the remains of Big Boss within 24 hours (an admittedly odd request). Snake is ordered by Roy Campbell to locate two hostages – DARPA Chief Donald Anderson and ArmsTech president Kenneth Baker – and neutralize the nuclear threat. We also learn that Campbell has a personal stake in this mission; his niece, Meryl Silverburgh, is also a prisoner in the facility.

After reaching the DARPA Chief, Snake learns that Shadow Moses is actually a weapons development facility – specifically created to house the new Metal Gear, codenamed REX. Anderson also tells Snake about nuclear detonation override keys before promptly dropping dead from a heart attack. Meryl, a neighbouring prisoner, breaks out and frees Snake. He finds his way to Baker but is confronted by Revolver Ocelot (remember him from MGS3?). After a brief gunfight with Snake, Ocelot is attacked by a mysterious cyborg ninja (the coolest character in the entire saga in my opinion) who cuts off his hand. Baker tells Snake to contact Meryl (whose frequency could be seen on the back of the game’s case *girlish giggle*) as she has his override key. Again though, Baker pops his clogs of a heart attack.

Despite Snake’s suspicions, he makes contact with Meryl and they plan to meet in the base’s warhead disposal area. Along the way, Snake confronts Vulcan Raven, a member of FOXHOUND, and defeats him. He also meets Dr. Hal Emmerich, also known as Otacon, and the creator of the new Metal Gear. At this point, the ninja reappears and reveals himself to be Grey Fox – medically kept alive and repeatedly experimented on (hence the exoskeleton suit). After facing Fox in hand-to-hand combat again, Snake is able to rescue Otacon – who in turn agrees to help Snake destroy REX.

Snake meets up with Meryl, who gives him the card Baker gave her. Unfortunately, he only gave her the one when there was meant to be three. On their way to the warehouse where REX is held, they are accosted by two more members of FOXHOUND, Psycho Mantis (in one of the best boss battles ever) and Sniper Wolf – who incapacitates Meryl and captures Snake. During his torture at the hands of Ocelot, Snake learns that the leader of FOXHOUND, Liquid Snake, is his twin brother. He also finds the rotting corpse of the DARPA Chief in his cell – which suggests he has been dead for days.

Using his superior wit, Snake escapes and eventually battles Liquid (in a Hind D helicopter) and Sniper Wolf before reaching REX’s location. He meets Vulcan Raven in battle again but kills him. Like all good villains, Vulcan gives Snake this bit of information. The DARPA Chief he met was actually FOXHOUND’s resident master-of-disguise, Decoy Octopus. Reaching the launch control room, Snake figures out that the card is temperature sensitive – when cold, it acts as one key; hot, another; and room temperature; another again. This allows Snake to deactivate the missiles… or so he thinks. It turns out that due to some overzealous torturing by Ocelot, FOXHOUND killed the DARPA Chief before they got the launch codes. In order to trick Snake into activating the nukes for them, they allowed him to reach the control room and enter the key override – which in this case, acted as a launch confirmation. Liquid also explains that Snake and he are not only twins but genetic clones… of Big Boss. Liquid wanted his body to use his genetic material to stabilise some defects he and his army had. The final revelation comes when Liquid informs Snake that he was only sent in to deliver a virus known as FoxDie, which targets specific people. This would leave REX undamaged for the US government to use.

Out of options, Snake faces Metal Gear REX, under the control of Liquid. During the battle, Grey Fox intervenes to help Snake but dies for his efforts. His assistance does however allow Snake to take down the machine. Afterwards, Snake escapes the hangar with either Meryl or Otacon (depending on if you resisted the torture). After a final showdown with Liquid, who succumbs to FoxDie, Snake rides off into the sunset with the best outro song ever to a game.

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As I mentioned at the start, Metal Gear Solid is the game that started this love affair with me. But it was the next title that proved to me what a mad genius Hideo Kojima is. With the final section of this series, we will cover the remaining two titles in the saga – namely Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.