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Metal Gear is a series of stealth-based games created by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami.
The series stars legendary soldier Solid Snake, an elite military operative repeatedly facing off against the latest incarnation of the superweapon "Metal Gear," a massive, nuclear-equipped walking battle tank.
The games take place in the near future and focus on stealth and finesse rather than brute-force combat. You start out with few or no weapons at all. On the highest difficulty settings of some games in the series, being seen by an enemy even once is enough to bring certain defeat. Through the course of the game, Solid Snake gathers equipment and weapons to help accomplish his mission objectives, and gathers information by rescuing captives.
Metal Gear's purported purpose within the games is to allow a nuclear strike at any location with no advance warning and no clues as to who made the attack (unlike the obvious launch of an ICBM). In principle, this would allow a hostile nation to use nuclear weapons with no fear of nuclear retaliation. While this could be performed adequately with a nuclear submarine, two of the games make a case for the nuclear weapons system. Metal Gear 2's manual claims it expands the operating area of such a strike to include the land. Metal Gear Solid's proposal is more robust, with Metal Gear REX able to perform an uninterceptable strike which cannot be detected until the weapon hits its target.
Metal Gear series
The series consists of the following titles in its official canon:
Since the series' rebirth with Metal Gear Solid, there have also been various "special edition" products, with additions, improvements, or brand new content:
Three non-canonical titles have also been released:
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.
Snake's Revenge was the non-canonical 1990 sequel to Metal Gear on the NES (also made into a licensed handheld game), released a few months before the canonical Metal Gear 2 exclusively in the western market (despite being developed by a Japanese team). It was not created by (or with the knowledge of) any of the original Metal Gear staff and is not considered to be part of the official storyline.
Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, for the Game Boy Color, is an "alternative sequel" to the original Metal Gear, taking the plot in a different direction than Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and Metal Gear Solid.
Additionally, Metal Gear Solid, the most popular game in the series, has been remade in an unusual collaboration as Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (2004), a GameCube exclusive. The Famicom version of the first Metal Gear has also been ported to the GameCube as part of a Japan-only bundle of The Twin Snakes. In 2004, mobile phone ports of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 were released in Japan; they feature new game modes and items.
Characters
Known Operatives: Big Boss, Gray Fox (aka Frank Jaeger & Ninja), Roy Campbell (replaced Big Boss), Naomi Hunter (chief of medical staff, and in charge of gene therapy), McDonnel Benedict "Master" Miller (instructor), Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, Revolver Ocelot (aka Shalashaska aka Adamska aka ADAM - double-agent, secretly employed by other forces), Sniper Wolf, Vulcan Raven, Psycho Mantis and Decoy Octopus.
Pseudo-Operatives: AI Roy Campbell (an AI reproduction of Col. Cambell by supercomputer GW) and Raiden (aka Jack - believes he is FOXHOUND, but is actually being manipulated by The Patriots and the AI Cambell).
Please note that these members excluding Revolver Ocelot were defeated by Solid Snake
Dead Cell
Known Operatives: Commander Reginald Jackson, Fortune (Helena Dolph-Jackson), Vamp and Fatman. They are later under the command of Solidus Snake (former President George Sears)
Black Chamber
Known Operatives: Black Art Viper, Marionette Owl, Slasher Hawk and Pyro Bison.
Known Operatives: The Boss, The Sorrow, The Pain, The Fear, The Fury and The End
Gurlukovich Mercenaries
Known Operatives: Col. Sergei Gurlukovich and Olga Gurlukovich. Other operatives were named after contest winners, by Konami.
Civilians
Kenneth Baker (ArmsTech Inc.), Hal "Otacon" Emmerich (Metal Gear REX designer), Emma "E.E." Emmerich (Arsenal Gear "GW" designer), Dr. Pettrovich Madnar (Metal Gear 1 inventor), Ellen Pettrovich (doctor's daughter), Rosemary (Raiden's girlfriend & data analyst), Peter Stillman (former NYPD bomb expert), Yosef Norden (animal expert) and Dr. Kio Marv (OILIX inventor).
Foreign agents
Jennifer (Outer Heaven Resistance), Kyle Schneider (Outer Heaven Resistance) and Diane (Outer Heaven Resistance), Johnny Sasaki (Mercenary - survived Shadow Moses AND Big Shell with only an injured pride and diarrhea), Johnny (Soviet Soldier - father of Johnny Sasaki, see him except in 1964 during MGS3).
Misc. U.S. Government agents
Donald Anderson (DARPA, Chief of Operations), Nastasha Romanenko (DIA, nuclear weapons specialist), Mei Ling (ROTC, communications expert), Jim Houseman (former Secretary of Defense), Meryl Sliverburgh (Army, Force XXI), Col. Scott Dolph (Marines), James Johnson (U.S. President), Holly White (CIA / Zanzibarland expert), Natasha Markova, George Kessler and Col. Richard Ames (DIA).
Storylines
In 1995, 200km 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, access 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 Fox Hound leader Big Boss to find the missing operative Gray Fox, and carry out his mission.
Upon insertion into Outer Heaven, Solid Snake makes contact with Outer heaven resistance members Kyle Schneider, Diane and Jennifer. Using all of his skills and the equipment he procured on site, he manages to rescue Gray Fox. The situation was more serious that first believed. According to Gray Fox, Metal Gear is the name of a nuclear warhead-equipped bipedal walking tank, which can engage and dominate in all forms of combat as well as launch its nuclear warheads from any location. Outer Heaven plans to use Metal Gear to impose itself as the new world superpower.
In order to destroy Metal Gear, and topple the Outer Heaven mercenaries, Solid Snake rescues the lead engineer of Metal Gear, Dr. Pettrovich Madnar, and his daughter, Ellen. Armed with information on how to destroy Metal Gear, his skill and indomitable spirit, Solid Snake fights through the entire Outer Heaven force. He begins to notice that traps being set for him are too precise, and wonders how information on his activities is being tracked.
Upon destroying the powerful Outer Heaven defense system, Solid Snake is able to neutralize Metal Gear. As Solid Snake makes his way out of the compound's basement, he is confronted by the mysterious mercenary leader of the Outer Heaven forces, who turns out to be Solid Snakes commanding officer... Big Boss.
Big Boss has been using his connections in the US Government to establish his own mercenary force, corrupt and steal military intelligence and fund his activities. It was his aim to have Outer Heaven become the most powerful nation, with him at the top. He had the rookie Solid Snake sent in, hoping to have him captured and feed the US Government misinformation, but had underestimated Solid Snakes capabilities.
Having lost Metal Gear and much of his force, Big Boss starts the self-destruct sequence for the compound, and an underground battle ensues between Big Boss and Solid Snake. Despite injury, Solid Snake defeats Big Boss and escapes the Outer Heaven compound as it crumbles in flames behind him.
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 Fusion power. However, most vehicles still relied on oil for power.
Oil reserves were at a critical low, and the world community was prepared to take drastic measures, either by drilling into sand and shale for more oil, despite the difficulty -- or moving on to renewable fuels.
Such steps proved unnecessary when a Czech scientist, Dr. Kio Marv, successfully bio-engineered a new species of algae, OILIX, that could produce petroleum-grade hydrocarbons with little expense and effort. Marv presented the algae to the World Energy Conference in Prague, and was on his way to a demonstration in the United States when he was kidnapped by soldiers from Zanzibar Land.
Solid Snake is sent to Zanzibar Land to rescue Dr. Marv. On the course of his mission, Snake discovers that Zanzibar Land's leaders plan to hold the world hostage by controlling the supply of oil, and some good old-fashioned nuclear brinksmanship, courtesy of a stockpile of nukes and a new model of Metal Gear.
In order to save the world again, Snake had to destroy Metal Gear, and make sure Big Boss didn't leave alive to wreak havoc another day. Yet it was not so simple. The pilot of Metal Gear was none other than Snake's old mercenary buddy Grey Fox, and Big Boss claimed that he was Snake's father. Snake was forced to kill them both.
After the situation was diffused, Snake disappeared into the Alaskan wilderness, not to be heard from for the longest time...
In the early 21st century Solid Snake is called out of retirement by his old commanding officer Roy Campbell and given a new mission. Apparently, Next Generation Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND was 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 24 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 the President of ArmsTech, Kenneth Baker. Secondly, he must stop the terrorists from launching a nuclear strike.
Solid Snake takes out most of FOXHOUND in battle, while the Decoy Octopus, Baker and Liquid Snake die from a specially engineered assassination virus called FOXDIE(Solid Snake was the carrier of the virus). Snake is also told about his origins as a Genetic son of Big Boss and Genetic Twin of Liquid Snake. Revolver Ocelot, Solid Snake, Meryl Silverburgh and Dr Hal Emmerich are the only recorded survivors of the incident.
The Metal Gear in this game is named Metal Gear REX, and resembles a dinosaur in some respects.
Metal Gear Solid 2 opens on the George Washington Bridge in New York City. Solid Snake is investigating the development of a new Metal Gear being transported for testing by the Marines following the proliferation of REX's blueprints. The mission rapidly turns sour, the tanker is sunk by Shalashaska and Snake apparently is killed.
The player finds himself in control of Raiden, operating under Fox-Hound to rescue the President and other hostages from the "Big Shell" facility off the shorline of New York. It is revealed that the Big Shell is merely a cover for "Arsenal Gear", a mobile underwater fortress defended by a fleet of amphibious mecha (production variants of Metal Gear RAY), which is being secretly built as part of a conspiracy by the Illuminati-like "Patriots". It is largely unarmed. Instead, it carries a supercomputer called "GW" which is designed to monitor, block, and tamper with Internet communications, in order to further the totalitarian agenda of the "Patriots".
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.
The Plot of Snake Eater provides closure to the series (some trailers called it the last in the "Metal Gear Solid trilogy"), resolving many hanging plot points raised in earlier titles. For example, the role of The Patriots in the story arc, raised in MGS2, and the transformation of Big Boss from hero to renegade with the creation Outer Heaven, which underpins the first two titles, are explained. There are several references to actual events in the series' past, as well as a very detailed background on Ocelot's role in the whole 'Solid' series.
External links
Official
Unofficial
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