Game Over

Game Over is a traditional message in video games which usually signals the game has ended with a negative outcome, and that the player has failed to satisfy the conditions of a complete game.

The usage of "Game Over" varies throughout the Metal Gear series. Sometimes a "Game Over" is accompanied by a cutscene, such as when Solid Snake trips the laser beams in the Tank Hanger on Shadow Moses Island, getting caught by the Marines in the Tanker Holds, and not finishing the fight with The Boss in the time limit.

The Metal Gear series is notorious for breaking the fourth wall, and has exploited the Game Over screen in game events. In Metal Gear Solid 2, several bizarre events occur, one of which is the sudden switch to the "Mission Failed" screen, except that the phrase "Fission Mailed" is in the corner, with the gameplay continuing in the small window that normally shows the main character's dead body. Metal Gear Solid 3 continues this tradition with a Fake Death Pill that, when taken, shows the Game Over screen (though the player can still access items and revive themselves). This can be used to inflict additional damage on unsuspecting enemies that now believe Naked Snake is dead, but can only be used a few times. Additionally, since MGS3 is a prequel, the text of the game over screen switches from "Snake is Dead" to "Time Paradox", and certain game over conditions such as killing Sokolov, Ocelot, or EVA, cause Roy Campbell, to berate the player for causing a time paradox. The Metal Gear Solid games often have of the Snake's, or Raiden's, teammates will shout for them get up and keep going, usually to no avail. The only exception is during the main encounter with The Sorrow. Naked Snake can "call" his teammates, only to have them shout to him like he had died. This can also happen during Super Smash Bros. Brawl when Solid Snake makes a Codec call to one of his teammates, or Slippy Toad, and gets knocked out during the conversation.