Metal Gear series

Metal Gear (メタルギア) is a series of stealth-action video games usually developed and published by Konami. The series has been created and mostly written by Hideo Kojima. In the series, the player takes control of a Special Forces Operative who is sent on a military mission which eventually leads him to face off against the latest incarnation of the eponymous superweapon "Metal Gear"; a gigantic and usually bipedal walking tank with nuclear capabilities.

Metal Gear pioneered the stealth genre and is famous for its lengthy cinematic cutscenes and intricate, twist-heavy storylines which explore the nature of politics, warfare, science (especially genetics) and a lot of other social, cultural and philosophical themes such as free will and artificial intelligence, among many others. The genre of the story can be described as "magic realism", meaning that it features unrealalistic and supernatural elements (like ghosts or characters being able to float in the air or walk on water) in a setting which is otherwise true to reality. The series features great amounts of background information on actual science and technology, despite the latter being partially way advanced over what is currently state of the art. Real political events are frequently referenced and intertwined with the games' storylines.

As of March 2015, the series has sold over 41.2 million copies. Kojima had come up with the basic premise of Metal Gear as a stealth game from playing Hide and Seek with his son, as well as his own personal playing of the game as well as "Kick the Can" when he was a child.

Overview
Each game involves protagonist Solid Snake (or someone else called Snake) sneaking around maps and avoiding soldiers. He is armed with various weapons, most of which exist in the real world. At certain points in the game, he has to fight various bosses who usually have different superhuman, supernatural or normal abilities. In most games, the penultimate boss is the latest incarnation of the weapon Metal Gear, with following bosses being one-on-one confrontations with that game's main antagonist.

Kojima originally planned to release the third Metal Gear game, to be called Metal Gear 3, for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer in 1994. However, due to the declining support of the 3DO hardware, development of the game shifted to the PlayStation shortly after the 3DO version of Policenauts was released. Kojima retitled the game Metal Gear Solid, choosing this over the working title Metal Gear 3. This was due to the fact that he believed that the first two MSX2 games in the series were not well known at the time. He used the word "Solid" because thanks to 3D computer graphics, he could now create a "solid" game world, although he also partially attributed the title's inspiration to Solid Snake. Sequels to this game generally use the Metal Gear Solid title and generally follow a new numeral progression. The MSX2 games have sometimes been omitted from timelines representing the series' internal chronology, instead focusing on the more widely known console releases beginning with Metal Gear Solid. However, the first two MSX2 games are still a part of the Metal Gear canon.

Although the games of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance were considered to be canon by Kojima Productions and Hideo Kojima,   they are frequently left out of official timelines released during the 2010s and in Metal Gear games listed by series creator Kojima. Additionally, Kojima stated in an 2015 interview that only the games he "personally designed and produced" were part of the Metal Gear saga. This is because Kojima had minimal involvement in the creation of either of those games, and the timelines reflect the games where he himself was personally involve in their development, as well as reflecting his personal worldview, philosophies, and message to the audience.

Main series
The main series, considered part of Metal Gear canon, consists of the following games (in release order):

Metal Gear
In 1995, the gigantic fortress within Outer Heaven that was founded by a legendary mercenary is constructing a gigantic weapon of mass destruction. In the U.S. Government's support, Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND commander Big Boss sends in his most trusted agent Gray Fox. However, Gray Fox disappears with his last message simply reading "Metal Gear..." so rookie FOXHOUND recruit Solid Snake infiltrates Outer Heaven and put a stop to the world's most powerful weapon.

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
In 1999, the creator of a new species of algae which could produce petroleum-grade hydrocarbons with little expense and effort has been kidnapped by the renegade nation Zanzibar Land, the only country left with nuclear strike capability thanks to Metal Gear D. In response, FOXHOUND's new Commander Colonel Roy Campbell has no option but to call Solid Snake out of retirement to sneak into the fortified nation and take down the terrorists.

Metal Gear Solid
In the year 2005, FOXHOUND and the Next-Generation Special Forces (also known as the "Sons of Big Boss") led by Liquid Snake rebelled against the U.S. Government during a routine training mission on a remote nuclear disposal facility and demanded the legendary mercenary Big Boss's remains. With the Army's support, Roy Campbell calls Solid Snake out of retirement once more to infiltrate the stronghold to find out if the terrorists have the capabilities of firing a nuclear missile thanks to Metal Gear REX and to rescue DARPA Chief Donald Anderson and ArmsTech President Kenneth Baker.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
In the year 2007, Philanthropy found information leaked about the Marines' new Metal Gear RAY to combat the over abundance of Metal Gears. In response, Otacon assigned Solid Snake to take photographic evidence but the tanker is blown up and sunk by Revolver Ocelot.

Two years later in 2009, the "Sons of Liberty" terrorists led by a man calling himself Solid Snake take over the Big Shell as U.S. President James Johnson is taking a tour of the facility. In response, new FOXHOUND agent Raiden is sent in to eliminate the terrorist threat.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
After the Second World War, the world was split into two and began the Cold War. In the year 1964, FOX operative Naked Snake is sent into Tselinoyarsk in a mission to rescue a defecting Russian scientist while working on the Shagohod, a terrifying weapon that's capable of launching a nuke from anywhere, but his mentor The Boss interferes and defects to the Soviet Union.

One week later, Naked Snake is sent back into Tselinoyarsk once again to defeat the members of the Cobra Unit, destroy the Shagohod, and to kill The Boss.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
In 1970, the FOX unit has broken their allegiance with the CIA and gone renegade. With Major Zero charged with assisting in the revolt, the group kidnaps Naked Snake (Big Boss) in order to find the remaining half of the Philosophers' Legacy and take over of the San Hieronymo Peninsula. To prevent the new FOX commander from activating a powerful new nuclear weapon, Big Boss and Roy Campbell set out to convince the Red Army soldiers to join them and rise up against FOX.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
In the year 2014, the restriction of military intervention on foreign soil has been eased which fuels the need for private military companies (PMCs) to fight proxy wars for business purposes. nanotechnology has become prominent, both to enhance the capabilities and enforce the loyalty of mercenaries. The nanomachine system "Sons of the Patriots" is used commonly by the PMCs. The five largest PMCs are owned by the Outer Heaven mother company with Liquid Ocelot as the CEO. Amassing an army rivaling that of the U.S. Army, Liquid Ocelot prepares to launch an armed insurrection by taking control of the system. With the world once again in crisis, Roy Campbell deploys Old Snake to terminate Liquid Ocelot once and for all.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
In 1974, Latin America becomes a key to maintaining the power balance between the East and the West yet Costa Rica has miraculously managed to maintain peace and neutrality. But in the country's various regions, a mysterious armed force seems to be engaging in specific activities. While stationed in Colombia, South America, the mercenary company Militaires Sans Frontières (French for "Soldiers Without Borders"), led by Big Boss (Naked Snake) and Kazuhira Miller, are approached by visitors (Ramón Gálvez Mena and Paz Ortega Andrade) from Costa Rica. To preserve peace in this "nation without a military", the MSF moves into action and will come to be known as the founders of "Outer Heaven."

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Four years after the events of Liquid Ocelot's Insurrection, Raiden has been contracted for VIP protection, military training, and other duties in a developing country piecing itself back together after a bloody civil war. Raiden largely did this to support his family without having to return to direct combat situations. He is protecting a VIP, when they are attacked by a cyborg organization led by Sundowner and Samuel Rodrigues, which eventually leaves Raiden completely defeated. Raiden is reconstructed by his PMC Maverick Security Consulting, Inc., and his search for Sam and the company he's working for, Desperado Enforcement LLC., drives him into a quest for vengeance.



Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes/The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes takes place in 1975, shortly after the Peace Walker Incident. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain takes place 9 years later, in 1984.

Non-canonical games
These games are not considered part of the Metal Gear canon, either because they are set in an alternative universe or there isn't a direct statement on their canonicity.


 * Metal Gear (NES version)
 * Snake's Revenge
 * Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
 * Metal Gear Ac!d
 * Metal Gear Ac!d²
 * Metal Gear Solid Mobile
 * Metal Gear Acid Mobile
 * Metal Gear Acid 2 Mobile
 * Metal Gear Solid Touch
 * Metal Gear Solid: Social Ops

Remakes
These Metal Gear titles are remakes of previously released games that contain new features which are not present in the originals.


 * Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
 * Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D

Updates
These are Metal Gear games which contain new features their original counterparts never had, yet are still largely unaltered.


 * Metal Gear Solid: Integral
 * Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
 * Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
 * Metal Gear (re-released versions)
 * Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (re-released versions)
 * Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus

Collections
Metal Gear compilations.


 * Metal Gear 20th Anniversary: Metal Gear Solid Collection
 * Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection
 * Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection
 * Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection