Metal Gear

Metal Gear (メタルギア) is a stealth action game designed by Hideo Kojima. Metal Gear was developed and first published by Konami in 1987 for the MSX2 home computer and was well-received critically and commercially.

The game's premise revolves around a special forces operative codenamed Solid Snake who carries out a one-man sneaking mission into the hostile nation of Outer Heaven to destroy Metal Gear, a bipedal walking tank capable of launching nuclear missiles from anywhere in the world. Most of the subsequent games in the series follow this same premise, often changing the characters, locations, and weapons.

Originally released for the MSX2 in Japan and Europe, the game was later ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System during the same year, although with many significant changes made to the game. This was followed with ports to various home computers, such as the IBM PC and Commodore 64. It was also ported to mobile phones in 2004 and for the PlayStation 2 in 2005 as a component of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, with several enhancements and changes, such as typo corrections and some grammatical changes.

Its success led to the creation of two separately-produced sequels; the first one, Snake's Revenge, was produced specifically for the Western market for the NES and the other, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, was the canonical sequel developed by Kojima and released in Japan for the MSX2 in response to the former's creation. The latter was followed by a successful series of sequels and spin-offs.

Plot
200 km north of the region of Galzburg, South Africa, lay the fortress of Outer Heaven, a fortified state that had been founded by a legendary mercenary in the late 1980s. In 1995, the western world had received intelligence that warned of a weapon of mass destruction that was supposedly being constructed deep within the fortress. High-tech Special Forces unit FOXHOUND, commanded by the legendary soldier Big Boss, sent their best agent, Gray Fox to infiltrate the stronghold. However, days later, contact with Gray Fox was lost, his final transmission consisting only of two words: "METAL GEAR..."

With the goal of rescuing Gray Fox and uncovering the meaning of the cryptic message, rookie operative Solid Snake is sent into Outer Heaven alone.


 * For a full summary of Operation Intrude N313, see here.

Characters

 * Solid Snake
 * Big Boss
 * Gray Fox
 * Dr. Drago Pettrovich Madnar
 * Kyle Schneider
 * Ellen Madnar
 * Jennifer
 * Diane

Outer Heaven Mercenaries

 * Shotmaker
 * Machinegun Kid
 * Fire Trooper
 * Bloody Brad
 * Dirty Duck

Gameplay
The player must navigate the main character, Solid Snake, through various locations, while avoiding visual contact and direct confrontation with patrolling guards. If the player is seen, the game enters Alert Mode. In this situation, the player must hide in order to leave the mode. The method of escaping varies depending on the circumstances of the discovery:


 * If the player is seen and only a single exclamation mark (! ) appears over an enemy's head, only the enemies in the player's present screen will attack and an escape can be made by moving to the adjacent screen.




 * If two exclamation marks (!! ) appear over the enemy or the player triggers an alarm by being spotted by a camera, infrared sensor or by using an unsilenced weapon, reinforcements from off-screen will appear as well. The player can only escape by eliminating all incoming enemies or by simply moving to a different floor or building.

At first, the player starts the game unarmed, but eventually gains access to a variety of firearms (starting with the Beretta M92F) and explosives, working their way up to machine guns and guided rocket launchers. Ammo and supplies for each weapon are limited, but are easily replenished. Weapons can not only be used to kill enemies, but also to clear obstacles such as hollow walls or electrified floors. Snake can also use his fists to punch and defeat patrolling enemies and take any rations, ammo, or any other important items, such as keycards, that they leave behind.

The enemy base consists of three different buildings, with multiple floors, including basement levels, within them. The player uses keycards and other items to unlock doors or explore new areas. Doors will only open to their corresponding keycards. Bosses also appear throughout the game to interfere with the player's progress.

Information can be obtained by rescuing hostages being held captive within the buildings. After rescuing five hostages, the player is given a promotion, increasing their "Rank" (up to four stars max), allowing for greater ammo capacity and maximum health. However, if a hostage is killed, the player is demoted to the previous rank.

A transceiver is available for the player to communicate with their commanding officer, Big Boss, or one of the resistance members operating covertly within the fortress. Each of Snake's allies has extensive knowledge on specific subjects. The transceiver system is completely room-oriented, as certain radio transmissions occur only in certain locations.

Differences between versions
There were two main versions of Metal Gear initially produced: the original MSX2 version and the Famicom/NES version. The MSX2 version was the first version of the game, designed by Kojima and his team, while the NES version was a port, developed by a different team within Konami. The NES version was the most well-known of two at first, being released for a more mainstream platform. It was also only of the two versions released in North America, in addition Japan and Europe.

The game went through numerous changes when it was ported to the NES. Konami produced the NES version without Kojima's direct involvement and many changes and compromises were made as a result. Kojima has often stated that he does not like the NES version and finds the game too difficult for all the wrong reasons.

Despite this, the NES version sold surprisingly well, especially in the Western market, with a million copies sold in North America. This, in turn, resulted in the creation of a Metal Gear sequel for the NES in the Western market (the critically panned Snake's Revenge) without Kojima's involvement, although it did become the inspiration for Kojima's actual MSX2 sequel, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (which in turn, became the basis for Metal Gear Solid). As a result, the NES version of Metal Gear and Snake's Revenge are credited for allowing the creation of the later Metal Gear titles to be possible.

Differences between the MSX2 and NES versions

 * The biggest difference between the MSX2 and NES versions is the presence of the actual Metal Gear mecha or lack thereof in the NES version. Instead, the player must destroy a "Super Computer" which controls all of Metal Gear's activities in its place. The method of destroying it was also changed. While in the MSX2 version, the player must place 16 plastic explosives on Metal Gear's feet based on the order given by Dr. Petrovich, in the NES version the player must simply place the bombs over the Super Computer on no specific parts (however, the player must have already rescued Ellen and Dr. Pettrovich first).


 * In the MSX2 version, Snake performs a solo underwater insertion into Outer Heaven in the beginning of the game to the entrance of Building No. 1. In the NES version, he performs an air insertion by skydiving and parachuting into the jungle with three other soldiers who disappear after landing. They are neither seen or mentioned again.


 * The level designs were altered greatly in the NES version. In the beginning of the game, the player must proceed through a jungle area before reaching the entrance of Building No. 1 through a truck. The first floor corridor of Building No. 1 was also remodeled greatly, with many of its trucks and rooms moved to other locations. The basement-level floors of Building No. 1 and 2 were made into separate buildings, Building No. 4 and 5 respectively. In addition, the room where Big Boss was fought at was moved to the right of the place where the player fought TX-55 (or the computer room, in the NES's case), whereas the MSX2 version had it being to the left.
 * On a slightly related note, the vehicle gallery has been greatly expanded in the NES version, as other than tanks or transport trucks, the game also includes jeeps (both the covered and non-covered variety), a Buick, as well as a non-covered transport truck variety.


 * In order to reach Building No. 4 or 5, the player must go through one of two jungle mazes located west to each of the outdoor areas. The solution for both mazes are the same, although it is never actually given within the game.


 * The boss, the Hind D, was replaced. Instead, the player faces a pair of gunners known as Twin Shot on the rooftop of Building No. 1.


 * Since the player no longer has to parachute to reach Dr. Petrovich's cell in Building No. 1, the parachute was removed. An Iron Glove was added in its place, which allows the player to break hollow walls. However, in some NES versions, the Iron Glove has no real use.
 * Also as a result of Building 1's courtyard being removed in the NES version, the German Shepherd guard dogs were relocated to near the beginning of the game where Snake has to traverse through the jungle to get to the first movable truck. This change was notably one of the aspects of the NES version that led series creator Hideo Kojima to hate it.


 * The Flying Army located on the roof of Building No. 1 and 2 lost their ability to hover over the ground in the NES version.


 * In the NES version, the "high alert" (or double exclamation mark) mode was disabled. As such, the player can always make their escape from alert mode by simply moving to the adjacent screen.


 * The player can no longer acquire rations or ammo by punching enemy soldiers in Sneaking Mode.


 * Solid Snake's face no longer appears in the transceiver screen.


 * Big Boss's final message to the player after the end credits was removed.


 * Some of the music (mainly, the two main themes and the alert mode theme) was changed in the NES version.


 * There are also several other minor differences in gameplay, including several bugs and glitches. Some of the radio conversations were "misplaced" as a result of the redesigned areas in the NES version. For example, if the player calls Schneider in front of the room containing the gas mask in Building No. 1, he will tell Snake the location of the mine detector instead. This is due to the fact that the same spot in the MSX2 version used to be a minefield. In addition, the player's bullets have a longer range than they do in the MSX2 version and the player can also shoot while wearing the cardboard box.


 * In the NES version, after defeating Big Boss, the player uses an elevator instead of climbing a ladder at the end of the MSX2 version.
 * There were also several changes regarding the items and weapons in the NES version. Many of them were minor, as several of them were given a more monochromatic look to them (or in the case of the uniform, a more green colorization). However, at least one somewhat major change was that the transmitter item was redesigned, resembling a miniature radio instead of a red button, as well as the above noted replacement of the parachute with the iron glove.

Regional MSX2 changes
Two MSX2 versions were released: a Japanese version and an English version. For the English release, Konami edited a number of the game's radio messages and removed others entirely. Some of the removed messages include each of Big Boss's comments regarding an item and weapon, and some of Schneider's messages (and practically all of Steve's calls). Reportedly, only 86 of the game's 116 messages were kept.

The Japanese MSX2 manual contains exclusive content not found in the English MSX2 manual (nor in the Famicom/NES manuals), such as character profiles with illustrations, brief descriptions of the game's bosses, and the complete specifications of the TX-55 Metal Gear.

Regional NES changes
In contrast, there are very few differences between regional versions of the NES game. Three versions were released: the Japanese Famicom version, the North American release and the PAL release. The differences between the three are minor. The North American and PAL versions featured a redesigned transceiver screen, while the PAL version fixed some of the glitches from the previous versions and featured a slightly revised password system. All three versions kept virtually all of the radio messages in the game.

Packaging/manual discrepancies in the NES version
The NES version of Metal Gear was released in North America at a time when video games were still lacking in-game storylines for the most part. As a result, when a Japanese game was localized in the U.S., the company that was marketing the game in the U.S. could write any sort of made-up storyline and details in the game's instruction manual without necessarily following the original Japanese storyline.

Konami of America was very notorious for this practice, often making up their own storylines for their games while paying little or no respect to the original designers' intentions (as evident in some of the Castlevania and Contra games).

Metal Gear was no exception; it went through the same questionable marketing treatment. However, unlike some of the other games of its time, Metal Gear actually provided the player with an in-game narrative (albeit very primitive compared to later titles) which develops the storyline as the player progresses through the game. The in-game translation (which was done by the actual developers) kept the storyline unchanged from the Japanese version.

In the manual and packaging for the NES version, the game's main villain (whose identity is intentionally kept secret in the original version) is named Colonel Vermon CaTaffy, "a once tranquil shepherd boy" who "turned to terrorism at an early age." CaTaffy's name is a play on the name of Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi. Snake's commanding officer (who is Big Boss in the original version) is named "Commander South," a play on the name of the Marine lieutenant colonel involved in the Iran-Contra scandal, Oliver North. Moreover, Snake is mentioned as being a former Marine who participated in the Grenada invasion prior to joining FOXHOUND. This would be contradicted by the timeline presented in later games. The manual also gave names for some of the NPC characters (e.g. the soldiers who fall asleep while on guard duty, as "B.A. Dozer"), as well as describing the scorpions in the northern desert as being trained killer animals owned by Colonel CaTaffy. None of these terms and changes were featured in-game.

Snake's Revenge (the Western NES sequel of Metal Gear) also went through Konami of America's marketing treatment, but suffered even worse backlash as a result.

Differences between the MSX2 and mobile phone versions
A mobile phone version of Metal Gear was released only in Japan on August 18, 2004. The game is based on the original MSX2 version, but includes several additional features and changes.


 * New Easy mode - The player can choose to play with the original MSX2 version's difficulty or with an easier difficulty setting.


 * Boss Survival mode - After clearing the game once (regardless of the difficulty setting), a new game mode is unlocked, in which the player can fight against all of the main game's bosses. The player will be awarded with a title based on their clear time (this is also the case in the main game).


 * Infinite Bandana - A hidden item that becomes available to the player after clearing the game once on either difficulty setting. Like the bandana featured in Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2, this will conserve the player's ammunition to the present amount while firing.


 * Rewritten script - The Japanese script has been rewritten to include hiragana and kanji, in addition to romaji and katakana.


 * Name changes - Several of the game's characters had their names changed in the mobile phone version:
 * Dr. Petrovich was changed to Dr. Drago Pettrovich Madnar.
 * Elen Petrovich was changed to Ellen Madnar.
 * Shoot Gunner was changed to Shotmaker.
 * Arnold, the TX-11 series of cyberoids, was changed to Bloody Brad.
 * Coward Duck was changed to Dirty Duck.

Differences between the MSX2 and PS2 versions
A PlayStation 2 version is included as a component of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. The game includes all the changes made in the mobile phone version, as well as further enhancements. The English version contains a rewritten script as well, with a more complete translation than the earlier European MSX2 release. The North American version also has an optional Spanish script.

Development
In 1986, Hideo Kojima joined Konami as a planner. However, he had trouble fitting in with the company. Kojima was then giving a game plan which he worked on for six months. However, his game plan was rejected by Konami. Because of this, Kojima was the only one in the company at the time who did not have one of their games released. This led other developers within the company to tell him, "at least complete one game before you die." He was given another game plan, this time, a game about war. Kojima decided to develop a game where the main objective was to avoid the enemy rather than fight them directly (similar to the film The Great Escape). This decision was questioned by his bosses. This, along with the rejection of his previous game plan, nearly led Kojima to leave Konami. However, one of his bosses encouraged him to stay and convinced him to continue the development of the game. Kojima did, and the game, which became Metal Gear, was released in Japan for the MSX2 on July 7, 1987.

Reception
Metal Gear was rated the 104th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power 's Top 200 Games list. The Angry Video Game Nerd released a review about the NES version of Metal Gear on April 8, 2009. He also references it in his review of the NES game Little Red Hood on December 3, 2009.

Trivia

 * An advertisement depicting the items in the NES version of Metal Gear contains artwork from the MSX2 version of the game, with the exception of the cardboard box, the parachute, the uniform, and the cigarettes.
 * The cover art of Metal Gear is based on a photo of Michael Biehn in character as Kyle Reese from The Terminator.