Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid, the first in the Metal Gear Solid Series, has many times been voted the best PlayStation game ever made. It was the first time one of Solid Snake's adventures had been rendered in a fully 3-dimensional world and features a full cast of voice-actors, another first in the series. The whole game is set on the remote island of Shadow Moses, in an Nuclear Cleanup Facility. The soundtrack was released on September 23rd 1998.

Storyline
During a training mission on Shadow Moses in February of 2005, at a nuclear weapons facility on a remote island off the coast of Alaska, the Next-Generation Special Forces unit rebelled against the United States government, led by the covert wet works team FOXHOUND, under the command of Liquid Snake. Their target was the advanced weapon system Metal Gear REX, a gigantic robotic weapons platform able to independently launch a nuclear warhead at any target on the face of the planet. They had one demand: the body of the greatest soldier who ever lived, Big Boss. The Next-Generation Special Forces (better known as the GENOME Army), already the subject of advanced gene therapy, could use the genes of Big Boss to make them the ultimate soldiers. The government cannot let this happen. At the request of the Secretary of Defence, Colonel Roy Campbell, the former commander of FOXHOUND, summoned Solid Snake out of retirement and sent him to infiltrate Shadow Moses in one last solo covert operation. Dr. Naomi Hunter, Mei Ling, and Nastasha Romanenko are his support team.

Snake successfully infiltrated Shadow Moses. On the way he was contacted by his old master, Master Miller. Snake then achieved the first half of his first objective. He made his way into the Prison Cell’s where the DARPA Chief Donald Anderson was being held, and Anderson revealed to Snake about the existence of Metal Gear REX, which Snake didn’t know about at the time. Before Snake could escort the DARPA Chief to safety, the chief suffered from a heart attack and fell dead before Snake. As Snake made his way outside, he met Meryl Silverburgh. Snake then headed to the Basement to find the President of ARMSTech Kenneth Baker. When he got there he encountered Revolver Ocelot. The two had a gun showdown, before Ocelot decided to end the game. As he went to shoot Snake, Cyborg Ninja appeared and cut off Ocelot’s hand, as well as cutting the wires holding Baker (he was tied to a pillar rigged with C4). The Cyborg then vanished, and Ocelot ran off, with his severed hand. Afterwards, Baker tells Snake about the Metal Gear system over-ride keys and that there are three of them. He mentions that Meryl should have them and that her Codec number should be on the back of the CD Case. At that moment Baker dies of a heart attack, similar to the way Anderson died. Snake then contacted Meryl and she, disguised as a GENOME Soldier, opened the door to the other building for him.

On his way there, Snake got a call from an anonymous tipster naming himself “Deepthroat” saying he was “one of his fans” and he warned Snake of a tank up ahead. Sure enough, as he pressed on, he was confronted by a tank being driven by Vulcan Raven and two GENOME Soldiers. Snake destroyed the tank by throwing a grenade into the hatch. He then headed into the main building, in order to find Hal Emmerich (a.k.a. Otacon). When he got there, the Ninja appeared and confronted Snake. The Ninja eventually goes crazy and leaves telling Snake that he is Gray Fox. Otacon then told Snake that he developed Metal Gear REX, but not with the intention of it being nuclear-equipped. Otacon also tells Snake about the over-ride keys that Baker mentioned and again, that Meryl should have them. He then said that if the keys don’t work Snake will have no choice but to destroy Metal Gear. Snake then tracked down Meryl, but she only gave him one of the three detonation over-ride keys. Then on their way to the Communication Towers, Psycho Mantis appears and challenges Snake, while taking control of Meryl using his psychic powers. Snake had to knock Meryl out in order to save her. Snake then defeated Mantis and Mantis reads both their minds, saying a great turmoil awaits them.

On their way to the Towers, Meryl was shot by Sniper Wolf and she used her as bait to lure Snake out. Snake decides to head back and get a PSG-1 in order to battle Wolf. He eventually finds one and manages to out-snipe Wolf. Snake was then captured and tortured by Ocelot and he took the launch data that Baker gave to Snake. In the cell he saw the body of Donald Anderson, but mysteriously it seems like he had been dead for days. He then escapes from his cell thanks to Otacon and heads to the Communication Towers. Once atop the second tower he fought Liquid who was piloting a Hind-D. He destroys the Hind and heads out the tower. He reaches a snow field and once again battles Sniper Wolf. Once again he emerged victorious, and Wolf requested to Snake “finish me quick.” Just then, Otacon turned up. He admitted that he had fallen in love with Wolf. Snake then shoots Wolf at her request and Snake and Otacon parted ways.

Snake then headed to the control room where REX was being held. On the way there he fought and defeated Vulcan Raven. Raven then told him that the Donald Anderson he met in the cells who told him about Metal Gear was in fact, Decoy Octopus. Snake is then told by Master Miller that Naomi could be a spy. Based on information she gave earlier about her past, Miller made the deduction that she was lying and was most likely a spy. Snake then heard Liquid and Ocelot talking about their plans to turn Shadow Moses into the next Outer Heaven. Otacon then told Snake about the trick to the PAL key he has… it was made of a shape memory alloy that changes at different temperatures: Room Temperature, Ice Cold Temperature and Intense Heat Temperature. Naomi called Snake and told him that she was, in fact, a spy. She then mentioned that Frank Jaeger (a.k.a. Gray Fox) is her big brother, which comes as a shock to Snake.

Snake then input all three PAL Keys and the secret was revealed. It turned out that Snake was being used all along, and Metal Gear REX was now active! Ocelot never input the detonation codes from Baker and Anderson because Anderson never gave him his code. Master Miller then called Snake and reveals that it was actually Liquid Snake in disguise; the real Miller had been dead for at least three days. Liquid expressed his gratitude to Snake for activating the war-head. Then Snake went to confront Liquid, face-to-face, and Liquid explains everything. Liquid explains about the FOXDIE virus, and how it was programmed to kill off Donald Anderson (but killed Decoy Octopus instead because he was disguised as Anderson, even disguising his blood to be like Anderson’s) and Kenneth Baker. He then explained that Naomi made an unknown change to the program at the last second. No-one knew how or why.

Liquid then climbs aboard REX, and Snake had to destroy it. Snake fought valiantly against REX but, it seemed like he was getting nowhere. At that point, Gray Fox jumped out from the shadows, destroying REX’s radar, forcing Liquid to open up the cock-pit, and exposing himself. Fox and Snake then hid and Fox explained to Snake that he adopted Naomi, because he killed her parents, and felt guilty because of it. Fox then attempted to take out REX, but was eventually crushed under Rex. Snake then shot REX several times with the stinger and REX exploded, knocking Snake unconscious. Snake then awoke atop a destroyed REX. Liquid proceeded to explain his plans to Snake, about how he wanted to turn the world into a war zone where warriors such as him will always need a place. Then Liquid explains the Les Enfant Terribles project, and how they were both created by it. Twin clones of Big Boss, Liquid inferior and Solid superior. Snake then called Campbell and asked what the hell was going on. Campbell told Snake that a nuclear strike was on its way to Shadow Moses, but he said that he would try to buy him some time to escape. Suddenly, Campbell was arrested and Jim Houseman, Secretary of Defence, told Snake that a nuclear strike would destroy Shadow Moses. Snake and Liquid fought atop REX, and Snake eventually knocked Liquid over the side of REX’s cockpit.

Snake ran to check that Meryl was okay as Otacon called to tell Snake the way out and then said that he was about to leave. Snake and Meryl found a jeep nearby and drove out of the hangar. As they were making their escape Liquid chased them whilst shooting at them. Snake and Liquid shot at each other until they reached the end of the tunnel and they both crashed. Snake and Meryl were trapped under their jeep as Liquid slowly approaches… but just before he could shoot Snake he suffered from a heart attack just like Octopus and Baker… as it turned out the edit Naomi made to the FOXDIE virus was for the revenge of her older brother, it was designed to kill off Snake, but because Solid Snake and Liquid Snake had identical DNA coding it mistook him for Solid. Meryl and Snake then ride off into the Alaskan Wilderness alone together.

(Worth noting is that the game has an alternate ending. If you give into the torture sequence after the first battle with Sniper Wolf, you escape with Otacon instead of Meryl, and Meryl dies atop REX.)

Theme
Gene is the theme of behind this game. or the Idea of nature vs nurture. This is shown by how even though Liquid is genetically superior to Snake, Snake beats him every time. In the end Liquid has an oppertunity to kill Snake but the FOXDIE virus gets him first. Since Liquid and Snake are identical snake will also be killed by the virus at some stage.