Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is a stealth-based game that was idealized by Hideo Kojima and made by Konami. It was the fourth game chronologically in the Metal Gear series and 2nd one made. It was initially released only in Japan for the MSX2 computer on July 20, 1990. The game was re-released 14 years later, as a downloadable game for mobile phones in Japan in 2004. A North American release of Metal Gear 2 was released on March 14, 2006, as part of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence; along with the original Metal Gear.

Story
By 1999, the Cold War had thawed, nations were getting rid of nukes. 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 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. NATO 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.

Solid Snake was brought out of retirement by FOXHOUND's new commander, Roy Campbell, and is sent to Zanzibar Land to rescue Dr. Marv. Throughout the course of his mission, Snake teamed up with Holly White, a CIA operative posing as a journalist, and Natasha Markova, a former StB agent and Dr. Marv's bodyguard. He is also reunited with Dr. Petrovich Madnar, the Metal Gear inventor from Outer Heaven, who claims being captured once again to build another Metal Gear tank (called Metal Gear D) for Zanzibar Land. Snake learns from Dr. Petrovich, that Big Boss, Snake's former commander, was alive and well, leading Zanzibar Land's forces.

However, upon reaching the suspension bridge leading to the Detention Camp, Natasha is killed by a missile fired by Metal Gear and Dr. Petrovich is recaptured by the enemy. The new Metal Gear's pilot is revealed to be none other than Snake's former mercenary buddy, and best friend, Gray Fox. Determined to accomplish his mission, Snake fights against Zanzibar Land's elite mercenary force (which includes former Outer Heaven resistance leader Kyle Schneider, now called Black Color) and manages to reach Dr. Marv's cell.

Unfortunately, Snake arrives too late, as he finds Dr. Marv's corpse, who was unable to survive the repeated torture sessions, along with Dr. Petrovich, who was unable to save him. Just before Snake could retrieve the OILIX formula left by Dr. Marv, Holly reveals via a radio message that Dr. Petrovich was not captured after all, but was in Zanzibar Land voluntarily overseeing the development of Metal Gear. After the truth comes out, Dr. Petrovich attacks Snake, but is not successful in killing him.

With OILIX formula in Snake's hands, Snake was confronted by Gray Fox piloting Metal Gear D once again. After successfully destroying Metal Gear, Snake found himself in a minefield. The two engaged in hand-to-hand combat against each other and Snake eventually emerged as the victor.

After defeating Fox, Snake was forced to do battle with Big Boss. With no weapons at his disposal, Snake was forced to improvise and make a homemade flamethrower consisting of a cigarette lighter and a can of hairspray. Taking Big Boss by surprise, Snake defeated him for the second and last time. Snake and Holly escaped and together, they delivered the OILIX formula to Campbell.

After the situation was defused, Snake disappeared into the Alaskan wilderness, not to be heard from for a long time...

Gameplay
The game engine went through several significant changes and additions, most which were carried to Metal Gear Solid. As a matter of fact, many fans consider Metal Gear Solid to be a 3D remake of Metal Gear 2 due to the many similarities between the two. The biggest changes were made to enemy soldiers' behavior and AI.


 * Soldiers now have a field of vision of 45 degree angles, in contrast to the soldiers in the original game, who could only see in straight lines. Moreover soldiers could also turn their heads sideways and look diagonally. This meant bigger emphasis on stealth than in the previous game.
 * Enemies now react to noises made by the player. This include firing an unsilenced weapon, causing an explosion, hitting on walls or walking on certain types of terrains. If a noise is made, the enemy soldier will follow the direction of it.
 * Enemies can now patrol more an entire area from screen to screen, instead of being limited to one screen or room like in the original game.
 * Whereas the original featured two different alert modes (with a different escaping method for each), Metal Gear 2 instead features three different alert phases depending on the player's present circumstance. When the player is discovered, the game goes into Level 3 (Alert Mode) and the player will be attacked by enemy soldiers. If the player manages to defeat enough soldiers or stay hidden from the enemy for a long time, the game enters Level 2 (Evasion Mode), in which enemy continues to patrol the area aware of the player's presence. After the time in Evasion Mode runs out, the game returns to Level 1 (Infiltration Mode).

Other changes made include:


 * The player can switch from standing to crawling mode by pressing the weapon and punch buttons simultaneously. In doing so, the player can hide under desks and seats, enter air ducts and pick up landmines. The player can also avoid making noises on any terrain by crawling instead of walking. However, weapons cannot be used while in the crawling position.
 * The player is now equipped with a 3x3 grid radar which displays the player's current screen and position, the surrounding area and the position of enemy guards. The player can also use the radar to display the positions of landmines with the mine detector or launch stinger missiles with a cross-hair.
 * An oxygen bar is added whenever the player is underwater or in gas-covered areas.
 * The player no longer has to save hostages to gain a promotion. Instead, the player is automatically promoted after defeating a boss, increasing their life meter and carrying capacity.
 * The transceiver screen was completely revised. The screen now displays both Snake's face and the face of the person he's talking to. In addition, messages are no longer room-oriented like in the original, but instead are situation-based and a bit more dynamic.
 * Bigger emphasis is given to the game's storyline this time around. Whereas the original game only revealed the storyline through key dialogue spoken by the game's NPCs, Metal Gear 2 featured actual cut scenes which served to narrate the game's storyline, as well more interaction between Snake and the supporting characters (in contrast to the original game, where Snake barely had any dialogue).
 * During certain points of the games, the player must decipher secret messages through tap codes which are listed in the game's instruction manual. Moreover, at some point of the game, the player must check the back of the game's package in order to learn a character's new frequency. Later Metal Gear titles feature similar attempts at breaking the fourth wall.

Alternate Versions
Mobile Phone version

On October 1, 2004, Konami released a mobile phone version of Metal Gear 2 in Japan for the i-Mode, EZweb and Vodafone services. This was the first time the game was ported to another platform since its original MSX2 release in 1990. Several changes were made in order to modernize the game:


 * New game modes and items - All the new game modes (Easy Mode, Boss Survival) and items (Infinite Bandana) introduced in the mobile phone version of the original Metal Gear were included in this version as well.
 * Revamped character designs - The character face shots shown during the game's radio mode (as well as the opening intro) were redrawn by Metal Gear Solid character designer Yoji Shinkawa. While the original designs in the MSX2 version resembled actual movie actors and people, the designs in the new version are brought more in line with Shinkawa's designs from the Metal Gear Solid series.
 * Rewritten script - The script was changed to include more kanji characters than the MSX2 version.
 * Name changes - Like the mobile phone version of Metal Gear, some characters' names were changed:
 * Natasha Markova was changed to Gustava Heffner.
 * Yozef Norden was changed to Johan Jacobsen.
 * Petrovich Madnar was given the full name of Drago Petrovich Madnar, establishing the name "Petrovich" as the character's patronymic middle name.
 * Black Color was changed to Black Ninja.
 * Ultra Box was changed to the Four Horsemen.
 * Night Sight was changed to Night Fright.
 * Modified items - Some of the items were modified (graphically and functionality) to parallel their usage in the Metal Gear Solid series.
 * The graphical icons for each of three ration types are now colored differently to tell them apart.
 * Equipping the cigarettes will now drain the player's life bar. Moreover, the graphical icon was changed to no longer resemble a package of Lucky Strikes.
 * Thermal goggles are now available to see through infrared sensors as an alternative to cigarettes.
 * In the MSX2 version, the player could only place six landmines per screen. In the mobile phone version, this was increased to sixteen.
 * The time it takes for Natasha/Gustava's brooch to change shape was shortened slightly.
 * The time for an egg to hatch was shortened as well.
 * Modified play mechanics - Certain aspects of the gameplay were changed to make the game easier for the player.
 * The tap codes were changed.
 * A mark will appear on the player's feet when making a noise while walking on certain types of terrain.
 * If a hollow wall is punched, a question mark will appear over it.
 * Frequency numbers are now saved under a memory window after dialing them the first time.
 * Campbell's second frequency (which originally could only be learned by checking the rear side of the MSX2 version's packaging) is now given to the player instead.

PlayStation 2 version

A PlayStation 2 version has been released as a component of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. The PS2 version includes all the changes made in the mobile phone release, along with an official English translation for the North American and European releases. This was first time the game was officially released outside Japan.