Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Developer(s)	Konami
Publisher(s)	Konami
Designer(s)	Hideo Kojima
Platform(s)	MSX2, Mobile Phone, PlayStation 2
Release	July 20, 1990 (JP) March 14, 2006 (NA)
Genre(s)	Stealth action
Mode(s)	Single player

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Solid Snake, hiding from two Zanzibarian guards.

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is a stealth-based game that was written and directed by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami. It was the second canonical game in the Metal Gear series. It was initially released only in Japan for the MSX2 on July 20, 1990. The game was not ported to another platform until 14 years later, as a downloadable game for mobile phones in Japan in 2004. A North American and European release of Metal Gear 2 was announced on May 17, 2005 in E3, as a component of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence along with the original Metal Gear.

In the game, Solid Snake must infiltrate Zanzibar Land (not to be confused with the real-life Zanzibar that is part of Tanzania), a heavily defended territory located between the Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Pakistan and China. Snake's mission is to rescue the kidnapped scientist Dr. Kio Marv, who has created bacteria that secrete artificial petroleum, and later, to seek out and destroy Metal Gear D.

Development history

After the success of the NES version of Metal Gear in the Western market (especially in North America, where Metal Gear reportedly sold over a million copies), the Famicom division of Konami began developing a sequel for the NES, Snake's Revenge (made specifically with the Western market in mind), without informing the series creator Hideo Kojima.

Kojima, who was not originally planning on producing a sequel to Metal Gear, didn't know that Snake's Revenge was being produced until he met a member of the Snake's Revenge development staff (from Konami's Famicom division) on a train ride in Tokyo. Kojima was then informed about the development of Snake's Revenge and was told "it's not the authentic Snake, so please create a new Snake game of your own." That was when Kojima decided to create a true sequel to Metal Gear. After being given the go-ahead by his bosses at Konami, he began developing Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake with the MSX division of Konami.

Due to conflicts with the release of Snake's Revenge in North America, the actual Metal Gear 2 was released exclusively in Japan for the MSX2, while Snake's Revenge became the Metal Gear sequel for the North American market. Snake's Revenge was later removed from the series' canon, and is now considered part of a parallel universe.

Western gamers did not have the opportunity to play the true Metal Gear 2 for many years after its release. The game's Japanese-only release on the MSX2, a computer system that was unavailable in North America, was a steep barrier to overcome. Moreover, the game did not receive a European version like the original Metal Gear did on the MSX2 due to the decline of the MSX market. Years after the game's release, a fan translation of the ROM image authored by MSX hobbyists Takamichi Suzukawa and Maarten Huurne was distributed through the internet along with a translation of the game's manual.

When Metal Gear Solid was released, plot summaries of the first two MSX games were included in the form of "Previous Operations" reports for players that never played either title. Its inclusion in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence was the first time the game was officially released in North America and Europe, albeit with updated character models and some other minor modifications from the cell-phone remakes.

Plot summary

By 1999, the Cold War had thawed, and nuclear disarmament by the major world powers promised a bright beginning to the 21st century. 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 fictional Czech scientist, Dr. Kio Marv (which intentionally reads VRAM 01k backwards), 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 is brought out of retirement by FOXHOUND's new commander, Roy Campbell, and is sent to Zanzibar Land to rescue Dr. Marv. Template:Spoiler On the course of his mission, Snake teams up with Holly White, a CIA operative posing as a journalist, and Natasha Markova, a STB agent and Dr. Marv's bodyguard. He is also reunited with Dr. Petrovich Madnar, the Metal Gear inventor from Outer Heaven, who claims to had been captured once again to build another Metal Gear tank (called Metal Gear D) for Zanzibar Land, as well as oversee mass-production for an army of smaller Metal Gear models. 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 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 aerosol can. 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. Template:Endspoiler

Cast of characters

Main article: List of classic Metal Gear characters

Note: In the mobile phone and Subsistence versions of the game, a few of the characters were renamed. The following list features the characters as they were named in the original MSX version. For a list bosses, check out the Zanzibar Land article. The avatars on left are taken from the original MSX2 version, while the ones on the right are from the Mobile Phone/Subsistence version. Template:Spoiler

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  Solid Snake - The player's character. Already retired from FOXHOUND, he is brought back to action for Operation: Intrude F014. Was modeled after Michael Madsen in the original MSX2 version.

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  Big Boss - Solid Snake's former commander, who turned traitor during Operation: Intrude N313. He survived the downfall of Outer Heaven and established Zanzibar Land as his new base of operations. He confronts Snake once again at the end of his mission and meets his final demise at Snake's hands from a makeshift flamethrower. Resembles Sean Connery in the original MSX2 version.

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  Roy Campbell - FOXHOUND's new leader, he replaces Big Boss as Snake's commanding officer. Resembles Richard Crenna in the original MSX2 version. His relationship with Snake resembles that of John Rambo and Crenna's character Col. Sam Trautman.

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  Holly White - A CIA agent who infiltrated Zanzibar Land in the guise of a journalist. She supports Snake internally and helps him navigate his way into the Zanzibar Land compound.

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  Natasha Markova - An StB agent assigned to be Dr. Marv's bodyguard. She was once a figure skating gold-medalist, but was stripped of her competition rights after trying to elope with a western man named Frank Hunter. She was taken captive along with Marv, but manages to escape and meets up with Snake while disguised as an enemy soldier. She accompanies Snake and Petrovich to rescue Dr. Marv, but is struck by one of Metal Gear's missiles (piloted by Fox) while crossing a suspension bridge and does not survive her injuries.

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  Master Miller - FOXHOUND's drill instructor. He provides survival tips to Snake via radio.

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  Yozef Norden - A wildlife specialist who resides near Zanzibar Land and is a friend of Dr. Petrovich. He provides Snake with his expertise when dealing with animal matters. Resembles Danny DeVito in the original MSX2 version.

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  Gray Fox - Former FOXHOUND operative. After the Outer Heaven incident, he disappeared and followed Big Boss into Zanzibar Land, where he became Big Boss' second-in-command. He confronts Snake while piloting the new Metal Gear model. Snake destroys Metal Gear and ultimately defeats Fox in hand-to-hand combat at the middle of a minefield. It is then revealed that he is actually Frank Jaeger, aka Frank Hunter, Natasha's former lover. Resembles Tom Berenger in the original MSX2 version.

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  George Kessler - A veteran of the Zanzibar Land Independence War. He now works as a military strategist and arms expert in FOXHOUND. Resembles Dolph Lundgren in the original MSX2 version.

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  Kio Marv - The inventor of the OILIX formula. He was taken hostage on his trip to the U.S. During his captivity, he comes in contact with Snake, but is killed by his former friend, Dr. Petrovich. However, he managed to hide the OILIX from his captors, allowing Snake to procure the data and deliver it to his superiors.

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  Petrovich Madnar - The inventor of the Metal Gear mecha. He was once an academic friend of Dr. Marv. Snake meets with Dr. Petrovich again in Zanzibar Land, who appears to had been taken prisoner again along with Marv. In truth, Dr. Petrovich was voluntarily in Zanzibar Land overseeing the development of the new Metal Gear in revenge for being rejected by the American scientific community and subsequently institute into an asylum. He orchestrated Dr. Marv's kidnapping (and eventual death) and attacks Snake after finding the truth. Resembles Albert Einstein in the original MSX2 version.

Gameplay

The game engine of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake went through a number of significant changes and additions, most of which were carried over to Metal Gear Solid. As a matter of fact, many fans consider Metal Gear Solid to be almost a 3D remake of Metal Gear 2 due to the many similarities between the two.

Storyline developments

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The revised Transceiver mode.

A particularly important change introduced in this game was the bigger emphasis given to the game's storyline this time around:

• The storyline had greater depth and many more plot twists than the original Metal Gear.
• Themes regarding political intrigue, battlefield ethics, military history and the effects of warfare were explored.
• 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.
• There was more interaction between Snake and the supporting characters (in contrast to the original game, where Snake barely had any dialogue).
• The transceiver screen was completely revised. The screen now displays both Snake's face and the face of the person he's talking to.
• Messages received are no longer room-oriented like in the original, but are instead situation-based and more dynamic.

Some of the plot elements and set pieces that were later used again in its sequel Metal Gear Solid include:

• Meeting a disguised female contact in the lady's room.
• Messages from an anonymous source.
• The return of a major character as a hi-tech ninja.
• Master McDonnel Miller giving advice on improving one's health and professional life.
• A chase up a spiral staircase with soldiers in pursuit.
• A fight with four attackers in an elevator.
• A battle with a HIND-D chopper using Stinger missiles.

Artificial intelligence

Aside from the story, the biggest changes to the gameplay were made to the enemy soldiers' behavior and artificial intelligence:

• Soldiers now have a field of vision of 45 degrees, 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 includes 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 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 improvements

Other changes made to the gameplay include:

• The player can switch from standing to crawling mode by pressing the weapon and punch buttons simultaneously. In doing so, the player can enter air ducts, pick up landmines, and hide under desks, seats and trucks. 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 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 can now hide in cardboard boxes.
• A number of new weapons can be used later in the game, including landmines and Stinger missiles.
• 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.
• During certain points of the games, the player must decipher secret messages through tap codes which are listed in the game's instruction manual.
• At some point in the game, the player must check the back of the game's package in order to learn a character's new frequency. This gameplay element was used again in Metal Gear Solid, along with other similar attempts at breaking the fourth wall in the Metal Gear Solid titles.
• At some point in the game, the player must use a temperature-sensitive key to unlock a certain area. This gameplay element was also used again in Metal Gear Solid.

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.
  • Predator was changed to Jungle Evil.
  • 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. Note: This is not included in the PlayStation 2 version.
  • 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 was released as a component of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. The PS2 version included all the changes made in the mobile phone release, along with an official English translation for the North American and European releases. This was the first time the game was officially released outside Japan. The North American version also included a Spanish language script.

In the PlayStation 2 version, the player still has to learn Tap Codes and Campbell's second radio frequency from manual. However, because the North American version only came with a brief manual and the downloadable manual from Konami's official site did not provide in-depth content for either of the classic Metal Gear games, many players had to consult online sites or fan-translated versions of the original manual in order to find certain radio frequencies. Konami later posted an FAQ, covering all the needed solutions. [1]

Pop-culture references

Although, most of them were toned down or removed completely in the later versions, the MSX2 version contained various references to pop-cultures and other fictional works.

• As noted above, the original face portraits were modelled after the likeness of actual actors and celebrity-like figures: Mel Gibson as Solid Snake (most notable in the game's opening intro), Sean Connery as Big Boss, Dolph Lundgren as George Kasler, Tom Berenger as Gray Fox, Richard Crenna as Roy Campbell, Danny Devito as Yozev Norden and Albert Einstein as Dr. Pettrovich Madnar.

• The names of the bosses also contained pop-culture references, with some of them being named after films or novels in the MSX2 version: Black Color (a reference to the novel The Blackcollar), The Running Man, Ultra Box (named after Ultravox) and Predator. With the exception of Running Man, all of the above names were changed in recent versions.

• The operation orders printed on page 37 of the original MSX2 manual was a homage of a similar operation instructions from the J.C. Pollock novel, Crossfire. Several aspects of the actual storyline in the game was influenced by the book, including the protagonist Frank Kessler, who shares his first name with Frank Jaeger and his surname with George Kasler.

• The manufacturer of the toilets installed in Zanzibar Building is listed as Gainax, named after the Japanese animation studio of the same name.

• Pegimin H, a fictional substance from the Japanese series Ultra Q, is listed as one of Zanzibar Land's natural resource.

• In the original MSX2 version, the enemy uses Minovsky Particles, a fictional electronic wave from Mobile Suit Gundam, to disable Snake's radar during the game's alert phase. Gundam mecha designer Hajime Katoki would later provide the mecha designs for Policenauts.

External links

• Official Website for the Mobile Phone version (Japanese)
• Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake at MobyGames
• Metal Gear Week on 1UP.com, with Hideo Kojima interview
• GOTW: Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
• Hideo Kojima: Game Guru, Movie Maniac