ListenToDust!n
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Posted:
Sep 23, 2005 9:28 AM
ok heres something on GameFAQs..somebody posted...
ITS A GOOD EXPLANATION OF EVERYTHING THERE IS IN METAL GEAR..
BUT DONT TAKE IT FROM ME...SOME THINGS HE SAYS ARE ""ARGUABLE""
BUUUT I LIKE TO SHARE THIS WITH U MYSPACE MGS HEADS ANYWAYS...
THEEERE MIGHT BEEEE SPOOOOILERS!!!!...TO SOME OF YOU...SO READ AT RISK
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Credit to lionHart627
From: LionHart627
Came up with this a while back, and such. For each question, I'll go into detail with the answers. The questions deal with the following topics:
1. Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, Solidus Snake - Genes Ahoy!
2. The Patriots
3. Vamp
4. FOXDIE
5. Big Boss
6. Ocelot
7. Solidus
8. Naomi
9. Meryl
10. Hair Color
11. Character Bios
12. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
13. End - Helpful Links
Finally, a big update. With the Tokyo Game Show last weekend, we received a load of information concerning MGS4. I've taken this, and used it to completely redo the MGS4 section. I also added the "Helpful Links" bit.
Thanks to OnslaughtX (who wrote the Patriot and S3 section and first showed me the MGS4 article), Genji Masamune (who wrote about Vamp's revival) and Ultima1 (who wrote about Naomi and her role in MGS4). Both Genji Masamune and Ultima1 also gave me various ideas for the MGS4 update.
In the following posts, there will be IMMENSE SPOILERS for the other games in the series, so read with caution.
Got it? Okay, here comes the FAQ!
{{{{{{Question 1 - What's up with the Snake genes and such?}}}}}}
While not quite a fact, this is the best explanation we've got for it:
Liquid Snake received recessive soldier genes, which turned out to be the "superior" genes. This made him the genetically superior clone.
Solid Snake received dominant soldier genes, which turned out to be the "inferior" genes. This made him the genetically inferior clone.
Solidus Snake was the balance. He received a perfect blend of dominantly and recessively expressed genes. This made him the "well blended masterpiece", the balanced clone.
{{{{{{Question 2 - Who are the Patriots?}}}}}}
Who the Patriots are is unknown. However, we do know WHAT they are and how they operate. For this question, I let my friend OnslaughtX answer.
{{{{{{Who are the Philosophers?}}}}}}
The Philosophers were a group of influential people from the Soviet Union, United States, and China that came together during the early part of the 20th Century (That's 1900 for all you kiddies out there). These were the people that held the true power in each country through influence, rank, or wealth. Their secret meetings became known as the Wiseman's Committee. They controlled a vast spy network as well as influencing the space program and military issues. However, the last of the original Wisemen died in the 1930's. As each member died, someone came in to replace them. Eventually, with the last of the originals gone, the group degenerated into a mere shell of their former glory. They became war mongers, power hungry men who wished to establish a new world order. The Boss was the last remaining child of the original members. The new Wisemen murdered her father after he revealed the truth of the organization to her.
{{{{{{What is the Philosopher's Legacy?}}}}}}
The Philosophers created a secret pact during the two World Wars. They amassed a large sum of money, $100 billion dollars. During World War 2, they also created a plan to take down the Axis power and establish a new world order. The money was meant to fight that war, and was to be split among the 3 countries of the Philosophers after the war. But in the following chaos, Volgin's father initiated a plot to steal the Legacy. He had the money laundered through banks around the world. The Philosophers began to fight amonst themselves. They split and the nations they represented began fighting among each other. This marked the beginning of the Cold War. All 3 branches had one primary goal, the acquisition of the entire Legacy. The microfilm that contained the list of bank transactions to access the money around the world essentially became the Legacy.
{{{{{{Who has the Legacy?}}}}}
During the events of MGS3, the primary subplot was the USA's plan to steal the Legacy from Volgin. After Volgin used the spy network established by the Philosophers to contact the Boss and suggest she defect, the US took the opportunity to steal the Legacy. Initially the Boss was to join Volgin's ranks with the COBRA Unit, swap the Legacy with a fake one, destroy the Shagohod and come home. However, Volgin launched an American nuke on Russian soil. The plot was revised as seen in the events of MGS3. Eva/Tanya steals the Legacy, the microfilm itself, from Volgin's vault. Volgin and Ocelot catch her, and Volgin passes the Legacy on to the Boss for safe keeping. Boss then passes it on to Snake on her deathbed. Snake thus returns it to the US. However, as evidenced by Ocelot's conversation with the DCI, only half of the money, $50 billion, is transfered after the events of Snake Eater. He thinks that the KGB has the other half. This does not mean that there is another microfilm, it means that the KGB was able to somehow trace the bank transactions and acquire some of the money. By 1970, the US branch of the Philosophers is able to retrieve that half, and they are reborn as the Patriots.
{{{{{{{{{I thought Ocelot had the Legacy? I though Eva stole it? I thought Ocelot planted a fake on Snake?}}}}}}}}}
None of this is true. First, Ocelot never claims to have the Legacy. He merely states its back in the US thanks to John. Second, we never see Eva take anything from the sleeping Snake. The scene is setup to APPEAR as if she searched his pockets, when she didn't. In fact, she already had a copy of the (fake) Legacy as she opens her palm, along with the Shagohod data. Snake is the one that returns it to the US, as we can see him toss it on the table the next morning after Eva has left. She didn't take anything. She probably got her fake copy from the Boss during the Volgin boss battle.
{{{{{{{{{Who are the Patriots?}}}}}}}}}}
The Patriots are the US branch of the Philosophers. After they split from the other two branches, they were able to acquire the entire sum of money the Philosophers once possessed. All of this money was infused into a single branch, thus giving the US members the power once held by the entire 3 country consortium. This happened in 1970. To reflect their US oriented goals and mindset, they renamed themselves The Patriots. Between 1970 and the turn of the century, they were able to basically go from positions of influence to a position of pure power. The US government became a stage play, with the Patriots having true control from the shadows. The Wisemen continued on as rulers of the group in the tradition of the original Philosophers. Who they are is never revealed. However, the DCI of 1964, John Alexander McCone, was more than likely a US Philosopher, and thus a founding member of the Patriots.(This is the man that Snake snubs in the ending to MGS3 when he offers his hand.)
{{{{{I thought the Patriots were AI? Haven't they been around for 200 years? Aren't they all dead? WTF happened in MGS2's ending?}}}}}
While much of the ending to MGS2 is left up to personal interpretation, many facts from MGS3 allow a solid story to be constructed concerning the Patriots. First, the "entity" speaking to you at the end of MGS2 is an AI similar to GW, known as JFK. JFK exists inside another Arsenal Gear, and acts as an avatar/voice/emissary of the Patriots. Whenever the AI says "We" it is refering to the Patriots. However, 90% of what it says is meant in a metaphorical sense to keep the player and Raiden feeling uneasy. Deception is a big part of MGS2. The Patriots, the group, did not form 200 years ago in the White House. The "consciousness" that formed there was not a sentient ghost, but rather a group mentality held between people who believed in their country. The actual group known as the Patriots did not form until 1970. In the end of MGS2, we learn the 12 Wisemen are already dead. They died "about 100 years ago." This list is more than likely a list of names of the original 12 Wisemen of the Philosophers. MGS3 shows that the Wisemen continued on well after the originals died, but their goals shifted. In 2009, it stands to reason then that 12 new Wisemen are running the show. Exactly why the list contains the names of the originals is still left up to speculation until MGS4. Some theories include the new men using aliases of the originals, or that the Patriots desire to wipe any knowledge of the Philosophers from the world.
The Patriots are big on power and control. The group itself is immortal. As long as the US exists, so will they. Members will come and go, but the ideals behind the group will last after that. The Patriots themselves are not formless, their organization is. The Boss says the same of the Philosophers, whom we KNOW to be human. It is not a comment on the members' physical state, but rather on how the group is able to permeate and control from within. JFK, the AI, speaks of the goals and memes if you will behind the group. The Patriots are an ideal, an ongoing fiction as Snake said. Members will come and go, but the group will continue on.
Also, the AI speaking to you, JFK, was created alongside GW. GW was not made until 2007 by Emma Emmerich. It has not been around for 200 years. Nor are the original Wisemen "programmed" into it. It is just a voice speaking for the group. Its meant to be confusing, meant to leave you with a sense of uneasiness.
Note from LionHart: Also, Rose is real throughout the game, it's the real her talking to you. When she tells Raiden she's pregnant, she is cut off, and the next time you talk to her on Federal Hall, it is the JFK AI speaking, not the actual Rose. The Rose that Raiden meets in the street is the real Rose.
{{{{{{{{{{{{{What is the S3 Plan?}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
I'll be as basic as I can. Stay with me here. S3 in truth stands for "Selection for Societal Sanity." It is basically a plan for controlling the evolution of society. The Patriots feared the changes that were brought about by the digital age. Not only were they afraid of losing their power, but also they felt that society was drowning in its own useless information. The Patriots created a system that would give them control of the digital world. They would use their AI sets, GW and JFK being two of them, to control the flow of information. All data would be categorized, given levels of priority, and deleted as necessary. The Patriots would basically control the history of tomorrow. Things could be erased or changed, and thus society would be molded by "our rulers." Instead of individual truthes, everyone would unknowingly conform to one truth, that of the Patriots. They would thus keep their ultimate power over the US that they had gained after 1970.
However, the Patriots were not sure if such a project would work. They were uncertain that society would accept the lies as truth, and were not certain in the validity of the AI's ability to handle complex situations. So, a test was devised. The Patriots based it on the most extreme circumstance they could think of. That situation was Shadow Moses, one man against incredible odds. It should be noted that Shadow Moses was not a part of S3 initially, but rather chosen as the model after the fact. Planning for S3 began as early as 1999, when the backdoor software was distributed around the world to prevent the Y2k bug. This would allow the AI sets in each Arsenal Gear to tap into every system on the planet. Development of Arsenal Gear is hinted at being started by the Navy as early as 2003. However, passages in "In the Darkness of Shadow Moses" suggest that Jim Houseman had funding rerouted from Arsenal to his own Metal Gear Rex project, something that President Johnson confirms was not part of the Patriots plans. The sinking of the tanker was also setup by the Patriots, who used Ocelot to convince Solidus to steal Metal Gear Ray. The tanker thus allowed for a viable reason to begin construction on the Big Shell.
The basic plan as seen in MGS2 is to test the AI by giving it complex data to study. If the AI could setup a situation similar to Shadow Moses and "solve the equation" so to speak, it could be ready for any contingency the world could throw at it. At the same time, this test would determine whether or not a single person would accept the false reality created by the manipulation of information. We see these events take place at the Big Shell. In truth, the Shell's events are all precursors to the actual S3 project, not the entire scope of the project itself. The candidates chosen for this test were all those that had betrayed the Patriots at some time or another. However, the cornerstone appears to be Solidus, for his betrayal in starting Shadow Moses.
Solidus controlled an outfit of child soldiers during the Liberian Civil War of 1989. Jack was chosen from this group because of all the children, he refused to acknowledge the past, the truth. He accepted an easier life of convenient lies. RIchard Ames was also duped into participating in the project, standing in as a hostage and then eliminated by the Patriots for giving Nastasha Romanenko the FoxDie data. President Johnson was also used as a pawn, since the Patriots knew he would side with Solidus in an attempt to take Arsenal Gear. By the end of MGS2, S3 is proven to be a total success. Now, the AI sets around the world will begin controlling all data. This should prove interesting for MGS4.
There are many, MANY fine details to the project. I'm sure they can be addressed later in this thread.
{{{{{{{{{{{{{What about the Solid Snake Simulation?}}}}}}}}}
Solid Snake Simulation, creating a soldier on par with Solid Snake, or an assassin to take out Solidus, was never the true goal of the project. The current Wisemen needed Ocelot to play his part as well, since he was actually at Shadow Moses. Therefore, they created this cover story of sorts to keep the players in line. However, metaphorically and thematically speaking, Metal Gear Solid 2 IS a sort of Solid Snake Simulation.
Raiden represents the player, you. You are not Solid Snake, you never will be. However, the game attempts to mold you into a person like him by sending you through similar events. Many characters in MGS2 are used as "stand ins" for the characters of MGS1. So in a sense, Metal Gear Solid 2 is the S3 plan, Kojima and his team are the Patriots, and you are Raiden.
In the game universe, the Patriots chose to mold Raiden into a soldier like Solid Snake. This was not necessary, but since its a Metal Gear Solid game, it makes sense. The Patriots could have chosen ANY extreme situation to mold the events of the Big Shell. But, since they felt Shadow Moses was the most intense for both the AI and the subject, they went with that. If the Patriots wanted to, they could have used GW to mold Raiden into a lawyer or accountant, or copy the events of Operation Snake Eater even.. The point was that Raiden was never in Foxhound, but accepted the lies of the world around him. That was what the Patriots wanted, to prove they could manipulate him, and eventually society.
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Question 3 - Didn't Vamp die in MGS2?}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
-It may seem that way, but no, he didn't. For lack of a better explanation, Vamp is a vampire. He drinks blood, he can't die, and he breathes cold breath. And he can walk on water. At no point in MGS2 do you actually kill Vamp. Basically, you just disable him temporarily. Now, how do we know he isn't dead?
During the ending of MGS2, Raiden looks at the dog tags hanging around his neck. After he does this, the camera pans around, showing you Snake and allowing you to see things behind him. If you press R1 to zoom and look carefully, you can spot Vamp standing next to a yellow taxi cab.This can be a tad difficult, so if you have the Document of MGS2, you can look at the area with that. Vamp can be seen there.
Note from Onslaught: While Vamp received his name from being bisexual, IE a person who seduces men, its hard to argue the evidence that he IS in fact some form of vampire. Also, he can obviously be seen in the concept art released for MGS4, which appears to take place 3 years after the events of Sons Of Liberty.
Here's a bit on perhaps why Vamp can't die, written by Genji Masamune
One of the most prominent theories regarding Vamp's mysterious ability to return from certain death unscathed doesn't relate to what would seem to be his glaringly obvious vampiric traits. In fact, it comes from a place more closely associated with killing a vampire than bringing one back to life. Despite this, there's actually fairly decent clues toward this being a very plausable theory.
During the game's development, many things were cut or edited for time and efficiency of the flow of the plot and the game itself. One of the changes to Metal Gear Solid 2 were two members of Dead Cell, Chinaman and Oldboy. One of Chinaman's signature abilites was that if water came in contact with his special red tattoo, he would be revived on the spot. What does this have to do with Vamp? Well, maybe nothing, but considering the fact that every time we've witnessed Vamp die in Metal Gear Solid 2, we immediately see him come in contact with water in some way, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine this idea that no longer had a character attatched to it could be carried over to a character that did remain. The following are the clearest clues we have regarding this theory.
..1 - Once you've outlasted Fortune's attacks, Vamp steps out of the elevator. Raiden, not wanting to be outnumbered, jumps out and shoots at Fortune. As it turns out, Fortune has a device that causes bullets to stray from their path, and in doing so, the shot is riccocheted throughout the room, eventually tearing through Vamp's skull, and coming out the other side, right through the middle of his forehead. Fortune, too saddened by Vamp's death to fight Raiden, lets him go. Once Raiden has gone, Fortune begins to cry. You are clearly able to see one of Fortune's tears fall on Vamp's face, and a few seconds later, Vamp opens his eyes, and speaks like he isn't surprised. A tear certainly isn't a whole lot of water, but it is indeed water. Chinaman only needed water to touch his tattoo at all, so there's no reason to take this example any more lightly than the following examples.
..2 - Raiden encounters vamp in a room with an oxygenated pool of water in the middle. If you fall in, you die. The water's gravity is such that it'd be impossible for Raiden to swim in, you'd sink until you died. In Vamp's case, he seems to be able to come in and out without much trouble, though. Interestingly, he can't breathe in there forever, which shouldn't apply to what we'd normally consider a vampire. At any rate, once you defeat Vamp, he's again shot and falls into aforementioned pool. As we know, though, this is not the last time we see him, and is the second time he clearly comes in contact with water immediately following what should be his death.
..3 - The final time you encounter Vamp in the game, you're on the outer rim of a strut on the Big Shell, making your way across an oil fence, due to the destruction of the bridges on the Shell itself. As Emma makes her way across the fences, you are to snipe explosives, guards, and Cypher set up along her path. Before she makes it all the way across, Vamp emerges from the water, and grabs Emma, putting a knife to her throat, leaving you to use your sniper rifle to take him out before he kills her. Once you've taken care of him, he once again falls into the water. He doesn't show up again in the story, but you can find him in the ending, as previously mentioned. Clearly, he isn't dead after this encounter, and he clearly fell into the ocean because of it.
Another small note of interest, even though most people probably wouldn't count it, is one of the reasons I'm sure, that Kojima named him Vamp in the first place. He sucks blood. Vamp's first brush with death was when terrorists bombed a church he was attending with his parents. The explosion caused a giant crucifix to pierce Vamp, his family crushed, all left for dead. As far as we are told, the reason Vamp survived was feeding on his parents' blood for the few days until he was rescued. Now, could this be counted as him coming in contact with water upon an experience that he would have most likely died from? Not really. It is liquid though. So, it may be considered. The fact is, every time Vamp is associated with death, some liquid, always being water except for this time, happens to be involved. What the game tells us is that this occurance at the church created within him a "taste" for blood. Vampires generally have to be bit by another vampire to become one. I've never seen a non-vampire suck another non-vampires blood and become a vampire, so it's actually a bit strange that most people would so quickly point to this as why he is what he is.
{{{{{{{{{{{{Question 4 - FOXDIE. Explain.}}}}}}}}}}}
First, what FOXDIE is and does, according to Naomi:
"Naomi: FoxDie is a type of retrovirus that targets and kills only specific people. First, it infects the macrophages in the victim's body. FoxDie contains smart enzymes, created through protein engineering. They're programmed to respond to specific genetic patterns in the cells.
Snake: Those enzymes recognize the target's DNA?
Naomi: Right. They respond by becoming active, and using the macrophages, they begin creating TNF epsilon. It's a type of cytokine, a peptide which causes cells to die. The TNF epsilon is carried along the bloodstream to the heart, where they attach to the TNF receptors in the heart cells.
Snake: And then...they cause a heart attack?
Naomi: The heart cells suffer a shock and undergo an extreme apoptosis. Then... the victim dies.
Snake: Apoptosis...you mean the heart cells commit suicide..."
Now that you know what it is and does, I'll explain further. FOXDIE was injected into Snake and he was sent in as a vector, to spread FOXDIE. FOXDIE was program to target and kill Solid Snake, ArmsTech President Kenneth Baker, and FOXHOUND members Decoy Octopus, Vulcan Raven, Psycho Mantis, Sniper Wolf, and Liquid Snake. However, Naomi made some kind of change to FOXDIE and it wasn't known what the change was for a while.
Octopus, Baker, and Liquid were killed by it, yes. Why weren't the rest of the FOXHOUND squad?
Snake never got close to Vulcan Raven until right before he died, meaning FOXDIE couldn't affect him. Psycho Mantis wore his mask, so FOXDIE couldn't affect him, and the tranquilizers Wolf took constantly kept it from affecting her. Now what about Ocelot? Well things are a bit fuzzy concerning him. On one hand, Solidus gave him the FOXDIE vaccine before he went into Shadow Moses. However, Ocelot was also working with the Patriots at the time, meaning it's very likely he wasn't a target at all.
And what about Solid Snake and the change to FOXDIE? In the Darkness of Shadow Moses is a book in MGS2. You can read it and find out Nastasha Romanenko's point of view of the incident. I'm not going to go into detail on the whole thing, just what relates to FOXDIE. Ames gave Nastasha the disk containing all the FOXDIE data. At the end of the book, Nastasha reveals the contents of the disk.
"The record of the Shadow Moses Incident and the FOXDIE data disc that Richard gave me are still under my vigilant guard. The FOXDIE program data covers Naomi’s careful analysis of the unauthorized reconfiguration she had made to the virus. The information showed that Snake was indeed one of the targets for the deadly retrovirus, but the incubation period had been changed to a wildcard value. Even Naomi herself did not know when the virus would awaken within Snake. It must have been the best revenge she could think of, condemning him to live in this fearful limbo."
That's the answer. Snake is infected with FOXDIE, it's just unknown when he's going to die from it. With Naomi confirmed to be in MGS4, FOXDIE could play a role again.
{{{{{{{{{{{{Question 5 - What about Big Boss?}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
In Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, you burned Big Boss to death with a lighter and an aerosal can. After he died, and presumably sometime after Snake escaped, the government went in and recovered his remains. They identified over 60 soldiers genes thanks to Big Boss' remains, and used those on the Genome Soldiers. After that, his body was preserved and kept hidden somewhere.
In Metal Gear Solid, Liquid is demanding Big Boss' remains. He says he's doing this to correct a mutation the Genome Soldiers are suffering from, and to cure a disease that both he, Snake, Solidus (presumably) and the rest of the Genome Soldiers suffer from. This disease is not accelerated aging. If it was, the Genome Soldiers wouldn't suffer from it.
As far as we know, Big Boss is dead. However, this could all be a big charade and everything we've been told could be a lie. MGS4 art features Big Boss' body. Whether it's alive or dead is unknown, but it looks very dead.
Question 6 - What's the dealio with Ocelot?
Ocelot is the son of The Boss and The Sorrow. After defeating him in his boss battle in MGS3, you can contact EVA and gain some knowledge about his history. Here, you find out that Ocelot was born on the battlefield, and his mother was shot during birth. She had to have an emergency c-section, and after Ocelot was born, she was stitched up and left with a snake-shaped scar.
This matches up with The Boss' story of giving birth on the battlefield, and having the snake-shaped scar. Here is a very rough history of Ocelot:
1944 (estimated) - The Boss gives birth on the battlefield in Normandy. She's shot, and has to have a c-section, leaving her with a snake-shaped scar. Her son is Ocelot, but soon after birth, he is taken from her by the Philosophers.
Between 1944 and 1962 - Ocelot is trained by the Philosophers to be their spy, then, while still at a young age, is sent to Russia. Here, he pretends to be a defecting NSA codebreaker, and then he infiltrates Volgin's ranks, pretending to be loyal to Volgin's cause.
1964 - The Boss is given her mission to get the Philosopher's Legacy. Volgin launches a nuke and screws the whole thing up. Snake is sent in to kill The Boss and Volgin, and get the Legacy. Ocelot, as ADAM, was supposed to help, but EVA arrived in Rassvet before Ocelot did, plus Ocelot couldn't reveal his true identity with his unit around.
After the credits, Ocelot is talking to head of the KGB. At this point, Ocelot is still playing his KGB role.
The second phone call is to the Director of the CIA, John McCone. This alerts us to Ocelot's real loyalty to America. He never loved Russia to begin with. He informs the DCI of the success of the mission, and says that with the Legacy the Philosophers can be revived.
Note from Onslaught: By revived, of course we do not mean physically revived. Their power will be re-established in the US. Also, this conversation seems to hint that the DCI is one of the remaining Wisemen, and probably a founder of the Patriots.
Ocelot was a regular grunt, along with Vulcan Raven, in Outer Heaven. He was most likely placed there to spy on the place and Big Boss. After Solid Snake retired in 1999, Ocelot joined FOXHOUND, and also recommended that Raven should join. He became a torture expert during the time in between MGS3 and Metal Gear (presumably).
Ocelot is called many names in the series. General Ivan, Crazy Ivan, Shalashaska, Adamska. The two Ivan names can be considered racial slurs of sorts. "ska" is a female suffix, for female names. It's unlikely the Philosophers gave Ocelot a female name, so it's unlikely this is his real name. As for Shalashaska...this is what Ocelot says during the torture in MGS1 if you keep resisting:
Ocelot: I've fought wars in Afghanistan, Mozambique, Eritrea, and Chad. Among the Mujahaddin guerrillas, I was known and feared as "Shalashaska". I was trained by the Russian GRU. I am not like one of those KGB slugs. To me, this isn't torture... It's a sport.
Early on in Metal Gear Solid, Ocelot had his hand cut off by the Cyborg Ninja. Later, in the final moments of Metal Gear Solid, Liquid Snake is killed by the FOXDIE virus. Many people saw this as an end to Liquid, however, MGS2 showed this to be not true.
After Ocelot set off the bombs in the tanker during Metal Gear Solid 2, Snake confronted him. Rather than talking to Ocelot himself, Ocelot's right arm began to twitch, and Liquid Snake took control of Ocelot, and talked to Snake. Later, we find out Solidus spent money on the best transplant team in the world to attach Liquid's arm to Ocelot in Lyon, France.
At the end of MGS2, Liquid takes over Ocelot yet again, this time escaping in Metal Gear RAY, with the goal of burying the Patriots for good. Many people believe that at this point, Liquid took full control of Ocelot, and our gun slinging, backstabbing villain no longer had a place in the series. At this point it's unknown, though it should be noted that in the MGS4 art, Ocelot is wearing Liquid's trenchcoat, has Liquid's haircut, and seems to be lacking a shirt underneath the coat. Perhaps this is a hint to who is in control...
There are theories concerning Liquid taking control of Ocelot. Some have him doing this via nanomachines, others have him taking control through some powers that Ocelot may have inherited from his father. Right now, both are possible theories. Personally, I side with the nanomachines one, but that's just me.
{{{{{{{{{Question 7 - Did Solidus have to do with the tanker and Shadow moses? Why does he look so much older? Solidus Solidus Solidus}}}}}}}}}}}}
RAWR! Question askeds so many times. Let's clear up some Solidus Snake misconceptions.
Solidus' Involment in Shadow Moses
The Shadow Moses Incident was started because Solidus had his most trusted man - Revolver Ocelot provoke Liquid Snake, which caused him to start the "revolution." It was Solidus' goal to land the first blow against the Patriots by exposing the secret of Metal Gear and the Genome Army, and also gaining an ace-in-the-hole, Metal Gear itself. However, with REX destroyed, and Ocelot gaining the data, and subsequently selling REX's data on the Black Market, it would be interesting to see what lie he told to Solidus as a reason why he no longer had REX's data.
Solidus' Involvment on the tanker
This is one of those "put the pieces together bits." Otacon says that Solidus was in hiding at the time of the tanker incident (2007), and couldn't have setup the incident. However, confirmed by the script, Ocelot calls Solidus at the end of the tanker mission and brings Ray to him. Then, 2 years later, Ocelot is alongside Solidus with the same Ray. Otacon figures something fishy is up, but Snake cuts him off before he explains.
The truth? Just as Solidus used Ocelot to get Liquid to start Shadow Moses, the Patriots use Ocelot to get Solidus to steal Ray. However, while Solidus gets Ray as part of S3 (so he would later attack the Shell) the Patriots are the ones who wanted him to have it. They also have contacts with Ocelot so he can pass along the data and copy it to mass produce them.
Why Solidus looks so much older - The truth revealed!
All three Snakes suffer from accelerated aging. The accelerated aging kicks in at a random point. For Solid Snake, it was around the time of the tanker. Solidus looks older, so it can said that his accelerated kicked in earlier. He doesn't have it "worse" than the other two, like people claim, it just effected him first.
{{{{{{{{{{{Question 8 - And Naomi Hunter?}}}}}}}}}}
Why will Naomi Hunter be returning?
The most obvious reason would be, "Because she will have a role to play." You don't have to worry about Hideo Kojima bringing back a character of old without reason. I'm quite sure he knows what he's doing.
However, if you'd prefer some specific ideas...
Most people only seem to remember Naomi Hunter's relationship with Gray Fox, as it was simply her most prominent. What most people indeed seem to forget, is the fact that Big Boss was essentially her father figure, in the same vein that Gray Fox was her brother. Big Boss was the man who came across she -- and her brother -- in Mozambique, helped them by taking them in, and ultimately brought them out of war to the United States of America. Big Boss' death at Zanzibar Land clearly factored in as a motive driving her personal thirst for vengeance against Solid Snake, as she herself explicitly confessed. Gray Fox's importance to her was simply emphasized because his condition was the more haunting for her, as well as obviously the most lingeringly prominent, since he was flipping around tapdancing on other people's faces while a half-dead broken shell of the man he once was.
Furthermore, Naomi Hunter was the scientist who personally headed the Genome Army project, analyzing and transplanting genes from the "remains" of her benefactor and quite possibly the man she once considered a father. Ironic, in a sense, that she worked with the genetic information of a "parent" who wasn't biologically her own, when learning of her heritage through genetics was one of her goals in life.
Anyway, with the spotlight returning to Big Boss (whether alive or dead) in some way in Metal Gear Solid 4 -- as we can determine from the recently-released character design sketches (whose identities were confirmed, read below) -- you can bet Naomi Hunter's connection with him will factor into the storyline and her reappearance somehow.
Beyond that, the connection she built with Solid Snake over the course of Metal Gear Solid proved to be enough to warrant her return regardless. Since FOXDIE remains an issue, as the years pass for Solid Snake, it's obviously no stretch to assume that her responsibility for it shall be another major factor in her return.
So, don't worry. There's a lot more to her character than "The Cyborg Ninja's Sister" and there's no doubt her role in Metal Gear Solid 4 will be deeply interesting.
Question 9 - How is Meryl alive!? She died in MGS1! That's why she wasn't in MGS2!
No, no, no, no, noooo.
There are two ending in Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: The Twin Snakes. If you give in to the torture, you get the Otacon ending. In this one, Meryl dies and Snake and Otacone escape together. If you resist the torture successfully each time, you get the "canon" ending. In this, Meryl lives and she and Snake escape together, but not before Snake asks the Colonel to send someone in to rescue Otacon.
Meryl wasn't in MGS2 because Hideo wanted to focus on Snake and Otacon's relationship, so he kept her out of the picture. However, not only did he confirm she's alive, but so does "In the Darkness of Shadow Moses", Metal Gear Solid 2, and the new Metal Gear Solid 4 artwork, where we see her present among returning characters.
Question 10 - Snake has blonde hair in the original MGS Briefing! That's his natural hair color.
No. No, it is not. It's been long debated because of that briefing that Snake has natural blonde hair. The "theory" is that he asks Naomi for scissors and hair dye, so he won't look like Liquid. That he simply keeps his hair brown through dye. However, this is NOT true. In no version of Metal Gear Solid does Solid Snake ask for hair dye in the briefing. And in Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, and Metal Gear Solid 2, Snake is sporting a head of brown hair. Now, he didn't know about Liquid in MG and MG2, and Liquid was dead in MGS2, so why would he dye it before and after?
The MGS Briefing was made in monochrome. Snake's hair appears to be blonde because of that and because of the way the light is shining on it from above. However, he was NOT blonde. He never has been. Not only that, but TTS, which is now the canon in terms of certain details, features a brown-haired Snake in it's Briefing. Now let's go over the facts:
-Snake had brown hair in Metal Gear.
-Snake had brown hair in Metal Gear 2.
-Snake had brown hair in the MGS Briefing.
-Snake has brown hair in the TTS Briefing.
-Snake has brown hair in MGS2.
-Snake NEVER asked Naomi for hair dye.
-A submarine far below the surface is unlikely to had brown hair dye on hand.
Done and done.
Oh, and this is just a note, but Snake also lacks a mullet.
{{{{{{{{{{Question 11 - I want details on this and this characters and etc!}}}}}}}}}
Thanks to AC Kid's handy scans from the MGS Comic Books, I'm able to post these bios for each of the characters (at least from MGS).
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Moziz212ny/Psycho_Mantis.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Moziz212ny/Master_Miller.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Moziz212ny/Vulcan_Raven.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Moziz212ny/Solid_Snake.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Moziz212ny/Sniper_Wolf.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Moziz212ny/Roy_Campbell.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Moziz212ny/Otacon.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Moziz212ny/Ocelot.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Moziz212ny/Ninja.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Moziz212ny/Naomi_Hunter.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Moziz212ny/Meryl.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Moziz212ny/Mei_Ling.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b315/Moziz212ny/Liquid_Snake.jpg
Yeah, I'm lazy, and still haven't gotten around to doing MGS2 ones. Sue me. I have other things that need to be done in my life.
{{{{{{{{{{{{{Question 12 - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Well now, quite a surprise. TGS offered us up a load information, probably more than anyone expected. Not only did we screenshots just days before TGS, but now we have a full trailer, and loads more of information.
As shown above, the subtitle for MGS4 is "Guns of the Patriots." There have been many theories surrounding this in the short time the title's been known. Some say "guns" could refer to hired men, and the enemies of this game will be the Pariots' agents - their "guns, " so to speak. Others say it could have a more literal meaning, as in actual weapons. What it will turn out to be? We don't yet know.
The trailer showed the setting to be a warzone, seemingly taking place in a bombed out, or deserted town. Much of everything is in ruins, and there's an overall broken feel to it. Where exactly it is still remains a mystery.
A remaining theme in MGS4 is "No Place to Hide, " which does not mean that stealth is completely absent, but that it will be even harder in this game.
Finally, we come to something of most importance, when it comes to the story of MGS4 - it's theme. While MGS1, MGS2, and MGS3 focused on the themes of Gene, Meme (as in memories), and Scene, respectively, MGS4's theme is "Sense." Apparently, Kojima's goal with the theme of "Sense" is to touch upon the sense of will and spirit that form in the root of people.
We're also shown two key characters in the trailer, and both of them are a sight for sore eyes.
Solid Snake -
Solid Snake - legendary soldier, and member of the group Philanthropy (which the MGS4 trailer revealed to have been founded by also familiar Nastasha Romanenko).
It seems our hero has aged, due to his accelerated aging. While the game takes place only two years or more after MGS2, Snake has aged seemingly a decade because of his accelerated aging - a side-effect of being a clone. Snake's new look consists of silvery hair and mustache, along with a more aged (and super detailed!) look. Snake's also seen sporting a knife, more futuristic sneaking suit, and a device over his left eye, called the Solid Eye. The Solid Eye appears to be the new way that Snake can use thermal vision. Some have speculated that the device will also be able to allow Snake to see in Night Vision, and perhaps even take the place of the binoculars. However, with Snake's aged look, many have been left wandering, is this the end of Solid Snake?
Also in the trailer, Snake is thrown into a coughing fit, with a heartbeat right before it, that's very similar to the pre-FOXDIE effect from MGS1. To calm this, he injects himself in the neck with an unknown substance. It's commonly speculated that this is a FOXDIE attack, and perhaps at points in the games, you'll have to use this injection to stop FOXDIE from activating.
Many have argued that perhaps this is not the Snake we know. Some theories have focused on it being Big Boss, others have on Solidus. Some even claim that it's Ocelot. While it shouldn't have to be done, because of the lack of evidence for these theories, I will go into each point and disprove them.
--The character in the trailer and screenshots has a patch over his eye! He's Big Boss/Solidus!--
Well, first off, it's not a patch. The device is the "Solid Eye" and basically acts as Snake's way of using thermal (and possibly Night Vision) imaging. Because it does this, it's obvious that there is an eye still under it. Furthermore, Big Boss "lost" (used as an expression - neither Big Boss, Solidus, or Liquid have actually lost their eye, it's just been damaged beyond use) his right eye, and had the patch over it, while Solidus "lost" his left. The Snake in the trailer has both eyes.
To counter this, people have claimed that an artificial eye was grown, because "aneetheeng can hapen in mgs." Well, even if that was this case, this Snake in the trailer clearly has a relationship with Otacon, something that the aforementioned characters lacked.
--The character in the trailer uses CQC! Snake doesn't know it!--
Yes, he does. Master Miller (Liquid) confirms in MGS1 that Snake is an expert in CQB, which is, for the most part, the same thing as CQC.
--Snake said he hates knives! The character in the trailer uses one!--
Snake does not "hate" knives. What he said in MGS2 is that he isn't a fan of blades (and the implication of his statement refers more to swords, than small knives). And even if he isn't a fan of knives, that doesn't mean he wouldn't use them if necessary. He's a legendary soldier, trained in many forms of combat. He's probably not unfamiliar with a knife.
--Snake in the trailer has blue eyes! Solid Snake has green eyes.--
Well first off, eye color doesn't really matter. Snake had blue eyes in MG2, and TTS, and green eyes in MGS2. He also had blue eyes in his Snake vs. Monkey model in MGS3. You can't really hold this as evidence when it keeps changing.
Secondly, this is wrong to begin with. His eyes are green.
--The MGS4 poster shows a younger Solid Snake with a beard, and brown hair! This proves that the Snake in the trailer isn't Solid Snake!--
Yikes, this one is wrong on many levels. First off, the MGS4 poster is CONCEPT art. The character designs are not definite, and can be changed at any point. Secondly, Snake doesn't look any younger in the concept art, nor does he look THAT much older in the trailer. He's got a few extra wrinkles, sure, but the only real reasons people are saying he looks older is because of the gray hair, and because they're focusing on a close-up of Snake's face that shows him making an aggressive expression, hence distorting his features.
FINALLY, the concept art was never officially released in color. A fan colored it in and gave Snake brown hair, but that means nothing, because it was fan-made.
--Snake wouldn't be this old, while Otacon looks so young. This means it's Solidus/Big Boss/Ocelot.--
What kind of logic is that? As covered earlier in this FAQ topic, Snake has accelerated aging. He's going to age faster than Otacon, or anyone else.
--Kojima loves to screw with us, this means it's probably not Snake!--
Kojima DOES NOT love to screw with us. He tricked us ONCE with the trailers of MGS2, and that was because the game had a strong theme of controlling information, which is what he did. He didn't trick us with MGS2 trailers, he didn't trick us with these.
--He catches the bullet like Big Boss! He looks like Ocelot! Random excuse!--
Stop grasping at straws. It's Solid Snake.
Hal "Otacon" Emmerich -
Snake's good buddy Otacon was also revealed in the trailer and screenshots. While he doesn't look much older than he was in MGS2 (just more detailed) he does sport a considerably ruggid look that's relatively new to our anime loving geek.
A shock came in the MGS4 trailer when it was revealed that Otacon - who usually likes to stay out of the action - is on the live battlefield, alongside Snake. However, not in the way you think. Otacon controls the adorable little Metal Gear Mark II unit, which allows him to not only keep in contact with Snake, but also (at least, what the trailer shows) provide Snake with supplies, like ammo. While Otacon seemed fairly normal in the trailer, one has to wonder how his feelings towards Vamp - returning character and murderer of his sister, Emma Emmerich - will play a part in this game.
And of course we have the confirmed - though yet to be revealed in PS3 graphics characters - as seen in the MGS4 Poster art (from left to right):
Vamp, Meryl, Raiden, Ocelot, Big Boss' body, and Naomi Hunter.
These characters were confirmed in the May 20th (or 21st? Memory failure) and can be seen here:
http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/adventure/metalgearsolid4/screens.html?page=1
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Miscellaneous MGS4 Information}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
--The new type of Metal Gear in this game are called Gekkou, which means moonlight in Japanese (Metal Gear Moonlight?). They are half-machine, half-organic. The top part of them is the machine part, of course (and appears to be very similar to REX's design), while the legs are living. These Metal Gears are controlled by AI.
--This game takes place in a warzone setting. With Kojima's comment that Snake will have to infiltrate places all over the world, it's possible that MGS4 could show a new world war. Along with this war setting, there are soldiers. Kojima refers to them as "Mr. Soldier, " because they are neutral, and not necessarily enemies or friends to Snake. Whether these "Mr. Soldiers" will become allies or enemies is up to the player, and how they play the game.
--The MGS4 trailer was done in complete real time, as the game will be. To prove it was all real time, Kojima gave a little demonstration for those at E3 (more on that below, in the links).
--Along with the MGS4 trailer at TGS, Kojima released a second trailer, titled "Metal Gear Raiden: Snake Eraser." This trailer is a follow-up to May's E3 trailer. In it, Raiden - upset about Snake defeating him and taking the main character chair - travels back in time to Zanzibar Land. His goal? To defeat Big Boss, and henceforth, takes Snake's place as a legendary hero, ensuring him the main character spot. Unfortunately, Raiden fails in his mission. Not only was this trailer amusing, but it proved that the end of May's E3 trailer - where Raiden climbs back up a ledge and sits in the main character chair - isn't meant as a hint towards MGS4, but is simply a hint to Raiden's feelings towards Snake in these joke trailers. Rest assured, these are joke trailers.
--On Snake's uniform, and as a pop-up on the MGS4 site, a symbol shows up. This is an "Ota-Damacy" (Otacon-Soul) and all equipment created by Otacon hold this mark. Also on the MGS4 site, this logo is accompanied by the phrase "Let the World Be." It's been guessed, and I'd say pretty accurately, that this is Philanthropy's motto.
--As it's been known for a while, MGS4 takes place after MGS2. Due to how little Otacon has aged, and the baby in Raiden's arms in the concept art, the most likely possibility seems to be two to three years after.
--And finally, some more information about the game, as well as nifty art, screenshots, and the TGS trailer can be found here:
http://www.konami.jp/gs/kojima_pro/english/mgs4_01.html
End - Helpful Links
This little added section is for reference links and junk.
http://www.konami.jp/gs/kojima_pro/english/mgs4_01.html
Official MGS4 website.
http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/adventure/metalgearsolid4/screenindex.html
MGS4 Screenshots.
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/651/651960p1.html
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/651/651868p1.html
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/09/18/news_6133820.html
Three interesting MGS4 articles.
http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/genmessage.php?board=926596&topic=23566633
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