Metal Gear Solid (1998 video game)
Metal Gear Solid, (Japanese:メタルギアソリッド ) commonly abbreviated as MGS, is a stealth-based game developed by Konami and first published for the PlayStation video game console in 1998. It is the third canonical game in the Metal Gear series, produced and directed by Hideo Kojima, with artwork by Yoji Shinkawa. Metal Gear Solid alternates stealth gameplay and expository cinematic sequences. It has been frequently selected by gaming publications as the greatest PlayStation game ever made.[citation needed]
Metal Gear Solid was groundbreaking in its use of spoken dialogue, an intricate plot, and cinematic presentation. The availability of 3D graphics and the extensive storage capacity of the CD-ROM format compared to what the Metal Gear team had to work with in 1987 and 1990 made it possible to create a more complete version of Hideo Kojima's vision of what the previous games for the MSX2 and the NES should have been.[citation needed]
After a teaser showing at E3 in 1997, it became one of the most highly anticipated games of its time.[citation needed] It topped the sales charts upon its release in 1998,[citation needed] and held the number one spot in the ELSPA UK videogames chart for eight consecutive weeks, a record at the time.[citation needed]
To date, Metal Gear Solid has spawned one sequel (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, released in 2001) and a prequel (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, released in 2004). A fourth game, titled Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, is currently in development, set for a 2007 release. MGS1 has been enhanced and remade for the Nintendo GameCube with the subtitle The Twin Snakes.
Plot summary
In February of 2005, during a training mission at a nuclear weapons disposal facility on Shadow Moses island (a fictional island in Alaska), a group of genetically enhanced soldiers known as the Next-Generation Special Forces (NGSF, or "genome soldiers") stage a rebellion and sieze control of the facility. The rebellion is initiated by Liquid Snake, the squad leader of a covert black ops organization named FOXHOUND. In addition to several human hostages, FOXHOUND and the NGSF have taken control of a new weapon being developed in secrecy by the US Government: Metal Gear REX, a giant bipedal tank that is equipped with a railgun capable of launching undetectable nuclear warheads at any target in the world. The terrorists have only one demand: the remains of Big Boss, the greatest soldier who ever lived.
At the request of the US Secretary of Defense, the former head of FOXHOUND Colonel Roy Campbell returns from retirement and enlists the help of Solid Snake, an elite spy and ex-FOXHOUND operative, to rescue the hostages and eliminate the threat of Metal Gear. Solid Snake must enter the base alone, supported only by a handful of specialists communicating with him over a two-way radio (known as the CODEC) embedded in his ear.
Having infiltrated the facility, Snake immediately sets about locating and freeing the hostages. The first hostage Snake locates is Donald Anderson, the chief of DARPA, who appears to die of a heart attack before Snake is able to free him from his cell. The next hostage is Kenneth Baker, head of Armstech, who explains that to deactivate Metal Gear Snake will need three key-cards, which have been entrusted to another loose cannon moving around Shadow Moses: a rookie soldier named Meryl. Baker then mysteriously dies from what appears to be a heart attack similar to that suffered by the DARPA chief.
Along the way Snake encounters and battles various members of FOXHOUND, including Revolver Ocelot, a skilled and grizzled gunslinger who escapes the battle but not before losing a hand to an odd cyborg ninja; Vulcan Raven, an Inuit shaman who attacks Snake with an M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank; and the bizarre levitating telepath Psycho Mantis.
Since FOXHOUND seem to have the ability to follow through with their threat of launching a nuclear weapon, Snake contacts Otacon (Dr. Hal Emmerich), REX's primary engineer, who was also captive on the island. First, Snake is forced to rescue him from the cyborg ninja.
Following the encounter with Otacon, Snake meets up with Meryl and the pair attempt to reach REX's hanger on the other side of the Shadow Moses complex. On the way they successfully eliminate Psycho Mantis, despite his occasional possession of Meryl. The journey to the hangar, on the other hand, is less successful: it involves a long concrete alleyway with a communications tower at the far end, where they are ambushed by FOXHOUND's Sniper Wolf, who shoots Meryl in both legs and an arm. To save her, Snake must backtrack to one of the first buildings in the facility and retrieve a PSG-1 sniper rifle, which he uses to duel Sniper Wolf at long range. During this interval the injured Meryl is captured. Believing that he has defeated Sniper Wolf, Snake attempts to cross the alley, but he too is captured and taken to meet Liquid Snake.
The terrorist leader reveals that the two Snakes are twins, each a genetically-manipulated clone of Big Boss created as part of a secret project titled "Les Enfants Terribles." Liquid professes to hate Snake, as he believes that Snake was given all of Big Boss's dominant traits, while Liquid was given the recessive traits.
Liquid leaves Snake in the hands of Revolver Ocelot, who uses a torture device to try to extract information from him. During his captivity Snake finds himself in a holding cell with the body of Donald Anderson, who appears to have been dead for much longer than a few hours.
Eventually Snake escapes from the cell and returns to the communications tower where he and Meryl were ambushed. While climbing the tower he is attacked by Liquid Snake, who is piloting an Mi-24 Hind-D attack helicopter. While searching for a Stinger missile launcher to attack Liquid, Snake encounters Otacon, who has fallen in love with Sniper Wolf and begs Snake not to harm her. Snake manages to shoot down Liquid and the helicopter, however when he finally descends from the tower he is ambushed for a second time by Sniper Wolf. Snake disables her, and Otacon arrives in time to bid her a tearful goodbye.
Snake has finally reached the Underground Base where REX is kept. At this point, Master Miller calls with startling news. Naomi claimed earlier that her Japanese grandfather worked in the FBI under Hoover—which, according to Miller, is a lie. Snake then encounters Vulcan Raven, this time equipped with an M61 Vulcan gatling gun. After being defeated, he reveals that the DARPA Chief Snake encountered was not the real one, but was rather Decoy Octopus, FOXHOUND's impersonation specialist. Why he did this, Raven leaves Snake to figure out for himself. Finally, Miller informs Snake and Col. Campbell that "Naomi Hunter" is no such person; she must be, in fact, a spy affiliated with FOXHOUND. He also reveals some sort of secret weapon: "FOXDIE," a secret assassination weapon—a genetically engineered virus that kills only specific people. Supposedly, it was deployed by Snake during this mission... And it kills by simulating a heart attack. With all this in mind, Naomi is placed under arrest.
Otacon, who has been hacking his way into Shadow Moses's files, has finally figured out the secret of the card key Snake got from Meryl. The nuclear weapon requires three card keys, but the single key Snake has is all three of them, because it is made of a "shape memory alloy" and will change form when exposed to different temperatures. The card keys are one-use-only: inserting them when the nuke is armed will disarm it, and vice-versa. Snake uses his three-in-one card key—and then, to his alarm, hears the computer report that the nuke is armed. Liquid Snake, chortling triumphantly, reveals how he's been manipulating the mission from the start: by posing as Master Miller. He explains that the DARPA Chief died under Ocelot's torture without revealing his half of the nuke's arming codes, but from Baker they learned the existence of the three-in-one key, which functions regardless of arming codes. Decoy Octopus then disguised himself as Chief Anderson to fool Snake into arming the nuke, exactly as he just did. Snake now has only one option: destroy Metal Gear REX.
Snake is in trouble until the cyborg ninja reappears. He reveals himself to be Gray Fox (Frank Jaeger), Snake's former FOXHOUND comrade, thought dead for six years. At the cost of his own life, he destroys REX's radar dish, forcing Liquid to open the cockpit itself and observe the situation manually. Before his death, Gray Fox reveals that he raised Naomi Campbell after killing her parents years ago, for which he has never forgiven himself. Snake succeeds in totalling REX, but is knocked unconscious, while Liquid remains intact. He lectures Snake for almost half an hour on the details of the Les Enfants Terribles project, not to mention the gene therapy that created the Genome Soldiers, and reveals Meryl, bound and near death. Campbell then calls and explains that he has been removed from command in favor of Secretary of Defense Jim Houseman, who is about to drop nuclear weapons onto Shadow Moses. Liquid and Snake duel hand-to-hand aboard the carcass of REX, and after Snake wins, he escapes in a Jeep, using its mounted machine gun for a final confrontation with Liquid (who appears to be impervious to bullets; it's FOXDIE that ultimately does him in). Finally, Campbell reasserts his command by getting in contact with President George Sears, recalls the bombers and nukes, and helps arrange for Snake's departure.
The game features two possible endings, affected by performance in the torture session. The player is given an option to 'break' and surrender, but if s/he does, Meryl is revealed to have died during Snake's bout with Liquid, and Otacon drives the jeep. If the player succeeds in withstanding Ocelot's torture, however, Meryl lives and drives the jeep, while Otacon stays behind in the "doomed" base (the attack on the base having been cancelled). The game's sequel, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, makes it clear that the "Meryl" ending is canonical.
Finally, after the credits, the player is treated to a one-sided telephone report between Revolver Ocelot and a mysterious party. Ocelot reveals to his superior that Liquid was wrong: Snake was, in fact, inferior on a genetic level. Ocelot also retains data from the test-firing of REX's nuclear railgun, and plans to sell it on the black market. In the "Meryl" ending, he reveals that neither Solid nor Liquid knew of the existence of their third twin: Solidus Snake, a "well-balanced individual" and the man with whom Ocelot is now conversing. Finally, he signs off: "Yes. Thank you. Good-bye. Mr. President."
Backstory
Genome Soldiers
The Genome Soldiers are the enemy characters from the video game Metal Gear Solid. They are present members of Next Generation Special Forces (aka Space SEALs) and reserve members of FOXHOUND that have underwent virtual reality training and gene therapy experiments, but have little or no actual field experience.
In the original game, there were four different types of Genome Soldiers, each progressively stronger than the last. The weakest type of Genome Soldier (Light Infantry) takes only two gunshots to be eliminated, whereas the strongest (Heavily Armed Troops) takes up to four shots. The other two can resist up to three shots. In the remake (Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes), some of the heavily armed troops are equipped with shotguns and riot shield during the game's alert phase.
The Next Generation Special Forces were originally a counter-terrorist unit comprised of former members of biochem units, technical escort teams and the Nuclear Emergency Search Team. Their original purpose was to neutralize NBC threats.
After the death of Big Boss and the downfall of Zanzibar Land, members of Big Boss' mercenary dispatching company, (Outer Heaven), were integrated into the unit after the US Government purchased their contracts. The team subsequently merged with Force XXI and were given VR training. Members of the team were also secretly enhanced with Big Boss' "soldier" genes, giving them augmented senses and reflexes.
In 2005, the Genome Soldiers took part in what was scheduled to have been a routine training exercise in Shadow Moses Island. The Genome Soldiers and FOXHOUND (under Liquid Snake's command) staged a revolt on the island, taking over the nuclear facility (where Metal Gear REX was secretly developed) and along with a few hostages. The terrorists (calling themselves the Sons of Big Boss) threatened to launch a nuclear strike if the remains of Big Boss were not delivered to them in less than 24 hours. Almost the entire NGSF unit were subverted to rebellion, with some of the members being brainwashed by Psycho Mantis and others supporting Liquid's cause from their own free will. It was revealed that the Genome Soldiers were suffering from genetic defects as a result of their gene therapy treatments and that Big Boss' remains was the key to their survival.
After the destruction of REX by operative Solid Snake and the death of Liquid, the surviving Genome Soldiers were transferred to the Pease AFB in New Hampshire, where they were imprisoned for treason.
Types of Genome Soldiers
Game details
Cinematic presentation
The entire game was fully voiced, with an unprecedented amount of quality voice acting talent. The majority of the game's dialogue takes place during radio conversations between Solid Snake (Akio Otsuka/David Hayter, Japanese and English respectively) and other characters through a transmitting device called a "Codec". The player was also free to initiate additional Codec calls during gameplay, which allowed additional details outside of the core storyline to be gleaned. Upon completion, the game features a rolling demo mode, in which the player may watch every cutscene and Codec conversation in the game without actually playing through it. The game contains over four hours of dialogue, which contributed to its shipping on two CDs.
The rest of the plot unfolds during fully-voiced cut scenes of ground-breaking quality. These scenes featured motion captured movements, elaborate camera shots, and special effects. They were rendered in real-time using the game's 3D engine. This decision to go with real-time rendering cost the scenes some realism: the characters' mouths did not move during dialogue and instead a slight jiggle of the head was used to represent speech.
Real-world references
The game, though set in (what was then) a near future, retains many elements of today's global, political, economic and military climate. Part of The Pentagon's urgency on Snake's sneaking mission is that the President is about to sign the fictional START III treaty, which REX's nuclear railgun violates. Of course, President Sears has not been fully briefed on REX's abilities, for reasons of plausible deniability. Nastasha Romaneko's parents died of cancer from helping clean up after the Chernobyl disaster. One of the co-deveopers of Metal Gear Rex in the game is Rivermore National Labs, an obvious reference to Livermore National Labs. Finally, many of the game's gadgets and weapons (the USP SOCOM pistol, the FAMAS assault rifle, Ocelot's dual Colt Single Action Army, and Meryl's Desert Eagle revolvers) are drawn directly from real life, though a number of others (the Soliton radar, the Codec radio system, optic camouflage, and Snake's infinite-ammo bandanna) are purely fictional.
Breaking the fourth wall
A stylistic quirk, Kojima's script breaks the fourth wall in a number of places.
- In the PlayStation version of the game, Psycho Mantis performs a variety of stunts to prove the truth of his telepathic and psychokinetic powers. First, he scans the player's memory card for save files from other Konami games and drops pithy comments if he finds them. (In the Japanese version, if save files from both Snatcher and Policenauts are found, Mantis delivers a message of gratitude from Kojima himself. One example in the US version is Konami's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) He also asks the player to drop his DualShock controller on the ground and then invokes the controller's vibration function in a violent manner. As one of his battle attacks, he is able to turn the game's screen black, with only the word "HIDEO" on the top corner of the screen, as if the player's television were malfunctioning. Finally, to counter his "mind-reading ability", the player must unplug the controller from Controller Port 1 and insert it into the infrequently-used Controller Port 2 instead. (In the GameCube remake The Twin Snakes, you have to switch from Controler Ports 1, 2 , 3 & 4 throughout the fight.)
- In both PS and PC versions, the Codec frequency for Meryl can only be found on the back of the game's box or jewel case. (140.15) (This was initially commissioned in an effort to curb piracy, as without contacting Meryl, the player cannot progress in the game.) However, this trick could be side-tracked (possibly for those who lost their case) by calling Campbell via CODEC five times in a row. (Or by doing it the slow way and, run through each posible frequency untill she answers) This puzzle is not completely original to Metal Gear Solid, as the MSX2 version of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake also required the player to look behind the game's packaging when Campbell changes frequency number.
- In the conversation with Mei Ling, pictured below at right, Mei Ling tells the player (a.k.a. Snake) that they should be thankful that they have enough time to play video games. Master Miller also instructs Snake to "trust your instincts as a soldier, as a gamer..."
- During the battle with the Hind D, the Colonel will advise Snake that he can determine the gunship's position by following the sound of its rotors. However, if the player has set the game's sound to monaural mode, Campbell and Mei Ling will express pity.
- Finally, during the Revolver Ocelot torture sequence, he warns about the player using a controller with an auto-fire function; if the game detects an unlikely number of controller inputs, the player hits a game over. After the first two torture sessions, Naomi Hunter, in a Codec conversation, comforts Snake's wounds—the player's sore arm after the torture sequence—by asking the player to place the controller on his shoulder. The controller then vibrates, under the guise that it is the nanomachines in Snake's blood that are easing his tense muscles. If the game is played without the DualShock controller, however, this feature is not present.
Weapons
Many of the game's weapons are taken directly from existing military hardware, though some completely fictional weapons (such as the NIKITA missiles) appear as well.
Pistols:
- SOCOM pistol (Heckler & Koch MK23. Wieled by Solid Snake. Can be attached with a silencer.)
- Desert Eagle (Handgun wielded by Meryl Silverburgh. She can hold the weapon with one hand.)
- Colt Single Action Army (Revolver Ocelot's primary weapon. Can only hold six rounds and needs to be reloaded manually.)
Assault rifle:
- FAMAS (The assault rifle used by the Genome Soldiers. Also used by Snake, Liquid and Meryl)
Submachine Gun
- MP5 (A submachine which appears only in the Integral edition of the game. It's available in the player's arsenal from the start in "Very Easy" mode and already has a silencer attached with infinite ammo).
Sniper Rifles
- PSG1 (German 7.62mm semi-automatic sniper rifle used by Snake and Sniper Wolf)
Explosives:
- Frag grenade
- Stun grenade
- Chaff Grenade (foils electronic surveillance systems; does not exist in the real world)
- C4 plastic explosive
- M18A1 Claymore Antipersonnel Mine
Heavy Artillery:
- Nikita Remote Control Rocket Launcher (used by Snake; does not exist in the real world)
- FIM-92 Stinger (man portable Surface-to-Air Missile, used by Snake)
- M61 Vulcan (Vulcan Raven's weapon. Obtained from a fighter jet.)
- Arm Cannon (a fictional laser gun wielded by the Cyborg Ninja).
Melee Weapons:
- High-Frequency Blade (a "ninjatō" or straightened katana. Capable of deflecting gunfire; used by the Ninja.)
Alternate versions
Japanese premium package
Two versions of Metal Gear Solid were initially released in Japan; a stand-alone version containing the game itself, and a premium package containing the game, a t-shirt, a B4-sized pamphlet, memory card stickers, a serialized FOXHOUND dog tag, and a CD soundtrack containing music from the original MSX versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. The premium package that was sold to the general public in Japan came in a silver-colored metallic box, while a gold version was given to Konami stockholders. Both the premium package and the standard release came with a demo version of Gensô Suikoden II.
North American release
Metal Gear Solid was released first in Japan, prior to the North American release. As a result, the American version has some minor refinements added during the localization process, such as adjustable difficulty settings (the Japanese version only featured the "Easy" setting, with an unlockable "No Radar" mode), a demo theatre and an unlockable tuxedo outfit for Snake in addition to the red-colored Cyborg Ninja from the Japanese version. The features added in the English-language version, including the English-language soundtrack, appeared in Metal Gear Solid: Integral, released only in Japan.
The English script was translated by Jeremy Blaustein, who localized the English script for the Sega CD version of Snatcher. While his work in Metal Gear Solid was accurate to the original Japanese script, many of the lines in the games were Americanized by Blaustein. One of the most drastic differences between the original script and Blaustein's was the fact that Mei Ling only quoted Chinese proverbs in the Japanese version, whereas in the English script, she also quoted from western authors and literature.
European release
In the European releases of Metal Gear Solid some countries received a version of the game dubbed in their own languages, such as Spanish, French and Italian. In contrast, the European releases of later Metal Gear titles featured only English dubbing with subtitles in the respective country's language. The European versions included a playable demo of Silent Hill. A premium package was also released in Europe; although its contents differ from the Japanese version. It contains the game, its soundtrack, postcards, dog tags, a reversible poster, and memory card stickers. The dogtags in this package have a generic design with the Metal Gear Solid and Konami logos, instead of the FOXHOUND design from the Japanese version. The European version also differed from the American version by introducing 'Extreme' play mode, on top of the 'Easy', 'Normal' and 'Hard' modes. This version was more difficult as it introduced more restrictions on the player, for example extended guard vision distance.
Metal Gear Solid: Integral, Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions, and the PC version
Released on June 24, 1999 in Japan only, Metal Gear Solid: Integral was a typical international version release. It included the additional features added in the North American release (such as the English-language voice acting and an additional unlockable oufit for Solid Snake), several entirely new features, and an extra disc of entirely new content.
The new features added to Integral that weren't present in the North American release include an additional difficulty level ("Very Easy", which gives the player an MP5 with unlimited ammo and silencer already equipped), a new costume for Meryl based on Solid Snake's sneaking suit, unlockable first-person view and "Alternate Round" (which has different placement and routes for guards) modes, and two additional radio frequencies with messages from the developers and secret music. Players could also download their clear data to the PocketStation, to play a special classified mission with Naomi or exchange their clear data with other players.
Integral also included a third disc, the "VR Disc", composed of entirely original content (in turn, the main game itself does not contain the "VR Training" mode like in the original). (This disc was released as a stand-alone game for English-speaking markets: in North America as Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions (released on September 30, 1999) and in Europe as Metal Gear Solid: Special Missions (released on October 29, 1999). The European version required a copy of the original MGS in order to be played.) This disc includes 300 virtual reality training missions, ranging from simple tests of sneaking or fighting skill, to various absurd tasks like fighting Genola (a giant Genome Soldier with some very Godzilla-like tendencies) or taking the role of the Cyborg Ninja in three short missions. This disc also included three pre-release trailers for Metal Gear Solid, a photoshoot mode where the player could take pictures of Mei Ling and Naomi, and an unlockable preview picture of Metal Gear RAY from Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.
While the PlayStation version of Metal Gear Solid: Integral was never released outside of Japan, it was ported to PC for western markets. The Microsoft Windows version of Metal Gear Solid released in 2000 in North America and Europe is actually based on Integral and even uses the Integral moniker on the game's title screen. As such includes all of the extra features (save for the PocketStation link) and the VR Disc.
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
In the first quarter of 2004, an enhanced remake titled Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes was released for the Nintendo GameCube. It features re-recorded voice acting, updated graphics, and gameplay features borrowed from Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. It was directed by Ryuhei Kitamura and developed by Nintendo's then-second-party developer Silicon Knights.
Metal Gear Solid comic book
In September 2004, IDW Publications began running a comic book version of "Metal Gear Solid" that is written by Kris Oprisko and illustrated by Ashley Wood. It is based off of the The Twin Snakes portion of the game. The comic mimics Yoji Shinkawa's gritty style using a palette of greys and rough, sketchy paintings as panels. This first arc is now available in two paperback volumes, each with 6 issues and a cover gallery. More recently, a new arc has launched telling the tale of "Sons of Liberty", including a special issue #0, containing character info and a special 5 page story.
In January 2006, Kojima Productions announced a new title for the PlayStation Portable with the working title Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel. It will be based on the comics by IDW Publications, and will include enchancements such as sound effects and animation. [1]
Cast
Metal Gear Solid's English-language voice cast is a typical cross-section of the voice-acting talent in at the beginning of the 21st century, and many of the voice actors in both major and minor roles are experienced voice actors. Other studios that have drawn on this pool of voice-acting talent include LucasArts (particularly Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic) and Hanna-Barbera Productions (including such shows as The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy). Despite their experience, however, the majority of the credited cast, save for David Hayter and Doug Stone, were credited under pseudonyms. Unusually, the European edition manual (but not the actual game) and certain U.S. demo versions credit Hayter under the pseudonym Sean Barker, the character he played in Guyver 2: Dark Hero.
Lead cast:
- David Hayter lent his voice to Solid Snake, and it has since become his highest-profile speaking role and, save for his later screenwriting work on comic book movies X-Men and its sequel, X2: X-Men United, his highest-profile role of any kind. Veteran seiyuu Akio Otsuka voiced Solid Snake in the Japanese-language version.
- Cam Clarke, already noted for his work in Robotech, the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, and the English-language adaptation of Akira, voiced Liquid Snake. He used the pseudonym "James Flinders". Banjō Ginga voiced Liquid Snake in the Japanese-language version.
- Debi Mae West, credited as "Mae Zadler", voiced Meryl Silverburgh. Kyoko Terase (the voice of the original Meryl from Policenauts) voiced Meryl in the Japanese-language version.
| Character | Voice Actor (Japanese) | Voice Actor (English) | Voice Actor (Spanish) | Voice Actor (Italian) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Snake | Akio Otsuka | David Hayter | Alfonso Vallés | Alessandro Ricci |
| Liquid Snake | Banjō Ginga | Cam Clarke (as James Flinders) | Ricky Coello | Andrea Piovan |
| Meryl Silverburgh | Kyoko Terase | Debi Mae West (as Mae Zadler) | Ana María Camps | Ilaria D'Elia |
Supporting characters:
Incidental voices:
| Character | Voice Actor (Japanese) | Voice Actor (English) | Voice Actor (Spanish) | Voice Actor (Italian) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genome Soldier A | Masaya Takatsuka | Doug Stone | Luigi Chiappini | |
| Genome Soldier B | Naoki Imamura | Peter Lurie (as Chuck Farley) | Giancarlo Ciccone | |
| PAL Computer Voice | Naoko Nakamura | Tasia Valenza (as Julie Monroe) | Meritxell Ane | Luciana Izzi |
| Enemy Soldier | Scott Dolph | Luigi Chiappini | ||
| Enemy Soldier/Johnny Sasaki | Naoki Imamura | Dean Scofield (as Dino Schofield) | Enrique Hernández | Giancarlo Ciccone |
Music
The Metal Gear Solid score was composed by a number of in-house musicians at Konami, including Kazuki Muraoka, composer of the soundtrack of the NES version of the original Metal Gear. The in-game music has a more synthetic feel, often similar to ambient music, which increases pace and begins to introduce strings during the more tense moments. It has a distinctly videogame-style looping nature. Cut scene music, however, is more overtly cinematic, with stronger use of orchestral and choral elements.
A relaxing and contemplative ending theme by Rika Muranaka, titled "The Best is Yet To Come", covers the game's end-credits sequence and features Irish lyrics sung by Aoife Ní Fhearraigh. An alternate ending theme, which is heard upon completing the game three times, was written by composer TAPPY. This theme was previously featured in the game's trailers, and also set the style for later Metal Gear games.
These three styles (synthetic game music, orchestral cut-scene music, and a vocal ending theme) are revisited throughout the later games such as Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. (A brassier, more orchestral soundtrack, inspired largely by the soundtrack of the James Bond films, was recorded for Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.)
The music used during the VR missions is a reworking of the main theme from the original MSX version of Metal Gear. Added music from Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is included in the VR Missions expansion as well.
Trivia
The Character of Solid Snake was highly influenced both by Kurt Russell's Snake Plissken and Sylvester Stallone's John Rambo.
External links
Official
- Metal Gear Solid official website (Japanese)
- Metal Gear Solid: Integral official website (Japanese)
- Metal Gear Solid Windows version official website
Others
- Metal Gear Solid at MobyGames
- Metal Gear Week on 1UP.com, with Hideo Kojima interview
- Metal Gear Solid at the Metal Gear Wiki
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