Metal Gear Solid

How much of a human being remains, when his individuality is lost?

“Zero’s goal was to achieve a unity of thought and awareness.” 

‘Dehumanization’ is one of the most important themes of Metal Gear Solid 4. The game takes place in a depersonalizing world where the borders between a single centralized decision making System and society are starting to blur together. What is the role of the individual in a tight, well oiled machine? Is there even a free will left for human beings as single entities? This article seeks to find the instances where the theme of ‘dehumanization’ is brought forward in the game.

The System

In Metal Gear Solid 4, the world is in the grip of the war economy. This economy is the global pillar of the financial world, and is being tightly controlled by ‘the System’. This control happens from a central entity, a decision making intelligence. People who are part of this system are stripped from their own will in favor of this intelligence.

“That’s what they really represented… Uniformity without individual will, without change.”

SOP (Sons of the Patriots)

SOP is the means the System uses to control the humans fighting on the battlefields. The soldiers are being controlled from the inside out, meaning, their senses are being influenced, The AI acts as a collective brain for the entire unit. Meryl explains how she and her squad can literally share each other’s senses.

“The nanomachine network inside each unit member’s body lets us share each other’s senses. They can see what I see. And it helps control pain. [...] With SOP, my team can literally operate as one.”

Obviously this diminishes the individuality of each soldier. They aren’t allowed to have their own senses and emotions anymore.

Nanomachines

As illustrated in the example above, the nanomachines basically substitute for the normal chemical processes that take place in the human brain. They overrule the brain itself and change the way emotions are felt by the soldier.

Again, individuality is removed in favor of unity, of uniformity. Not to mention the absence of personal feelings and attitudes may very well be interpreted as a way to turn a person into nothing more than a pawn, a part of something larger.

“The nanomachines inside soldiers’ bodies adapt to different conditions… Promoting the release of neurotransmitters, hormones, and stimulants, giving them an edge in battle. They can create an artificial combat high by releasing endorphins at the same time a soldier kills an enemy… Or they can suppress hormones to neutralize the soldier’s emotions… Prevent them from panicking and engaging in friendly fire or needless massacres. It’s all controlled by the System’s core AI. It artificially controls the soldier’s pain, emotions, senses… In other words, the essence of his being.”

Diminished sense of reality

One thing that makes us human is our consciousness, our ability to think about the world and its reality. This includes emotions and feelings felt during stressful situations, like battles. In Metal Gear Solid 4, these emotions are being suppressed and controlled by the System. But they are still experienced by the individual, proven by what happens when they are disconnected from the System – the previously suppressed emotions suddenly overwhelm the individual.

“SOP has taken it even further and applied it to living human beings. The sins of war these soldiers carried inside them returned to assault them in the form of… unimaginable shell shock. The meaning and the system may have changed… But the battlefield hasn’t. Until that point, war was like a game to them. And then, suddenly, reality came crashing down.”

“[...] the moment the System stopped… All the pain, and fury, and sorrow… All the trauma and stress, all the hatred, regret, guilt… All the sensations that had been suppressed were unleashed within their hearts.”

This passage demonstrates the clear division between the soldiers as part of a system and the soldiers as human beings. This contrast has become so great that they have become dependent on the system, and the reality it provided.

But even soldiers who aren’t part of SOP are part of the cycle created by the Patriots. EVA describes this when talking about the soldiers of the Paradise Lost Army:

“These kids end up fighting in proxy wars that have nothing to do with their own lives. They think it’s cool to fight like this. They think that combat is life. They don’t need a reason to fight. After all, for them it’s only a game.”

These soldiers have also lost part of their individuality in the sense that they don’t even have a personal reason for their participation in the war, they are mere cogs in the system of the war economy.

A person turned icon

A person is a man or a woman. An icon is an abstraction of a person. An icon doesn’t age or die, or live. Most importantly, it doesn’t change. In Metal Gear Solid 4, EVA explains how Zero has turned Big Boss into an icon, allowing him to neither live or die. The very principles of life are taken from him. He’s no longer a man, he’s an idea.

In the shadow of the System and its complete control over the world… Big Boss isn’t allowed to live or die. He’s trapped for eternity in a brain dead prison. To bind himself to his friend -  to ensure his rule over the world… Zero transformed Big Boss into an icon, neither living nor dead.

Living at the mercy of machines

Ironically, the man behind the Patriots himself also ends up being deprived from his humanity. He himself becomes an empty shell, a body without a mind, only alive because a bunch of machines keep him that way.

His body is not being controlled by his mind, it’s being controlled by machines. This way, Zero represents the helplessness of a man in the face of immortal machines. At the end, he may even be as much as a victim of the System as anyone else. Big Boss acknowledges this fact.

This man was the source of it all. And he doesn’t even realize it. He’s completely unaware of the fact that he led the world to the brink of ruin.

A world deprived of human ideals

Returning to the question posed at the beginning of this article: what makes us human? A consciousness? Or can an AI have a consciousness as well? Human qualities such as empathy, morality in addition to logical thinking may be one of the many possible answers to this question. Being nothing more than a system, the Patriots did not possess these characteristics. They could only operate from a single perspective.

Powered by the industrial and digital revolutions that came before it… this age gave birth to a twisted economic revolution – a battlefield revolution. It created a new world without substance. In this new world, there were no ideologies, no principles, no ideals… [...] There was only the war economy.

Conclusion

Metal Gear Solid 4’s story reflects on this contrast between humanity’s emotions, and the logical, depersonalized world that starts to surround them. It’s about what happens when people’s senses are taken away, when their individuality is removed, and how this affects their actions. Humanity may be flawed, driven by atavistic instincts and emotions, but it’s these same emotions that allow us to live, to feel for others, and to co-exist.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Limited Edition was released in Japan on June 12th 2008.

The outer sleeve is made of sturdy paper. It features a close up render of Old Snake’s face, similar to the US regular edition of the game, but without the logo on it. Inside the sleeve is another cardboard holder with the same illustration on it. The front doesn’t contain any additional information or logos, just the printed artwork, giving it a nice and clean look.

It holds two cases: a steelbook and a regular Blu-Ray case. The latter one contains the game itself. It looks similar to the European version of the game, but with a white background instead of a black one.

The steelbook looks nice as well: a matte metallic surface with an artwork of Old Snake on the front. The back has the Kojima Productions logo printed on it. This case holds a bonus disc.

This limited edition doesn’t have a lot of extras: actually it only comes with a bonus disc. The main selling point is its presentation, which is indeed pretty nice.

For the avid Metal Gear collector this is an attractive item, because of the stylish look of the box and its contents. It’s not something you really buy for the extras, but certainly a nice looking game to have in your collection.

Every Metal Gear fan will already have seen it, the latest trailer for Hideo Kojima’s current project, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. But like a true Metal Gear trailer, it manages to show a lot, while raising even more questions. Here is an analysis.

First of all, the trailer shows several points on the timeline. Coupled with earlier information, this is what we can reconstruct as a possible chronology:

- Ground Zeroes (shortly after Peace Walker, so around 1974): the start of the game. Snake infiltrates the Cuban Prison Camp Omega in an attempt to rescue Chico. The burned man is introduced, and his plans to attack the Mother Base of Militaires San Frontieres.

- The attack on Mother Base (shortly after the Ground Zeroes part, so around 1974): Mother Base is attacked by an armed group. Snake and Miller manage to escape by helicopter, but at some point get heavily injured (maybe a crash?). Mother Base is destroyed.

- Hospital scene (shortly after the Mother Base attack, so around 1974): Snake, Miller and a third person (we see the scene from his point of view) are in the emergency room of a hospital. Big Boss is rescued, but falls into a coma.

- Hospital scene 2 (9 years later, so around 1983/1984): Big Boss wakes up from a coma. His left arm has been replaced by an iron hook. The hospital is being attacked by an armed group, possibly with the goal to kill Big Boss. A mysterious bandaged man who calls himself Ishmael (a possible reference to a character from Moby Dick by Herman Merville), helps Big Boss escape.

- Big Boss running out of the hospital, it’s difficult to tell where this fits chronologically, but probably just before the ambulance scene mentioned next.

- Ambulance scene (shortly after the hospital attack): The bandaged man and Big Boss try to escape the hospital in an ambulance, but this results in a crash. Big Boss drags himself out of the vehicle, and finds himself eye to eye with a floating character wearing a gasmask, resembling Psycho Mantis.

- Ocelot horse back scene (probably shortly after the ambulance crash): Ocelot (presumably) arrives on horse, and him and Big Boss join forces, and take flight together. They are being attacked by a man on a flaming unicorn. At some point some force seems to strike in front of them, causing the horse to throw Big Boss of its back.

- Diamond Dogs scene (probably some while after the hospital escape, so somewhere in the early 80s): Snake is sitting on a motorcycle wearing a Diamond Dogs jacket. He has a mechanical arm now that looks a lot like the one Zadornov has in Peace Walker. Miller seems to talk about ‘their new home’, probably a new base. The most curious element in this shot is the ting sticking out of Snake’s forehead, resembling a horn. According to Kojima, this is actually debris embedded into his skull.

Now, here are some images from the trailer, and what they are showing:

This is the attack on Mother Base, in which the plant is completely destroyed.

A gasmask wearing character who reminds us of Psycho Mantis in MGS1.

It is very likely that this is Ocelot (probably in his late 30s). He is starting to grow his mustache and comb his hair back like he does in MGS1 onwards. His clothing style is also showing the cowboy look he is famous for (especially the spurs he is wearing).

This takes place after the hospital escape scene. Ocelot helps Big Boss escape on horseback. Ocelot rides, while Snake fires at enemies. This looks like a gameplay segment, similar to the escape scene in (for example) MGS3, where EVA drove the bike and Snake fired at enemies. The horse resembles the one The Boss rode in MGS3, but since this particular horse died in Peace Walker it must be a different one.

The title of the game is Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The subtitle could refer to many things. Most literally, the arm Big Boss is missing. It could also refer to the fact that Big Boss had to kill The Boss, who he feels was a part of him (‘Half of me belongs to The Boss’, as Snake said in MGS3).

Another noteworthy thing is the fact that instead of ’5′, this game uses the Roman number ‘V’. This seems to be related to the ‘V’ mentioned at the very end. Kojima explained in an interview the reason to use ‘V’ instead of ’5′ is that they wanted to reinvent the series and have it reflected in this way, and the ‘V’ stands for the victory the team hopes to achieve with this game.

‘V has come to.’ The line appears on the screen, and we hear a woman’s voice saying it. It seems to be significant, but very difficult to tell what it means at this point.

‘A Phantom Battle Waged by the Vanished’. ‘V’ stand for ‘Vanished’?

Big Boss is wearing a jacket with the Diamond Dogs logo, and we hear a voice over of Kaz saying ‘Our new home’. Diamond Dogs is a new unit built by Big Boss and Kaz to replace MSF. Maybe Kaz has been setting it up in the nine years Big Boss was in a coma, and he is now showing it to him (‘You see this?’). Kojima explained that the name has several meanings, one of them referring to the unit being comprised of so called ‘Dogs of War’, who despite this still have their pride (hence the ‘Diamond’).

This takes place after the attack on the hospital, since the arm is already missing. Big Boss now has a prothetic arm similar to the one he got from Zadornov (it could be the same one). Kojima said that this arm will grant Big Boss some special abilities.

The song used in the trailer is about being an outsider. From Wikipedia:

Manson explained that the title Not Your Kind of People was ’a call to arms in a way to anyone who feels like we do about the world’, saying that ‘it can be great to be outsider.’

There’s a lot more little details you can get from the footage released so far, but it’s hard to go through every possibility while staying as close to the truth as possible. Of course, it’s important to remember Metal Gear’s trailers are never what they seem, nothing can really be taken at face value. So keep in mind that everything above could turn out to be completely false. It’s merely an interpretation of what has been shown and said so far. We won’t know anything for sure until we’ve played the game. Especially when to song accompanying the trailer states ‘Everything is a lie’.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition launched alongside the game in PAL territories, in June 12 2008. It’s a pretty rare item – apparently only 25000 were ever made, and they were distributed among Europe and Australia.

It comes in a black plastic box with a window on the front. Not a very common format for collector’s editions.

You get three items with this limited edition: the game, an Old Snake action figure and a Blu Ray containing a making of and a soundtrack.

It comes with the regular case of the game, the PAL boxart, which many feel is the best looking version of the three regions.

The action figure is quite small, but it is pretty well made. It actually looks l a lot like the character it’s supposed to represent, something that can’t be said for all figures. Snake is holding an assault rifle, and also comes with a stun knife.

The Blu Ray contains a reasonably lengthy making of documentary.

The soundtrack is a nice extra, but it’s a shame it’s only a small selection of all the music in the game. Metal Gear Solid 4 has a fantastic soundtrack, and some great tracks are sorely missing on this disc.

All in all it’s not a fantastic package, but for the collector or Metal Gear fan it’s still an attractive item to own, also because of its scarcity. The statue and soundtrack (though incomplete) are nice extras as well. It is just too bad the box looks fairly simplistic, and isn’t decorated with some of the incredible artwork Shinkawa is famous for. Still, a decent collector’s edition for an amazing game.

Plot twists. They are staple of the Metal Gear series, and we have seen many of them over the years. But which ones are the most unexpected, the most emotional, or left the biggest impact on the overall story?

Metal Gear Solid 1/ The Twin Snakes – After inserting the PAL card keys in order to deactivate Metal Gear REX, much to Snake’s surprise the cards activate REX instead of deactivating it. It turns out that Snake was a pawn in Liquid’s scheme all along. Pretending to be Master Miller, Liquid has used Snake to find out how the card keys worked, and in fact activate Metal Gear for him.

The entire time during the game you’ve been talking to a disguised Liquid, and you have been doing his bidding unknowingly, and now you even activated the weapon that you were trying to bring to a halt. In a way, there are two plot twists bundled together here: the fact that REX hadn’t been activated after all, and the fact that Miller isn’t Miller. Snake has been played.

Metal Gear Solid 2 – Nothing is what it seems during the Big Shell Incident. As the story progresses, Raiden becomes more and more confused about what’s real and what’s just a deception. Near the end of the game, his commanding officer starts acting stranger and stranger. Raiden doesn’t know who to trust anymore, all the more when he realizes he’s never even met the colonel. Then Otacon reveals a stunning truth: Raiden has been talking to an AI the whole time. The colonel as a person only exists in his brain, composed of Raiden’s own expectations and ideas.

Raiden’s sense of reality is crumbling away, and the border between what happens in his head and what happens in the real world becomes increasingly vague. Where does an AI even fit in?

Metal Gear Solid 2 – Close to the end of the game, Raiden finally learns the truth behind the Big Shell Incident. He learns of a conspiracy of staggering scale and complexity. The Patriots are planning to extend their power by means of manipulation on a massive scale.

The whole incident was an experiment orchestrated by the Patriots, with the resulting data being their ultimate goal. Raiden learns he is just a byproduct of the experiment, and has unknowingly contributed in the organization’s ability to control society as a whole. Aside from the Patriots, no one knew what was really going on, including Solidus and Ocelot. And now, as they reveal their true intentions and the real meaning behind the whole incident, it starts to become clear how great their power really is.

Metal Gear Solid 4 – This is one of the most shocking and unexpected events in the entire series. Just when it seemed like Metal Gear Solid 4’s story was over, Big Boss appears on stage to put the entire event in a new perspective. As unexpected as his arrival is, in retrospective it was foreshadowed throughout the game, such as EVA’s and Liquid-Ocelot’s comments that ‘unless the light is put out, erasing shadows will do no good’.

Big Boss didn’t come to fight, but to give closure to his life. He faces his past mistakes and passes on the torch to his son and former enemy, Solid Snake. His story is over, his sins have been corrected, and Big Boss can die a more peaceful death than he ever expected, close to the grave of the one who started it all. His final message to Snake is clear: forget about us. Stop fighting, start living.

Metal Gear Solid 3 – At the end of the game, Big Boss learns the truth behind The Boss’s defection. She didn’t turn to the Soviet Union after all, but in service to her country she sacrificed not only her life, but also her reputation – all for the cause of her motherland.

This plot twist wasn’t necessarily as unexpected as some of the others mentioned above – it was clear all along The Boss wasn’t telling Snake the whole story -, but it carries great importance for the saga. This event is the catalyst for all other events in the series. In MGS4 EVA rightfully remarks that ‘if she had survived, the world of the 21st century may have been a very different place’.

The Boss’s death caused a chain reaction that directly and indirectly led to The Patriots, Outer Heaven, Les Enfants Terribles and the Sons of the Patriots system. It completely changed the landscape of the entire world over a period of about 80 years. It is the single most significant occurrence in the entire storyline of the series. It would change Big Boss for good. Add to that the emotional impact of MGS3’s ending, and you have the number one plot twist in the Metal Gear series.

Released alongside the game, this 258 page collector’s guide was created by Piggyback as an alternative to the regular guide.

This collector’s guide is very similar to the one for Metal Gear Solid 4. Both guides feature a hard cover and come with a numbered lithograph with an artwork by Yoji Shinkawa on it.

Aside from that, the one for Metal Gear Rising has 16 additional pages containing a character cast art gallery with developer commentary. The rest of the contents are exactly the same as the normal guide.

The cover of the guide looks really nice, it features a full, colorful print of Raiden in his two forms. The metal parts of his suit and his blade are made from a different layer of shiny material.

A Japanese sign with fiery decorations behind it can be seen on the back.

On the inside of the cover Japanese symbols are printed, with English translations underneath them.

The guide is divided into several chapters, with, as expected, the walkthrough taking up most of it. On the far right, at the edge of each right page, you can see a reference to what chapter and what subject of that chapter you’re reading.

Here is a sort summary of each chapter and segment:

Foreword: A small introduction by the games producers: Yuji Korekado of Kojima Productions and Atsushi Inaba of Platinum Games.

Contents: Simply the contents of the guide summed up, plus some questions one might have before starting the game, and answers to those questions.

Quickstart: A short overview of what the game offers, and how each new play through can offer new goals.

Cast: The characters that appear in the game, with some background information.

Primer: An introduction to the basics of the game.

Walkthrough: A step by step guide through the whole game, divided into the seven chapters the game consists of.

Reference & Analysis: Here you can find information on different elements of the game. Breakdowns of every enemy, their weak spots, and attack patterns. Information on your weapons and other items, as well as the scoring system implemented in the game.

Extras: The section covers the extras the game offers. Here you can find how to beat the VR Missions, where to find secrets and how to obtain the titles.

One of the best parts of this chapter (and of the whole guide) is the section with artworks, complete with commentary by various developers, providing some insight into decisions that were made. For example, Shinkawa explains that it was his idea to have Raiden lose one of his eyes, so he would have a weakness to his character. This event was given context in the story afterwards.

Index: A list pointing out on what page you can find what information.

Credits: Simple as that, the people who’ve worked on the guide are credited here.

In the days of internet walkthroughs, video guides and help sections, the usefulness of such a traditional book is questionable. The creators understand this, and have started to give their products and extra attraction as collector’s item. The presentation of the whole thing is very nice, with colorful artwork, a hard cover and a stylish looking limited lithograph.

Of course you can use it purely as a guide as well, but considering you can look up a video for free, that is probably easier to understand than a description, it makes more sense to get this guide as a collector’s item, or at least partly for that reason.

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance The Complete Official Guide Collector’s Edition

Published by Piggyback Interactive Limited

ISBN 978-0-307-89715-2

The Metal Gear series is known for many things, one of them being fight scenes. Those can stand out for a number of reasons, ranging from great choreography and camerawork to importance to the story and symbolic nature. Below are the five fight scenes, and an explanation why each was chosen.

Gray Fox vs REX – Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

Many people consider the choreography in the cutscenes of The Twin Snakes, directed by Kitamura, to be over the top. It is true that Solid Snake pulls of more acrobatic and gravity defying moves than you would expect from him. But many also agree that these moves suit the character of Gray Fox very well. After all, for a cybernetically enhanced ninja the ceiling is the limit (and even if it is, his HF blade will slice through it like butter).

This fight scene is just one part of the epic climax of Metal Gear Solid’s story. Gray Fox simply declares “I’ll stop it from moving.”, as if stopping a towering, walking tank weighing several tons is nothing. But he also knows that this is the last thing he will do in his life, offering Snake this ‘final present from Deepthroat’. After which the single warrior charges at the mechanical giant, and uses his quick reflexes and the environment to his advantage. An impressive fight follows, filled with cool slow motion moments, crazy camera movements and accompanied by a great music score.

Old Snake vs Resistance – Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Metal Gear Solid 4 focuses on Solid Snake as a tired, old soldier near the end of his life. He is a shadow of his former self. But at this point in the game, we get to see a glimpse of his former glory, and are reminded why he is a legendary soldier. Snake just made his way into the secret resistance base, but the young soldiers question wether this can be ‘the guy’. The one that is in Solid Snake’s chokehold is already convinced, since he didn’t hear him coming at all. But the others aren’t sure yet. “But look at him.” one comments. “He’s ancient!” Old Snake doesn’t particularly like this comment, and he decides to teach them a lesson. With the biggest amount of ease, Solid Snake professionally defeats six armed, trained soldiers in less than 30 seconds using only his close combat skills.

Raiden vs Gekkos - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Metal Gear Solid 4 knows a lot of fight scenes featuring Raiden, who is now reborn as a cyborg ninja who can rival Gray Fox in terms of moves. But this scene was chosen, partially because it is Raiden’s introduction and the first time we see him fight, and partially because… well, he takes on a small army of the most powerful foes in the game, in a stylish way. From the first shot on you know this is going to be good. A group of mechanical monsters approaches to attack, while Raiden calmly waits for the right moment to strike. Then, with a combination of evasive maneuvers and jumping attacks, he takes out several Gekkos, before returning to the ground. There he pulls out his second blade, cranks up the speed and slashes his enemies into oblivion. When the next wave of Gekkos shoot their hooked wires into his suit, things seem to go sour. But Raiden responds by wrapping them in their own wires like a spider catches his prey, and gives a fierce tug. The Gekkos collapse, but are immediately replaced by new units. Raiden speeds up even more, and at one point even wields his blade with his foot, and spins around on his arms. He ends by jumping on the control units of the three robots, piercing their mechanisms in the process, and has landed safe and well on the ground before they even had a chance to collapse.

Snake vs The Boss - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Naked Snake and The Boss have battles several times before this fight takes place, but at these instances the fight was very uneven. Snake had not yet accepted the fact that he had to fight his former mentor, and put up little resistance. In addition, The Boss isn’t ‘the mother of special forces’ for no reason, and proved to be an enemy even too great for Snake. But during his mission in the jungles of Russia, Snake has grown both mentally and physically. He has overcome The Boss’s former unit and the emotions that could slow him down or weaken him. For the first time, during this fight Snake is able to withstand The Boss to a certain degree. In the end, he is still bested by her, but his skills have clearly improved, as have his chances to finish the mission successfully.

Old Snake vs Liquid-Ocelot - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

“The war is over… but… we still have a score to settle.” Liquid-Ocelot proclaims. What follows is the fight to end all fights. The two prepare for the final showdown, while a remix from Metal Gear’s theme slowly fades in. No weapons, no tricks, no Guns of the Patriots, a raw brawl fought with bare hands.

On top of a submarine in the middle of the ocean, with a sunrise coloring the sky pink and orange, the two fight. The Patriot system has been shut down, it is over. This isn’t a fight over who will be victorious, it’s just the fight: the final moment between two rivals. The culmination of something that started nine years ago. This is the longest fight scene in the series, and also the most dramatic one. It’s full of memorable moments and breathtaking cinematography. It’s not only the best fight scene in the series, but belongs to the top of all cutscenes.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Original Soundtrack

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The Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker soundtrack is the first one since Metal Gear Solid 2 that wasn’t composed (partially) by Harry Gregson-Williams. It didn’t hurt the music too much, however, because though it’s not as great as Metal Gear Solid 4’s, this soundtrack is still very good, and it is still instantly recognizable as a Metal Gear soundtrack.

The cd contains 28 tracks for a total playtime of 1,2 hours. A decent number, and while not complete, most of the tracks you want to hear are on there.

 Track List

• Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker Main Theme – 2:56
• Heavens Divide – 5:12
• Rain of Bane – 1:25
• Marshland – 1:41
• Clients – 2:11
• Heavy Arms – 2:02
• The Spear – 1:33
• Fearless – 1:14
• Tank Corps – 2:17
• Little Brother – 5:03
• Highland – 1:37
• Cold Principle – 3:23
• Pupa – 1:31
• Hide-out – 2:30
• Air Strike – 2:30
• Entry Gate – 2:23
• Chrysalis – 2:22
• Cocoon – 2:10
• Mother Base – 1:39
• Dead Ahead – 2:09
• Facility – 0:47
• Take Down – 1:54
• Boot Sequence – 1:51
• Peace Walker – 3:00
• Outer Heaven – 4:59
• Uninterrupted Signal – 1:56
• Zero Allies! – 4:35
• Koi No Yokushiryoku – 4:56

Opening the case. The cd itself looks pretty nice too

The track list on the inside

Artwork behind the cd

The back of the fold out booklet

Now, about the music itself. Peace Walker has a great mix of dramatic, bombastic music and quiet, slow paced tracks. There are a few that rise above the rest. Here is a top 5 of the my favorite tracks on this cd:

Top 5

Heaven’s Divide

This is the vocal theme of the game. An emotional, heartfelt song that nicely complements the story. It fits the game perfectly, while at the same time being a great song on its own.

Outer Heaven

A powerful and ominous track, which fits the title well. The music, together with the name of the song, evokes associations of Outer Heaven as a force to be reckoned with and a threat to the world. The track contains sorrowful tones and strong, staccato parts that reflect determination. This builds to a climax before suddenly ending.

Zero Allies!

This is quite a long track. It starts with a slower paced sample from the Main Theme, followed by eerie vocals and contrasting drums. Then, it build towards a more orchestral part. At the end (3:20 mark), it becomes more calm once again.

Little Brother

Slow, quiet and melancholic. This is the track that accompanies one of the best cutscenes in the game, and it complements it well. The final part is actually a remix of Heaven’s Divide, but performed so differently that it becomes something new.

Main Theme

Like the name of the track says, this is the main theme. A long build leads to a climactic finale. Sounds like Metal Gear, but still has its own melody. It concludes with a wind instrument remix of the main theme.

 Conclusion

Previous Metal Gear soundtracks may have set the bar high, this one still delivers. It’s not the best score, but the tracks that are good, are really good. The only annoyance is that the track list is, once again, incomplete. A shame, but since this cd was quite cheap, it’s forgivable. If you are a Metal Gear fan and you see this for a good price, consider getting it.

Hideo Kojima received a special present from Square Enix (who makes the Play Arts KAI Metal Gear figures): a one of kind ‘Hideo Raiden’ action figure. According to Kojima, this is the only one that exists in the world.

Since you can remove the head, you can also attach it to other bodies.

Kojima placed the figure in his Metal Gear Solid 4 display cabinet.

Source: Hideo Kojima Twitter

With its rich history of more than 25 years, the Metal Gear series always presents a balance between new inventions and repeating elements. One such returning element entails the repetition of certain iconic phrases. What are the most recognizable quotes, that players will immediately relate to the famous videogame hero?

The words that follow are spoken by either ‘incarnation’ of Snake, be it Solid Snake or Big Boss. They are lines that are instantly recognized by Metal Gear fans, and probably also by people who aren’t as familiar with the games.

Here are the five phrases you can’t hear without a gravely voice anymore:

“Infinite ammo.”

Metal Gear is famous for breaking the fourth wall, sometimes by addressing the player directly, sometimes by acknowledging the fact that it is a game. This quote is no exception. By beating the original Metal Gear Solid without giving into Ocelot’s torture, players were awarded a special item for a second playthrough: a bandana that grants infinite ammo to the player.

When Raiden meets up with Snake inside Arsenal Gear, he asks him if he has enough ammo. Snake puts his mind at ease by pointing at the famous bandana and uttering the two words ‘infinite ammo’. Not a returning quote, but certainly one of the most famous ones.

“Liquid!”

His twin brother has been quite a nuisance to Snake throughout the series. For this reason it is no surprise that he calls out his name quite often, usually to little avail. Liquid after all isn’t the most reasonable or rational person there is, and not the kind who would listen to anyone’s advice, especially someone he hates.

This quote comes to culmination at the end of Metal Gear Solid 4, when Snake and Liquid are atop Outer Haven for their final fight. Snake has just gone through hell and back shutting down the system, and now everything that has built op during the game translates into a primal scream at Liquid’s address. He raises his arms to the sky, with clawed hands, and shouts Liquid’s name at the top of his lungs, for the final time.

“Kept you waiting, huh?”

This running joke of the Metal Gear series is a nod to the fans, who always have to wait several years for a new entry in Snake’s adventures. In Metal Gear Solid 4, it even made its way into one of the final cutscenes, when Otacon tells Sunny: “That guy always keeps you waiting.” A bittersweet joke, in the context of the circumstances.

“This is Snake.”

Simple but effective. These words can be found at the start of every Metal Gear game, signaling the beginning of another epic story. Even Raiden, who isn’t typically referred to as Snake, begins his Metal Gear career with these three words. Often they are followed by the phrase “Can you hear me?”, or something similar.

“Metal… Gear?!”

Both the title of the series and a quote present in virtually every game, is when Snake speaks these two words, usually with a pause between them to emphasize his shock and disbelief.

Looking at the series’ chronological timeline, they are spoken for the first time by Granin in Metal Gear Solid 3, when he explains his invention is comparable to the missing link in the human evolution theory. The link between artillery and infantry, a kind of ‘metal gear’, he explains. After which these words are of course repeated by Snake.