Today I honor one of the most tragic heroes in video game. This is someone who led a tough life, one of constant struggle, a life of killing, of war. This is a man who has had to stare in the face of death constantly, always losing friends, always worrying about if he'll see his loved ones alive once the mission is done, if he lives through it that is. This is a man who grew up on the battlefield, a man wounded, but not broken, by war. His name is David, but everyone knows him as Solid Snake, and he's the hero of Metal Gear.
A clone of the greatest soldier of the 20th century, Solid Snake had been bred since childhood to become a top class soldier. In the year 1995 (in game, Metal Gear) Solid Snake joins the special operations unit, FOXHOUND. He is given a mission: save his comrade, Gray Fox, from the nation of Outer Haven, and while there, destroy the Metal Gear, a bipedal tank with nuclear capabilities. However, Snake discovers that the leader of FOXHOUND, Big Boss, was the leader of Outer Haven, and had planned on turning the nation into a nuclear superpower. Eventually, after several fights, Snake not only defeats Big Boss, he also destroys Metal Gear.
In the (in game, Metal Gear 2) year 1999, Snake is once again recruited by FOXHOUND, this time led by Roy Campbell, in order to infiltrate Zanzibar Land to retrieve Dr Kio Marv, who had been kidnapped by the nation, who also possessed a Metal Gear. During this mission, Snake discovers that, once again, Big Boss is up to his old tricks, attempting to create a world in perpetual war. Having destroyed the new Metal Gear, and once again (seemingly) killing Big Boss, Snake retires. The US Army had, by then, deemed Snake a soldier that had committed several acts of misconduct.
Six years later, in Metal Gear Solid, Snake is called out of retirement by Roy. His old unit, FOXHOUND, had gone rogue, and were threatening the USA with a nuclear strike if the Pentagon did not hand over Big Boss' remains to FOXHOUND's new leader, Solid Snake's twin brother, Liquid Snake.
Snake confronts the biggest dangers he has ever had in his life. He fights off soldiers that have been modified with nano machines. He fights off an entire army of robots, giant mechanical beasts that wail like cows (oh Kojima...) and he fights his toughest enemies yet: A quartet of women fused with machines, powered by their trauma, the Beauty and the Beast Corps.
Left to Right: Laughing Octopus, Screaming Mantis, Raging Raven, and Crying Wolf. Yes, there are women beneath those armors.
Snake does not go through this mission unscathed. He gets tossed around a lot. He gets stabbed, shot, electrified, and even burnt by his enemies. The right side of his face is permanently scarred by second degree burns. His biggest moment is when he has to crawl through a tunnel while bombarded with Microwaves, all so he can access the computer that controls The Patriots. It is one of the hardest scenes to watch, made worse by the fact that you, the player, are in control of Snake through the whole ordeal, meaning that if Snake dies, it's your fault.
Snake's final battle against Liquid Ocelot takes place atop the SS Missouri, set against the sunset of Liquid's last day on Earth. This is all Snake has left in his life: ridding the world of a mad man. The battle starts off as an epic display of martial arts skill by two of the greatest soldiers in history, but slowly descends into a brutal beat down between two old men who have absolutely nothing left in this world. Snake eventually manages to kill Liquid, putting an end to his ambitions once and for all, as well as modifying the Sons of the Patriots system, bringing down the system that helped create the war economy.
Snake spends the rest of his days in peace, knowing that if anything, he can at least choose how to live the rest of his life. He gives up smoking and starts using his birth name, David. Snake most likely died in peace, knowing his friends and loved ones were going to live healthy, happy lives in a world without a war economy.
Snake had lived a hard life, one of loss, sacrifice, struggle, and conflict. But beneath it all, Snake was a hero. He was a hero because he put himself on the front lines, fighting those that would endanger the world with their ambitions. Snake has saved the world from nuclear war, has destroyed countless robots, has killed dozens of terrorists, and so forth.
He has lost many friends, but he never lost his humanity. For a man bred on war and for war, Snake was a man who felt for his fellow soldiers. He knew what they were going through, he knew how war felt, how it could destroy a man. To him the battlefield was a place of tragedy, not glory.
Snake didn't enjoy the killing, and that's why his style required being sneaky. He would crawl in the mud, he would climb through air ducts. That's not to say he was non violent, however. Snake knew that sometimes, killing was inevitable.
During the later part of his life, thanks to his friend Hal, Snake developed the idea that a man's circumstances did not decide who he was, only his choices did. He expressed no pity for the soldiers that choose to kill, and demonstrated annoyance whenever he was given sob stories for the maniacs he had to defeat.
Snake was no saint, but he was the greatest hero the world had ever known. He died, six months after his final mission, probably on a warm bed, a smile on his face, knowing his loved ones would lead happy, healthy lives. That is why Snake is the fourth greatest hero in video games.
Sorry this update was late, it was hard to write. Anyway, the summary:
Name: David, aka Solid Snake, aka Old Snake.
Motivation: Duty as a soldier
Main Enemy: Big Boss, Liquid Snake
Finest Achievement: Saving the world from Metal Gear (thrice)
Reward: After a life of combat, struggle, and loss, Snake spends the last six months of his life peacefully.
In the (in game, Metal Gear 2) year 1999, Snake is once again recruited by FOXHOUND, this time led by Roy Campbell, in order to infiltrate Zanzibar Land to retrieve Dr Kio Marv, who had been kidnapped by the nation, who also possessed a Metal Gear. During this mission, Snake discovers that, once again, Big Boss is up to his old tricks, attempting to create a world in perpetual war. Having destroyed the new Metal Gear, and once again (seemingly) killing Big Boss, Snake retires. The US Army had, by then, deemed Snake a soldier that had committed several acts of misconduct.
Six years later, in Metal Gear Solid, Snake is called out of retirement by Roy. His old unit, FOXHOUND, had gone rogue, and were threatening the USA with a nuclear strike if the Pentagon did not hand over Big Boss' remains to FOXHOUND's new leader, Solid Snake's twin brother, Liquid Snake.
Solid and Liquid were clones of Big Boss, and Liquid was angry that he was made from 'inferior genetics' than his brother, Solid, and was therefore an inferior clone. (This is a fail on biology on Hideo Kojima's part. That is not how genetics work)
Hiding in the island of Shadow Moses, Liquid Snake amasses the forces of Genome Soldiers, special soldiers bred for combat by the US Pentagon in secret. Liquid also recruited some of the most powerful soldiers of the US Military: The sharpshooter Sniper Wolf, the heavy machine gun wielder Vulcan Raven, and the psychic Psycho Mantis.
Snake infiltrates Shadow Moses, fighting his way across the snowy island, armed with only a pistol. He is forced to kill Gray Fox, his old friend, who had been turned into a Cyborg Ninja. Psycho Mantis attacks his mind with his psychic powers. And he is forced to kill several soldiers, many of them Snake never learns their names, but some he does, like Sniper Wolf.
Snake meets two new friends on this mission. The first is Meryl, a rookie soldier and Roy Campbell's daughter. The second is Hal Emmerich, who will later become Snake's best friend (and if you ask the fangirls, lover). Although Snake lost his old best friend, he gains a new one, one who will later change his outlook in life.
Snake, after a long and grueling battle, destroys Liquid's Metal Gear REX, and defeats his twin brother, saving the US from a nuclear strike. What he doesn't know is that this is just the tip of the iceberg...
Although Snake is playable in Metal Gear Solid 2, he is not the star of Metal Gear again until Metal Gear Solid 4. In this game, taking place about 9 years after Metal Gear Solid, Snake is about 42 years old...
This is Snake's final mission: Stop Liquid Ocelot from destroying the Patriots. Snake has to go to a country in the Middle East (never identified), to kill Liquid once and for all. While there, Snake discover's Liquid's newest Weapon: a system that shuts down Sons of the Patriots temporarily, causing any soldier within the vicinity to completely lose all their senses, to be overwhelmed by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Many are the soldiers that vomit uncontrollably, shoot their guns wildly, and even kill themselves. Snake sees what it is he has to stop.
Snake infiltrates Shadow Moses, fighting his way across the snowy island, armed with only a pistol. He is forced to kill Gray Fox, his old friend, who had been turned into a Cyborg Ninja. Psycho Mantis attacks his mind with his psychic powers. And he is forced to kill several soldiers, many of them Snake never learns their names, but some he does, like Sniper Wolf.
Snake meets two new friends on this mission. The first is Meryl, a rookie soldier and Roy Campbell's daughter. The second is Hal Emmerich, who will later become Snake's best friend (and if you ask the fangirls, lover). Although Snake lost his old best friend, he gains a new one, one who will later change his outlook in life.
Snake, after a long and grueling battle, destroys Liquid's Metal Gear REX, and defeats his twin brother, saving the US from a nuclear strike. What he doesn't know is that this is just the tip of the iceberg...
Although Snake is playable in Metal Gear Solid 2, he is not the star of Metal Gear again until Metal Gear Solid 4. In this game, taking place about 9 years after Metal Gear Solid, Snake is about 42 years old...
But because of his clone DNA, he now has the body of an 84 year old man. Snake is dying, diagnosed with six months to live.
War has changed. The world is now under control of an Artificial Intelligence known as the Patriots. The world is in a constant state of war; every aspect of the world economy revolves around war in one way or another. The Patriots control everything, including the way our bodies work, thanks to a system of nano machines that everyone takes called Sons of the Patriots. If this system breaks down, it takes all of civilization with it. And there is someone out there who plans exactly that. His name? Liquid Ocelot, a fusion of Revolver Ocelot, a former agent of FOXHOUND, and Liquid Snake.
Snake confronts the biggest dangers he has ever had in his life. He fights off soldiers that have been modified with nano machines. He fights off an entire army of robots, giant mechanical beasts that wail like cows (oh Kojima...) and he fights his toughest enemies yet: A quartet of women fused with machines, powered by their trauma, the Beauty and the Beast Corps.
Left to Right: Laughing Octopus, Screaming Mantis, Raging Raven, and Crying Wolf. Yes, there are women beneath those armors.
Snake does not go through this mission unscathed. He gets tossed around a lot. He gets stabbed, shot, electrified, and even burnt by his enemies. The right side of his face is permanently scarred by second degree burns. His biggest moment is when he has to crawl through a tunnel while bombarded with Microwaves, all so he can access the computer that controls The Patriots. It is one of the hardest scenes to watch, made worse by the fact that you, the player, are in control of Snake through the whole ordeal, meaning that if Snake dies, it's your fault.
Snake's final battle against Liquid Ocelot takes place atop the SS Missouri, set against the sunset of Liquid's last day on Earth. This is all Snake has left in his life: ridding the world of a mad man. The battle starts off as an epic display of martial arts skill by two of the greatest soldiers in history, but slowly descends into a brutal beat down between two old men who have absolutely nothing left in this world. Snake eventually manages to kill Liquid, putting an end to his ambitions once and for all, as well as modifying the Sons of the Patriots system, bringing down the system that helped create the war economy.
Snake spends the rest of his days in peace, knowing that if anything, he can at least choose how to live the rest of his life. He gives up smoking and starts using his birth name, David. Snake most likely died in peace, knowing his friends and loved ones were going to live healthy, happy lives in a world without a war economy.
Snake had lived a hard life, one of loss, sacrifice, struggle, and conflict. But beneath it all, Snake was a hero. He was a hero because he put himself on the front lines, fighting those that would endanger the world with their ambitions. Snake has saved the world from nuclear war, has destroyed countless robots, has killed dozens of terrorists, and so forth.
He has lost many friends, but he never lost his humanity. For a man bred on war and for war, Snake was a man who felt for his fellow soldiers. He knew what they were going through, he knew how war felt, how it could destroy a man. To him the battlefield was a place of tragedy, not glory.
Snake didn't enjoy the killing, and that's why his style required being sneaky. He would crawl in the mud, he would climb through air ducts. That's not to say he was non violent, however. Snake knew that sometimes, killing was inevitable.
During the later part of his life, thanks to his friend Hal, Snake developed the idea that a man's circumstances did not decide who he was, only his choices did. He expressed no pity for the soldiers that choose to kill, and demonstrated annoyance whenever he was given sob stories for the maniacs he had to defeat.
Snake was no saint, but he was the greatest hero the world had ever known. He died, six months after his final mission, probably on a warm bed, a smile on his face, knowing his loved ones would lead happy, healthy lives. That is why Snake is the fourth greatest hero in video games.
Sorry this update was late, it was hard to write. Anyway, the summary:
Name: David, aka Solid Snake, aka Old Snake.
Motivation: Duty as a soldier
Main Enemy: Big Boss, Liquid Snake
Finest Achievement: Saving the world from Metal Gear (thrice)
Reward: After a life of combat, struggle, and loss, Snake spends the last six months of his life peacefully.
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