The Metal Gear series came to an end in 2015. This followed creator Hideo Kojima’s messy split from publisher Konami. It’s now been seven years since the last true instalment in the franchise (we don’t count Survive, obviously). But Metal Gear‘s impact on the gaming industry is still undeniable. The stealth series arrived in 1987 in the form of the eponymous Metal Gear game for the MSX2 home computer. Nine main entries in the series have been released across multiple platforms since. And each game has delved deeper into the franchise’s complex world. From its weird and wonderful characters to its rich (if convoluted) narrative. And as an almost 35-year-old series, there are plenty of obscure facts about Metal Gear. Whether from behind the scenes or the games themselves! Let’s take a look at some of the strangest bits of Metal Gear Solid trivia out there…
Metal Gear Solid Trivia: Weird and Surprising Facts Fans Need To Know
6. MGS3’s Virtuous Mission takes place on Hideo Kojima’s 1st birthday
Happy birthday, Kojima-san! Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is regarded by many fans as the best game in the series. Its story kicks off with the Virtuous Mission. This sees a young Big Boss – codenamed Naked Snake – dropped into Tselinoyarsk, USSR. In the game, the mission takes place on 24th August 1964. This was Hideo Kojima’s first birthday. Now, you’re probably wondering why 1963 wasn’t used given that was the year he was actually born in. Well, Kojima wanted to incorporate John F. Kennedy’s assassination into the game’s story. So, he pushed the Virtuous Mission out by a year.
5. MGS2’s Dead Cell originally had two more members – Metal Gear Solid Trivia
Dead Cell are central antagonists in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The former special forces unit made up the game’s bosses. They were Fortune, Fatman, Vamp, and Solidus Snake. Raiden’s encounters with them are unforgettable. And they are arguably some of the most memorable boss battles in gaming history. But few people know of the two other members Dead Cell was supposed to have. Old Boy and Chinaman. Old Boy was a veteran soldier from Germany’s Wehrmacht in WWII. He was proficient with weaponry from that era and would’ve commanded a unit of soldiers called the Fallschirmjäger. Old Boy would’ve also been biologically immortal thanks to a mutated telosyme enzyme (whatever that means).
The offensively named Chinaman was a martial artist based on Jet Li. He was planned to have a dragon tattoo that could attack the player. Raiden was originally supposed to encounter Chinaman in Big Shell’s filtration chamber. This where he would ultimately fight Vamp in the final version of the game. Similarly, he also would’ve been able to walk on water and up walls – just like Vamp. Both Chinaman and Old Boy were eventually cut from MGS2 entirely.
4. Meryl Silverburgh was in a Hideo Kojima game before MGS1
Meryl Silverburgh is one of the most iconic Metal Gear characters. She plays a major role in 1998’s Metal Gear Solid. She also acts as a partner and semi-love interest to Solid Snake. But that game wasn’t her first appearance. A character called Meryl Silverburgh appears in Hideo Kojima’s Policenauts, too. Hideo Kojima loved the character, so decided to include a character of the same name and likeness in Metal Gear Solid. That’s right – Policenauts‘s Meryl also looks strikingly similar to her Metal Gear counterpart. Funnily enough, Meryl is partnered with a character called Dave in Policenauts. This is Solid Snake’s real name (David), as revealed in Metal Gear Solid.
3. Big Boss’s backstory was completely changed – Metal Gear Solid Trivia
Big Boss is arguably the most important character in the entire series. His backstory as established in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is truly epic. But it wasn’t always the same. He actually had a completely different history. This was documented in the 1998 Metal Gear Solid: Official Mission Handbook, and reportedly read:
“Big Boss was born of Japanese-American descent, in Hawaii. The entire American side of his family had perished during the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor. While his Japanese relatives were locked up in internment camps, he joined the 442nd Infantry Regiment in his teens. Big Boss gained his first combat experience fighting in France, where his unit had contributed to freeing towns from Nazi control in 1944. After returning to America after the war, he lost patriotism for his country, due to prejudice towards his Japanese heritage.
Big Boss later participated as a mercenary for France in the Congo Crisis, from 1961 to 1968, later serving in wars in Asia, Africa, and the Middle/Far East. He also specifically chose missions that related to people’s liberation, even declining various missions from an abundance of governments, military organizations, and terrorist groups that were well-paid. His sterility was diagnosed due to various battlefield injuries, and that he covertly agreed with the U.S. Government to participate in the Les Enfants Terribles.”
Of course, this whole character history was later erased and ignored in subsequent entries in the series. And it also wasn’t the the only time Big Boss’s past was retconned (*cough* Venom Snake *cough*).
2. MGS2 was almost set in Iraq and Iran
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty could’ve been totally different. As you’d expect, the game would’ve still centred on Solid Snake working to destroy a Metal Gear. However, the Metal Gear would’ve been located on an aircraft carrier. And all this was supposed to take place against the backdrop of nuclear weapon inspections in Iraq and Iran. In a twist, Liquid Snake and his crew would’ve shown up to try and hijack the carrier. This idea was dropped six months into the project due to the worsening situation in the Middle East. The team at Kojima Productions wanted to avoid unnecessary controversy because of the setting. Hideo Kojima first mentioned the original setting of the game in an interview for the Metal Gear Saga Vol. 1 documentary.
1. Solid Snake and Otacon were going to be executed at the end of MGS4
Hideo Kojima originally wanted to kill Snake and Otacon off at the conclusion of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. This baffling ending would’ve seen the duo executed for their ‘crimes’ after turning themselves in to the UN. Exactly what these supposed crimes were meant to have been is unclear. And details about this original ending are scarce. What we do know, however, is that other developers at Kojima Productions hated the idea. This persuaded Hideo Kojima to change the ending completely.
What are your favourite Metal Gear Solid facts? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
