Metal Gear (video game)

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Metal Gear is a stealth-based game designed by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami. It served as the inaugural title for Konami's flagship Metal Gear series. Originally released for the MSX2 in Japan and Europe in 1987, the game was later ported to the Nintendo Family Computer in Japan and its counterpart, the Nintendo Entertainment System, in North America and Europe. The NES version, although technically a port, features several considerable changes made to it to the point that some fans consider it to be a separate title.

Several versions based on these two versions were later released for various platforms. The NES version was ported to the IBM PC and Commodore 64 in North America, and re-released for the GameCube in emulated form as part of a special bundle containing [[Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes]] in Japan. The MSX2 version was ported to mobile phones in Japan with several enhancements and changes in 2004, which was then ported to the PlayStation 2 as a component of [[Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence]] with a new and more complete translation for English releases. This was the first time Metal Gear was released in North America in its MSX2 form.

Release dates

• July 12, 1987 — MSX2 (Japan)
• 1987 — MSX2 (Europe)
• December 22, 1987 — Nintendo Family Computer (Japan)
• June, 1988 — Nintendo Entertainment System (North America)
• 1989 — Nintendo Entertainment System (Europe)
• August 30, 1990 — IBM PC (North America)
• 1990 — Commodore 64 (North America)
• March 11, 2004 — Nintendo GameCube (as part of Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes - Premium Package) (Japan)
• August 18, 2004 — Mobile Phone (Japan)
• December 22, 2005 — PlayStation 2 (as part of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence) (Japan)
• March 14, 2006 — PlayStation 2 (as part of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence) (North America)

Story

In 1995, 200km north of Galzburg, South Africa, lies Outer Heaven, a fortified state founded by a legendary mercenary in the late 1980s. Word had gotten out to the western world that deep within the Outer Heaven stronghold, a weapon of mass destruction was being constructed. Government officials order the high-tech Special Forces unit FOXHOUND to infiltrate the fortress, assess the situation and neutralize the threat. In a mission known as "Operation: Intrude N313," FOXHOUND operative Gray Fox infiltrated the Outer Heaven stronghold. Days later, contact with Gray Fox is lost and his last transmission simply reads "METAL GEAR..."

Operative Solid Snake, FOXHOUND's newest recruit, is ordered by leader Big Boss to rescue Gray Fox and carry out his mission.

Upon insertion into Outer Heaven, Snake makes contact with local resistance members Kyle Schneider, Diane, and Jennifer. Using all of his skills and the equipment he procured on site, he manages to rescue Fox. He learns from Fox that Metal Gear is the codename of a nuclear warhead-equipped bipedal walking tank, which can engage and dominate in all forms of combat as well as launch its nuclear warheads from any location. Outer Heaven plans to use Metal Gear to impose itself as the new world superpower.

In order to destroy Metal Gear, and topple the Outer Heaven mercenaries, Snake rescues the lead engineer of Metal Gear, Dr. Drago Petrovich Madnar, and his daughter, Ellen. Armed with information on how to destroy Metal Gear, his skill and indomitable spirit, Snake fights through the entire Outer Heaven force. He begins to notice that traps being set for him are too precise, and wonders how information on his activities is being tracked. Moreover, Schneider is wounded by hostiles and is presumed dead after losing contact with Snake.

Upon destroying the powerful Outer Heaven defense system, Snake is able to neutralize Metal Gear. As he makes his way out of the compound's basement, he is confronted by the mysterious mercenary leader of the Outer Heaven forces, who turns out to be Big Boss himself.

Big Boss has been using his connections in the U.S. government to establish his own mercenary force, corrupt and steal military intelligence, and fund his activities. It was his aim to have Outer Heaven become the world's most powerful nation, with him at the top. He had the rookie Snake sent in, hoping to have him captured and feed the U.S. government misinformation, but had underestimated Snake's capabilities.

Having lost Metal Gear and much of his force, Big Boss starts the self-destruct sequence for the compound, and an underground battle ensues between Big Boss and Solid Snake. Despite injury, Snake defeats Big Boss and escapes the Outer Heaven compound as it crumbles in flames behind him. Big Boss stays behind and is presumed dead after the explosion.

Cast of characters

• Solid Snake - The player's character. One of FOXHOUND's newest recruits. Operation: Intrude N313 is his inaugural mission as a FOXHOUND operative.
• Big Boss - Leader of FOXHOUND, Solid Snake's father and Solid Snake's commanding officer. He provides Snake with information on the weapons and equipment procured on-site. At the end of Snake's mission, it is revealed that he is also the mastermind behind Outer Heaven and attempts to sabotage Snake's progress.
• Diane - Resistance member who seems to possess a great amount of knowledge on the mercenaries in Outer Heaven. Once the vocalist of a positive punk band, she now lives with her boyfriend Steve.
• Dr. Petrovich - Robotic engineer responsible for the creation of the TX-55 (Metal Gear) prototype. He was captured on his way to the U.S. and is now being forced to make war machines for Outer Heaven, while his daughter is held hostage (similar to how Sokolov was forced to create the Shagohod in Snake Eater). Snake learns Metal Gear's weakness from him after rescuing Elen.
• Jennifer - A resistance member. She infiltrated Outer Heaven as part of their medical staff in order to find her missing brother. She supports Snake covertly by helping him gain access to areas and equipment within the fortress. In turn, Snake manages to save her brother from the mercenary known as Coward Duck.
• Gray Fox - FOXHOUND operative with a Fox codename, the highest commemoration given to any FOXHOUND member. He was taken prisoner during his mission in Outer Heaven, but is rescued by Snake. He provides information about the true function of Metal Gear and the whereabouts of its designer, Dr. Petrovich.
• Schneider - The leader of a resistance movement in Outer Heaven, who seeks to avenge his family's death. His former occupation as chief architect in Outer Heaven has earned him the knowledge of the fortress' structural layout. He learns about Big Boss's true role in the Outer Heaven ordeal, but is captured by hostiles before he can share his knowledge with Snake.
• Ellen - A former Bolshoi Ballet star and the only daughter of Dr. Petrovich. She was captured and taken to Outer Heaven as leverage against her father. Snake rescues Elen in order to gain Dr. Petrovich's cooperation.

• Black Negro - The mysterious counter terrorist from the depths of Africa. It is also revealed in Metal Geat Solid that he secretly owns an Ice Cream truck in order to please himself, rumor also has it that he loves kids more than Micheal Jackson.

Weapons

Firearms

• Beretta M92F - A handgun and the first weapon that can be found by the player. It shoots one bullet at a time in a single cardinal direction. Its gunshots become silenced when the player obtains the suppressor.

• Ingram MAC-10 - A sub-machinegun. When the fire button is held, it will shoot continuously in a fan-like pattern. Its gunshots become silenced when the player obtains the suppressor.

• M79 Grenade Launcher - A weapon that fires grenade rounds. A crosshair is displayed on-screen which determines the landing spots of the grenades.

• RPG-7 Rocket Launcher - The most powerful weapon in the game. Fires rocket rounds and is the only weapon capable of destroying the toughest bosses.

• Ammunition pack - Contains 20 handgun bullets, 20 sub machinegun bullets, 5 grenade rounds and 2 rocket rounds.

Explosives

• Plastic Explosives - Used to destroy hollow walls.

• Landmines - Anti-tank mines.

• Remote Control Missiles (RC Missiles) - Missiles that can be guided by the player from a stationary position. Can be used to destroy the control panels of electrified floors. Can also be used to fight bosses without being in the enemies firing range.

Gameplay

The objective of the game is to infiltrate Outer Heaven and destroy Metal Gear. The player's initial goal is to reestablish contact with Gray Fox. Like in later installments, the player must avoid visual contact and direct confrontation with the enemy soldiers as much as possible. When the player is seen by the enemy, the background music changes and the game enters Alert Mode. The method of escaping varies depending on the circumstances behind the player's discovery:

• If a player is seen and only a single exclamation mark (!) appears over an enemy's head, only the enemies in the player's present screen will attack and an escape can be made by moving to the adjacent screen.

• However, if two exclamation marks (!!) appears over the enemy (or the player triggers an alarm by being spotted by a camera, infrared sensor or by using an unsilenced weapon), reinforcements from off-screen will appear as well. The player can only escape by eliminating all incoming enemies or by simply moving to a different floor.

At first, the player starts the game unarmed, but eventually gains access to a variety of firearms (starting with the Beretta M92F) and explosives. Ammo and supplies for each weapon are limited, but are easily replenished. Weapons can not only be used to kill enemies, but also to clear obstacles (such as hollow walls or electrified floors). Snake can also use his fists to defeat patrolling enemies and take any food or ammo they drop behind.

The enemy base itself is comprised of three different buildings, with multiple floors (including basement levels) within them. The player uses keycards and other items to unlock doors or explore new areas. Doors will only open to their corresponding keycards. Bosses also appear throughout the game to interfere with the player's progress.

Information can be obtained by rescuing hostages being held captive within the buildings. After rescuing five hostages, the player is given a promotion, increasing their "Rank" (4 stars max) increasing your ammo capacity and maximum health. However, if a hostage is killed, the player is demoted to the previous rank.

A transceiver is available for the player to communicate with their commanding officer (Big Boss) or one of the resistance members operating covertly within the fortress. Each of Snake's allies has an extensive knowledge on specific subjects. The transceiver system is completely room-oriented, as certain radio transmissions occur only in certain locations.

Version differences

There were two main versions of Metal Gear initially produced: the original MSX2 version and the Famicom/NES version. The MSX2 version was the first version of the game, designed by Hideo Kojima and his team, while the NES version was a port, developed by a different team within Konami. The NES version was the more well-known version, being released for a mainstream platform. It was also the only one of the two versions released in North America, in addition to Japan and Europe.

Konami produced the NES game version without Kojima's direct involvement and several changes and compromises were made without his supervision as a result. Kojima has often stated that he did not like the NES version and found the game too hard.

Despite this, the NES version sold surprisingly well, especially in the western market, with a million copies sold in North America. This, in turn, resulted in the creation of a Metal Gear sequel for the NES in the western market (the critically-panned Snake's Revenge) without Kojima's involvement, although it did become the inspiration for Kojima's actual MSX sequel, [[Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake]] (which in turn, became the basis for the original Metal Gear Solid). As a result, the NES Metal Gear and Snake's Revenge are credited for allowing the creation of the later Metal Gear titles to be possible.

Differences between the MSX and Famicom/NES versions

• The biggest difference between the MSX and NES versions is in the presence of the actual Metal Gear mecha or lack thereof in the NES version. Instead, the player must destroy a "Super Computer" which controls all of Metal Gear's activities in its place. The method of destroying it was also changed. While in the MSX version, the player must place 16 plastic explosives on Metal Gear's feet based on the order given by Dr. Petrovich, in the NES version the player must simply place the bombs over the Super Computer on no specific parts (however, the player must have already rescued Ellen and Petrovich first).

• In the MSX version, Snake performs an underwater insertion into Outer Heaven in the beginning of the game in the entrance of Building No. 1. In the NES version, he performs an air insertion by skydiving and parachuting into the Jungle with three other soldiers who disappear after landing. They are neither seen or mentioned again.

• The level designs were altered greatly in the NES version. In the beginning of the game, the player must proceed through a jungle area before reaching the entrance of Building No. 1 through a truck. The first floor corridor of Building No. 1 was also remodeled greatly, with many of its trucks and rooms moved to other locations. The basement-level floors of Building No. 1 and 2 were made into separate buildings, Building No. 4 & 5 respectively.

• In order to reach Building No. 4 or 5, the player must go through one of two jungle mazes located west to each of the outdoor areas. The solution for both mazes are the same, although it is never actually given within the game. (Go west two screens, North one screen & West one more screen)

• Another boss, the Hind D, was replaced. Instead, the player faces a pair of gunners known as "Twin Shot" on the rooftop of Building No. 1.

• Since the player no longer has to parachute to reach Dr. Petrovich's cell in Building No. 1, the parachute was removed. An Iron Glove was added in its place, which allows the player to break hollow walls. However, in some versions of the NES game, the Iron Glove has no real use.

• The Flying Army located on the roof of Building No. 1 and 2 lost their ability to hover over the ground in the NES version.

• In the NES version, the "high alert" (or double exclamation mark) mode was disabled. As such the player can always make their escape from alert mode by simply moving to the adjacent screen.

• The player can no longer acquire rations or ammo by punching enemy soldiers in Sneaking Mode.

• Solid Snake's face no longer appears in the transceiver mode's screen.

• Big Boss's final message to the player after the closing credits was removed.

• Some of the music (mainly, the two main themes and the alert mode theme) was changed in the NES version.

• There are also several other minor differences in gameplay, including the addition of several bugs and glitches. Some of the radio conversations were "misplaced" as a result of the redesigned areas in the NES game. For example, if the player calls Schneider in front of the room containing the Gas Mask in Building No. 1, he will tell Snake the location of the mine detector instead. This is due to the fact that the same spot in the MSX version used to be a minefield. In addition, the player's bullets have a farther range than they do in the MSX version and can also shoot while wearing the cardboard box.

Regional differences between MSX versions

Two MSX versions were released: a Japanese version and an English version. For the English release, Konami edited various of the game's radio messages and removed others entirely. Some of the removed messages includes each of Big Boss's comments regarding an item and weapon, and some of Schneider's messages (and practically all of Steve's calls). Reportedly, only 86 of the game's 116 messages were kept.

The Japanese MSX manual contains exclusive content not found in the English MSX manual (nor in the Famicom/NES manuals), such as character profiles with illustrations, brief descriptions of the game's bosses, and the complete specifications of Metal Gear TX-55.

Regional differences between Famicom/NES versions

In contrast, there are very few differences between regional versions of the NES game. Three versions were released: the Japanese Famicom version, the North American release and the PAL release. The differences between the three are minor. The North American and PAL versions featured a redesigned transceiver screen, while the PAL version fixed some of the glitches from the previous version and featured slightly revised password system. All three versions kept virtually all of the radio messages in the game.

Packaging/manual discrepancies in the NES version

The NES version of Metal Gear was released in North America at a time when video games were still lacking in-game storylines for the most part. As a result, when a Japanese game was localized in the U.S., the company that was marketing the game in the U.S. could write any sort of made-up storyline and details in the game's instruction manual without necessarily adhering to the original Japanese storyline.

Konami of America was very notorious for this practice, often making up their own storylines for their games while paying little or no respect to the original designers' intentions (as evident in some of the Castlevania and Contra games).

Metal Gear was no exception; it went through the same questionable marketing treatment. However, unlike some of the other games of its time, Metal Gear actually provided the player with an in-game narrative (albeit very primitive compared to later titles) which develops the storyline as the player progresses through the game. The in-game translation (which was done by the actual developers) kept the storyline unchanged from the Japanese version.

In the NES version's manual and packaging, the game's main villain (whose identity is intentionally kept secret in the actual game) is mentioned to be "Col. Vermon CaTaffy", a mangled reference to Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Snake's commanding officer (who is Big Boss in the actual game) is named "Commander South." Moreover, Snake is mentioned as having participated in the Grenada invasion prior to joining FOXHOUND, which contradicts the futuristic timeline of the later games. None of these terms and changes ever made it to the actual game (nor were they featured in the Japanese version's manual).

While the manual has negatively affected most people's perception of the NES version, most fans simply treat the manual as a joke. Snake's Revenge (the western NES sequel to Metal Gear) also went through Konami of America's marketing treatment, but has suffered even worse backlash as a result.

Differences between the MSX2 and Mobile Phone versions

A mobile phone version of Metal Gear was released only in Japan on August 18, 2004 for the i-Mode, EZweb and Vodafone services. The game is based on the original MSX2 version, but includes several additional features and changes.

• New Easy mode - Player can choose to play with the original MSX2 version's difficulty or with an easier difficulty setting.

• Boss Survival mode - After clearing the game once (regardless of difficulty setting), a new game mode in which the player fight against all of the main game's bosses. The player will be awarded with a title based on their clear time (as well as in the main game).

• Infinite Bandana - A hidden item which becomes available to the player after clearing the game once on either difficulty settings. Like the bandana featured in Metal Gear Solid and [[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty|Metal Gear Solid 2]], this will conserve the player's ammunition to the present amount while firing.

• Rewritten script - The Japanese language script has been rewritten to include hiragana and kanji, in addition to romaji and katakana.

• Name Changes - Three of the game's bosses got their names changed in the mobile phone version.
• *Shoot Gunner was changed to Shotmaker
• *Arnold (TX-11) was changed to Bloody Brad
• *Coward Duck was changed to Dirty Duck
• *Dr. Pettrovich has his full name changed to Dr. Drago Pettrovich Madnar

PlayStation 2 version

A PlayStation 2 version was released as a component of [[Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence]]. This version includes the changes and enhancements made in the mobile phone version. The North American version included a rewritten English language script with a more complete translation than the earlier European MSX2 release, as well as a Spanish language script.

i-Revo version

Konami began offering a downloadable version of Metal Gear for PC as part of their i-Revo service in Japan. Unlike the Mobile Phone version and the version included with Subsistence, the i-Revo version of Metal Gear is an unaltered emulation of the original MSX game. Customers can choose to "rent" the game for a 24 hours or seven days, or purchase the game completely.

IBM PC-DOS Version

The DOS version, among the two computer ports, is the hardest to find. But most players play this through emulation. This version of Metal Gear is averagely accurate to the NES port in general. But many aspects of the game have changed drastically. For example, obstacles, barriers, walls and other dangers were revamped. Overall, this is the hardest Metal Gear 1 game to beat since health depletes the fastest here. Sneaking past guards is unpredictable: somtimes, they won't notice you when you're right in front of them, while they run after you when you're hiding. The floortraps open faster, almost impossible to avoid. Another reason they are hard to avoid is because they are placed in different parts of the screen, where the traps aren't expected in other versions. Walls are in different positions; same with the guards' positions. None of the enemy guards fire; instead, they run into you, which does hurt you. The tricky windy bridge on the rooftop of building 1 is replaced by a stiff bridge, in the middle of horizontally firing laser turrets. Electric floor generators can be destroyed now by simply touching them. The cameras are buggy: they move too fast, thus unavoidable, and when they spot you, guards don't come. The laser-trip sensors kill you, instead of alerting guards. Some doors that needed cards now can be accessed by walking in, while others have required keys switched and some simply can't be entered. The elevator system is really different, but seems somewhat better than the other elevator systems. Some parts of the game are replaced by interesting comic strip/scenery, like when Solid Snake is captured on purpose. Characters, enemies, POW's, and bosses have new sprites. There are five musics, which are the NES alert music, the NES in-building music, the siren wailing noise at the radio screen and, surprisingly, the dogs barking; the sound from the surveillance cameras when they catch you is also considered music in this game. The sounds were dumbed down, thus don't sound good and most sound effects are missing. Everything was recolored from the buildings to people. Bosses are now so much easier to kill as less ammo is required to kill them and some can be killed by punches. Jennifer can be contacted, even without 4-star ranking. Some radio messages were put in the wrong place; for example: calling Schneider in the building 5 entrance room will show the text that the Fire Trooper says. The compass isn't needed for the scorpion desert and the jungle mazes have glitches that allow the player to easily access building 4 and 5. Weak walls that need to be punched open in order to enter in the NES version can be entered by walking in the wall in this version. Some floor traps and rolling logs are missing. The electric floor generator right before the room with Coward Duck is removed, resulting in a waste of rations. This problem also results in not being able to go to the room very left of Coward Duck's, which contains lots of ammo. Weapon and equiment have new designs. . The Submachine Gun isn't present here. But the DOS port is missing the door containing the SMG, which may be the reason. Then again, even the C64 port doesn't have it. Every weapon is automatic and is unevenly fast, even the mines, wasting alot of ammo. Some radio message were removed. Walls are missing in some screens, making one assume that it is another path. But upon going into this new opening, the player realizes that they can't go through, concluding that the walls were poorly done.

Commodore 64 Version

The Commodore 64 version is a lot more accurate to the NES than DOS version. The musics are obviously in different sounding, but most of the music is there. Only the alert, game over and Big Boss music isn't included. The items, before being picked up, are the same as the NES version, but are placed in a black square. They are also harder to pick up because they need to be taken from an angle. Solid Snake is slightly leaning when standing still, and the whole game is viewed in a further away zoom, making everything look smaller. The only major problem with the game itself is the time it takes to load from one screen to another. It can take up to a minute to load between screens, plus, on occasion, the player must switch between the 2 Metal Gear disks, which take very long, too. Like the DOS version, there isn't a Submachine Gun. Otherwise, this version is more closer to the NES port than the DOS port.

Amiga Version

Although the Amiga version was never released, enough screenshots and descriptions from advertisments exist to reveal the game. All aspects, from graphics to gameplay, appeared to be identical to the NES version. Ultra Games stated in their ads that the Amiga version would be the best of the three computer versions of Metal Gear.

Trivia

• In the cover art of the game, Snake was designed after actor Michael Biehn. The illustration is almost an exact reproduction of a publicity still from the first Terminator film.

• A boss in the game, Coward Duck, was named after the comic book character (and eponymous film) Howard the Duck.

External links

• [Metal Gear] at MobyGames
• [Official Website for the Mobile Phone version (Japanese)]
• [Metal Gear Week on 1UP.com, with Hideo Kojima interview]
• [metal gear (NES to DOS conversion )] review and download at home of the underdogs
• [Metal Gear Password Generator]
• [Metal Gear Solid: The Unofficial Site] Informational website with screenshots, news, and forums.

 

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