METAL GEAR SOLID 2: The Unofficial Site?
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The Virus and the Nature of Metal Gear Solid 2
by Terry Wolfe

A few years ago I bought a Playstation 2 for a single game: Metal Gear Solid 2 . And like virtually everyone else who bought it immediately, it was around the time that I was spraying coolant in the women's bathroom that I thought to myself: “What the hell is this?”

It's been 2 years, and I think I've put the answer together.

Metal Gear Solid 2 isn't just “a game”; it's a puzzle with some pieces missing. Players aren't just trying to figure out the game's storyline, their trying to figure out the game itself . This is partly because of the characters, such as Fortune and Vamp, who have abilities which defy physics without explanation. We have to figure out how things work on our own now. Because back in Shadow Moses, Mantis defied physics, sure, but at least there was an excuse: he's psychic! I mean, after all, science-fiction without science is just plain fiction, right?

I guess I should tell you about August of 2001 now. “ Electronic Gaming Monthly” does a special feature on Metal Gear Solid 2 . Highly interested, I carefully read through it, skipping obvious spoilers. Soon enough, I stumbled upon an interview with “The Man Himself”, Kojima. In it, he is asked why he didn't include some sort of VR Missions like in MGS1, and Kojima replied that it was because the entire Plant Chapter was already VR .

Ahem! Obviously they were talking about the computer-generated kind of VR, since they said “like in MGS1”… so did he mean that the Tanker Chapter was VR, because it taught you the controls before the real game? It seemed to be the most logical conclusion, because, after all, why would he openly state that the majority of the game wasn't even supposed to be real? The questions raged, and I was determined to solve the puzzle, pieces or no pieces!

I started thinking about Vamp running vertically up a wall. I thought about Raiden's history with Virtual Reality. I started wondering why the Patriots would need to execute the S3 Plan in the real world , when it would be a lot easier to manage in a virtual one. And, of course, I thought about walking naked down a corridor named after a human body part, while digital honeycombs spattered beneath my feet, and floating messages circled around me. I watched again and again as Raiden turned around for no reason—giving the player a clear view of the freaky empty corridor—followed by a close-up on Raiden's face, which, in turn, is followed by a shot of the same corridor, only now Snake is leaning casually against the wall. Raiden's face reflected utter surprise at this impossible feat. And so did mine.

This, my friends, is the point where some people take a detour around logic, and close themselves in denial when there is no denying it: the virus was the truth, and the game was the lie. I'll get back to this.

Think about it. Isn't it possible that Kojima used the greatest opportunity in videogame history to show people the dangers of the digital age? To show that he is in control, not you? To make you realize that you are Raiden, no matter how much you want to be Solid Snake? To give society the irresistible kick in the nuts that it was asking for? To add so many levels to his work that it surpasses the highest expectations, and goes beyond that, into a realm that's gone too far?

In the end we find out that the “virus” was actually altered by someone to kill the part of the AI that the Patriots wanted; it doubled the effect by mimicking FOXDIE, which was altered to allow Solid Snake to live, apparently. Except, unlike FOXDIE, this virus apparently was designed to destroy enough of the game fabric itself to shove the fact that you're playing a game that's beyond your control right in your face. “TURN THE CONSOLE OFF NOW!” comes to mind.

You remember how the Plant Chapter is supposedly a recreation of the Shadow Moses Incident? Well let me give you my theory on how this pans out. I think that when Raiden (you) put the virus (the “truth”) into Arsenal (the game's structure) it's the equivalent of Solid Snake putting the 3 keys into the computer, in order to “deactivate” Metal Gear REX. The Patriots (Kojima) tricked Raiden (you) into activating the real threat of the S3 plan (MG2). I mean the part where you're friends betray you and you're forced to run around naked like an idiot, while being told to stop playing, just to see if you'll keep going in the hopes of finding that good old coolness you remembered from Metal Gear Solid 1. The nakedness represents you, Raiden, a wannabe kid whose only motivation is to take back your fantasy and cover your shame. And if you do all of this, then the S3 plan (MGS2) is truly a success, and the Patriots (Kojima) know that they can truly manipulate Raiden and the masses (you and your friends).

Now that's deep.

The ending of the game re-enforces my belief that it's all Virtual Reality. You defeat Solidus, and the next thing you know, you're standing on the street, completely alone. The game has ended and you're sitting by yourself, contemplating what's all happened. You start forgetting about all of the crazy lies, and now you're just waiting to see some really cool ending to make it all worthwhile. And, just as you wish, Solid Snake appears out of nowhere, to give you context, and encouragement. He tells you that it doesn't matter whether or not it was actually real (i.e. virtual reality or not), because your thoughts and reactions were real. People are walking in slow-motion in the background, coming from nowhere, to nowhere. Not that it matters though, since your desire to believe that it was all real is enough to hide the fact that in a couple of seconds, your fake girlfriend spy will appear, and somehow you will feel like everything is all right. What does she say? Whatever you want to hear.

An absolutely massive watercraft, filled with deep dark secrets and dead terrorists, has just demolished its way through 11 city blocks, killing who-knows-how-many innocent people, and the crippled ex-President is grasping onto the George Washington statue in futuristic ninja armor, but everything is OK, because your imaginary girlfriend might be pregnant. Ha. It's the kind of sick self-commentary that fills me with awe.

Closing Notes:

My hope is that people will consider what I've said, and appreciate the genius of Metal Gear Solid 2 on yet another level.

To be honest, I don't even have proof of what the EGM article said anymore, (although I am seeking a copy at the moment,) but I don't think it truly matters anyway, does it? Kojima gave us enough pieces to finish this puzzle the way we saw it, didn't he?

-- Article by Terry Wolfe, 22.09.2004

 

 
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