The 10 WEIRDEST Moments in Metal Gear Solid Games
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VOICE OVER: Aaron Brown
WRITTEN BY: Aaron Brown
The "Metal Gear Solid" series has some of the weirdest moments in gaming. For this list, we'll be looking at times in the Metal Gear Solid series that Kojima went full Kojima and made us question everything we thought we knew about video games. Our list of the weirdest moments in "Metal Gear Solid" games includes Naked Raiden from “Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty” (2001), Puppy Pee from “Metal Gear Solid” (1998), Deja Vu from “Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes” (2014), and more!
Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’re double checking our CODEC as we look at 10 of the weirdest moments in Metal Gear Solid Games. For this list, we’ll be looking at times in the Metal Gear Solid series that Kojima went full Kojima and made us question everything we thought we knew about video games. What was a moment in the Metal Gear Solid series that made you do a double take? Send us a message on frequency 140.15 of your CODEC.
Before they’re even properly introduced, Sniper Wolf makes her presence known by wounding Meryl and leaving her as bait for Snake to rescue. In order to save her and fight Sniper Wolf, Snake needs to return to the Tank Hanger to retrieve a sniper rifle of his own. However, this means retracing your steps through the wolf’s cave and without Meryl by your side, they’ll be less than friendly to Snake’s intrusion. There is a way for Snake to become their best friend but it’s strange to say the least. Just before exiting the cave, Snake needs to hit Meryl and quickly switch to his cardboard box and to defend Meryl’s honor, the puppy will pee on Snake’s box. While backtracking through the cave, if Snake equips this box, the wolves will recognize the smell and allow Snake to pass unharmed. It doesn’t have to make sense to be effective.
Arguably the most well-known moment on our list, but think back to first playing this game back in 1998 and having the game talk directly to you about your gaming habits and just how mind blowing and freaky that was. The entire fight against Psycho Mantis was unlike anything players had experienced at the time and finding out that all of your attacks against your psychic adversary were useless unless you switched controller ports was about as meta as it got back in the late 90s. You can technically defeat Psycho Mantis without the controller switching trick meaning the true purpose of this entire mind melting experience was simply Kojima having some fun at the player’s expense and setting them up for future moments where Kojima went out of his way to mess with gamers.
It’s safe to say making Raiden the playable character for roughly 75% of Metal Gear Solid 2 divided fans more than any other moment in the entire series. However, instead of backtracking on this decision, Hideo Kojima leaned in fully and decided to troll players of Metal Gear Solid 3 with the character of Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov whose name even roughly translates to “Son of Raiden”. Classic Kojima. This isn’t the only major callback to Raiden’s time in Sons of Liberty as while in his Ivan disguise, Volgin will check Snake’s “equipment” the same way President Johnson did to Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2. Although Kojima claimed all of this was very integral to the plot of Snake Eater, all these years later it’s clear he was just having some fun at the player’s expense.
In a series full of weird moments, this still ranks as one of the strangest. After Raiden manages to escape his “predicament” thanks to Olga and the mystery of Big Shell begins to unfold, Raiden’s interactions with Colonel Campbell begin to take a turn for the bizarre. The Colonel appears to glitch out, referring to Raiden’s mission as a simulation and even talking directly to the player and instructing them to “Turn off the console now”. The game also begins affecting Raiden’s soliton radar as well before the entire screen proclaims “Fission Mailed” all the while the player is still in control of Raiden. The realization that Raiden has been interacting with an AI of the Colonel the entire time blew the narrative wide open as well as the collective minds of every player experiencing this twist for the first time. “I need scissors! 62!”
The opening level of The Phantom Pain is the stuff of video game legend and maybe not always for the best reasons. The slow burn and extremely linear nature make it a slog, but the payoff is more than worth it even if it doesn’t make a lot of sense and is mostly never touched on again. Everything from the giant flaming whale splashing down in the sky to the unicorn on fire makes the set piece memorable and the reveal of a young Psycho Mantis sends players into a tailspin of wild theories over what it all could mean. The helplessness of Venom Snake as all hell is unfolding around him keeps the player on the edge of their seat, even if very few moments in the rest of the game can measure up to the grand spectacle of the opening hour.
Kojima sure does love his secrets doesn’t he? After surviving Volgin’s torture, and a set of very specific set of actions, when Snake falls asleep, he’ll end up inside a nightmare of an entirely different game in which the player controls “Guy Savage” using twin blades to fight mutants seemingly attempting to escape a prison. While extremely out of place within a Metal Gear Solid title, it was later revealed to be a concept for a game that was ultimately canceled and was instead included as an Easter Egg for dedicated fans. Fighting your way through the sequence, Snake will awake from his nightmare and will recount the events of his dream to the Major and Para-Medic in a special hidden Codec conversations only available for those who unlocked the nightmare.
Rather than a single moment, we’re going to highlight an entire mission in this entry. Originally a Playstation exclusive bonus mission, Deja Vu sees the player recreating important moments from the original 1998 Metal Gear Solid and only unlocked for players who collected all the XOF patches in the main Ground Zeroes campaign. The entire mission is a celebration of the Metal Gear Solid series with too many nods and callbacks to even mention here but each time Snake recreates one of the many scenes, players will be treated to flashbacks of the events from the first game and at the end even have to complete a quiz that will unlock the Classic Snake and Cyborg Ninja Skin.
With the events of Sons of Liberty being a recreation of the events of Shadow Moses, it was inevitable that Raiden would end up in the same predicament as Snake and tortured much in the same manner. However, this time around, Revolver Ocelot and Solidus Snake took things a step further and left Raiden in nothing but his birthday suit. In a normal game, that would be where this entry ends, but this is a Kojima game after all, and the man has a very wicked sense of humor. After escaping his restraints, Raiden is left to find his gear without his gear, running around naked and doing his best to remain undetected. It remains one of the most memorable moments in the game (which is saying something) and that’s even before Raiden starts doing his cartwheels.
After Snake disarmed Revolver Ocelot in the original Metal Gear Solid, it was more than a little surprising to see him return to his monologuing ways near the end of the Tanker Chapter of Sons of Liberty, fully armed once again. However, once Snake reveals himself, something truly weird happens as Ocelot’s new arm appears to take control revealing its Liquid Snake’s arm grafted onto Ocelot and only in the presence of Snake can he freely take control. By the time we reach Guns of the Patriots, we discover that Ocelot was just pretending to be controlled by Liquid but given this is Kojima and the Metal Gear Solid series, up until this reveal, EVERYONE including Snake believed Liquid was possessing Ocelot through his severed arm.
The longest running joke in the Metal Gear Solid series, Johnny Sasski’s upset stomach is referenced in nearly every Metal Gear Solid game from the original to Phantom Pain. Clearly played for laughs, Johnny will routinely be found either rushing to the restroom before it's too late or already in the middle of his struggles with the porcelain gods. Johnny’s problems appear to be hereditary as well since players can encounter some form of Johnny’s ancestors suffering from the same problems all the way back in Snake Eater and Phantom Pain before Johnny’s most embarrassing moment at the end of the series timeline when he gets caught with his pants down in Guns of the Patriots. Even more bizarre is Johnny was the soldier Meryl knocked out in Shadow Moses and then somehow ends up marrying her in Metal Gear Solid 4.
Puppy Pee
“Metal Gear Solid” (1998)Before they’re even properly introduced, Sniper Wolf makes her presence known by wounding Meryl and leaving her as bait for Snake to rescue. In order to save her and fight Sniper Wolf, Snake needs to return to the Tank Hanger to retrieve a sniper rifle of his own. However, this means retracing your steps through the wolf’s cave and without Meryl by your side, they’ll be less than friendly to Snake’s intrusion. There is a way for Snake to become their best friend but it’s strange to say the least. Just before exiting the cave, Snake needs to hit Meryl and quickly switch to his cardboard box and to defend Meryl’s honor, the puppy will pee on Snake’s box. While backtracking through the cave, if Snake equips this box, the wolves will recognize the smell and allow Snake to pass unharmed. It doesn’t have to make sense to be effective.
Mind Reader
“Metal Gear Solid” (1998)Arguably the most well-known moment on our list, but think back to first playing this game back in 1998 and having the game talk directly to you about your gaming habits and just how mind blowing and freaky that was. The entire fight against Psycho Mantis was unlike anything players had experienced at the time and finding out that all of your attacks against your psychic adversary were useless unless you switched controller ports was about as meta as it got back in the late 90s. You can technically defeat Psycho Mantis without the controller switching trick meaning the true purpose of this entire mind melting experience was simply Kojima having some fun at the player’s expense and setting them up for future moments where Kojima went out of his way to mess with gamers.
Major Raiden
“Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” (2004)It’s safe to say making Raiden the playable character for roughly 75% of Metal Gear Solid 2 divided fans more than any other moment in the entire series. However, instead of backtracking on this decision, Hideo Kojima leaned in fully and decided to troll players of Metal Gear Solid 3 with the character of Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov whose name even roughly translates to “Son of Raiden”. Classic Kojima. This isn’t the only major callback to Raiden’s time in Sons of Liberty as while in his Ivan disguise, Volgin will check Snake’s “equipment” the same way President Johnson did to Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2. Although Kojima claimed all of this was very integral to the plot of Snake Eater, all these years later it’s clear he was just having some fun at the player’s expense.
Glitching Colonel
“Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty” (2001)In a series full of weird moments, this still ranks as one of the strangest. After Raiden manages to escape his “predicament” thanks to Olga and the mystery of Big Shell begins to unfold, Raiden’s interactions with Colonel Campbell begin to take a turn for the bizarre. The Colonel appears to glitch out, referring to Raiden’s mission as a simulation and even talking directly to the player and instructing them to “Turn off the console now”. The game also begins affecting Raiden’s soliton radar as well before the entire screen proclaims “Fission Mailed” all the while the player is still in control of Raiden. The realization that Raiden has been interacting with an AI of the Colonel the entire time blew the narrative wide open as well as the collective minds of every player experiencing this twist for the first time. “I need scissors! 62!”
Hospital Hell
“Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” (2015)The opening level of The Phantom Pain is the stuff of video game legend and maybe not always for the best reasons. The slow burn and extremely linear nature make it a slog, but the payoff is more than worth it even if it doesn’t make a lot of sense and is mostly never touched on again. Everything from the giant flaming whale splashing down in the sky to the unicorn on fire makes the set piece memorable and the reveal of a young Psycho Mantis sends players into a tailspin of wild theories over what it all could mean. The helplessness of Venom Snake as all hell is unfolding around him keeps the player on the edge of their seat, even if very few moments in the rest of the game can measure up to the grand spectacle of the opening hour.
A Savage Nightmare
“Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” (2004)Kojima sure does love his secrets doesn’t he? After surviving Volgin’s torture, and a set of very specific set of actions, when Snake falls asleep, he’ll end up inside a nightmare of an entirely different game in which the player controls “Guy Savage” using twin blades to fight mutants seemingly attempting to escape a prison. While extremely out of place within a Metal Gear Solid title, it was later revealed to be a concept for a game that was ultimately canceled and was instead included as an Easter Egg for dedicated fans. Fighting your way through the sequence, Snake will awake from his nightmare and will recount the events of his dream to the Major and Para-Medic in a special hidden Codec conversations only available for those who unlocked the nightmare.
Deja Vu
“Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes” (2014)Rather than a single moment, we’re going to highlight an entire mission in this entry. Originally a Playstation exclusive bonus mission, Deja Vu sees the player recreating important moments from the original 1998 Metal Gear Solid and only unlocked for players who collected all the XOF patches in the main Ground Zeroes campaign. The entire mission is a celebration of the Metal Gear Solid series with too many nods and callbacks to even mention here but each time Snake recreates one of the many scenes, players will be treated to flashbacks of the events from the first game and at the end even have to complete a quiz that will unlock the Classic Snake and Cyborg Ninja Skin.
Naked Raiden
“Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty” (2001)With the events of Sons of Liberty being a recreation of the events of Shadow Moses, it was inevitable that Raiden would end up in the same predicament as Snake and tortured much in the same manner. However, this time around, Revolver Ocelot and Solidus Snake took things a step further and left Raiden in nothing but his birthday suit. In a normal game, that would be where this entry ends, but this is a Kojima game after all, and the man has a very wicked sense of humor. After escaping his restraints, Raiden is left to find his gear without his gear, running around naked and doing his best to remain undetected. It remains one of the most memorable moments in the game (which is saying something) and that’s even before Raiden starts doing his cartwheels.
Liquid Rearmed
“Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty” (2001)After Snake disarmed Revolver Ocelot in the original Metal Gear Solid, it was more than a little surprising to see him return to his monologuing ways near the end of the Tanker Chapter of Sons of Liberty, fully armed once again. However, once Snake reveals himself, something truly weird happens as Ocelot’s new arm appears to take control revealing its Liquid Snake’s arm grafted onto Ocelot and only in the presence of Snake can he freely take control. By the time we reach Guns of the Patriots, we discover that Ocelot was just pretending to be controlled by Liquid but given this is Kojima and the Metal Gear Solid series, up until this reveal, EVERYONE including Snake believed Liquid was possessing Ocelot through his severed arm.
Johnny’s IBS
“Metal Gear Solid” Series (1998-2015)The longest running joke in the Metal Gear Solid series, Johnny Sasski’s upset stomach is referenced in nearly every Metal Gear Solid game from the original to Phantom Pain. Clearly played for laughs, Johnny will routinely be found either rushing to the restroom before it's too late or already in the middle of his struggles with the porcelain gods. Johnny’s problems appear to be hereditary as well since players can encounter some form of Johnny’s ancestors suffering from the same problems all the way back in Snake Eater and Phantom Pain before Johnny’s most embarrassing moment at the end of the series timeline when he gets caught with his pants down in Guns of the Patriots. Even more bizarre is Johnny was the soldier Meryl knocked out in Shadow Moses and then somehow ends up marrying her in Metal Gear Solid 4.
