Overview
The Metal Gear franchise follows the story of protagonist Solid Snake as he tries to rid the world of Metal Gears and atone for his sins. The Metal Gear series is well-known for its elaborate, complex plot-lines and large amount of cutscenes. The majority of games in the franchise fall under the Metal Gear Solid series. Another sub-series is the Metal Gear Acid series.
Series Chronology
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (1964)
Main article: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Setting: Russia - Groznyi Grad
Protagonist: Naked Snake
Allies: Eva, Sokolov
Radio team: Major Zero, Sigint, Para-medic
Enemies: The Boss, Volgin, Ocelot , The Cobras - The Pain, The Sorrow, The Fear, The Fury, The Philosophers
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (1970)
Main article: Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Setting: South America - San Hieronymo Peninsula
Protagonist: Naked Snake / Big Boss
Allies: Campbell, Jonathan, Elisa
Radio team: Sigint, Paramedic, Ghost
Enemies: FOX unit- Gene, Null, Cunningham, Python, Ursula
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (1974)
Main article: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Setting: Costa Rica
Protagonist: Naked Snake / Big Boss
Allies: Kazuhira Miller (Master Miller), Huey
Radio team: Amanda, Chico, Paz, Cecile Cosima Caminades
Enemies: Galvez, Coldman, The Patriots, Dr. Strangelove
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (1975)
Main article: Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
Setting: Cuba
Protagonist: Naked Snake / Big Boss
Allies: Kazuhira Miller, Chico, Paz
Radio team: Kazuhira Miller
Enemies: XOF, Skull Face
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (1984)
Main Article: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Setting: Afghanistan, Africa
Protagonist: Punished Snake / Big Boss
Allies: Kazuhira Miller, Ocelot
Radio Team: ??
Enemies: Skull Face
Metal Gear (1995)
Main article: Metal Gear
Setting: Outer Heaven
Protagonist: Solid Snake
Allies: Gray Fox, Pettrovich Madnar, Ellen Madnar
Radio team: Jennifer, Kyle Schneider, Big Boss
Enemies: Big Boss, Bloody Brad, Dirty Duck, Fire Trooper, Machine Gun Kid, Shotmaker
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1999)
Main article: Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Setting: Zanzibar Land
Protagonist: Solid Snake
Allies: Holly White, Gustava Heffner, Kio Marv
Radio team: Campbell, Master Miller, George Kassler, Johan Jacobsen
Enemies: Big Boss, Gray Fox, Black Ninja, Pettrovich Madnar, Running Man, Four Horsemen, Jungle Evil, Night Fright, Red Blaster
Metal Gear Solid (2005)
Main article: Metal Gear Solid
Setting: Shadow Moses
Protagonist: Solid Snake
Allies: Meryl Silverburgh, Gray Fox
Codec team: Campbell, Naomi Hunter, Mei Ling, Nastasha Romanenko, Master Miller
Enemies: Foxhound (Liquid Snake, Revolver Ocelot, Psycho Mantis, Sniper Wolf, Vulcan Raven, Decoy Octopus)
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2007-2009)
Main article: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Setting: Big Shell, Tanker
Protagonist: Raiden, Solid Snake
Allies: Richard Ames, Mr. X, Peter Stillman, Emma "E.E." Emmerich
Codec team: Campbell, Rose, Otacon
Enemies: Dead Cell (Solidus Snake, Vamp, Fortune, Fatman), Ocelot, Olga Gurlukovich, Colonel
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2014)
Main Article: Metal Gear Solid 4: Gun of the Patriots
Setting: Unnamed Middleeastern Country, Unnamed South American Country, Unnamed European Country, Shadow Moses, Outer Haven
Protagonist: (Old) Solid Snake
Allies: Raiden, Metal Gear MK. II, Meryl and Rat Patrol 01- Johnny Sasaki, Ed, Jonathon, Mei Ling, Naomi Hunter, Big Momma/Eva, Drebin
Codec team: Otacon, Campbell, Rose
Enemies: (Liquid) Ocelot, Vamp, Beauty and the Beast unit - Laughing Octopus, Raging Raven, Crying Wolf, Screaming Mantis , The Patriots
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2018)
Main article: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Setting: Unnamed African Country, Abkhazia, Mexico, Denver, Pakistan
Protagonist: Raiden
Allies: Bladewolf
Codec team: Boris Vyacheslavovic Popov, Kevin Washington, Courtney Collins, "Doktor" Wilhelm Voigt
Enemies: Senator Armstrong, The Winds of Destruction - Jetstream Sam, Sundowner, Mistral, Monsoon
Running Themes
Prisoner
In titles Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, and 3. The main protagonist has been taken captive and must escape the prison on his own. Escaping consisted of punching a wall, faking your death, or just waiting to be saved.
Johnny
Every Metal Gear Solid game in the series has a soldier with bowel problems named Johnny. The first son of every generation of the Johnny family is named Johnny. The Johnny of MGS3 is the grandfather of the MGS 1, 2, and 4 Johnny.
Cyborg Ninja
The cyborg ninja is a robotically enhanced super soldier that aids Snake in his missions. In MGS1 it was Gray Fox, MGS2 Olga Gurlukovich, and MGS4 Raiden.
Hind D
The Mi-24D is the helicopter of choice in the Metal Gear Series. It is featured in Metal Gear 1 and 2 and Metal Gear Solid as a boss and a transport vehicle in MGS3.
Cigarettes
Even though he is stripped down to nothing, Snake is always able to sneak a pack of cigs, probably by eating them. Big Boss on the other hand likes cigars instead.
Control
A major theme that Kojima gets across is that of control. Both Snake and Raiden follow orders without question, never thinking about why or for what purpose. Not only this, but The Patriots is an organization completely based on controlling all of mankind, and throughout the series Kojima clearly states how dangerous he thinks this can be.
Nanomachines
In the future, apparently, everyone will have nanomachines coursing through their veins. They allow people to have superhuman abilities, such as the ones exhibited by Vamp. They can also be used to keep people's emotions repressed, such as seen with the various PMCs seen throughout Metal Gear Solid 4. Nanomachines are another form of control.
War Economy
Metal Gear Solid 4 constantly emphasizes how in the MGS universe, the world has become a place governed by war, a slave to war. It is an age where countries can fight each other via proxy wars, not having to risk any of their own people or soldiers.
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