Critics had exceptionally high expectations for ‘Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty’ (2001)’ due to the success of its iconic predecessor: ‘Metal Gear Solid’ (1999). Surpassing all expectations, its unique storytelling style elevated both the franchise and the industry to new heights. However, these strengths were also matched by its innovative gaming mechanics. Paying particular attention to ‘Metal Gear Solid 2’, I will be analysing the effectiveness of several game play and narrative techniques utilised within the Metal Gear franchise.
During the early stages of development for ‘Metal Gear Solid 2’, game director Hideo Kojima contacted Harry Gregson-Williams, a world renowned musical composer, requesting his services for the videogame (Hyde-Smith, 2002). Prior to this, Gregson-William had composed for several high profile movies, but never within the game industry. As a result of his work, scenes, characters and themes from within the game were given a distinct sound, deeply immersing the player into each orchestrated moment. An example of this is when a dejected woman named Fortune introduces herself to male protagonist Raiden. While suggesting that she no longer has the will to live, a slow oppressive themed composition is heard, matching the context of the scene. This use of music dramatizes the storytelling, evoking emotions towards the characters whilst also adding artistic depth to the overall presentation. When discussing the relationship between music and game narratives, music composer Fletcher Beasley (cited in Krawczyk & Novak, 2006, p.212) stated: “Game designers will use music as a way of subtly influencing the player’s feelings, in much the same way that a film director uses music to cue the audience as to how to react to a scene in a movie”. By successfully utilising this technique throughout ‘Metal Gear Solid 2’, its narrative propagated passion which drew the player in.
The events from ‘Metal Gear Solid’, often referred to as the Shadow Moses incident, made the main character, Solid Snake, a legendary fan favourite. In light of this, players were shocked to see the main protagonist of the franchise replaced with a new character, Raiden, in ‘Metal Gear Solid 2’. Kojima had many reasons for doing this, one of which was to give players a new perspective of Solid Snake. Playing as Raiden, we see Snake as an idol rather than someone we control. When controlling a character you can make them appear weak or fail tasks, however, by not controlling Snake and relying on him as an ally, his legendary status is not only preserved but enhanced. Raiden shows his admiration and respect for Snake in several scenes, replicating how the player feels. It is this relationship between the two characters that allows Snake to ‘mentor’ Raiden through his hero’s journey.
Another reason for replacing Snake with Raiden was to make the protagonist weaker and more relatable to the player. This is illustrated through Raiden’s character representation. He is a complete contrast to how a stereotypical hero like Snake would appear: feminine, blonde, long hair, slim, pale, young and softly spoken. Kojima intended for Raiden to be this way. At the beginning, we are told that Raiden was trained through virtual reality rather than real life experience. Not only does this make him look like a rookie, but it also draws parallels with videogame players or most normal people. Much like Raiden, the current generation in our society are learning to do things through technology as opposed to manually. Examples of this are through army and flight/ vehicle simulators, online shopping, and the internet in general. Likewise with his appearance, by not having experienced the gruelling battles in war, Raiden appears to be a normal person like the player himself. Unfortunately for the game, many players did not identify or relate with Raiden and disliked his character (Reparaz, 2011). Furthermore, many players did not appreciate the sudden change in protagonist: Raiden replacing Snake. Fans were disappointed and taken by surprise since every game in the franchise prior to this had been led by Snake (Parish, 2011).
Raiden [online image]
Throughout most of the franchise as well as this game, the weapons named Metal Gear serve as a MacGuffin, advancing the story whilst simultaneously distracting the player from plot twists. Each character’s goal is to control the Metal Gear, but their motivations lie beyond it. Examples of this can be seen through the objectives of each character as the embedded narrative progresses, particularly in the third act of the game: Raiden is following orders to defeat a terrorist group and save hostages; Solidus wants to find a secret organisation called The Patriots; Fortune wants to avenge her father’s death; Olga Gurlukovich is trying to get her child back; Ocelot is trying to recreate the events of Shadow Moses. Ironically, Raiden gets captured and wakes up inside the Metal Gear, signified as ‘the innermost cave’ for his hero’s journey. Each room inside the Metal Gear is named after internal anatomy like the stomach and the colon. Kojima stated how he wanted to draw parallels between the predicaments of Raiden and Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio. When analysing this, it appears to be an encrypted way of telling the player what stage they have reached in Raiden’s journey: Raiden is trapped inside Metal Gear, much like how Pinocchio was swallowed by the whale. The inside resembles a cave, which becomes emblematic for the stage of Raiden’s journey referred to as ‘the innermost cave’. Ultimately, by communicating with the player like this, the game is prompting them for what might follow. If the player knows they have entered ‘the innermost cave’ then they will know that they are soon about to face the ‘the supreme ordeal’, this being the subsequent stage to a hero’s journey. Raiden’s final battle with Solidus signifies this, whilst also confirming the story telling structure.
Metal Gear [online image]
Like the story, the game play has plenty of depth and intensity. One of the main features that made ‘Metal Gear Solid 2’ unique amongst other games was its interactive functions. Players could interact and manipulate their surroundings in various different ways. During an interview, Kojima explains how the player can shoot an enemy soldier’s radio while it is being held in his hand, thus preventing him from using it to call for backup (Ajami, 2001). The increased interactivity also means that more stealth options are available, for example players can hide in lockers or distract enemies with an item. Enemies are also more organised, noticing any sounds, footprints or items that get moved. With this higher artificial intelligence, the player is now encouraged to interact with the environment and use the stealth tactics available. Psychologists have written how moderate levels of fear and thrill can arouse a change in a person’s attitude or approach (Gross, 2010). In the context of a videogame, if the enemy pressures the player into a fear of losing, they will then be more inclined to use the various interactions from each level to their advantage.
In order to make the enemy and player attacks appear more authentic, Motosada Mori, a former SWAT instructor was hired to provide insight (KCEJ, 2004). Using his expertise, he helped direct the entire combat system within the game, commonly referred to as CQC (Close quarter combat). He also helped with the scene choreography. This adds a dynamic feature to the game play, allowing the player to perform CQC moves when attacking or disarming and enemy. In vice versa, the enemy can perform these real life moves on the player too depending on their level of difficulty. Enemy soldiers will also organise their attacks based on real life drills and formation, using special equipment like head guards and shields. Mori also ensured that the soldiers were animated to hold their weapons correctly and act efficiently, making their presence more challenging to the player as well as increasing the entertainment value.
Another technique used to enhance the game play is a ticking click. One of the villains, Fatman, plants bombs all over the level with the intention of killing everyone. As the protagonist, it is Raiden’s responsibility to find each bomb and defuse it, within the time limit. The player is under pressure to complete this task, otherwise they fail and the game ends. This intensifies the gaming experience, adding tension and forcing the player to focus on the mission. Forcing the player to increase their pace also allows for the narrative to progress within a quicker timeframe. This is a technique used in numerous other games and in different ways, ‘Heavy Rain’ (2010) being an example of this. In ‘Heavy Rain’ the ticking clock appears frequently, constantly adding pressure to the player. It is also combined with split screen sequences to visually show the danger approaching. Although this suited the gaming style of ‘Heavy Rain’, ‘Metal Gear Solid 2’ is a more slow paced, methodical game, making the tool less used.
Bibliography
Ajami, A. (2001) Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Feature Preview. Available at: http://www.gamespot.com/articles/metal-gear-solid-2-sons-of-liberty-feature-preview/1100-2687819/ (Accessed: 28th April 2014)
Gross, R. (2010) Psychology the science of mind and behaviour. London: Hachette
Heavy Rain (standard edition) (2010) Playstation 3 [game] Sony Computer Entertainment Europe: London
Hyde-Smith, A. (2002) Composer Harry Gregson-Williams interview. Available at: http://www.metalgearsolid.net/features/interview-composer-harry-gregson-williams (Accessed: 29th April 2014)
KCEJ. (2004) Mr. Motosada Mori CQC Interview. Available at: http://www.metalgearsolid.net/features/cqc-interview-with-mr-motosada-mori (Accessed: 28th April 2014)
Krawczyk, M. Novak, J. (2006) Game story and character development. New York: Delmar Cengage Learning
Metal Gear [online image] Available at: http://thirdyearmodeling.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/91.gif
Metal Gear Solid (1998) PlayStation [Game] Konami: Uxbridge
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of liberty (2001) PlayStation 2 [Game] Konami: Ruislip
Parish, J. (2011) Metal Gear Solid 2: Gaming’s greatest con job. Available at: http://www.1up.com/features/metal-gear-solid-2-gamings-greatest-con-job (Accessed: 25th April 2014)
Raiden [online image] Available at: https://warosu.org/data/3/img/0003/81/1379931949320.jpg
Reparaz, M. (2011) 5 reasons to hate Metal Gear Solid. Available at: http://www.gamesradar.com/5-reasons-to-hate-metal-gear-solid/ (Accessed: 25th April 2014)
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