Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, for better or worse, is one of the most important games in the history of the video game medium. The first entry in the series on the hugely successful PlayStation 2, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty would upgrade and improve the original gameplay in almost every way. One area where the game failed to delight many fans of the series was the controversial decision to replace titular veteran Solid Snake with the rookie Raiden.
It has been more than twenty years since the release of Sons of Liberty, and it seems that the game is more relevant now than when it was first released. With a long and complicated production history, cinematic references winking at the audience, and last-minute cuts to key details in the game, there is still much to learn about Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.
Ahead Of Its Time
One of the most memorable and jaw-dropping moments in Metal Gear Solid 2 is its finale, which is far from a plot twist everyone saw coming. The revelation that the events of the game have been a simulation created by the Patriots as a societal experiment to control information in the digital age went over the heads of many players in the early 2000s. The internet was still in its infancy, and the idea of disinformation had not yet entered the English lexicon.
In 2012, the game was chosen as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s exhibition “The Art of Video Games” because of its cultural significance and effect on the medium. Yet, it is the appreciation over the more prophetic sections of the game that has grown more and more in recent years, as the reality described by the Patriots’ AI has come true.
Jack & Rose From Titanic
The names of the central romantic pair at the heart of Metal Gear Solid 2 are another nod towards the cinematic world to which the entire Metal Gear Solid series owes a great debt. Raiden’s real name is Jack, while his partner’s name is Rose, a clear reference to the star-crossed lovers at the center of James Cameron’s 1997 global box-office hit Titanic.
One of the criticisms leveled at the original Metal Gear Solid was that it did not appeal to female gamers, which was why Raiden’s character design is so boyishly handsome. The decision to name the character, and his partner, after the central lovers of one of the most successful and highest-grossing movies of all time was no doubt another decision intended to appeal to a larger player base.
Hollywood Composer
Hideo Kojima always sought to recreate the mood and atmosphere of a Hollywood action movie when creating the original Metal Gear Solid for the PS1. That included long cut-scenes, voice-acted performances, and a storyline full of twists and turns. When Kojima returned to direct Metal Gear Solid 2, he enlisted the help of a seasoned Hollywood composer to add a more Hollywood feel to the score.
After seeing The Replacement Killers, Kojima ed the film’s composer Harry Gregson-Williams and asked him to work on the music for Metal Gear Solid 2. Williams accepted the job primarily because he had never worked on a video game before and thought it would be an interesting experience. Williams would go on to score all titled entries in the series after this.
Raiden Did Not Appear In Any Promotional Art
It is hard to imagine in today’s climate of social media, leaked images, and insider knowledge that the decision to replace Snake with Raiden as the central protagonist could have been kept secret until the release of the game, but in 2001, that is what Kojima and Konami were able to achieve.
In order to achieve this level of secrecy around the character of Raiden, promotional material did not feature him at all, and scenes of his character model in the game were replaced with Solid Snake during game trailers. Raiden did not even feature on the initial game cover, only appearing on the expanded version’s cover Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance.
Snake Plissken Reference
Another one of Kojima’s trademark cinematic references is the alias Snake adopts when he first meets Raiden early in the game. As Snake introduces himself to Raiden, he conceals his famous codename by using the alias Iroquois Pliskin.
The name Pliskin is lifted straight from the iconic John Carpenter movie Escape from New York and its central hero “Snake” Plissken, played by action-star Kurt Russell, who provided a great deal of inspiration for the character of Solid Snake and his predecessor Big Boss.
Cut Character
Many changes were made to Metal Gear Solid 2 during its production cycle, many of which completely altered the game. One of the changes that occurred during the production related to the characters of the terrorist outfit Dead Cell, who take over the Big Shell, kick-starting the events of the main game. One character was meant to be one of the group’s but was ultimately cut from the game.
The character was designed to resemble Jet Li and had a dragon tattoo that would come to life during his boss battle with Raiden. Many of his abilities would be transferred over to Vamp, such as his ability to walk on water and run up vertical walls. The location of this boss fight, in the filtration room aboard the Big Shell, was also transferred over to Vamp in the finished version of the game, one of the great underrated boss fights in the Metal Gear Solid series.
Terminator Homage Arriving On The Tanker
One of the first cinematic homages in Metal Gear Solid 2 occurs right at the beginning of the game. As Snake jumps from the George Washington Bridge in stealth cameo, he descends on the tanker into a full superhero landing. As he hits the tanker, streams of blue lightning radiate from his body in much the same way they did Arnold Schwarzenegger in pop culture significance of Terminator as source material Kojima is referencing.
A more metatextual reference between the two, as confirmed by Kojima himself, is the central protagonist ruse at the heart of Metal Gear Solid 2. The decision to hide Raiden as the central protagonist was inspired by the similar decision to hide Arnold Schwarzenegger as the hero in the James Cameron Terminator sequel.
The Ending Was Changed Last Minute
Perhaps the biggest change to hit Metal Gear Solid 2 was the decision to alter the ending of the game in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks against the United States. The original ending of the game had Arsenal Gear smashing through New York City, displacing the Statue of Liberty, and significantly destroying large parts of the city.
This does not happen in the final version of the game, and the destruction caused by Arsenal Gear is only hinted at. Another change to the final scenes involved the removal of US flags from the Federal Hall building. Although, strangely, Solidus still points to an absent one in the final version of the game.
