History Recap / MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty

Raiden wakes up in a torture chamber that is almost identical to the one Snake was in on Shadow Moses. His assailant is different, however. Solidus reveals that Raiden once served him as a ChildSoldier during the Liberian Civil War, and condemns him as a pawn of the Patriots. After Solidus leaves, Olga springs Raiden from imprisonment. It turns out that her daughter was kidnapped by the Patriots when she was born--almost literally snatched out of Olga's arms--and they are threatening to kill the child if she (Olga) doesn't cooperate. The only problem is, Snake has all of Raiden's gear, meaning Raiden needs to sneak naked (literally -- his character model had to be designed with BarbieDollAnatomy in case anyone managed to get a look) through the bowels (literally -- the level area is marked "duodenum," which is part of the large intestine) of Arsenal Gear to reach him. Even worse, Col. Campbell has started to go batshit crazy. Any useful orders he would give Raiden are instead replaced with spewing WordSaladLyrics and insisting that Raiden turn off the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 so that he (Campbell) can take over and fix all of Raiden's mistakes. Otacon looks into this on Raiden's request, and discovers that it's not even Campbell: it's a construct created by GW, which is why Emma's virus is driving it ("Campbell") insane. Rosemary also reveals heretofore undetected treachery: she admits that she is an agent sent by the Patriots to seduce Raiden, but is now InLoveWithTheMark. She also, just before the connection shorts out, claims to be pregnant with his child. With all of this raining down on him, Raiden's SanityMeter is at an all-time low by the time Snake gets to him.

''Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty'' was released in 2001. Released on UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, it added the ability to aim weapons in first-person view, as well as additional support for melee-range combat. The graphics also improved significantly; the textures for faces were no longer only 8 pixels across. Finally, it also marked the onset of ContinuityCreep, as this title and every title after focuses specifically on the fight against the franchise's GreaterScopeVillain.

!!''Metal Gear Solid 2'' ending

->''"I won't dare say that Metal Gear Solid 2 was 'flawlessly crafted.' Its story was not 'well-constructed.' It wasn't supposed to be. That's the nature of the postmodern: to attack the societal/literary dogma as it has been written since the beginning of time: 'All stories must make sense, all love must be true, all endings must be happy and easy to understand.' MGS is not easy to understand. It gets downright bizarre. It'll make you throw up your hands and scream, 'What the hell?'"''
-->-- '''Tim Rogers''', [[http://archives.insertcredit.com/features/dreaming2/ "Dreaming in an Empty Room"]]

->''"What the hell?"''
-->-- '''Solid Snake''', affirming as much and summing up the audience's reaction in [[TheStinger the final line of the game]]

'''''Major spoilers ahead!'''''

The main plot of ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]]'' (excusing the opening where Solid Snake fails to stop Revolver Ocelot from stealing Metal Gear RAY and gets framed for the whole mess) starts out fairly straightforwardly with the main character Raiden on a mission to rescue the President from a group of terrorists that have taken him hostage. Even the plot twists (that America is actually run by an Illuminati-like group called the Patriots, and that one of Raiden's allies is actually Solid Snake incognito) were rather routine for a series known to have plenty, and heavily hinted at.

About eighty percent of the way through the game, though, a side character dies, and Raiden is double-crossed by Solid Snake (as an aside, Solid Snake is one of ''three'' characters in the game with the [[CodeName codename]] "Snake", but he is the only character to be called simply "Snake" on a regular basis, even by others with the same codename. Every time you see that, it's him. This is one of the least confusing parts of the game). After being double-crossed, Raiden is captured and stripped naked.

At this point, everything becomes extremely surreal. Veiled references to the previous game become blatant, with two rooms reproduced almost exactly from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', and both Raiden's CO and girlfriend transform from allies to identity-less manipulative agents to ersatz constructs composed of AI, nanomachines, and the contents of Raiden's own psyche. Said constructs then go all [[CloudCuckooLander insane]] from a computer virus and proceed to BreakTheFourthWall (if there ''is'' one at this stage) and spout incomprehensible gibberish. Meanwhile, Snake reverses his double-cross and, in an effort to keep Raiden sane, tries to convince Raiden that his (Raiden's) girlfriend is real - even though Raiden is the only character to have ever met her. Snake mentions that he is counting on having infinite ammo from a bonus item attained in ''Metal Gear Solid''; either the fourth wall has had it, or the player must confront the idea that the series accepts the literal existence of every once-thought JokeItem contained within it.

After a MarathonBoss fight against unmanned Metal Gears on top of a supercomputer-cum-battle-station-cum-submersible-cum-VR-training-environment, much of the remaining cast is gathered. This looks bad, because the heroes (Raiden and Snake) are outnumbered by the villains (Fortune, Revolver Ocelot, and Solidus Snake). However, Ocelot's ChronicBackstabbingDisorder acts up, and then all three villains reveal previously-unimagined motives and admit that they [[GambitPileup were all manipulating each other to the point where it can no longer be discerned who the biggest villain is]] (or, for that matter, if there ''is'' a villain anymore). Ocelot also reveals the S3 Plan (Solid Snake Simulation) that was meant to test if putting a person through [[RecycledPremise something similar to the Shadow Moses Incident]] would create a soldier as skilled as Snake. Hence why the situation Raiden finds himself in is so similar to the Shadow Moses Incident, from the basic setup of "terrorists led by a QuirkyMinibossSquad have seized control of a remote Metal Gear facility disguised as some kind of treatment facility, they have taken several important people hostage and will bring about a catastrophic terrorist attack if their demands are not met" right down to individual setpieces, {{boss battle}}s and character relationships. Due to how well the game is designed, the player can control Raiden as well as or better than they could have controlled Solid Snake in ''Metal Gear Solid''. Fortune's seemingly supernatural ability to intercept bullets is HandWaved as magic technology, but she displays her powers even after her Phlebotinum has been demonstratively turned off. She dies just in time to miss what happens to Ocelot: his transplanted arm takes over his mind (for the second time... but possession by the dead is actually one of the most sensible concepts portrayed, all things considered), and he manifests the consciousness of ''Metal Gear Solid'''s BigBad, Liquid Snake. Ocelot-controlled-by-Liquid's-arm takes flight in a submersible robot, and in a symbolic move (in the author's view, breaking free of ''his own backstory''), Snake breaks the handcuffs he was restrained with, and dives into the sea in pursuit. Then the VR AI nuclear battlestation goes crazy: its pilots are the {{AIs}} which were just infected by the computer virus. It begins sailing full pelt towards New York City, with no plans to stop.

After a scene of cityscape destruction that was [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents removed due to 9/11]], we find Raiden atop of Federal Hall in Manhattan, along with the only remaining villain, possible-BigBad Solidus. Both Raiden's crazed AI commanding officer and girlfriend mock him and reveal that they, the Patriots, were manipulating the whole situation, not only to reproduce and exploit the historical, cultural, backstory "memes" that had created Solid Snake, but to use said methods to control all cultural information flow. It's revealed that they are not AI per se, but something more like an incarnation of a far older consciousness which built up over centuries in the arena of U.S. politics. Also, Ocelot was wrong about the S3 Plan; it is really the Selection for Societal Sanity. The objective is to see if they can control a person in an extreme situation; the Shadow Moses Incident is the most extreme situation on record, so they simulated that. The test subject is the player, and it [[ButThouMust worked perfectly]]: by programming the player with VR reconstructions of the Shadow Moses incident (that is, with the first game in the series), they were able to convince him or her to follow every one of their instructions in the Big Shell simply by [[RecycledPremise presenting them with a superficially similar façade]]. Because Solidus has been trying to take them down ever since he was President of the United States, [[LetsYouAndHimFight they want Raiden to kill him]]. Solidus also admits that [[YouKilledMyFather he killed Raiden's parents]], condemning Raiden to [[ChildSoldiers child soldierhood]] and the OrphansOrdeal, which might've been a MoralEventHorizon if we weren't so {{mind screw}}ed that we don't know left from wrong anymore. Raiden questions why he should even fight Solidus even after this reveal, to which the Patriots respond that Raiden's nanomachines are the only remaining link to the Patriots, so Solidus is going to attempt to kill him to gain said machines regardless of what he does. So it's either Raiden (who is you) or Solidus. Guess who wins.

We find ourselves in front of Federal Hall. Snake shows up as if from nowhere and rhetorically breaks the bond between the player's avatar-Raiden and the character Raiden: the personal information you input before the game started is on a dog tag Raiden is wearing; he throws it far away and declares [[ScrewDestiny he is creating his own identity]]. As Raiden turns to ask what, exactly, he is to do with his new life, Snake is gone, but Raiden's girlfriend Rose shows up (please note that at this point it is ''still'' unclear whether or not she actually exists). The lovers are reunited (also, if you turn the camera at a certain point, you can see that Vamp, another villain [[ImplacableMan thought to have been killed twice before]], seems to be both still alive and hailing a taxi). The credits roll, and then it is revealed, in a phone conversation between Snake and Otacon as the logo is displayed, that the Patriots are already dead and have been for over a hundred years.

[[INeedAFreakingDrink Need a drink?]]

''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' had the dubious honor of having to explain, {{retcon}}, and tie up all this confusion somehow--and the amazing thing is that it ''did'', but just by the skin of its teeth. However, it can be argued that this is also the reason as to why ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' had approximately ''nine hours of cutscenes''. In case you're wondering, [[spoiler: the AI's are just AI's [[AIIsACrapshoot that thought a bit too highly of themselves - and in the end, the Patriots weren't even controlling them anymore]]. The men dead for over a hundred years are actually from an earlier AncientConspiracy known as the Philosophers; the Patriots took over the American branch of the Philosophers and used the identities of its founders as a cover. All the original members died off by the [=1930s=], and the last people with any connections to them were killed by the end of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' - those two being [[ColonelKilgore Colonel Volgin]] and [[FakeDefector The Boss]], whose fathers were both members of the Philosophers. The actual Patriots turn out to be [[CanonCharacterAllAlong Big Boss]] and his partners from ''Snake Eater'', but they had a falling out over the final wishes of The Boss which caused Big Boss to turn against the group alongside EVA (who turns out to be the surrogate mother of Solid Snake and Liquid Snake). In fact, two of the original Patriots were killed in ''Metal Gear Solid'', and they were none other than the unseen Dr. Clark (who was [[SamusIsAGirl Para-Medic]] from ''3'', and was killed by Grey Fox before the Shadow Moses Incident) and the DARPA Chief (who was Sigint from ''3'', and was killed during the Shadow Moses Incident by Ocelot and impersonated by Decoy Octopus because Sigint was aware of Ocelot's true identity). By ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' the last one (Zero) is little more than a vegetable; the AIs were running the group by this point. Ocelot turns out to be one of the original Patriots and although he pretended to be loyal to them, [[DoubleAgent he actually sided with Big Boss]]. Ocelot's possession by Liquid was part of a larger plan to fool the AIs and last member of the Patriots - and [[MindScrew at some point Ocelot began faking he was possessed]]. (It's also suggested Ocelot's original possession was tied to his father, The Sorrow, being a spirit medium.) Oh, Rosemary is real, Vamp had a natural HealingFactor enhanced by nanomachines, and Fortune... actually we don't learn what happened with Fortune, but PsychicPowers do exist in this universe.]] Doesn't it all make sense now?

!!!See also:
* [[http://www.deltaheadtranslation.com/MGS2/DOTM_TOC.htm A 15 part analysis/essay about this ending]] (seriously).
* [[http://junkerhq.net/MGS2/ Junker HQ's line-by-line analysis of the ending]]
* ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'''s [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2001/11/30/ take on it]].
* [[https://youtu.be/T-2YuPGYabw An analysis of the details of the story including the ending]], from WebVideo/SuperBunnyhop
----

''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' had the dubious honor of having to explain, {{retcon}}, and tie up all this confusion somehow--and the amazing thing is that it ''did'', but just by the skin of its teeth. However, it can be argued that this is also the reason as to why ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' had approximately ''nine hours of cutscenes''. In case you're wondering, [[spoiler: the AI's are just AI's [[AIIsACrapshoot that thought a bit too highly of themselves - and in the end, the Patriots weren't even controlling them anymore]]. The men dead for over a hundred years are actually from an earlier AncientConspiracy known as the Philosophers; the Patriots took over the American branch of the Philosophers and used the identities of its founders as a cover. The actual Patriots turn out to be Big Boss and his partners from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', but they had a falling out which caused Big Boss to turn against the group alongside EVA. In fact, two of the original Patriots were killed in ''Metal Gear Solid'', and they were none other than the unseen Dr. Clark (who was [[SamusIsAGirl Para-Medic]] from ''3'') and the DARPA Chief (who was Sigint from ''3''). By ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' the last one (Zero) is little more than a vegetable; the AIs were running the group by this point. Ocelot turns out to be one of the original Patriots and although he pretended to be loyal to them, [[DoubleAgent he actually sided with Big Boss]]. Ocelot's possession by Liquid was part of a larger plan to fool the AIs and last member of the Patriots - and [[MindScrew at some point Ocelot began faking he was possessed]]. (It's also suggested Ocelot's original possession was tied to his father being a spirit medium.) Oh, Rosemary is real, Vamp had a natural HealingFactor enhanced by nanomachines, and Fortune... actually we don't learn what happened with Fortune, but PsychicPowers do exist in this universe.]] Doesn't it all make sense now?

In any case, Ocelot proves that the Patriots are in charge of everything by shooting the unshootable Fortune, having disabled the AppliedPhlebotinum that kept her safe. He then jumps into the original RAY to launch RAY's armaments at Snake, Solidus and Raiden... who are, miraculously, protected by Fortune, using her powers (yes, despite the disabled Phlebotinum) one last time before she leaves [[TogetherInDeath to join her family]]. Immediately after this, Ocelot tries to blast away Snake, Raiden, and Solidus again...only for [[SpannerInTheWorks Liquid Snake]] to make his grand return in a twist [[DidntSeeThatOneComing that even the Patriots didn't see coming]]. After announcing himself to have been the one to have initially leaked information on Arsenal Gear two years prior, Liquid then departs with RAY to find the Patriots and "bury [them] for good"; Snake jumps into the ocean after him, leaving Solidus and Raiden alone atop Arsenal Gear. And, finally, the Metal Gear itself gets into the picture: with GW going insane, Arsenal Gear sets course for downtown Manhattan and careens into the city, dumping the two of them unceremoniously atop [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Hall Federal Hall]].

In any case, Ocelot proves that the Patriots are in charge of everything by shooting the unshootable Fortune, having disabled the AppliedPhlebotinum that kept her safe. He then jumps into the original RAY to make his escape... until, once again, Liquid Arm speaks up. Furious at his brothers, he launches RAY's armaments at Snake, Solidus and Raiden... who are, miraculously, protected by Fortune, using her powers (yes, despite the disabled Phlebotinum) one last time before she leaves [[TogetherInDeath to join her family]]. Ocelot, disgruntled, decides to simply flee; Snake jumps into the ocean after him, leaving Solidus and Raiden alone atop Arsenal Gear. And, finally, the Metal Gear itself gets into the picture: with GW going insane, Arsenal Gear sets course for downtown Manhattan and careens into the city, dumping the two of them unceremoniously atop [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Hall Federal Hall]].

Raiden has, in theory, on-site support in the form of SEAL Team 10 (who aren't supposed to know he's there), but they are slain almost to a man by Vamp; the sole survivors are Peter Stillman, a bomb-disposal expert who mentored Fatman, and Iroquois Pliskin, a man who wears a SEAL uniform but has [[PaperThinDisguise the same face as Solid Snake, the same voice actor as Solid Snake]], and whose names are [[RuleOfSymbolism both references to snakes]][[note]]That's what "Iroquois" means, supposedly; and Snake Plissken is the main character of the film ''Film/EscapeFromNewYork'', as well as one of the inspirations for Kojima's character[[/note]]. Raidem also gets assistance from a mysterious Cyborg Ninja. With their help, Raiden is tasked with infiltrating the Big Shell and rescuing the hostages being kept there, which include James Johnson, 44th and current President of the United States.

Suitably armed, the newly-minted BashBrothers fight their way through Arsenal Gear side-by-side; Snake's performance is dictated largely by the difficulty setting chosen by the player. They are eventually cornered by Fortune. Snake holds her off whilst Raiden keeps after Solidus, handling a literal army of AI-controlled [=RAYs=] to reach him -- once again surpassing Snake, who only fought one Metal Gear. But it's all for naught, and both are captured; even worse, Olga is slain trying to defend them.

Supporting Raidem by CODEC are Col. Campbell and Rosemary ([[OnlyOneName no last name]]), the data specialist who saves his game. She is also his girlfriend, and occasionally interrupts the mission to discuss their personal life, particularly Jack's spartan living quarters and daily {{Catapult Nightmare}}s. Rose's SkewedPriorities also received a cool reception from the fanbase, but in total fairness Raiden's HenpeckedHusband routine is not unearned: when questioned, [[NoSocialSkills he can't even remember when their anniversary is]]. (It's ''tomorrow'', by the way.)

Raiden, now with Otacon and Snake providing advice via CODEC, reaches President Johnson, who lives up to his name by performing a CrotchGrabSexCheck. Flummoxed that a FOXHOUND operative is here to rescue him,Johnson reveals to Raiden that the Big Shell is actually a cover-up for a larger construction project: the next Metal Gear. A giant submarine called "Arsenal Gear," it houses an AI, "GW," which is intended to control the transmission of all digital information. He also reveals that he, his predecessor George Sears, and most presidents through the 70s have all been {{Puppet King}}s, manipulated by an OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness called "The Patriots" who secretly control not just America but most of the world. They are so secretive that people under their control can't even ''say'' "The Patriots"; instead, their nanomachines force them to say "the La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo." (This sounds, and is, [[{{Narm}} a little silly]] -- it's never explained what happens if a Patriot agent is also a fan of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_Patriots an American Football team]], for instance -- but due to the nuances of JapaneseRanguage, it is impossible to specify that the speaker should use the L consonant instead of an R. In this way, the Patriots--apologies, the La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo--have rendered their name not only [[TheUnpronounceable unspeakable]] but unwriteable too.) Sears, the President explains, got fed up with the situation and decided to rebel, taking on his codename name "Solidus Snake" and becoming the leader of the Sons of Liberty -- the man flying the airplane Raiden just shot down. Solidus, in addition to being one of ''Les Enfants Terribles'', is an unmodified clone of Big Boss, which is more than either Solid or Liquid could say. Having delivered this InfoDump, Johnson begs Raiden to kill him: the terrorists want him for his nuclear launch codes. Raiden, for the first time, tells someone that he won't help them. Instead, Ocelot shows up and blows him away. He then [[SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity leaves Raiden alone]].

Raiden wakes up in a torture chamber that is almost identical to the one Snake was in on Shadow Moses. His assailant is different, however. Solidus reveals that Raiden once served him as a ChildSoldier during the Liberian Civil War, and condemns him as a pawn of the Patriots. After Solidus leaves, Olga springs Raiden from imprisonment. It turns out that her daughter was kidnapped by the Patriots when she was born--almost literally snatched out of Olga's arms--and they are threatening to kill the child if she (Olga) doesn't cooperate. The only problem is, Snake has all of Raiden's gear, meaning Raiden needs to sneak naked (literally -- his character model had to be designed with BarbieDollAnatomy in case anyone managed to get a look) through the bowels (literally -- the level area is marked "duodenum," which is part of the large intestine) of Arsenal Gear to reach him. Even worse, Col. Campbell has started to go batshit crazy. Any useful orders he would give Raidem is instead replaced with spewing WordSaladLyrics and insisting that Raiden turn off the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 so that he (Campbell) can take over and fix all of Raiden's mistakes. Otacon looks into this on Raiden's request, and discovers that it's not even Campbell: it's a construct created by GW, which is why Emma's virus is driving it ("Campbell") insane. Rosemary also reveals heretofore undetected treachery: she admits that she is an agent sent by the Patriots to seduce Raiden, but is now InLoveWithTheMark. She also, just before the connection shorts out, claims to be pregnant with his child. With all of this raining down on him, Raiden's SanityMeter is at an all-time low by the time Snake gets to him.

The first threat to be dealt with is Fatman, who has littered the struts of the Big Shell with bombs. Raiden, Pliskin and Stillman mobilize to prevent them from going off. Raiden fights and defeats Fatman, but Stillman is lost to a trap. Pliskin then proposes the plan of evacuating a number of hostages using a helicopter. Raiden agrees, despite skepticism from Campbell. However, the helicopter is attacked by a Harrier jet flown by the man who claims to be Solid Snake. In the original Japanese dub, there's still some doubt going on, because this man is played by Creator/AkioOhtsuka, who also does the voice for Solid Snake (in English, he is voice by John Cygan). Whatever the case, Pliskin solves the dilemma once and for all by emphatically declaring that "that is NOT Solid Snake!", and he and the pilot of the helicopter, Otacon, help Raiden shoot the Harrier down. However, it is rescued by the Metal Gear RAY which Ocelot stole two years ago, rendering the entire boss fight pointless.

The first part of ''[=MGS2=]'' takes place in 2007. In the intervening years, Ocelot has gone public with the Metal Gear REX plans, selling them to anyone who wants them, and by now many nations are armed with home-made [=REXes=]. It's unknown what President Sears thinks about this, because his term is over. Snake and Otacon are not happy about it; they've formed a non-government organization, Philanthropy, to combat the proliferation of Metal Gears. The [[SemperFi USMC]] are not happy either; they've developed a counter-weapon, the amphibious Metal Gear RAY, and are ferrying it into the New York Harbor on an oil tanker, the USS ''Discovery''. This particular development has put Philanthropy and the Marined at odds, and as the tanker passes under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Snake jumps off the bridge and boards it. His objective is to get photographic evidence of RAY, and escape.

''Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty'' was released in 2001. Released on UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, it added the ability to aim weapons in first person view, as well as additional support for melee-range combat. The graphics also improved significantly; the textures for faces were no longer only 8 pixels across. Finally, it also marked the onset of ContinuityCreep, as this title and every title after focuses specifically on the fight against the franchise's GreaterScopeVillain.

Its first part takes place in 2007. In the intervening years, Ocelot has gone public with the Metal Gear REX plans, selling them to anyone who wants them, and by now many nations are armed with home-made [=REXes=]. It's unknown what President Sears thinks about this because his term is over. Snake and Otacon are not happy about it; they've formed a non-government organization, Philanthropy, to combat the proliferation of Metal Gears. The [[SemperFi USMC]] are not happy either; they've developed a counter-weapon, the amphibious Metal Gear RAY, and are ferrying it into the New York Harbor on an oil tanker, the USS ''Discovery''. This particular development has put the two of them at odds, and as the tanker passes under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Snake jumps off the bridge and boards it. His objective is to get photographic evidence of RAY.

Of course, things are more complicated than they seem. First off, the tanker is already being subjected to hostile action: a group of Russian mercenaries, led by Col. Sergei Gurlukovich and his pregnant daughter Olga, are boarding it. Second, as Marine commander Scott Dolph musters his remaining men and makes a grand speech about the peacekeeping abilities of RAY, they are ambushed both by Gurlukovich and then by his associate -- Revolver Ocelot. Ocelot becomes the TropeNamer for ChronicBackstabbingDisorder by betraying both Dolph and Gurlukovich, but is then backstabbed himself by, of all things, ''his arm'', which was actually transplanted from the corpse of Liquid Snake. (Ocelot's lines during these moments of possession are performed by Liquid's voice actor.) Liquid Arm-celot destroys the tanker and makes off with RAY, leaving Snake adrift amidst the shipwreck.

It's 2009. The sinking of the ''Discovery'' in the New York Harbor has caused a major ecological crisis, and a clean-up facility, the "Big Shell," has been built on the water. It has been seized by a terrorist group, the eponymous Sons of Liberty, whose leader claims to be Solid Snake; they are aided by "Dead Cell," a group of American soldiers who pretended to be terrorists in order to test the security of military installations, and now have decided that BecomingTheMask is a good idea. The members of Dead Cell include Fatman, an explosives expert on roller skates; Vamp, who can walk on water and has ResurrectiveImmortality, meaning that he can be shot (and is, several times over the course of the game) but doesn't stay killed; and their leader, Fortune, daughter of the late Scott Dolph, who (so far as anyone knows) can be killed but cannot be ''shot'': her ''nom de guerre'' references the fact that bullets just kind of detour around her. The Sons of Liberty have also employed Olga Gurlukovich, no longer pregnant (it ''has'' been two years), who leads the survivors of her father's mercenaries.

Since Solid Snake is the PlayerCharacter, one would typically assume that he is not simultaneously the BigBad... until one discovers that Solid Snake is ''not'' the PlayerCharacter. Instead, players control the NewMeat from FOXHOUND: a slender, almost effeminate man named Jack, operating under the code name Raiden. He has never been in action before but has run a whole bunch of VR training, and he believes that this "experience" is enough to prove him on a genuine battlefield. Not to belabor the point, but Kotaku put it best: "[[https://kotaku.com/metal-gear-solid-2-retrospective-be-careful-what-you-w-1842714771 Raiden thinks he's a badass]] because [[KnowNothingKnowItAll he's played video games]]."

Supporting him by CODEC are Col. Campbell and Rosemary ([[OnlyOneName no last name]]), the data specialist who saves his game. She is also his girlfriend, and occasionally interrupts the mission to discuss their personal life, particularly Jack's spartan living quarters and daily {{Catapult Nightmare}}s. Rose's SkewedPriorities also received a cool reception from the fanbase, but in total fairness Raiden's HenpeckedHusband routine is not unearned: when questioned, [[NoSocialSkills he can't even remember when their anniversary is]]. (It's ''tomorrow'', by the way.)

Raiden has, in theory, on-site support in the form of SEAL Team 10, but they are slain almost to a man by Vamp; the sole survivors are Peter Stillman, a bomb-disposal expert who mentored Fatman, and Iroquois Pliskin, a man who wears a SEAL uniform but has [[PaperThinDisguise the same face as Solid Snake, the same voice actor as Solid Snake]], and whose names are [[RuleOfSymbolism both references to snakes]][[note]]That's what "Iroquois" means, supposedly; and Snake Plissken is the main character of the film ''Film/EscapeFromNewYork'', as well as one of the inspirations for Kojima's character[[/note]]. He also gets assistance from a mysterious Cyborg Ninja. With their help, Raiden is tasked with infiltrating the Big Shell and rescuing the hostages being kept there, which include James Johnson, 44th and current President of the United States.

The first threat to be dealt with is Fatman, who has littered the struts of the Big Shell with bombs. Raiden, Pliskin and Stillman mobilize to prevent them from going off. Raiden fights and defeats Fatman, but Stillman is lost to a trap. Pliskin then proposes the plan of evacuating a number of hostages using a helicopter. Raiden agrees, despite skepticism from Campbell. However, the helicopter is attacked by a Harrier jet flown by the man who claims to be Solid Snake. In the original Japanese dub, there's still some doubt going on, because this man is played by Creator/AkioOhtsuka, who also does the voice for Solid Snake (in English he is voice by John Cygan). Whatever the case, Pliskin solves the dilemma once and for all by taking off the fake ID that fooled nobody, and he and the pilot of the helicopter, Otacon, help Raiden shoot the Harrier down. However, it is rescued by the Metal Gear RAY which Ocelot stole two years ago, rendering the entire boss fight pointless.

Raiden, now with Otacon and Snake providing advice via CODEC, reaches President Johnson, who lives up to his name by performing a CrotchGrabSexCheck. Johnson reveals that the Big Shell is actually a cover-up for a larger construction project: the next Metal Gear. A giant submarine called "Arsenal Gear," it houses an AI, "GW," which is intended to control the transmission of all digital information. He also reveals that he, his predecessor George Sears, and most presidents through the 70s have all been {{Puppet King}}s, manipulated by an OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness called "The Patriots" who secretly control not just America but most of the world. They are so secretive that people under their control can't even ''say'' "The Patriots"; instead, their nanomachines force them to say "the La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo." (This sounds, and is, [[{{Narm}} a little silly]] -- it's never explained what happens if a Patriot agent is also a fan of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_Patriots an American Football team]], for instance -- but due to the nuances of JapaneseRanguage, it is impossible to specify that the speaker should use the L consonant instead of an R. In this way, the Patriots--apologies, the La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo--have rendered their name not only [[TheUnpronounceable unspeakable]] but unwriteable too.) Sears, the President explains, got fed up with the situation and decided to rebel, taking on the name "Solidus Snake" and becoming the leader of the Sons of Liberty -- the man flying the airplane Raiden just shot down. Solidus, in addition to being one of ''Les Enfants Terribles'', is an unmodified clone of Big Boss, which is more than either Solid or Liquid could say. Having delivered this InfoDump, Johnson begs Raiden to kill him: the terrorists want him for his nuclear launch codes. Raiden, for the first time, tells someone that he won't help them. Instead, Ocelot shows up and blows him away. He then [[SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity leaves Raiden alone]].

This is about the time when the game starts getting [[MindScrew extremely weird]].

Raiden wakes up in a torture chamber that is almost identical to the one Snake was in on Shadow Moses. His assailant is different, however. Solidus reveals that Raiden once served him as a ChildSoldier during the Liberian Civil War, and condemns him as a pawn of the Patriots. After Solidus leaves, Olga springs Raiden from imprisonment. It turns out that her daughter was kidnapped by the Patriots when she was born--almost literally snatched out of Olga's arms--and they are threatening to kill the child if she (Olga) doesn't cooperate. The only problem is, Snake has all of Raiden's gear, meaning Raiden needs to sneak naked (literally -- his character model had to be designed with BarbieDollAnatomy in case anyone managed to get a look) through the bowels (literally -- the level area is marked "duodenum," which is part of the large intestine) of Arsenal Gear to reach him. Even worse, Col. Campbell has started to go batshit crazy, spewing WordSaladLyrics and insisting that Raiden turn off the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 so that he (Campbell) can take over and fix all of Raiden's mistakes. Otacon discovers that it's not even Campbell: it's a construct created by GW, which is why Emma's virus is driving it ("Campbell") insane. Rosemary also reveals heretofore undetected treachery: she admits that she is an agent sent by the Patriots to seduce Raiden, but is now InLoveWithTheMark. She also, just before the connection shorts out, claims to be pregnant with his child. With all of this raining down on him, Raiden's SanityMeter is at an all-time low by the time Snake gets to him.

Fortunately, Snake starts with an apology: his "betrayal" of Raiden was to use him as a TrojanPrisoner, allowing him and Olga infiltrate Arsenal Gear in the chaos. He returns Raiden's equipment to him, including a new gift: the high-frequency {{Vibroweapon}} which Olga has wielded hitherto. It is the culmination of Raiden's CharacterDevelopment, which up until then has involved following -- almost literally, in some cases -- in Snake's footsteps, doing everything he does. Except that Raiden is always worse at it. Snake won every boss fight he's ever been in, but Raiden has only succeeded at killing Fatman; Snake has already beat one game while Raiden is still struggling through his; Snake saved Meryl (he explicitly draws attention to his BottomlessMagazines Bandanna JokeItem, awarded for getting Meryl's GoodEnding, during this cutscene), whereas Raiden [[ILetGwenStacyDie let Emma die]]. Raiden is a MovesetClone of Snake, up to and including the vaunted ability to shoot a gun in first-person view, which was {{retcon}}ned into ''The Twin Snakes''[[note]]leading to a ''massive'' case of reduced difficulty, as the game was not redesigned to accommodate this[[/note]], but without any of the success. But Snake doesn't have a goddamn ''ninja sword'', which he can swing using the right thumbstick and do ParryingBullets with by holding L2. There is, for very the first time, something Raiden can do that Snake can't.

This is about the time when the game starts getting [[MindScrew extremely weird]], to the point that we actually have [[Recap/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty an entire article]] dedicated to analyzing it.

Of course, things are more complicated than they seem. First off, the tanker is already being subjected to hostile action: a group of Russian mercenaries, led by Col. Sergei Gurlukovich and his pregnant daughter Olga, are boarding it. Second, as Marine commander Scott Dolph musters his remaining men and makes a grand speech about the peacekeeping abilities of RAY, they are ambushed both by Gurlukovich and then by his associate -- Revolver Ocelot. Ocelot becomes the TropeNamer for ChronicBackstabbingDisorder by betraying both Dolph and Gurlukovich, but is then backstabbed himself by, of all things, ''his arm'', which was actually transplanted from the corpse of Liquid Snake. (Ocelot's lines during these moments of possession are performed by Liquid's voice actor.) After taunting Snake, Liquid Arm-celot makes off with RAY, leaving Snake adrift amidst the shipwreck.

''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' had the dubious honor of having to explain, {{retcon}}, and tie up all this confusion somehow--and the amazing thing is that it ''did'', but just by the skin of its teeth. However, it can be argued that this is also the reason as to why ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' had approximately ''nine hours of cutscenes''. In case you're wondering, [[spoiler: the AI's are just AI's [[AIIsACrapshoot that thought a bit too highly of themselves - and in the end, the Patriots weren't even controlling them anymore]]. The men dead for over a hundred years are actually from an earlier AncientConspiracy known as the Philosophers; the Patriots took over the American branch of the Philosophers and used the identities of its founders as a cover. The actual Patriots turn out to be Big Boss and his partners from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', but they had a falling out which caused Big Boss to turn against the group. In fact, two of the original Patriots were killed in ''Metal Gear Solid'', and by ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' the last one is little more than a vegetable; the AIs were running the group by this point. Ocelot turns out to be one of the original Patriots and although he pretended to be loyal to them, [[DoubleAgent he actually sided with Big Boss]]. Ocelot's possession by Liquid was part of a larger plan to fool the AIs and last member of the Patriots - and [[MindScrew at some point Ocelot began faking he was possessed]]. (It's also suggested Ocelot's original possession was tied to his father being a spirit medium.) Oh, Rosemary is real, Vamp had a natural HealingFactor enhanced by nanomachines, and Fortune... actually we don't learn what happened with Fortune, but PsychicPowers do exist in this universe.]] Doesn't it all make sense now?

-->''"I won't dare say that Metal Gear Solid 2 was 'flawlessly crafted.' Its story was not 'well-constructed.' It wasn't supposed to be. That's the nature of the postmodern: to attack the societal/literary dogma as it has been written since the beginning of time: 'All stories must make sense, all love must be true, all endings must be happy and easy to understand.' MGS is not easy to understand. It gets downright bizarre. It'll make you throw up your hands and scream, 'What the hell?'"''
--->--'''Tim Rogers''', [[http://archives.insertcredit.com/features/dreaming2/ "Dreaming in an Empty Room"]]

-->''"What the hell?"''
--->--'''Solid Snake''', affirming as much and summing up the audience's reaction in [[TheStinger the final line of the game]]

-->''"I won’t dare say that Metal Gear Solid 2 was “flawlessly crafted.” Its story was not “well-constructed.” It wasn’t supposed to be. That’s the nature of the postmodern: to attack the societal/literary dogma as it has been written since the beginning of time: “All stories must make sense, all love must be true, all endings must be happy and easy to understand.” MGS is not easy to understand. It gets downright bizarre. It’ll make you throw up your hands and scream, “What the hell?”"''

After a scene of cityscape destruction that was [[TooSoon removed due to 9/11]], we find Raiden atop of Federal Hall in Manhattan, along with the only remaining villain, possible-BigBad Solidus. Both Raiden's crazed AI commanding officer and girlfriend mock him and reveal that they, the Patriots, were manipulating the whole situation, not only to reproduce and exploit the historical, cultural, backstory "memes" that had created Solid Snake, but to use said methods to control all cultural information flow. It's revealed that they are not AI per se, but something more like an incarnation of a far older consciousness which built up over centuries in the arena of U.S. politics. Also, Ocelot was wrong about the S3 Plan; it is really the Selection for Societal Sanity. The objective is to see if they can control a person in an extreme situation; the Shadow Moses Incident is the most extreme situation on record, so they simulated that. The test subject is the player, and it [[ButThouMust worked perfectly]]: by programming the player with VR reconstructions of the Shadow Moses incident (that is, with the first game in the series), they were able to convince him or her to follow every one of their instructions in the Big Shell simply by [[RecycledPremise presenting them with a superficially similar façade]]. Because Solidus has been trying to take them down ever since he was President of the United States, [[LetsYouAndHimFight they want Raiden to kill him]]. Solidus also admits that [[YouKilledMyFather he killed Raiden's parents]], condemning Raiden to [[ChildSoldiers child soldierhood]] and the OrphansOrdeal, which might've been a MoralEventHorizon if we weren't so {{mind screw}}ed that we don't know left from wrong anymore. Raiden questions why he should even fight Solidus even after this reveal, to which the Patriots respond that Raiden's nanomachines are the only remaining link to the Patriots, so Solidus is going to attempt to kill him to gain said machines regardless of what he does. So it's either Raiden (who is you) or Solidus. Guess who wins.

''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' had the dubious honor of having to explain, {{retcon}}, and tie up all this confusion somehow--and the amazing (and arguably frightening) thing is that it ''did'', but just by the skin of its teeth. However, it can be argued that this is also the reason as to why ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' had approximately ''nine hours of cutscenes''. In case you're wondering, [[spoiler: the AI's are just AI's [[AIIsACrapshoot that thought a bit too highly of themselves - and in the end, the Patriots weren't even controlling them anymore]]. The men dead for over a hundred years are actually from an earlier AncientConspiracy known as the Philosophers; the Patriots took over the American branch of the Philosophers and used the identities of its founders as a cover. The actual Patriots turn out to be Big Boss and his partners from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', but they had a falling out which caused Big Boss to turn against the group. In fact, two of the original Patriots were killed in ''Metal Gear Solid'', and by ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' the last one is little more than a vegetable; the AIs were running the group by this point. Ocelot turns out to be one of the original Patriots and although he pretended to be loyal to them, [[DoubleAgent he actually sided with Big Boss]]. Ocelot's possession by Liquid was part of a larger plan to fool the AIs and last member of the Patriots - and [[MindScrew at some point Ocelot began faking he was possessed]]. (It's also suggested Ocelot's original possession was tied to his father being a spirit medium.) Oh, Rosemary is real, Vamp had a natural HealingFactor enhanced by nanomachines, and Fortune... actually we don't learn what happened with Fortune, but PsychicPowers do exist in this universe.]] Doesn't it all make sense now?

''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' had the dubious honor of having to explain, {{retcon}}, and tie up all this confusion somehow--and the amazing (and arguably frightening) thing is that it ''did'', but just by the skin of its teeth (which frankly is a CrowningMomentOfAwesome in itself). However, it can be argued that this is also the reason as to why ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' had approximately ''nine hours of cutscenes''. In case you're wondering, [[spoiler: the AI's are just AI's [[AIIsACrapshoot that thought a bit too highly of themselves - and in the end, the Patriots weren't even controlling them anymore]]. The men dead for over a hundred years are actually from an earlier AncientConspiracy known as the Philosophers; the Patriots took over the American branch of the Philosophers and used the identities of its founders as a cover. The actual Patriots turn out to be Big Boss and his partners from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', but they had a falling out which caused Big Boss to turn against the group. In fact, two of the original Patriots were killed in ''Metal Gear Solid'', and by ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' the last one is little more than a vegetable; the AIs were running the group by this point. Ocelot turns out to be one of the original Patriots and although he pretended to be loyal to them, [[DoubleAgent he actually sided with Big Boss]]. Ocelot's possession by Liquid was part of a larger plan to fool the AIs and last member of the Patriots - and [[MindScrew at some point Ocelot began faking he was possessed]]. (It's also suggested Ocelot's original possession was tied to his father being a spirit medium.) Oh, Rosemary is real, Vamp had a natural HealingFactor enhanced by nanomachines, and Fortune... actually we don't learn what happened with Fortune, but PsychicPowers do exist in this universe.]] Doesn't it all make sense now?