Despite what you may have heard, it is no longer disputable that the Big Shell chapter of Metal Gear Solid 2‘s story was a computer simulation from beginning to end. The whole scenario of Raiden on the Big Shell was a VR mission. This isn’t a theory, but a fact. It has been a fact since 2002 when Hideo Kojima directly stated in this interview:
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Will the Metal Gear Solid movie utilize VR simulation plot device to jump between missions?
Metal Gear Solid movie director Vogt-Roberts recently did an interview with Eurogamer in which he made some extremely interesting statements.
This only leaves me with a single conclusion: the movie will utilize Virtual Reality simulations to explain how Raiden/Jack can jump in between missions that are decades apart and carried out by different men. By becoming Solid Snake and Big Boss in lifelike VR scenarios, Raiden would be able to conduct research, train himself, and probably solve some kind of problem related to the Patriots. There’s no other Metal Gear plot device that could “fuse” the different game stories together. Judging by how much Vogt-Roberts is pushing for a wacky, “post-Deadpool” style of film that will betray audiences and commit to weirdness… this is looking extremely plausible.
Vogt-Roberts says that Metal Gear shaped his creativity in some ways, and that the weirdness of it was essential to his enjoyment. He wants to carry on the tradition of embracing controversial visions, and the VR plot gimmick is one of the only things in the history of the series that could truly polarize the fanbase. Some people would love it, others would hate it. Raiden is the fulcrum point of the whole series, and the only one who was in a position to jump back and forth between missions that he never actually experienced.
For myself (the guy who spread the “VR Theory” in the first place) the prospect of seeing the first major Metal Gear film subvert the reality of the missions like this would be hilarious.
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For your enjoyment, this article was updated as of May 1, 2011
The Puzzle Element
Taking Metal Gear Solid off of its grand pedestal and playing it from an analytical, critical point of view again, we can see past the coolness of the experience and see the real nuts and bolts: the design.
To me, the puzzle element is easily the most underestimated part of the old Metal Gear Solid for the PlayStation. It’s something that has been lost over the course of the series thanks to the rabid, pigeonholed nature of the conversation surrounding it. And what I mean by “puzzle element” is the way that you had to think in order to complete an area of the game smoothly. Remember the first level of the VR training? This is the most simple, pure representation of what Metal Gear gameplay is all about. A single guard patrols back and forth with precise timing, and the goal is just on the other side. If he sees you, it’s Game Over; if you reach the goal, you win.
Already, the puzzle is underway.