Summary
The storytelling aspects of theMetal Gear Solidseries are often told in two ways: long pieces of compelling dialogue between the protagonist and other characters, and its cinematic cutscenes. Series creator Hideo Kojima, being a huge fan of movies, always ensured that each entry had their fair share of memorable scenes.
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With that being said, Kojima is also a stickler for small details. In fact, his attention to detail goes so far that there are even secret or alternate cutscenes that play out a bit differently than what fans usually expect. And then there are things like the rare ones that require specific conditions to happen.
The SOCOM pistol is one of thefirst weapons Snake can get his hands onafter passing through the caverns. Any seasoned player should know that it’s located in the back of a truck outside. However, a cutscene that plays shortly after Snake slips through the vents will play a bit differently if the handgun is not collected.
When eavesdropping on two soldiers inside, they’ll share additional dialogue about a shipment of SOCOMs that have come through. After the confrontation with Meryl in the prison cells, Snake will grab the barrel of her gun while calling her a rookie, instead of pointing a gun at her, since… well, he doesn’t have it.
The VR-themed expansion forMetal Gear Solidoffersmany missions for players to try out, like target practice, sneaking simulations, and a hefty handful of weird twists that require thinking outside the box. Then there are some of the kooky missions that involve things like shooting down an incoming flying saucer.
If the player is too slow to shoot it down, a hidden cutscene will play. It will position itself over Snake and unleash its tractor beam upon him. He’ll start to glow and then scream as he’spulled into the vesselbefore a game over screen is shown.
8Pliskin Has A Shave - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty
A shaver can be found by Raiden at the beginning of the Plant chapter of the second game. Of course, Raiden is clean-shaven and therefore has no need for such a thing, but it can be handed over to Pliskin upon meeting him. It should be noted that it can only be found on theHard difficulty and higher.
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After Pliskin offers Raiden cigarettes, if said shaver is in the player’s inventory, he’ll hand it to his newfound ally as a gift. As a result, Pliskin will have a clean shave for the rest of the game. However, in the HD version, this will only be prevalent during codec calls. It’s such a pointless addition, but, at the same time, a really impressive example of the series’ attention to even the smallest details.
7Gurlugon Capture - Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
VR missions make a return in the updated version of the second game,Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance. Once again, there are small little details that can be found here, including some of the sillier boss battles that take place with certain characters.
In the fight against the Gurlugon, that being the giant monster that looks strikingly similar to a Gurlukovich mercenary soldier, if Raiden equips the B.D.U. and stands in the center, the Gurlugon will fall in love and abduct him in a humorous parody of King Kong. Consequently, this will result in an immediate game over after the cutscene, but it’s still very funny to watch.
This wasn’t actually in the originalMetal Gear Solid, and was an additional cutscene that was created exclusively for its GameCube remake,Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. Considering how not every fan of the original game has played it, it’s well worth mentioning, on account of how exaggerated it is.
After completing the boss battle againstSniper Wolf, in a last-ditch effort, she jumps out of cover and shoots Snake’s PSG1 out of his grasp, causing it to fall to the floor. After preparing another shot, he backflips and hits the ground hard enough to make the rifle bounce into the air for him to grab it, spin 360-degrees, and fire. Consequently, the player must approach her to watch the cutscene where she dies.
5Transmitter Removal - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Naked Snake will find himself captured by the enemy and must escape from Ocelot and his troops who are hot on his tail. What players may discover is a transmitter inserted into the protagonist’s back, which can be removed on the medical screen.
If Snake meets EVA in the cutscene and has not removed the transmitter, an additional slapstick cutscene will play, showing EVA trying to remove it while the shadows on the cave’s walls will make it look like the two arewrestling, swinging each other’s arms around, and other interesting stuff. It’ll also attract the attention of a search squad when the player is ready to continue with all their reclaimed equipment, so it’s not recommended to let this happen from a gameplay standpoint.
4Secret Theater - Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
Theupdated release of the third gamecontained some bonus content to go alongside its online multiplayer mode. One of the most noteworthy inclusions is the Secret Theatre mode, which originally featured wacky, slapstick movies that were shared online, but were included on the second disc.
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There are tons of remixed cutscenes, including weapons expert Sigint beating Naked Snake at virtually everything, a time-traveling Raiden attempting (and failing) multiple times to erase Snake from existence, and Para-Medic arguing with Snake about not eating a horse while guards seize them. All of these are gut-busters and are well worth a watch.
Psycho Mantis makes his returnin the fourth entry, albeit as a specter this time. He only appears in a short cutscene, whereby he’ll attempt to read Snake’s save data, and expresses his shock at the lack of a Memory Card. Afterward, he’ll attempt to demonstrate his powers by making the PlayStation 3 controller vibrate, only to discover that such technology does not allow him to pull off such a feat.
A different cutscene is available, however, should the player be progressing through the game using a DualShock controller, which has a built-in rumble-feature to allow it to vibrate. When attempting to show off his powers, just like in the first game, he will manically shout “vibration is back!” After that, the rest of the cutscene will continue as normal.
The conditions to trigger this cutscene were so oddly-specific that there may be some fans who never even discovered this. Firstly, all of Chico’s tapes must be listened to, and that includes his information on extraterrestrial creatures. After that, Big Boss must be sent back to Playa Del Alba by the pier to meet a furry little cat on a boat.
The cat isTrenya from theMonster Hunterseries. He makes a brief cameo to encourage Snake to hunt monsters on Isla del Monstruo to reap some rare loot. It’s obviously not canon, but hearing Snake make a cat pun when agreeing to the offer is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
1Nuclear Disarmament - Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
This cutscene was likely never going to play, as it required every online player inMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Painto deactivate all nuclear bombs in their base’s inventory. In 2016, Konami thankfully shared the answers as to how to trigger it, but players have recorded and uploaded it online. However, it turns out that the cutscene would eventually trigger after a supposed glitch on the developer’s end.
The cutscene features monologs from Miller about the world’s goal to disarm all nuclear warheads, but that the information to make them still remains. An additional monologue fromVenom Snakewill play during a roll call of player usernames.
