Having heaped praise on Uncharted protagonist Nathan Drake in our inaugural spotlight feature, PSU wasted no time in following up with another entry, this time focusing on one of the most iconic videogame heroes ever conceived – namely, Metal Gear’s Solid Snake.
Snake’s inclusion here largely stemmed from your comments on the previous spotlight feature, where we prompted you to give us an idea of who you would like to see included in the next entry. Again, feel free to post suggestions for our next spotlight feature in the comments section below, and we’ll do our best to consider you feedback for the future. For now, however, the spotlight firmly belongs to Snake. Take a gander at what we had to say on the legendary mercenary below.
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Name: Solid Snake (real name David)
Platforms(s): MSX2, NES, Game Boy, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, PSP, PlayStation 3
Main Appearances: Metal Gear, Metal Gear: Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Born from the creative grey matter of Konami genius Hideo Kojima, Solid Snake has enjoyed an illustrious career rivaled only by the likes of a certain plucky plumber throughout his 22-year history, before finally retiring his bandanna in last year’s epic swansong, Guns of the Patriots. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here, so enough about the gruff hero’s untimely demise – let’s talk about what made Snake such a diverse, unforgettable videogame icon.
Snake is the quintessential action hero – or if you want to put it in more colloquial terms, a complete bad ass. Still, this is exactly what Kojima-san had in mind during the conception stages, with the Metal Gear protagonist having been based on numerous iconic movie stars of the time, including Michael Biehn and Mel Gibson, while his name derived from that of Kurt Russell’s character Snake Plissken from the film Escape from New York. Possessing highly tuned combat abilities ranging from CQC to firearms, Snake offered players the chance to command the equivalent of a digitalized James Bond, employing stealth tactics in order to traverse sprawling enemy strongholds while engaging in action-packed set pieces and gripping boss battles. A deadly bugger by nature, Snake can grasp enemies in choke holds, snap their necks like a twig, stuff their lifeless corpses in lockers and craftily duck for cover inside innocuous cardboard boxes. Let’s face it – ladies want him, and guys want to be him.
Of course, that’s only one dimension to ‘ol Dave. Living the life of a perpetual ‘billy-no-mates’ who has experienced more than his fair share of loss and heartache, Snake perhaps brings out a degree of sympathy among players more than any other videogame protagonist to date. Over the years, the hardened combat veteran has been the subject of betrayal, witnessed his close friend squashed to a bloody pulp by a walking nuclear-equipped behemoth, subjected to a horrendous torture session, callously utilized by his superiors as a walking biological weapon in order to bring down the unscrupulous Fox Hound rabble, and endure the subsequent accelerated aging process as a result. In short, it hasn’t all been a walk in the park for the old boy.
Still, in a franchise so synonymous with its sprawling plotline and copious dialogue sequences, Snake wouldn’t fundamentally work as a compelling protagonist if it weren’t for the talented voice work of series staple, David Hayter. Having voiced the gruff, buff one since the series made the transition to 3D on PlayStation in ’98, Hayter has become one of the most respected in his field to date, portraying the solitary, grizzly combat veteran with such utter conviction that Metal Gear aficionados have listed him as their favorite to don Snake’s sneaking suite for the inevitable film adaptation – and quite frankly, we don’t blame them. Ultimately, it’s Hayter’s striking performances over the past decade that have cemented Solid Snake as one of the most compelling, iconic pixelverse protagonists in history. Snake, we salute you.
Magic Moments:
After experiencing years worth of war and bloodshed, Snake’s journey finally comes to an end in a poignant sequence which sees the aging mercenary reunited with his ‘father’ and old adversary, Big Boss, at Arlington Cemetery. Pass us the tissues. (From Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots)
He battles it out with arch nemesis Liquid Ocelot atop a sprawling navy vessel set against a jaw-dropping sunset in the final battle. No gadgets, no guns, just two bitter rivals scrapping it out in a game of deadly fisticuffs supplemented by remixed arrangements of iconic Metal Gear anthems. Gripping stuff. (From Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots)
Snake may act a tad stoic at times, though deep down he’s quite an emotional chap. Take for example the scene where he and Meryl escape from Shadow Moses Island on the back of a snow mobile. Here, the grizzly mercenary gets a chance to let his hair – or more accurately, mullet – down and reflect on his life and feelings before heading off in to the sunset. Sniff. (From Metal Gear Solid/Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes)
More thought provoking rambling from our gruff hero, this time coming in the form of the ending sequence of Sons of Liberty. Here, Snake goes all philosophical as he discusses the meaning of life to a bewildered Raiden before disappearing off in to the crowded streets of New York. (From Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty)
Don’t forget to post your all-time favourite Solid Snake quotes/moments in the comments section below! Oh, and while we’re at it, we haven’t forgotten about Big Boss, aka Naked Snake — despite the obvious similarities to his ‘son,’ he’ll be getting his own time in the spotlight in the near future.