- 7 months ago
deo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid series is one of the most iconic franchises in gaming history—packed with hidden secrets, wild trivia, and mind-blowing details that even hardcore fans might have missed. 🎮🐍
In this video, we’re uncovering 20 Things You Didn’t Know About the Metal Gear Solid Series. From secret Easter eggs to behind-the-scenes development facts, these are the hidden gems that make MGS one of the most legendary game franchises ever created.
👉 Don’t forget to LIKE 👍, COMMENT 💬, and SUBSCRIBE 🔔 for more gaming trivia, hidden facts, and countdowns on your favorite franchises!
In this video, we’re uncovering 20 Things You Didn’t Know About the Metal Gear Solid Series. From secret Easter eggs to behind-the-scenes development facts, these are the hidden gems that make MGS one of the most legendary game franchises ever created.
👉 Don’t forget to LIKE 👍, COMMENT 💬, and SUBSCRIBE 🔔 for more gaming trivia, hidden facts, and countdowns on your favorite franchises!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're going straight to the bottom of the iceberg. These
00:18are 20 things you didn't know about the Metal Gear series. Development secrets, content history,
00:22unused storylines. Let's see what was hiding in the shadows of Metal Gear.
00:26Big Boss Believes in Santa Claus Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker.
00:30Snake, how much do you know about the US Homeland Air Defense Network?
00:34I don't know much about what goes on up in the sky.
00:37This entry in the series admittedly gets a little wackier than the previous games. It doesn't hold
00:41nearly the emotional stakes of MGS4, but it's still canon. So if Big Boss believes in Santa Claus here,
00:47he believes in him everywhere. After Huey laughs off Big Boss's comment about NORAD tracking Santa,
00:52Big Boss continues to insist that old Saint Nick is indeed real and that he used to bring him
00:57presents. It is oddly sweet from a man whose eyeball was cut out by Russian terrorists.
01:01What I do know is that NORAD tracks Santa Claus on its radar.
01:04Nice one. I didn't know you were a comedian too.
01:08Huh? No, I'm serious. It's true. NORAD tracks his…
01:14Listen to me. Every December they set up a hotline and…
01:20Mark II was planned for MGS1 Metal Gear Solid.
01:25It's me, Snake. Snake, it's me. Huh? Otacon.
01:37The Metal Gear Mark II was a funny little addition to MGS4. That contextualised Otacon always being
01:42by your side and giving you a fun little gadget to play with if you don't want to just run a gun.
01:46Interestingly, Snake was originally intended to use the Mark II throughout Shadow Moses,
01:51and it even appeared in his inventory during the Metal Gear Solid E3 1997 demo. Wow.
01:57Think back then. Considering the original game's top-down layout, the Mark II might have been
02:01even more valuable than it was in MGS4, and by the time we got to MGS4, it would have been like the
02:06Mark 37. But this gear's not a weapon. It's a remote mobile terminal designed to provide you with
02:12operational support. Ocelot is the boss's son, Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater.
02:16Ah, you hear it last. Looks like the boss's info was right.
02:24Revolver Ocelot is undeniably the most iconic character in the whole series,
02:28appearing in almost all of the mainline entries. He takes center stage in Metal Gear Solid 4 where
02:33he directly opposes the will of the boss, a heartbreak that deepens with the revelation
02:37that Ocelot is in fact the boss's son. In MGS3, the boss briefly mentions giving birth during battle,
02:43and Eva tells Snake about Ocelot, stating, all I heard was that his mother was supposedly shot
02:49in the gut during battle, and that he was born right there. It's subtle, but it's still canon.
02:53Or should I say, Snake, you're a wonderful man.
02:59Chico was meant to come back, Metal Gear Solid V, The Phantom Pain.
03:03Chico. Chico.
03:06First introduced in Peace Walker and swiftly written out in Ground Zeroes,
03:09Chico never quite received the character development that seemed intended for him.
03:13Along with Paz, he became the emotional core of Ground Zeroes, and then
03:17all but vanished from the main game. That is, unless you dig into the art of Metal Gear Solid 5.
03:22The art book features a concept page showing what Chico might have looked like had he survived,
03:26wearing a long red coat and carrying various melee weapons. It's so cool that it feels like a very missed
03:32opportunity. David Hayter was almost replaced in MGS3, Metal Gear Solid 3, Snake Eater.
03:43Major, I've spotted two enemy soldiers. They're probably KGB troops sent to guard Sokolov.
03:51AK-47s and grenades. The decision to replace David Hayter with Kiefer Sutherland in Metal Gear Solid
03:585 Grand Zero sparked pretty major controversy. Hayter's seemingly abrupt departure caught many
04:03off guard, but the truth is, Kojima had been considering a change as far back as Metal Gear
04:07Solid 3, Snake Eater, and the salt between the two of them has become more and more a topic of public
04:12conversation, especially with Hayter. Back in MGS3, Kojima had hoped Kurt Russell would voice Big Boss,
04:18and reportedly had a Konami producer approach him with the offer. I love Kojima, but it does seem like
04:23he treats Hayter like garbage, which makes me sad. I have a message from him. What is it? He said to
04:30tell you sorry for being so late. MGS4 Barber Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots. Character
04:37customisation is a staple of modern gaming, and originally players were going to have the option
04:41to customise Snake's facial hair in MGS4 using a razor found in-game. Kojima revealed that he had
04:47wanted to implement facial hair growth as early as Metal Gear Solid 2, but the PlayStation 2's hardware
04:52limitations held the idea back. With the PlayStation 3, however, the technology was finally up to par,
04:57and Kojima even showed four potential facial hair styles for Old Snake, including a full beard
05:03that closely resembles an older Big Boss. At least we got growing hair by the time Red Dead 2 rolled
05:07around. MGS2 almost didn't happen Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty.
05:14The terrorists call themselves Sons of Liberty.
05:18Sons of Liberty? The name of their leader is Solid Snake.
05:26Kojima's original concept for a Metal Gear Solid sequel was surprisingly straightforward.
05:31Snake would travel to the Middle East to destroy another Metal Gear. Kojima eventually scrapped the
05:35idea because war in the Middle East became a reality and felt a bit close to home. His next draft was
05:41closer to the game that we got. None of the events of the Big Shell would have actually happened,
05:45Raiden's entire mission in the plant chapter was envisioned as a fully fabricated simulation.
05:50MGS2 already challenges the player's perception of reality, but this early version would have
05:54discarded all ambiguity in favor of the twist being reality, not just a fan theory.
06:00I was part of the army's Force 21 trials. Force 21? That's about tactical IT deployment, right?
06:08Any field experience? No, not really. So this is your first.
06:12Lost members of Dead Cell Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty.
06:16You're right on time, I see. I like a punctual man. Is he Dead Cell? I am Fat Man.
06:25I am the greatest that humanity has to offer.
06:29Almost all Metal Gear games have a collection of supernatural freaks, as Ocelot so kindly calls them,
06:35to give our protagonists a few bosses to face leading up to the end game boss. MGS1 had Foxhound,
06:40MGS3 had the Cobra unit, and MGS2 had Dead Cell. However, two additional members of Dead Cell were
06:46originally planned, but ultimately cut from MGS2. One was Chinaman, a martial arts themed character
06:53who had a dragon tattoo that could come to life. And the other was Oldboy, an elderly figure,
06:57who was meant to be a mentor to Big Boss. Crazy that Kojima nearly got away with a character called
07:03Chinaman. The old man is dead. The world is a different place now.
07:07Join your union's Metal Gear Solid.
07:09I have two mission objectives. First, you're to rescue DARPA chief Donald Anderson.
07:15In the late 90s, voice acting in games was still relatively new,
07:18and many actors were unsure about how to fit within union guidelines with this work.
07:23At the time, the Screen Actors Guild hadn't established clear rules for video game work,
07:27leading many actors to use pseudonyms to avoid potential conflicts. This was the case for much of
07:32the Metal Gear Solid cast, who were credited under aliases. Apart from David Hayter, Doug Stone,
07:37and Scott Dolph, most of the cast were not who they said they were, with Hayter even using a pseudonym for
07:43the tech demo. You'll be through here. I know it. I'm going to swat down a couple of bothersome flags.
07:51Sniper Wolf Concept Art Metal Gear Solid
07:54It's hard to miss when you're this close.
07:58Toss your weapon over here. Slowly.
08:02Oh my word. I gotta lie down. The Concept Art books of Metal Gear Solid 1-4 showcase stunning concept
08:08art and illustrations, primarily by Yoji Shinkawa, but also include surprisingly explicit images
08:15of Sniper Wolf. I'm going to check the analytics of this video to see just how many people paused
08:19here to go and google this. Depicted wearing nothing but an open jacket and a single boot,
08:24the image was pretty full on considering the tone of the rest of the game. But not surprising,
08:29considering Yoji and Kojima were mates. Please. Just finish me quick.
08:38We figured out the twist, Metal Gear Solid 5, The Phantom Pain.
08:54Spoiler alert. Venom Snake from MGS5 is not big boss and some players were able to unravel Venom Snake's
09:01true identity by paying attention to Kojima's music choices in trailers and noticing the character's
09:06subtle new traits. With most other developers, Snake's new ponytail and vaping habit might have just
09:11been seen as a shift in direction for the character. But with Kojima, every detail carries weight.
09:17While his choice of smoke might not have been enough to clue in most players, Kojima's musical selection
09:22definitely played a significant role, picking songs about fractured identities, clearly on purpose.
09:27MGS3 was meant to be a PS3 title, MGS3, Snake Eater.
09:44Metal Gear Solid 3 pushed the limits of the PS2's hardware, often feeling like a new generation
09:49experience within that gen. And this makes sense, as Konami initially intended for Snake Eater to be a
09:54flagship title for the PlayStation 3. Due to frequent delays, the PS3's release was pushed back
10:00and back and back for years. Faced with the prospect of more weighting, the team shifted development back
10:05to the PlayStation 2. In hindsight, this was likely a blessing, especially considering how notoriously
10:10difficult the PS3's early hardware was to work with.
10:13Metal Gear Rising saved Metal Gear Rising Revengeance
10:36Originally, Metal Gear Rising was a spin-off from Kojima Productions titled Metal Gear Solid Rising. Rather
10:42than taking place after Metal Gear Solid 4, the game was meant to bridge the gap between MGS2 and MGS4,
10:48focusing on how Raiden rescued Sunny from the Patriots. Kojima entrusted his team to lead the
10:53project, but when he returned months later, he was disappointed with the progress and ultimately
10:58cancelled it. Ouch. Fortunately, Platinum Games stepped in to finish the game, leading to a major
11:04refocus. That being said, I'd have loved to have seen that idea play out.
11:07Game. Only all muscled up and less predictable. But it makes you wonder, where'd Desperado find
11:15these guys? I'm not complaining. They're like walking vending machines.
11:229-11 Affected MGS2 Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty
11:30It's fairly common practice that horrific real-world events change films and TV and games that were being
11:36created well before these real-world events, to save audiences connecting their work with
11:40the real-world events. Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty required alterations before its launch for
11:45this exact reason. The original ending featured Arsenal Gear crashing into Manhattan and destroying
11:51several buildings, with the final battle between Raiden and Solidus ending with Raiden draping the
11:55American flag over Solidus' body. The 9-11 attacks felt a little bit too similar and it was ultimately cut.
12:08The fear was one of Raiden's OG designs, Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty.
12:14I don't smoke. Keep it anyway. May come in handy.
12:19In many ways, Raiden's design is a brilliant choice, as it adds another layer of discomfort to Metal Gear
12:24Solid 2 further unsettling the player. In another way, f*** Raiden. Regardless of how you feel about
12:30whiny-whiny Raiden, his design wasn't always what we ended up seeing. Early concept art for Sons of
12:35Liberty reveals that Snake Eater's The Fear was considered as one of Raiden's preliminary designs.
12:40Yes, the most erratic and disturbed member of the Cobras was almost the protagonist of Metal Gear Solid 2.
12:46Imagine that. Ugh.
12:47Soon a most exquisite pain will engulf your entire body. Your limbs will be paralysed,
12:54your lungs cease to draw breath. Eventually your heart will stop beating. Ah, but what fun with that.
13:03Kojima strikes again, Metal Gear Solid 4, Guns of the Patriots.
13:06I am an octopus. An eight-legged beast.
13:17MGS4 introduced the Beauty and the Beast unit as its group of antagonists. Dressed in black and
13:23grey armour, the B&B Core consists of four women, each suffering from PTSD. And after beating them,
13:29the women shed their armour to reveal their beauty, slowly advancing towards Snake in nothing but skin-tight
13:34suits covered in slime. The design is already unnecessarily erotic, which is even harder
13:39to digest when they're clearly having mental breakdowns, but Kojima initially intended to
13:44push the sexuality further by having the beauty's approach Snake completely nude. Come on Hideo,
13:50you naughty boy. Skateboarding minigame Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of the
14:06In addition to new VR missions and an alternate non-canon story mode where Solid Snake replaces
14:11Raiden on the plant, MGS2 Substance included a Tony Hawk-style skateboarding mode. Players could choose
14:17either Snake or Raiden to skate around Big Shell performing tricks and destroying cyphers.
14:22I know what you're thinking, Matt, that sounds totally bodacious and you're right.
14:27What is even going on in this game?
14:34Snake's Dream Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater
14:36In MGS3, after suffering through the torture sequence, the player will end up in a small
14:48jail cell. If the player saves, quits and reloads the game immediately, they're treated to a bloody
14:53hack and slash minigame called Guy Savage. The inclusion of this strange minigame remained a
14:58mystery for years, with Kojima refusing to comment on it, until he revealed it was a preview for a
15:03cancelled Konami title. The minigame is exclusive to the PS2 version, and it's such a crazy weird
15:08inclusion that many players still don't know it exists. Raiden's reveal was protected Metal Gear Solid 2
15:18Sons of Liberty. I've drove this point into the ground, but when Metal Gear Solid 2 debuted in 2001,
15:28there was little reason to suspect Snake would be replaced. Raiden made brief appearances in TV
15:33spots and trailers, but the focus was always on Solid Snake. He was the one players controlled in all
15:38of the scenes, and the star of every showcased cutscene. On top of this, Kojima had shown footage
15:43of the plant section, with Snake's model swapped out for Raiden's. It's a sneaky move, and it really
15:49rubbed people the wrong way. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell
16:02to get notified about our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos,
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16:12Snake and Otacon were supposed to die, Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots.
16:25At the end of MGS4, and in the longest sequence of cutscenes in history, Snake decides to live out
16:31his remaining months in peace. It's an unexpected and beautiful conclusion to Solid Snake's story.
16:37However, Kojima originally envisioned a much, much darker ending, with Snake and Otacon surrendering
16:43themselves to the UN for their role in Metal Gear terrorism, and being sentenced to execution.
16:48Kojima's team found this conclusion too bleak, and reportedly refused to continue working unless
16:53he revised it. Imagine that, someone telling Kojima this is a bit much. Well done team, I wish someone
16:59had stood up to him when it came to Princess Beach in Death Stranding.
17:13Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo,
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17:29We'll see you next time.
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