Outside of pursuing the campaign in each entry of theMetal Gear Solidseries, players have often been given the chance to deliberately sideline with other tasks. Be they missions taking place within Virtual Reality, silly minigames, or unusual side-ops, there are plenty of things for players to engross themselves in.
After all, why should anyone hyper focus on trying to save the world from global threats and potential nuclear war, when time can be spent protecting food from a pack of hungry guards from afar, blasting down an unidentified flying object with a rocket launcher, and catching primates in the jungle?
Metal Gear Solid: VR Missionsis a great selection ofincreasingly-challenging, bite-sized levels taking place within Virtual Reality. Solid Snake can hone his skills in sneaking, target practice, and more. Although, a number of these VR missions deviate towards absurd territories.
Variety level 7 has the player shooting down orange ‘U.F.O.’ targets that will float towards Snake’s position. That’s not too weird, as they appear in other missions on the expansion. What is most certainly weird is Variety level 11. After shooting a few of the U.F.O. targets, a giant flying saucer appears! A cutscene of Snake being abducted will occur if the vessel gets too close.
10Whodunit? - Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions
Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions
Your mission [should you choose to accept it] is to battle your way through over 300classified operations against relentless professional killers.SEEK AND DESTROYTake out dozens of elusive new targets like lethal hovering crystals.PLAY AS THE NINJARip your enemies to shreds with an entire arsenal of stealth Ninja weapons.MYSTERY MODETry and solve complex murder mysteries before you become one.ENDLESS SWARMS OF GUARDSTake out as many guards as you can in 60 seconds or try and stop a 50 foot guard dead in his tracksOVER 300 NEW TRAINING MISSIONSEndless covert operations requiring everything from brute force to a razor sharp mind
The Mystery stages inMetal Gear Solid: VR Missionsrequire some detective work to complete. The final level of the batch is drastically different, however. Instead of taking place in a VR stage like the others, it takes Snake down a corridor to an office, where a guard is laying in a pool of blood. All around the office are supposed clues and Easter eggs. A rifle, sleeping pills, “T.K.” carved into the desk, a pizza - what’s going on?
Before the timer runs out, the “dead” victim gets up and yawns. He wasn’t dead at all, he just fell asleep on a spilled bottle of ketchup! All the clues are red herrings, as well. The whole thing is just one big prank on the unsuspecting player.
9Genola - Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions
Variety levels 11 and 12 are some of the oddest in the series. In the former, a giant Genome soldier named ‘Genola’ (being a parody of Godzilla) must be defeated with a homing missile launcher by blasting his weak points to make him fall over repeatedly before he stomps on an injured, unconscious Meryl.
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In the other, two Genolas will appear, and it’ll only require a single hit from the Stinger to goad the lumbering monsters into fighting one another until they grapple with one another, resulting in them tumbling off the stage and dying. Humorously, both missions have a disclaimer that both stages “have nothing to do with the main game sequence.”
8Protecting A Plate of Curry - Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
The Japanese love curry. Funnily enough, on the Xbox-exclusiveMetal Gear Solid 2: Substance, Konami included a batch of VR missions packed alongside the base game and other features, and one of those missions has Pliskin providing sniper fire to protect exactly that.
Armed with a PSG1 sniper rifle,or a tranquilizer variant with far fewer shots, the player must ensure that the incoming guards are neutralized as they hone in on the delicious meal positioned in the center of the stage. The platform that Pliskin is on cannot be left, so patience and good aim is key. If a guard reaches the curry, they’ll excitedly drop on their knees before the game over screen appears.
7Gurlugon And Mecha Genola - Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
Like Genola, the Gurlugon isa monster that looks like a giant enemy soldierfrom the second game, albeit with a spiky back. Meanwhile, Mecha Genola is a giant robotic Genome soldier that is exclusive to Snake’s Variety missions.
Both boss battles have a few alternate means of defeating them. A dirty magazine can send the Gurlugon in a frenzy, causing it to have a nosebleed and pass out, while Mecha Genola inMGS1Snake’s mission can be pushed into a bowl of flour and water before a giant frying pan falls on its head. It’s both surprising and hilarious how much thought has been put into alternate methods of defeating these giants.
6Skateboarding - Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (Xbox)
Completing all 300 VR missions may as well be virtual brutality, as they can be fiendishly difficult. However, on the original Xbox version ofMetal Gear Solid 2: Substance, completing them all will unlock a unique tie-in to theTony Hawkseries: skateboarding around the Big Shell.
There are rails to grind and balance on, cipher drones to knock down, and collectibles to nab within a strict time frame. A grade is offered upon completion, depending on how many of the objectives are met. During it all, a ska cover version of theMetal Gear Solidtheme jams along in the background - enough to make any nineties-born person feel nostalgic.
5Streaking - Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
InMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Raiden is captured and imprisoned within the armored fortress Arsenal Gear with no clothes for a brief section of the game. He’s unable to use guns or hang from railings, so it’s pretty challenging.
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In the unlockable ‘Raiden X’ stage, players will have to get the nude hero through a series of VR maps consecutively without getting caught. Getting spotted by guards will result in a funny game over screen, where police sirens can be heard in the background to some dramatic music.
As a bit of a kooky tie-in with theApe Escapeseries, Solid Snake visits the jungle to capture monkeys with sirens on their headgear. The stunning and capture of the mischievous apes on each stage is against the clock, and rewards for the main game are given to those who can complete these in the shortest possible time.
Due to copyright issues, Snake Versus Monkey mode hasnever been seen beyond the original PlayStation 2release. It’s a real shame, as it’s a very entertaining and addictive crossover/mini-game.
During Old Snake’s revisit of Shadow Moses Island inMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots, a dream sequence will occur. Players will essentially be given a chance toreplay a portion of the first game, right as Snake emerges from the cavern elevator and onto the snowy grounds.
It’s a nostalgic bit of fan-service, and if the player can get in the base, they will be rewarded anMGS1version of Snake as head camo. Still, it’s a very unexpected inclusion for players who went from playing a detailed, gritty-looking title for the PS3 to a brief emulation ofMetal Gear Solidwithout an immediate explanation.
Side-Ops come in abundanceinMetal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Destroying supplies, neutralizing all troops, collecting lost goods - they’re worth replaying to unlock helpful items and weapons. Some of these missions involve holding up enemy sentries… with a banana.
Well, the game is set in South America, where bananas are grown en masse, and it’s to prevent players from killing anyone with an actual gun. It must be seriously humiliating to be captured by a soldier armed with a bit of food, only to realize this fact far too late.
