Summary
Ever since the revolutionary stealth-action titleMetal Gear Solidhit the gaming scene, series creator Hideo Kojima has always made sure that there are bits of treasure to reward the player with for their hard work, whether simply beating the game for the first time, or, in the later entries, unlocking them after completing specific requirements and spending resources to have them created by an R&D team.
Many are likely aware of the more iconicMetal Gear Solidunlocks, like stealth camouflage and the infinite ammo bandanna, and some may remember special weaponry like a sawed-down assault rifle with an infinity-shaped barrel. However, what are some of the weirdest ones a player can be rewarded with?
Metal Gear Solidhad two endings, whereby a specific quick-time event would decide whether Snake would escape with either the dorky scientist Otacon or the rookie soldier Meryl. Whichever ending is achieved, the player will receive one of two aforementioned special items: stealth camo, or an infinite ammo bandanna.
Those who complete thebest PS1 stealth gametwice and get both endings will receive a bonus reward: Snake will be decked out in a tuxedo. While it’s never commented on, the formal ware has appeared in future installations as well. The Boss in the third entry scolds Naked Snake for bringing it on the battlefield, to his child-like disappointment.
This one is a rather unexpected unlock inMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty: a pair of shades. If the game iscompleted in its fullesttwice, Snake and Raiden will be decked out with some flashy and colorful sunglasses.
None of these will provoke any dialogue, and, funnily enough, they will remain on their face during both cutscenes and gameplay. There aren’t any benefits to this, and they can’t be equipped or removed. It’s just a design choice that crops up with nary an explanation, which only makes their inclusion even funnier, in all honesty.
3Banana Camo - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
There were plenty of camouflages that Naked Snake could deck himself out in during theiconicMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.Some of them were submitted as part of a design contest in Japan. One of the winners was the potassium-rich Banana camo.
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Originally, one would have to complete the Snake Versus Money minigame with perfect scores on each stage on the PS2 version. The 3DS port would give it to players who chose “I LikeMetal Gear Solid: Peace Walker" when booting up a new game. While it’s rubbish for hiding the player, its ability to make any food taste good, results in much more stamina recovered.
This outfit was a rather iconic inclusion for its time. After all, it was a legendary stealth-action franchise crossing over with a fresh IP that was bowling over fans and reviewers seamlessly. The robes of Altair fromAssassin’s Creedwere indeed an unlockable outfit.
To receive it, players need tobeat the gamewith an Assassin emblem (which has a rather specific selection of requirements to make happen) or type in a passcode after beating the game. While it, too, harbors no special abilities, it looks very cool on Old Snake
.
5Corpse Camo - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots
Players who struggle at playingMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriotsare handed quite the consolation prize after dying a whopping 51 or more times while playing the campaign.
The Corpse Camo disguises Old Snake as a skinless dead body. Geckos and their Dwarf counterparts won’t pay any attention when laying on the ground motionless in this, and enemies will call off an Alert upon finding the player as well. If Snake is hiding in a box and an enemy pulls it off of him, they can be grabbed in close-quarter combat,resulting in them screaming in fear.
Bananas are delicious and nutritious herbs (technically, they’re not fruit!) that are commonly grown in South America, whereMetal Gear Solid: Peace Walkertakes place. Big Boss doesn’t eat them to regain health, but instead can instead get the R&D team to fund and “create” a banana to be used as a weapon.
It’s a substitute for an actual gun for the Hold-Up side-op missions, where it must be aimed at a guard from behind to fool them into surrendering. It has no special abilities; it’s just a regular banana. And, oddly enough, it can be upgraded.
7Sling Band - Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
A special weapon that can only be unlocked by completing theGear Rex hunting missionsand getting the MSF R&D team to research it, the Sling Band is a silly weapon that is only usable by a team of 4-players online.
It’s quintessentially a giant slingshot. Three troops must hold it down in place, while a fourth is fired from the enormous rubber band, turning themselves into a homing projectile that can be steered mid-flight before crashing into something or someone. Consequently, the unlucky volunteer is instantly knocked out and must be revived. It’s quite a quirky novelty weapon, as the damage dealt against bosses is nothing to scoff at.
8Hideo Kojima - Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker / Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Kojima likesinserting himself in his own gamesthrough whatever means he deems fit, e.g. secret ghostly apparitions, writing his own name in and around the game, and so on.Peace Walkergoes a step further by making him a recruitable soldier.
He can be found in the mission ‘Infiltrate the Crater Base’, and during the interactive cutscene with the trucks, he is located in the middle truck. Big Boss will express his surprise and consequently Fulton him to MSF as an ideal R&D candidate. He’s also made cameos in future games as a hirable mercenary as well.
Though lambasted for its disappointingly brief length,Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroesdid offer players a chance at earning some loot early on for the fifth game that was set to come sometime after it. One of them was an outfit that made Big Boss look like Solid Snake’s in-game model fromMetal Gear Solid.
Completing the secretDéjà Vu missionand answering all questions correctly on the quiz on Normal difficulty granted players this outfit, and even changed the guards’ appearance to how the Genome soldiers’ models from the first game. It can be carried over to the fifth game, one of thebest third-person immersive sims. Like the unlockable Sneaking Suit, can reduce damage and footstep noise while rendering the user unnoticeable from night vision goggles.
Venom Snake can commission the creation of big guns, mechs, camouflages, and equipment inMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. A Water Pistol is but one unlockable item that can be created, too.
While it can’t fire bullets, the water ejected from it is able to fry electronics, blind guards briefly, extinguisha certain fiery boss(it’ll require a lot of shots to do so, though), and temporarily stun the Skulls. Alongside all of this, it can hold up unsuspecting enemies and has infinite ammo. Still, it’s a very peculiar “weapon” to unlock compared to the rest of the deadly ordinance.
