Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake – 1990
In terms of shaping and defining the series as it is now, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake may well be the most important. Many of the mechanics and characters so familiar to us now were born here: the Soliton radar, Colonel Campbell, crouching and crawling, vision cones, and key cards – glorious key cards.
Legend has it that Kojima bumped into an ex-colleague on a train, and learned that a western sequel to Metal Gear was in development – he was irked by this. Kojima allegedly penned the entire plot and concept for Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake on that same train journey. In it, we once again join Solid Snake, as he is dispatched by Campbell to Zanzibar Land to investigate a disturbance. Big Boss makes a return as the compelling villain, and we see an early iteration of the troubled fan-favorite Frank Jaeger, AKA Grey Fox.
