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Metal Gear Solid

Synopsis

by Matthew House

Led by General Augustine Eguabon, a terrorist organization known as the Gindra Liberation hijacked a United States transport plane carrying a top-secret weapon. That weapon is Metal Gear, the most dangerous and effective nuclear weapon ever created; destroyed seven years ago, the US government redesigned the machine and made it even better. In the hands of Eguabon and his terrorist regime, Metal Gear could signify a nuclear holocaust.

Upon launching a full-scale infiltration mission on Gindra Liberation's Outer Heaven (located in Central Africa) base, the government wanted the man responsible for Metal Gear's first demise. His name is Solid Snake, the world's best espionage agent. Using stealth tactics, he's managed to thwart numerous terrorist activities including Big Boss and dispose of vile terrorist leaders. There's only one problem, though: he's retired and living in Alaska.

Roy Campbell, military colonel and commander of the mission, informed "the Legend" on the situation; everything from Metal Gear being hijacked to the location of the mission. With unfinished business at Outer Heaven, Solid Snake reluctantly accepted the mission. As Snake, the fate of mankind is resting upon your shoulders.

Based on the renowned PlayStation title of the same name, the Game Boy Color version of Metal Gear Solid contains over 50 missions involving infiltration, suspense and stealth with 180 VR Training missions. As always, Snake is to remain unseen at all times. With surveillance cameras and armed guards patrolling Outer Heaven, this is often easier said than done. If seen, you have two options: engage in a firefight or evade the guards and hide. In almost any situation, the latter is the safest option as this is a stealth mission -- Snake isn't exactly armed like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Commando. You can hide in muddy swamps, the back of any given truck, behind walls, tall grass and more.

Fortunately, Solid Snake will have some help from Roy Campbell, Mei Ling, Weasel and Brian McBride via Codec, a communication device. Also in the PlayStation version of Metal Gear Solid, Mei Ling is a brainiac Ph.D. candidate Massachusetts Institution of Technology. Not only is she responsible for the radar system used on the mission, she's big on Chinese proverbs, technical support and will save game data. Often compared to Snake, Weasel has an extensive knowledge of weapons and any boss characters the Gindra Liberation may have. Finally, Brian McBride is the Director of Operations in Africa. Contact him for agricultural information and Gindran affairs.

Along the way, Solid Snake will amass a healthy collection of firepower including assault rifles and silenced pistols...just incase you need 'em. Additionally, you'll interact with items such as health-increasing rations, ammunition, key cards and more. Not only should you keep a close eye on terrorist activity, you should pay attention to your surroundings as some items are highly important to your progression.

Making use of the Game Boy Color's link-up feature, Metal Gear Solid also features a VS Battle mode for two players. There are three victory conditions: obtain three data discs, kill your opponent three times in a game or be in possession of more data discs as time expires. Additionally, there are two unique weapons including the Five-seveN and Stun Grenade, each making your opponent visible for 10 seconds at a time.


Features

  • Infiltrate a terrorist organization as Solid Snake
  • Over 50 challenging levels and 180 VR training missions
  • Challenge a friend via VS Battle mode using a Game Link cable

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Extra Credits

by Scott Alan Marriott

Originally entitled Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, Metal Gear Solid for the Game Boy Color is based on the 1998 PlayStation game of the same name, which has shipped over 5.5 million copies worldwide (as of March 2000). Interestingly enough, the handheld game takes place within the same time period as the PlayStation version, despite having an entirely new storyline. Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear made its U.S. debut in 1987 on the 8-bit NES.