Press Start: Why 'Metal Gear Solid 2's' Raiden was misunderstood
Hideo Kojima threw gamers a curveball with “Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty,” the sequel to the original PlayStation's famous tactical stealth game.
What was the legendary developer's grave sin? He dared to replace the first game's beloved protagonist with someone new for the sequel.
In the original “Metal Gear Solid,” players took on the role of Solid Snake, the sexy, mullet-adorned hero who goes on a top-secret mission to save the United States from a nuclear attack. But for the majority of “Metal Gear Solid 2,” players are given a new hero to control: Raiden, a young and somewhat feminine-looking soldier with luscious golden hair that would make any girl jealous.
Fans weren't happy for a number of reasons. In a quest to better understand gamers' loathing for the character—and defend Raiden's honor, because he really is a pretty sweet character—I've rounded up fans' biggest complaints against the guy in an effort to prove Raiden's worth.
Note: This article contains spoilers for "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Libery" and "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots."
SO WHAT IF HE'S NOT SNAKE?
Being a calm, cool and collected soldier literally created for war, Solid Snake became a beloved hero renowned for his heroic exploits and insatiable addiction to cigarettes. Snake became to gamers what Rambo or Indiana Jones were to movie buffs; fast, strong and brave. What more could you ask for in an action hero? A deep, gravelly voice? A skintight spandex suit? Don't worry. Solid Snake had all those bases covered, too.
When “Metal Gear Solid 2” launched, fans of the series couldn't wait to once again play as Solid Snake, this time on the PlayStation 2, a machine far more powerful than its predecessor. Full voice acting, long cutscenes and mindblowing graphics (for the time) made every “Metal Gear” fan excited for the next installment.
I can still see the opening cinematic in my mind. Solid Snake walks alone on a bridge over the Hudson River in Manhattan, sheets of rain pelting his dark poncho. He takes a final drag on his cigarette, flicks it away, and then, without warning, leaps off the bridge, where he lands undetected on a ship passing below. The next two hours after that are bliss, as players guide Snake deep inside the ship's bowels on a mission for confirmation that the freighter is secretly transferring a nuclear weapon known as Metal Gear.
After a few hours of play, the game's setting shifts and you take on the role of a masked character who I, like many others, first mistook for Snake in disguise. After only a few minutes, as the man removed his mask and revealed his true identity, I realized I was dead wrong. From that point on, players take on the role of Raiden.
Now, “Metal Gear Solid 2” was my first experience with the franchise, so I didn't really know any better, but to me, Raiden was the main character of the series. (Though, after beating the game, I did think Solid Snake was cooler.) To fans of the first game, playing as Solid Snake for the prologue of the sequel only to spend the rest of the game as this admittedly slow-to-warm-up-to kid must have been a hard pill to swallow.
But it's not as though players couldn't control Snake at all. The prologue was a solid and lengthy part of the game, and Snake still had a major role in the overall story, so his presence wasn't completely absent. Raiden and Snake moved in the same way, too, meaning players weren't at a disadvantage playing as him instead of Snake.
Loathing a character simply because he isn't one you prefer isn't exactly rational, now is it?
WHINE, WHINE, WHINE
“Metal Gear” fans are quick to say that Raiden is hated because of his tendency to gripe. But after playing the game through several times, I'm having a hard time remembering even one instance where Raiden really whines.
Sure, he argues. He yells. He defends his points of view and feelings when his reality comes crashing down around him. He even complains. But what PTSD-riddled child-soldier-turned-war-machine wouldn't when trying to single-handedly take down a terrorist organization and learning in the process that his entire life is nothing more than a fabrication? I hardly consider reacting negatively to such a situation to be "whiny." It's realistic, it's relatable, and, at times, it' s even endearing.
Furthermore, Raiden's uncertainty in himself, his girlfriend, his boss and the mission itself helps develop Raiden's character. You learn a lot about Raiden's past through interactions with those around him, and it becomes clear by the end of the game why he has such a hard time adjusting to things like love and trust. Once you find out that he has legitimate reasons for acting like an angsty teenager, you start to sympathize with him.
I suppose people were used to playing as Solid Snake, an emotionless husk who exists only to fight and kill. Raiden interjected a bit of humanity and raw emotion into the series. For that, he was mistaken for a whiner.
At one point in the game, Raiden is captured by the enemy, stripped naked and tortured. For the next several minutes, players lead him through a freezing, enemy-infested base—without weapons and still in the buff—which basically reduces him to his most vulnerable state. During this segment of the game, Raiden learns his boss is an artificial intelligence and that his girlfriend is not only pregnant but got close to Raiden only to spy on him. While naked, freezing and alone in the dark, Raiden's world shatters, and suddenly his fear and anger and sadness all make sense.
And yet when he's at his lowest, he still pushes on.
Raiden doesn't just develop emotionally, either. By “Metal Gear Solid 4,” Raiden becomes a cybernetic ninja who fights enemies by holding swords with his feet and basically breakdancing like a madman. If that doesn't make for an awesome character, I don't know what does.
I can understand why diehard fans had a hard time adjusting to a new character, one they saw as much weaker and far less "cool" than the legendary hero Solid Snake. But really, Raiden is a well-rounded character who, like real people, has flaws and expresses fears and, unlike real people, eventually turns into an unstoppable cyborg ninja in high heels.
And that's really something that every good story needs.
Video game columnist Jake Magee has been with GazetteXtra since 2014. His opinion is not necessarily that of Gazette management. Let him know what you think by emailing jmagee@gazettextra.com, leaving a comment below, or following @jakemmagee on Twitter.