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''Metal Gear'' is a Stealth-based Game designed by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami . It was Kojima's debut game and served as the inaugural title for Konami's flagship '' Metal Gear '' series. Originally released for the MSX2 in Japan and Europe in 1987 , the game was later Port ed to the Nintendo Family Computer in Japan and its counterpart, the Nintendo Entertainment System , in North America and Europe, with considerable changes made to it. Several versions based on these two versions were later released for various platforms. The NES version was ported to the '' with a new and more complete Translation for English releases. This will be the first time ''Metal Gear'' will be released in North America in its original form. RELEASE DATES
STORY In infiltrated the Outer Heaven stronghold. Days later, contact with Gray Fox is lost and his last transmission simply reads "METAL GEAR..." Operative Solid Snake , FOXHOUND's newest recruit, is ordered by leader Big Boss to rescue Gray Fox and carry out his mission. Upon insertion into Outer Heaven, Snake makes contact with local resistance members Kyle Schneider, Diane, and Jennifer. Using all of his skills and the equipment he procured on site, he manages to rescue Fox. He learns from Fox that Metal Gear is the codename of a nuclear warhead-equipped bipedal walking tank, which can engage and dominate in all forms of combat as well as launch its nuclear warheads from any location. Outer Heaven plans to use Metal Gear to impose itself as the new world superpower. In order to destroy Metal Gear, and topple the Outer Heaven mercenaries, Snake rescues the lead engineer of Metal Gear, Dr. Drago Petrovich Madnar, and his daughter, Ellen. Armed with information on how to destroy Metal Gear, his skill and indomitable spirit, Snake fights through the entire Outer Heaven force. He begins to notice that traps being set for him are too precise, and wonders how information on his activities is being tracked. Moreover, Schneider is wounded by hostiles and is presumed dead after losing contact with Snake. Upon destroying the powerful Outer Heaven defense system, Snake is able to neutralize Metal Gear. As he makes his way out of the compound's basement, he is confronted by the mysterious mercenary leader of the Outer Heaven forces, who turns out to be Big Boss himself. Big Boss has been using his connections in the U.S. government to establish his own mercenary force, corrupt and steal military intelligence, and fund his activities. It was his aim to have Outer Heaven become the world's most powerful nation, with him at the top. He had the rookie Snake sent in, hoping to have him captured and feed the U.S. government misinformation, but had underestimated Snake's capabilities. Having lost Metal Gear and much of his force, Big Boss starts the self-destruct sequence for the compound, and an underground battle ensues between Big Boss and Solid Snake. Despite injury, Snake defeats Big Boss and escapes the Outer Heaven compound as it crumbles in flames behind him. Big Boss stays behind and is presumed dead after the explosion. CAST OF CHARACTERS
WEAPONS Firearms
Explosives
GAMEPLAY The objective of the game is to infiltrate Outer Heaven and destroy Metal Gear. The player's initial goal is to reestablish contact with Gray Fox. Like in later installments, the player must avoid visual contact and direct confrontation with the enemy soldiers as much as possible. When the player is seen by the enemy, the background music changes and the game enters Alert Mode. The method of escaping varies depending on the circumstances behind the player's discovery:
At first, the player starts the game unarmed, but eventually gains access to a variety of firearms (starting with the Beretta M92F ) and explosives. Ammo and supplies for each weapon are limited, but are easily replenished. Weapons can not only be used to kill enemies, but also to clear obstacles (such as hollow walls or electrified floors). Snake can also use his fists to defeat patrolling enemies and take any food or ammo they drop behind. The enemy base itself is comprised of three different buildings, with multiple floors (including basement levels) within them. The player uses keycards and other items to unlock doors or explore new areas. Doors will only open to their corresponding keycards. Boss es also appear throughout the game to interfere with the player's progress. Information can be obtained by rescuing hostages being held captive within the buildings. After rescuing five hostages, the player is given a Promotion , increasing their "Rank" (4 stars max) increasing your ammo capacity and maximum health. However, if a hostage is killed, the player is demoted to the previous rank. A transceiver is available for the player to communicate with their commanding officer (Big Boss) or one of the resistance members operating covertly within the fortress. Each of Snake's allies has an extensive knowledge on specific subjects. The transceiver system is completely room-oriented, as certain radio transmissions occur only in certain locations. VERSION DIFFERENCES There were two main versions of ''Metal Gear'' initially produced: the original MSX2 version and the Famicom/NES version. The MSX2 version was the first version of the game, designed by Hideo Kojima and his team, while the NES version was a port, developed by a different team within Konami. The NES version was the more well-known version, being released for a mainstream platform. It was also the only one of the two versions released in North America, in addition to Japan and Europe. The game went through numerous changes and compromises when it was ported to the NES. Konami produced the NES version without Kojima's direct involvement and several changes and compromises were made without his supervision as a result. Kojima has often stated that he did not like the NES version and found the game too hard. Despite this, the NES version sold surprisingly well, especially in the '' (which in turn, became the basis for the original '' Metal Gear Solid ''). As a result, the NES ''Metal Gear'' and ''Snake's Revenge'' are credited for allowing the creation of the later ''Metal Gear'' titles to be possible. Differences between the MSX and Famicom/NES versions
Regional differences between MSX versions Two MSX versions were released: a Japanese version and an English version. For the English release, Konami edited various of the game's radio messages and removed others entirely. Some of the removed messages includes each of Big Boss's comments regarding an item and weapon, and some of Schneider's messages (and practically all of Steve's calls). Reportedly, only 86 of the game's 116 messages were kept. The Japanese MSX manual contains exclusive content not found in the English MSX manual (nor in the Famicom/NES manuals), such as character profiles with illustrations, brief descriptions of the game's bosses, and the complete Specification s of Metal Gear TX-55. Regional differences between Famicom/NES versions In contrast, there are very few differences between regional versions of the NES game. Three versions were released: the Japanese Famicom version, the North American release and the PAL release. The differences between the three are minor. The North American and PAL versions featured a redesigned transceiver screen, while the PAL version fixed some of the glitches from the previous version and featured slightly revised password system. All three versions kept virtually all of the radio messages in the game. Packaging/manual discrepancies in the NES version The NES version of ''Metal Gear'' was released in North America at a time when video games were still lacking in-game storylines for the most part. As a result, when a Japanese game was localized in the U.S., the company that was marketing the game in the U.S. could write any sort of made-up storyline and details in the game's instruction manual without necessarily adhering the original Japanese storyline. Konami of America was very notorious for this practice, often making up their own storylines for their games while paying little or no respect to the original designers' intentions (as evident in some of the '' Castlevania '' and '' Contra '' games). ''Metal Gear'' was no exception; it went through the same questionable marketing treatment. However, unlike some of the other games of its time, ''Metal Gear'' actually provided the player with an in-game narrative (albeit very primitive compared to later titles) which develops the storyline as the player progresses through the game. The in-game translation (which was done by the actual developers) kept the storyline unchanged from the Japanese version. In the NES version's manual and packaging, the game's main villain (whose identity is intentionally kept secret in the actual game) is mentioned to be "Col. Vermon CaTaffy", a mangled reference to Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi . Snake's commanding officer (who is Big Boss in the actual game) is named "Commander South." Moreover, Snake is mentioned as having participated in the Grenada invasion prior to joining FOXHOUND, which contradicts the futuristic timeline of the later games. None of these terms and changes ever made it to the actual game (nor were they featured in the Japanese version's manual). While the manual has negatively affected most people's perception of the NES version, most fans simply treat the manual as a joke. '' Snake's Revenge '' (the western NES sequel to ''Metal Gear'') also went through Konami of America's marketing treatment, but has suffered even worse backlash as a result. Differences between the MSX2 and Mobile Phone versions A mobile phone version of ''Metal Gear'' was released only in Japan on August 18 , 2004 for the I-Mode , EZweb and Vodafone services. The game is based on the original MSX2 version, but includes several additional features and changes.
PlayStation 2 version A PlayStation 2 version was released as a component of ''''. This version includes the changes and enhancements made in the mobile phone version. The North American version included a rewritten English Language script with a more complete translation than the earlier European MSX2 release, as well as a Spanish Language script. i-Revo version Konami began offering a downloadable version of ''Metal Gear'' for PC as part of their I-Revo service in Japan. Unlike the Mobile Phone version and the version included with ''Subsistence'', the i-Revo version of ''Metal Gear'' is an unaltered emulation of the original MSX game. Customers can choose to "rent" the game for a 24 hours or seven days, or purchase the game completely. REFERENCES
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