Metal-gear-solid

Metal Gear Solid [Konami, 1987-][related: The End, Hideo Kijima, Psycho Mantis]
Ongoing series of stealth action video games developed and directed by Hideo Kijima centering on the pursuit of Metal Gear, a nuclear-armed bipedal form of walking A.I. with the capability of destroying humanity. The series' protagonist is most often Solid Snake, a special forces operative based on Escape from New York 's Snake Plissken (played by award-winning actor Kurt Russell). Notable for its exploration of philosophical issues, regular breaking of the fourth wall, and the almost byzantine complexity of its story lines, Metal Gear Solid stands as a prime example of VPD functionality. Moments of "palpable poignance" from the series are too numerous to catalog and include:

• Psycho Mantis, a floating man in a gas mask and self-proclaimed clairvoyant. Snake's encounter with Psycho Mantis begins with the possession and attempted seduction of Meryl, the game's female protagonist and culminates with Psycho Mantis taking control of the player's controller, causing it to shake vigorously ¹ . Defeat of Psycho Mantis only occurs upon removal of the game controller from port 1 and insertion into port 2, thereby disabling the villain's ability to telekinetically control and predict Snake's movements.
• The End, the parrot-loving centenarian villain of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater . Although The End's skills in stealth, marksmanship , and camouflage are unparalleled, he can be defeated via an inordinate number of week-long saves ² , thus causing him to die of old age.
• Numerous instances of defecation and urination factoring into Metal Gear Solid 's gameplay, including characters soiling themselves out of fear and the "Wolf Box", an elaborate process involving wolves urinating on a box in which Snake is concealed, thus rendering him safe from wolf attack for the remainder of the game.
• The ladder scene ³

Cyberpunk, as portrayed by William Gibson in Neuromancer, is a stated influence of Kijima's, as are the works of Thomas Pynchon . Games influenced by the Metal Gear Solid series are too numerous to name, though the "cornfield" in Second Life is often cited as a notable and direct nod Kijima's work.

¹ Upon release of the game the mechanism used by Psycho Mantis to take possession of the port 1 controller was unclear and led to accusations of occultism from various parent organizations, in part due to the trauma experienced by younger players of the game, a controversy intensified when, later in the series, Psycho Mantis's ability to change channels on the player's television monitor is revealed.

² A second technique for defeating The End in this manner was recently discovered involving the manipulation of the in-game console clock.

³ In perhaps its most notorious scene, the Metal Gear Solid 's central protagonist spends upwards of seven solitary minutes climbing a metal ladder following the defeat of The End to the soundtrack of enochian Light Singing.