| Series
Generally |
MGS |
MGS2 |
MGS3 |
Other
(MG1, MG2, ZOE, Snatcher) |
| All gameplay from Snake's
arrival until his meeting with the Mk.II reflects the series' usual
formula of forcing him to sneak, unarmed, from a starting point to a
contact with munitions. See Raiden's acquiring the SOCOM pistol from
Plisken in the Big Shell and Naked Snake's acquiring the M1911A1 and
Mk.2 handguns from EVA. |
Players must access Act
I's Briefing from the game's main menu, recalling identical steps
needed
to access MGS1's Briefing. |
Snake infiltrates Act I's
battlefield under the cover of an armed conflict, recalling Raiden's
infiltration of the Big Shell during Seal Team 10's attack. |
Act I's third playable
area
features rubbled buildings, recalling the broken factory near the end
of Virtuous Mission. |
Ocelot's Frog soldiers
wield
machetes similar to Null's blade in MPO. |
| After tossing away his
Middle
East costume, Snake adopts his classic infiltration pose. See his
arrival
on board the Tanker in MGS2 as well as Naked Snake's landing from his
HALO jump in MGS3. |
Campbell briefs Snake on
Liquid's location as he had at the start of MGS1. He wears the same
suit and uses the same cane as Armstech President Kenneth Baker had
in MGS1. |
Snake watches the BB Unit
demolish the Middle East militia, recalling when Raiden watched Vamp
and Fortune slaughter Seal Team 10. |
The BB Unit flourishes its
members' powers when it wrecks the militia's dozer, much as the Cobra
Unit had flourished its members' skills when it kidnapped Sokolov from
the rope bridge at the end of Virtuous Mission. |
The names of the new
Foxhound
Unit's members refer to similar characters from Policenauts. |
| When moving through the
militia's underground base, Snake's Middle East costume disguises him
much as had the Enemy Uniform in MG1, the BDUs in MGS2, and Lab Coat
in MGS3. |
The green light on the PMC
armored transport car's gun mimics the appearance of the gun-cameras
from MGS1. It likewise receives its own cutscene, as the first
surveillance
camera in MGS1 had. |
Snake's Middle East
costume
flies away in a manner that recalls his discarded poncho prior to
bungee
jumping aboard the Tanker in MGS2. |
Snake smokes in the
transport
vehicle en route to the battlefield, recalling the cigar that Naked
Snake had smoked aboard the plane prior to his HALO jump into MGS3's
battlefield. |
Meryl wears a bullet
around
her neck, in reference to her character design in Policenauts. |
| Drebin's monkey, Little
Grey, fits the series' formula for a token pet. See Kio Marv's pigeon
from MG2, Sniper Wolf's wolves from MGS1, Emma's parrot from MGS2,
Fortune's
seagulls from MGS2, and The End's parrot from MGS3. |
Through the Mk.II, Otacon
says he'll follow Snake wherever he goes "like this," demonstrating
the Mk.II's stealth function. This recalls the stealth technology that
Otacon had used to shadow Solid Snake safely during MGS1.
|
Destructible watermelons
recall the same items in the Tanker's pantry and the Big Shell's
kitchen. |
Snake closes his hand over
a dark flower petal in the graveyard, recalling Naked Snake's similar
gesture after defeating The Boss. |
The Mk.II originally
appeared
as a Metal Gear reference in Snatcher. It appears in MGS4 as a
reference
to Metal Gear's iteration in Snatcher. The Mk.II's FPV interface also
features the NeoKobe icon as a reference to Snatcher. |
| Snake's and the new
Foxhound's
battle against the Frogs fits the series' formula for an ambush battle
against high level enemies. See the ambush boss from MG1, the Four
Horsemen
boss fight from MG2, the SWAT Team battle after first meeting Meryl
in MGS1, Snake's shootout with the Gurlukovich mercs en route to the
Tanker's Holds in MGS2, the Arsenal Gear ambush in MGS2, and the
fights
against the Ocelot Unit in MGS3. |
The milita's tank
resembles
the M-1 tank that Raven had piloted in MGS1. |
During Act I's opening,
Snake, Otacon, and Campbell ride in a gunship helicopter recalling
Ocelot's
approach to the Tanker in MGS2. |
The flowers that deck the
graveyard recall those that grew in the field where Naked Snake
defeated
The Boss. |
Snake can use the Mk.II
as a mobile distraction, recalling the Mouse item from Metal Gear 2. |
| Jonathan's !-shaped mohawk
is a tribute to one of the oldest aspects to the series' interface. |
MGS tanks resemble the M-1
Tank piloted by Raven in the snowfield. |
The lasers stitched across
Snake's path to the elevator in Advent Palace recall the C4 trap
sensors
rigged aboard the Tanker. |
Snake receives a good
starting
pack of equipment after reaching the Mk.II, much as Naked Snake had
sufficiently equipped himself after retrieving his backpack at the
start
of Virtuous Mission. |
The Praying Mantis PMC
soldiers
freak out and assault each other, recalling the self-destructive riot
of Army's Heaven's troops after Gene poisoned their thoughts with
distrust. |
| Snake's
arrival via truck recalls his previous rides hitched in the back of
enemy vehicles in Metal Gear 1, Metal Gear 2, and MGS1. |
Drebin offers unexpected
support as MGS1's Grey Fox and MGS2's Mr. X had, and he utters their
shared signature line: "Neither enemy nor friend." |
The Mk.II profiles Snake
through a digital camera interface that recalls the Cypher's
photographing
Snake aboard the Tanker. |
Act I's third playable
area
features elevated iron beams that Snake can balance upon and walk
across,
recalling similar beams placed in the burned factory near the end of
Virtuous Mission. |
|
| Snake
opens
Act I with a lecture about the current state of warfare, recalling
similar
cursory statements about the nature of war for the contexts of MGS2
and MGS3. |
Drebin injects Snake with
nanomachines and a new breed of the FoxDie virus as Naomi had aboard
the MGS1's nuclear submarine. |
Snake discovers PMC
corpses
within the militia's base, recalling the Marine corpses found aboard
the Tanker. |
Philanthropy's Nomad
resembles
the command airship that had held Naked Snake's support staff. |
|
| The Praying Mantic PMC
decimates
militia troops upon Snake's arrival, suggesting the GRU's massacre of
the Tanker's Marines at the opening of MGS2 as well as the Ocelot
Unit's
slaying of KGB patrols at the opening of MGS3. |
Snake encounters Akiba's
traps in Advent Palace, recalling his trip through MGS1's mine field. |
Snake meets Drebin, an
outside
agent whom he doesn't trist, and confers with Otacon, his primary
radio
contact. This recalls Raiden's meet-up with Snake disguised as Plisken
along with his subsequent conference call with the AI Colonel. |
Snake's Solid Eye
resembles
Naked Snake's eyepatch. |
|
| Snake must
escort Akiba through the Frogs' gunfire, much as Raiden had escorted
Emma through the Gurlukovich mercs in MGS2 and as Naked Snaked had
escorted
EVA through the GRU and Ocelot Unit soldiers near the end of Operation
Snake Eater in MGS3. |
During the Frogs' ambush,
Snake and Meryl fight side-by-side through a platoon of high level
soldiers
as they had after their first meet-up in MGS1. |
Drebin removes the ID
locks
that had prevented Raiden from scavenging weapons off the GRU mercs
in the Big Shell. |
Snake receives two
handguns,
one lethal and the other non-lethal, after meeting up with Mk.II,
recalling
Naked Snake's similar provisions after meeting EVA early during
Operation
Snake Eater. |
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| |
Design aspects of the new
Foxhound reflect the skills and designs of MGS1's Foxhound Unit.
Jonathan is a "sleeping giant" with a mohawk, suggesting Vulcan
Raven's design as a large, Native American shaman. He "hates it
when people go around his back," suggesting the tactics necessary
to defeat Vulcan Raven in MGS1's refrigerated warehouse.
Ed is a sniper and a "radio guy," recalling both Sniper Wolf's
calling as well as the locations where Snake had fought her during
MGS1
(before and after Shadow Moses' Communication Towers).
Akiba is the team's "trap otaku," suggesting Decoy Octopus's
and Revolver Ocelot's trap and ambush tactics.
Meryl serves as the unit's leader, recalling Liquid Snake's role as
head of Foxhound. She also praises the ability to communicate
telepathically
via SOP, recalling Psycho Mantis's power to dive into others' minds. |
The top floor bar in
Advent
Palace features bottles lining the wall, recalling the minibar aboard
the Tanker. |
Sneaking through the
militia
base recalls Naked Snake's infiltration of the Graniny Gorki lab
during
Oepration Snake Eater. |
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| |
Snake's one-on-one
encounter
with Akiba recalls his first encounter with Meryl. |
Ocelot lectures Snake from
a balcony, suggesting Marine Commandant Scott Dolph's speech in the
Tanker's Holds. (The presence of scattered, panicking soldiers
reinforces
this suggestion.) |
The military equipment and
other provisions (food, etc.) of the militia's base also suggests the
Bolshaya Past Base from Operation Snake Eater. |
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| |
In shame, Akiba whacks his
head on the ground as Grey Fox had after his fight against Snake in
Hal's lab. |
Snake arrives at the heart
of an enemy base that hoards new Metal Gear models, suggesting Snake's
arrival inside the Tanker holds to verify and photograph Ray. |
Snake appraises the M4
Custom
assault rifle that he receives from Drebin with an eye for detail and
enthusiasm, recalling Naked Snake's praise for the M1191A1 pistol that
he had received from EVA. |
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| |
When Ocelot lectures Snake
about freedom from their shared genetic legacy, the camera work
recalls
Liquid Snake's lecture in MGS1 revering that same legacy. |
Ocelot uses a handheld
walkie-talkie
to activate the SOP destabilizer, suggesting the handheld detonator
that he had used to sink the Tanker in MGS2. (The fact that panic
spreads
among soldiers immediate afterward reinforces this suggestion.) |
NARC Cola sits in an ice
bucket atop a nice rug, recalling the champagne in an ice bucket that
Naked Snake and EVA had shared after Operation Snake Eater. |
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| |
Ocelot's design
incorporates
yellow and black colors, suggesting a combination between Ocelot's old
Western longcoat and Liquid Snake's dark trenchcoat. |
Praying Mantis PMC grunts
break rank and stare around in confusion after Ocelot activates the
SOP destabilizer, recalling the Marine's identical reaction when
Ocelot
and Gurlukovich hijacked the Tanker's Holds in MGS2. |
Snake appraises the Drum
with a mischievous grin, recalling Naked Snake's similar appraisal of
a hornet's nest dangling above a KGB soldier's head during Virtuous
Mission. |
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| |
When the helicopter rises
behind Ocelot, the camera work suggests Liquid Snake's appearance in
front of the Hind D at the beginning of MGS1. |
Ocelot lectures Snake from
an elevated position before escaping in a vehicle, suggesting his
similar
departure from the Tanker with Ray in MGS2. |
Watching two unrelated
factions
fight recalls the showdown between the KGB soldiers and the Ocelot
Unit
at the end of Virtuous Mission. |
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| |
Naomi approaches an
incapacitated
Snake to deliver a recap of her token lecture from MGS1 about "not
being a prisoner to fate." |
The character designs and
skills of the Frog soldiers resemble those of the Arsenal Gear Tengu. |
Machinegun turrets and
other
battlefield installations recall similar weapons found in Bolshaya
Past
Base during Operation Snake Eater. |
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| |
Snake fades in and out of
consciousness as Akiba rubs to his side, lifts him up, and escorts him
to safety. The scenario and scene direction both recall Liquid Snake's
retrieval of Solid Snake after Rex's destruction in MGS1. |
|
The PMC's airstrike
recalls
similar airstrikes that Naked Snake could summon via captured enemy
radio frequencies. |
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Snake meets up with Meryl,
receives intel, and fights through the Frogs' ambush, recalling the
scenario order of Naked Snake's meeting with EVA, receiving intel, and
fighting through the Ocelot Unit's ambush. (In each instance, Snake
and Naked Snake battle high level enemies under Ocelot's command.) |
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Snake encounters supply
and communucation sheds, recalling Naked Snake's discovery of similar
outposts at Bolshaya Past Base. |
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Snake encounters dormant
enemy vehicles (Gekkos on board trucks), recalling Naked Snake's
discovery
of an idle Hind helicopter at Bolshaya Past Base. |
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The Praying Mantis PMC
soldiers'
reaction to Ocelot's SOP destabilization recalls the Ocelot Unit's
panic
when The Pain's hornets attack. (This reference likely shares some
genealogy
with the Marines' panic after Ocelot detonates C4 aboard the Tanker
in MGS2.) |
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Snake will vomit after
rolling
in the Drum, recalling Naked Snake's upchuck if the player spun him
in the Survival Viewer for too long. |
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Gaps between Snake and the
Frogs during the Advent Palace ambush, caused by space between
balconies,
recalls the field strip separating Naked Snake and Ocelot during
Ocelot's
boss fight. |
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Snake enters a red metal
door to access the PMC camp, recalling the red metal doors that Snake
entered to access EVA's mountaintop shack and The Fury's boss fight
area. |
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