Metal Gear Solid 4: Timeline Overview

It has been more than twenty years since the release of the  original Metal Gear for the home computer…and the series has changed quite a bit since then! THe main character, black ops operative Solid Snake, has aged considerably due to the cloning process that created him. But he still works for the special operations unit FOXHOUND, and he still employs technology that makes him extraordinarily badass. The timeline of the Metal Gear Solid series is very complex…before I delve any deeper into describing MGS4, let’s have a quick summary of the series plotline. 

In Metal Gear Solid, Solid Snake is called out of retirement to take on FOXHOUND, which has gone rogue under the leadership of Liquid Snake, and has acquired an extremely lethal walking tank known as Metal Gear REX. When Solid Snake infiltrates the hanger housing Metal Gear REX, Liquid Snake is there and reveals that they are both creations of an early 1970’s government project to clone legendary mercenary Big Boss. Solid Snake received all of Big Boss’ dominant genes, and Liquid Snake received all of his recessive ones, making them both clones of Big Boss. Solid Snake kicks Liquid’s ass in a fistfight, and destroys Metal Gear REX. At the end of the game, it is revealed there is a third clone of Big Boss, called Solidus Snake…and that this third clone is also President of the United States. 

In Metal Gear Solid 2, Solid Snake appears to be killed early in the game in a terrorist attack by former Liquid Snake henchman Revolver Ocelot. Ocelot escapes with a new Metal Gear, Metal Gear RAY, in tow. Two years later, U.S. government agent Raiden is working for FOXHOUND, which is now under U.S. control again and has been reformed. The President of the United States is kidnapped by a terrorist group called the Sons of Liberty, and Raiden teams up with U.S. Navy Seal Iroquois Pliskin to rescue him. The President(not Solidus, who resigns his presidency at some point between MGS1 and 2) reveals that the entire democratic process is a sham, and that the United States is really controlled by an organization called the Patriots. The President is killed shortly thereafter by Revolver Ocelot, who is working for the Sons of Liberty. Raiden discovers that the Sons of Liberty have in their possession a new Metal Gear called Arsenal Gear, and he must destroy it. At this point, Pliskin reveals himself to be Solid Snake, who survived the terrorist attack. While attempting to disable Arsenal Gear, Snake and Raiden are captured by Solidus Snake, the true leader of the Sons of Liberty. Solidus navigates Arsenal Gear into downtown Manhattan, and reveals to Raiden that he is going to attempt to destroy Manhattan’s digital infrastructure via electromagnetic pulse, and lead the nation against the Patriots. Arsenal Gear comes to a halt and launches both of them onto the top of Federal Hall, and Raiden kills Solidus in a duel. At game’s end, Solid Snake and Raiden are reunited with Snake’s friend and sidekick Otacon-Snake tells Raiden that he and Otacon are going to hunt down and destroy the Patriots.

Metal Gear Solid 3 is a prequel, with the player controlling Big Boss during his Special Ops days during the height of the Cold War in the 1960’s. 

In Metal Gear Solid   4, Snake has rapidly aged due to side effects of cloning, and the world is now in chaos due to the rise of Private Military Companies, which have replaced    conventional armies. Snake is called out of retirement once again, this time to eliminate Revolver Ocelot, who has now taken the name Liquid Ocelot, and is now in charge of his very own PMC. From there, the game begins… 

Expect a full review of MGS4 soon, I just thought a quick overview/ timeline would do well. Enjoy. 

-Kolametal