2. The Character Switch from Snake to Raiden – Metal Gear Solid 2
The initial reaction most of us had upon playing Metal Gear Solid 2 without Solid Snake as the lead was disappointment mixed with some confusion. Metal Gear Solid 1 was a breakout hit that established the series in the industry, and Solid Snake was a huge part of that formula. So where was Solid Snake and who the heck is this new blond-haired guy?
Well, every player could tell something was strange when they started the Big Shell Incident mission. Everything Raiden does in this mission imitates Solid Snake’s legendary Shadow Moses infiltration from MGS 1. It later gets revealed that Raiden is a mere lab rat experiment to create the perfect soldier, hence why his mission simulates that of the ‘perfect soldier’ that Snake exemplifies with his mission in MGS 1. If MGS 1 didn’t cement just how absolutely meta Kojima’s games could get, then MGS 2 would certify it with the gameplay/story integration of Raiden as the main character.
