Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots [PS3]

Konami's E3 conference on Tuesday was prefaced by mounds of hype and speculation regarding the possible announcement of Metal Gear Solid 4. With the conference now behind us, we've finally got answers to a few key questions. MGS4 will be on PlayStation3, and we now know that Hideo Kojima's role in the production will be every bit as hands-on as before. But in typical Kojima fashion, these answers didn't come without presenting a million other questions that need to be answered.

Otacon
Other Appearances: Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Are we sure this is him?: Yes

After the events of Metal Gear Solid, Otacon joined with Solid Snake to form the group Philanthropy with the objective of eradicating all Metal Gear projects. Otacon's main motive for fighting against Metal Gear is largely based on his family history. Otacon's grandfather helped to create the first nuclear bomb and, as we learn in Snake Eater, his father helped to draft the plans for the first Metal Gear project.

In Metal Gear Solid, Otacon is a scientist unknowingly working on the Metal Gear Rex project. Otacon is well aware of his family's dark past and tries to use his knowledge of science for good causes, which is why the revelation of his work and Metal Gear Rex has such an effect on the fragile man. And while the Otacon of Sons of Liberty is decidedly more stable and hardened, he's still intent on undoing any harm he's caused by destroying Metal Gear completely.

Otacon's isn't much of a field operative, so we definitely don't expect to see him on the front lines of battle in Metal Gear Solid 4. We expect he'll return as a support character, likely over Codec as in Sons of Liberty.

Big Boss?
Other Appearances: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater + original Metal Gear games
Are we sure this is him?: Not certain

First off, let's get this clear: we don't know who this is. This mysterious character appears to be new, though he strongly resembles a major player of Metal Gears past. Could this be the return of Big Boss, the main character of Snake Eater and genetic father of Solid Snake? The eyepatch he wears is on the same eye as Big Boss's eyepatch, and the apparent old age of the character would match with that of Big Boss, who—if he's alive—would be even older than Ocelot.

Beyond that guess, we have no idea who this character is. If this is Big Boss then we can assume he's continuing his efforts from before his disappearance. In the original Metal Gear games, Big Boss is responsible for starting Outer Heaven with the intention of forming the most powerful military force in the world. Before his supposed death at the hands of Solid Snake, Big Boss was using Metal Gear to accomplish his goal. We don't know for certain what happens to Big Boss after the events of Snake Eater. The ending of Snake Eater leaves Big Boss eating sour grapes as he learns of the Philosophers' deceptions, and we assume his Outer Heaven was an attempt to start a country free of the Philosophers' rule.

If he returns for Metal Gear Solid 4 (which honestly makes very little sense), it'll be interesting to see if Solid Snakes sides with him or fights against him. If Big Boss still intends to use Metal Gear to overthrow the Philosophers/Patriots then the conflict of interests between him and Snake (and Otacon) would make for a very interesting plot.

Naomi Hunter? Fortune?
Other Appearances: Metal Gear Solid? Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty?
Are we sure this is her?: Not certain

This is the second mystery character in the Metal Gear Solid 4 poster artwork, and our guess for who she might be is even weaker than for the first. Our only guess is that this is Fortune, the killer female antagonist of Sons of Liberty with the ability to deflect bullets. Visually, the character in this MGS4 art loosely matches some art of Fortune in Sons of Liberty, but doesn't match others. Mainly, the art in this poster lacks the facial features of a black woman (which Fortune is), though some of the Sons of Liberty art looks similarly caucasian.

The only thing that makes us think this may be Fortune is the return of Vamp. At the end of Sons of Liberty, Fortune is shot and assumed dead. But much like Vamp, we don't actually see Fortune breathe her last. If this is Fortune, her motives would be identical to Vamp's though her emotions are likely even stronger. Through Ocelot, the Patriots killed both Fortune's father and her husband, giving her plenty of reason to want them gone.

Other speculation surrounding this mystery character suggests that it is actually Dr. Naomi Hunter from the first Metal Gear Solid. Naomi served as one of the support characters over Codec, but her real role in the story isn't apparent until near the end of the game. Naomi engineered the virus FOXDIE which is designed to infect and kill specific targets. Near the end of the game, we realize that Naomi is actually trying to kill Solid Snake with the FOXDIE and she is taken into custody and jailed. Shortly after the events of Metal Gear Solid, Naomi is broken out of jail and, while not certain, it is believed that Solid Snake was her rescuer.

Naomi Hunter could return in Metal Gear Solid 4 as more support, though now that her main tie to the story is completely dead—her brother, Gray Fox, who is the ninja in Metal Gear Solid—we're uncertain as to why she might be making the return. However, the image in the MGS4 artwork does very closely match art of Naomi Hunter, leading us to believe that this is indeed her.

Special thanks to Phil Ebert and Andrew Converse for help with the finer details of Metal Gear's story.

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