There is a long list of reasons explaining why Metal Gear Solid is one of the most iconic video game franchises in history. They include things like the deep plot, unique character concepts, and engaging gameplay. However, there's a good chance that shock value actually sits right at the top of that list.
Since Metal Gear Solid hit PlayStation in 1998, it has blown away gamers with some of the most absurd plot twists and ideas ever seen, making for an ideal game to adapt into a movie. In fact, the Hideo Kojima led series could be considered the wildest franchise in video game history. That's thanks in large part to moments like these.
Raiden vs. Vamp
In Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, you spend most of the time playing as Raiden instead of legendary hero Solid Snake. In it, Raiden came up against a villain named Vamp who seemed to legitimately be a vampire. He could run up walls, survive getting shot, and had a hunger for blood.
Vamp was way cooler than Raiden. That changed when Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots arrived and Raiden was now something of a cyborg ninja. There are several scenes throughout this game where they battle in some of the wildest fights you'll ever see. The highlight is one you can barely pay attention to as it happens on a split-screen while you fight a boss.
Naked Raiden
Not every case of something absurd happening in this franchise was a good thing. That's how it is with this lengthy scene in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. After Raiden was imprisoned by Solidus and Ocelot, he was left naked on a torture device.
Although he got free, he never found his clothes. That forced the player to run around an entire level in the nude. It's one of the weirdest experiences in gaming history as Raiden attempted to fight and even do cartwheels while holding his private parts out of view.
Liquid Stops Firearms
There are a lot of cutscenes in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. It reaches a point where the player doesn't even have to touch the controller for up to 90 minutes. One of the lengthiest cutscenes saw a moment where Liquid Ocelot does something truly shocking.
Using the nanomachines in the guns of the soldiers facing off with him, he proved his control. He managed to stop them all by just pointing his fingers and then fired things back off at them. His line about the system being his only added to the sheer absurd greatness of this moment.
Patriots Are Dead
Once the franchise began bringing in the entire concept of the Patriots, things got really confusing. The idea of the group was that it was a secret organization that covertly controlled pretty much everything that happened in the United States. They were a huge part of Sons of Liberty.
That made it all the more shocking to hear the post-credits scene. Otacon revealed that his research into the list of names of The Patriots detailed that they were all dead and had been for about 100 years. It might not be something you get to see but it's a wild twist to leave the player stunned.
Fortune Has Powers
Fortune might be one of the antagonists of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty as a member of Dead Cell. However, she actually has one of the more tragic tales in a series filled with them. It started when her father, a Marine Corps commander, died during the game's opening scene.
Throughout the story, she seemed to be magical as bullets would redirect and miss her. She believed she was special due to this but then it was revealed that this gift was given to her and caused by an electromagnetic field around her. Though Ocelot turned it off and shot her, it was mind-blowing to see her stand up and redirect missiles, proving she did have special abilities all along.
Peace Walker Ending
A lot of fans may have unjustly overlooked Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker since it was originally only released on the PlayStation Portable. However, those who played it know that it's one of the best entries in the entire franchise. A major reason is the ending.
It's rather difficult to explain, though. A massive mech carrying nukes actually gains sentience and if that's not weird enough on its own, the sentience is basically the ghost of The Boss. That leads the robot to walk into the sea, committing suicide and preventing war.
Raiden Stops A Ship
Honestly, pretty much everything involving the ninja version of Raiden makes for some of the wildest scenes in the series. However, the top of the list would have to be when Raiden went the extra mile to save Snake from being crushed to death by a ship driven by Liquid Ocelot.
To get there, Raiden had to use his sword to cut his arm off and then he dragged himself over in front of Snake. While there, he somehow managed to stop the entire ship with his cyborg body. It doesn't make much sense, adding to the ridiculousness of it all but it's awesome and emotional.
Liquid Lives On
One of the best aspects of the original Metal Gear Solid was Liquid Snake. He made for a tremendous villain and the voice acting of Cam Clarke added a ton to the character. His death at the end of the game was a fitting conclusion so it was a shock that he was in the sequel.
However, it wasn't just a case of Liquid being in the game. It was truly wild that the way he lived on was through his arm, which had been transplanted onto Revolver Ocelot's body. Just through his arm, he was able to possess Ocelot to do his bidding.
The Colonel Glitches
If Liquid possessing Ocelot and the "La-li-lu-le-lo" storylines weren't enough to confuse gamers in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, there was the glitching Colonel segment near the tail end. Colonel Campbell contacted Raiden with messages that were increasingly strange.
He breaks the fourth wall, tells you to turn off your game, and tells a story about alien abduction. There are also times where he just blurts out gibberish. Considering this happens as Raiden ran around naked, the whole situation was extra unsettling.
Psycho Mantis Fight
You simply can't deny the experience that was this fight the first time it happened. As you battled him in Metal Gear Solid, he did things like make your controller vibrate with his mind and would turn your screen black, making you think the game shut off.
To top it off, he would read your memory card and list off some of the games you had saved. The whole thing was mind-blowing, kind of terrifying, and left players unsure of how to combat him. It's one of the greatest boss fights in gaming history and an incredibly creative battle.