Endings: Metal Gear Solid 4

"Dissolve"

This is what Director Hideo Kojima had in mind when making Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots. Dissolve was chosen because it's Solid Snake's finale mission and it was to be the end of The Patriots. Another theme within the game is Redemption. Almost every character in the game has a moment of Redemption. One of the characters that did not have a redemptive scene was Vamp. I don't think he was ever meant to be redeemed. Another theme that the game has is sacrifice. The ending of Metal Gear Solid 4 is a perfect way to end the series, but it's also kind of a paradox.


PUT ASIDE THE GUN AND LIVE

"I finally understand the meaning behind your words"

It's no secret that the final cut scene of Metal Gear Solid 4 is long. It almost pushes the hour mark by the time the credits begin to roll. After a few cut scenes, where it finishes out the character's own story ark, it cuts to Solid Snake in a graveyard. This is the same graveyard Big Boss was in at the end of Snake Eater. Snake just sits there holding a gun. He thinks of all that he has done to save the lives of many; and he is ready to do it again. Only this time, the way to do it is to kill himself. He puts the barrel to his mouth, un cocks the gun, and then the camera pulls out over to some trees near by. A gunshot is heard as birds flies away. Like Snake Eater, where I always almost cry at the end of that game, I flinch at the sound of the gunshot. This was to be Snake's last moments and we are with him to the very end. After a brief credit roll, a new cut scene begins.


Snake is on his hand and knees. Sweating profusely and the gun empty. He breaths heavily as he hears a voice. It was telling him that it was good that he didn't kill himself. Snake looks and then there he is, Big Boss. They both stare at each other not knowing what the other will do. Big Boss moves closer raising his Patriot Gun, Snake is quickly reloading his. Big Boss aims his gun and then drops it. Confused, Snake watches as the weapon falls and without warning Big Boss comes in a perform some CQC. It doesn't last long and it ends with Big Boss holding his surviving clone. Big Boss offers peace and he begins to explain everything the Metal Gear Solid series has stood for and what has happened.


IT ALL STARTED WITH HIM


Big Boss begins to do a lot of info dump. I don't really like info dump that much, because it feels lazy, but Metal Gear Solid 4 has deserved this. There was a lot of information that the initial story couldn't do. It begins with how Big Boss is still alive. If Big Boss was in his fifties when they created his clones in the 70s, then that means that Big Boss is around 80 years old. It also shows further understanding of Ocelot's goal from Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2. If you played Metal Gear Solid 3, there is a good chance to know that Ocelot's mother is The Boss. He sacrificed himself, just like she did during The Cold War.

The ruler all.

This is also the moment when we found out who Created The Patriots. It was Zero. Zero was Big Boss's commander during Snake Eater. Zero used the funds of the Philosopher's Legacy to help create the Patriots. Other founders include; Signit, Eva, Para-medic, Big Boss, and Ocelot. Big Boss and Zero was best friends, but a falling out left them separated. They both had different interpretation of The Boss's will. Zero wanted in inside world, a world that comes together as one, but as Zero got older, he became more paranoid. So, to it protect the will he created AIs. Four AIs named after the three Presidents on the Mount Rushmore and another AI named John Doe. Then one day the AIs became self aware and deviated from Zero's and The Boss Will and crated it's own will. One that keeps the AI becoming stronger and more controlled of the world. No one saw this coming. Not even Zero himself. It took a good while, but The Patriots found a way to keep its new found power growing; The War Economy.


SEND ZERO BACK TO NOTHING


Now that the Patriots are no more, thanks to Sunny and the FOXALIVE program, the world has gone back to zero. In Big Boss's Redemption, he kills his old friend and mentor, Zero. Earlier in the game, Snake is implanted with a new version of FOXDIE, and it was designed to kill the original members. Then Big Boss falls. Ready to die, he asks Snake to take him to The Boss's grave. Big Boss then explains that the new FOXDIE is uprooting the old version. The old FOXDIE was mutating, and if it was not for the new version of FOXDIE, the old FOXDIE would have caused a epidemic.


To me, this is where the Paradox begins. Snake goes through a lot of crap to stop Liquid Ocelot, even still. He does all the stuff he was willing to do all along and he never got his sacrifice. If Snake killed himself to make sure that he didn't become a walking virus that can kill everybody, that would have been his ultimate sacrifice. He may not redeemed himself, because he doesn't have a reason too, but at least he can be like his brothers. Sacrificing himself for the greater good. Liquid and Solidus wanted the same thing, to end the Patriots rule. They both sacrificed themselves to make it happen. Even Ocelot sacrificed himself to see it happen. 


IN MEMORY OF A PATRIOT, WHO SAVED THE WORLD

Only one scene comes close. Can you guess?

In Big Boss's final effort of life, he understood what The Boss stood for, and he does one of the greatest scenes ever in gaming. He toughs out the pain, he gets his feet together, he slowly raises his hand, then he salutes his mentor. It's a phenomenal scene from the series, and one of my favorite moments in gaming.


Big Boss shows his respect for Snake for the first time, and as Big Boss raises his hand to shake, he falls. This is the final minutes of Big Boss, and he talks about how Zero, himself, Liquid, and Solidus was not so different. They wanted to change the world for the better. Big Boss then tells Snake that he's unique in ways that he wish he was. Big Boss asks Snake to leave war and live on. He can finally be free.


"Dissolve"


Snake picks up the cigar and places it on Big Boss's lips and he gives one final puff. 


"This is good, isn't it"




No matter how it ended, it's still a fantastic ending to a series that changed gaming. While this isn't the end of Metal Gear, it is the end of Solid Snake. And what an amazing end it is.