Metal Gear Topics

MGS Story Branch
Surely it's no secret that in MGS there are two different endings. Depending on what you choose to do during Revolver Ocelot's interrogation, the storyline branches from that point. The branch decides whether Meryl lives or dies because of a bet Sniper Wolf made with Ocelot. Wolf bet Ocelot that Snake will not submit to torture. The wager was Meryl. If Wolf wins, she gets Meryl, and she won't kill her. If Ocelot wins, Ocelot gets Meryl, and he will torture her to death. So if you endure Ocelot's torture, Meryl will be alive in the ending, and Snake and Meryl will escape the research facility and ride into the sunset together. Or in this case, sunrise. But if you submit and surrender to Ocelot's torture, you will doom Meryl's fate. And she will not be alive in the ending. Instead Snake will ride into the sunset with Otacon. Hence the "Meryl Ending" and the "Otacon Ending" respectively. Why two completely different endings? For a game with a universe so story driven, how can there exist two separate lines of events? It would only cause confusion, why was it done this way at all? There was in fact a logic behind the planning of this branch into alternate universes. MGS was originally developed as the final chapter to end the Metal Gear series. The grandeur of this story and its endings was created with this in mind, to end the Metal Gear universe with an exciting exclamation point. A mission so affecting that would bring an end to the career of the legendary soldier Solid Snake, and finally lead him to retirement. And depending on how the player chose to proceed, the story was going to end differently. The story being the entire Metal Gear story. Unexpected was the worldwide explosion of the title, which led to the game producers' inevitable decision to make a sequel to this enormous hit, thus continuing the MG universe storyline. But which storyline to continue? This was an issue the production team in fact seriously considered during the scripting stages of the production of the sequel. In the MGS2 game itself, the game producers decided to avoid the topic altogether, intentionally too, to not openly discredit nor commit to either of the endings of MGS. Purposefully, Meryl's name was not mentioned even once in MGS2. Though well executed, this solution was of course not enough to satisfy all the devoted gamers of the title. With the release of MGS2, gamers began to ask the question, which ending of MGS was the true ending? In other words, did Meryl live or die? The way I interpret it, with the evidences given to us, I do believe the Meryl Ending was the true ending. In other words, Meryl lives. Evidences such as the Unlimited Bandana being in Snake's possession in MGS2, the Unlimited Bandana being the unlocked item that came with the Meryl Ending in MGS. And also Meryl's presence in the Drama CDs, and the subsequent MGS2 Substance. These all indicated that Meryl was still alive after the Shadow Moses Incident, even though neither the Drama CDs nor MGS2 Substance are a part of the main timeline or storyline of the MG universe. Which is why they are only indications, and none of them actual evidences. Though really it doesn't make too much of a difference at this point which ending branch was the true branch of MGS, some kind of official announcement or commitment would really be appreciated. By many I do dare to proclaim. With all that said, even though to me personally I prefer the Otacon Ending, I do believe the Meryl Ending was in fact the true ending of MGS. 10.10.2002

MGS Story Branch

Surely it's no secret that in MGS there are two different endings.
Depending on what you choose to do during Revolver Ocelot's interrogation, the storyline branches from that point.
The branch decides whether Meryl lives or dies because of a bet Sniper Wolf made with Ocelot. Wolf bet Ocelot that Snake will not submit to torture. The wager was Meryl. If Wolf wins, she gets Meryl, and she won't kill her. If Ocelot wins, Ocelot gets Meryl, and he will torture her to death.
So if you endure Ocelot's torture, Meryl will be alive in the ending, and Snake and Meryl will escape the research facility and ride into the sunset together. Or in this case, sunrise.
But if you submit and surrender to Ocelot's torture, you will doom Meryl's fate. And she will not be alive in the ending. Instead Snake will ride into the sunset with Otacon.
Hence the "Meryl Ending" and the "Otacon Ending" respectively.

Why two completely different endings?
For a game with a universe so story driven, how can there exist two separate lines of events? It would only cause confusion, why was it done this way at all?
There was in fact a logic behind the planning of this branch into alternate universes.
MGS was originally developed as the final chapter to end the Metal Gear series. The grandeur of this story and its endings was created with this in mind, to end the Metal Gear universe with an exciting exclamation point. A mission so affecting that would bring an end to the career of the legendary soldier Solid Snake, and finally lead him to retirement. And depending on how the player chose to proceed, the story was going to end differently. The story being the entire Metal Gear story.

Unexpected was the worldwide explosion of the title, which led to the game producers' inevitable decision to make a sequel to this enormous hit, thus continuing the MG universe storyline. But which storyline to continue? This was an issue the production team in fact seriously considered during the scripting stages of the production of the sequel.
In the MGS2 game itself, the game producers decided to avoid the topic altogether, intentionally too, to not openly discredit nor commit to either of the endings of MGS. Purposefully, Meryl's name was not mentioned even once in MGS2.
Though well executed, this solution was of course not enough to satisfy all the devoted gamers of the title. With the release of MGS2, gamers began to ask the question, which ending of MGS was the true ending?
In other words, did Meryl live or die?

The way I interpret it, with the evidences given to us, I do believe the Meryl Ending was the true ending. In other words, Meryl lives.
Evidences such as the Unlimited Bandana being in Snake's possession in MGS2, the Unlimited Bandana being the unlocked item that came with the Meryl Ending in MGS.
And also Meryl's presence in the Drama CDs, and the subsequent MGS2 Substance. These all indicated that Meryl was still alive after the Shadow Moses Incident, even though neither the Drama CDs nor MGS2 Substance are a part of the main timeline or storyline of the MG universe. Which is why they are only indications, and none of them actual evidences.

Though really it doesn't make too much of a difference at this point which ending branch was the true branch of MGS, some kind of official announcement or commitment would really be appreciated. By many I do dare to proclaim.
With all that said, even though to me personally I prefer the Otacon Ending, I do believe the Meryl Ending was in fact the true ending of MGS.

10.10.2002

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