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==Development== Kojima was asked to take over a project from a senior associate. ''Metal Gear'' was intended to be an action game that featured modern military combat. However, the MSX2's hardware limited the number of on-screen bullets and enemies, which Kojima felt impeded the combat aspect. Inspired by ''The Great Escape'', he altered the gameplay to focus on a prisoner escaping.<ref name="RG-35">{{cite journal| journal = [[Retro Gamer]]| publisher = [[Imagine Publishing]]| title = Before They Were Famouos| issue = 35| page = 74|first = John| last = Szczepaniak}}</ref> ===MSX2=== ''Metal Gear'' was originally released on the MSX2 home computer in Japan on July 12, 1987, with an official English version released for the European market on September 1987. Most of the radio messages were edited or removed in the English version, including Big Boss' comments on every item and weapon found by the player. According to a fan-translation project, only 56% of the original Japanese text was translated in the English version. The translation contains many examples of Engrish, such as consistently misspelling "destroy" as "destoroy". The Japanese version's manual contains exclusive content not found in the English manual, such as character profiles with illustrations, brief descriptions of the game's bosses, and the complete specifications of the Metal Gear tank.The MSX2 version of ''Metal Gear'' was released for the Wii Virtual Console in Japan on December 8, 2009. ===Nintendo Entertainment System=== A reprogrammed version for the Family Computer (Famicom) was released in Japan on December 22, 1987. While the MSX2 version of this game was never released in the U.S., the Nintendo Entertainment System version came to North America in June [[1988 in video gaming|1988]] (published by Konami's [[Ultra Games]] division), followed by [[PAL region|PAL version]] in Europe and Australia in the same year the North American version was released. According to Kojima's account, the NES port was developed by another Konami team at Tokyo without his involvement, who were given the source code from the MSX2 version without the consent of Kojima or anyone who had worked on the original MSX2 version. While the NES version was intended to be a port of the MSX2 game, many changes were also made to the game during the porting process.<ref name=metalgearfccomment>{{cite web|url=http://www.konami.jp/gs/game/mgs_tts/japanese/limited_0206.html|author=Konami Computer Entertainment Japan website staff|title=Editorial about the Famicom version of Metal Gear|language=Japanese}}</ref><ref name=mgdiff>{{cite web |url=http://retro.ign.com/articles/881/881710p1.html |title=Have You Really Played Metal Gear? |author=Buchanan, Levi |date=2008-06-13 |publisher=[[IGN]] |accessdate=March 31, 2009}}</ref> Hideo Kojima has been vocal about his disappointment at the changes made to the game in its NES port.<ref name=gamerstoday>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerstoday.com/world_tour/kojima/index.html|title=Hideo Kojima: Game Guru, Movie Maniac|author=Steven Kent|quote='''HK:''' I really don't like saying this, but it really wasn't up to my standards. The care that I put in the original wasn't there. It [the Famicom version] was a more difficult game. In the very beginning, when you go from the entrance into the fortress, for example, there are dogs there. In the Famicom version, the dogs just come after you and you get killed. It was too difficult to get into the fortress. The fun stealth element was not there, and the actual Metal Gear, the robot, doesn't appear in the game.}}</ref><ref>{{cite dvd|title=Metal Gear Saga Vol. 1|publisher=Konami|date=2005}}</ref> Masahiro Ueno, who worked as a sub-programmer for the NES version, has stated that the staff who worked on the port were told to complete the game's development in three months. Some of the differences between the MSX2 and NES version, such as the jungle area at the beginning, were enforced by the company's management who wanted to differentiate the NES version from the already-released MSX2 game, while other changes, such as the removal of the Metal Gear boss, were done due to hardware limitations.<ref name=gamestmpt1>{{cite web|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/metalgear/masahiroueno.htm|title=Interview with Masahiro Ueno, by John Szczepaniak | Videogames Website — Hardcore Gaming 101}}</ref> The biggest change to the game was in the overall level design. Instead of the underwater infiltration from the MSX2 game, the NES version features a different opening sequence showing Solid Snake and three other soldiers (who are never seen nor mentioned in any other part of the game) skydiving into the middle of a jungle, where the player begins (instead of starting directly at the entrance of the first building). The player must reach a transport truck at the end of the first jungle area that takes Snake to the front entrance of Building 1. The player can also use other transport trucks that serve as shortcuts to the entrances of the other buildings, although the player cannot do much in those areas without the required equipment. The basement floor that connected Building 1 and 2 in the MSX2 version is turned into two separate (but still connected) buildings, Building 4 and 5 respectively, that are only reachable by going through two different jungle mazes located at the outdoor areas between Building 1 & 2 and Building 2 & 3 respectively. The Metal Gear robot at the end of the game is missing; instead the player destroys an immobile Super Computer guarded by four soldiers. The Hind D boss on the roof of Building 1 was also replaced by two armed turret gunners called "Twin Shot". Other changes includes the lack of the second alert phase, different background music, the removal of the Flying Army's ability to hover and the removal of Big Boss' message after the end credits. Like the English localization of the MSX2 version, the English localization of the NES game contains numerous examples of grammatically-incorrect phrases, such as "Contact missing our Grey Fox", "The truck have started to move!", and "I feel asleep!!"The English localization of the NES version's manual swayed from the game's actual storyline. The game's main villain (whose identity is not revealed until the end of the game) is mentioned to be "Colonel Vermon CaTaffy", while Snake's commanding officer is renamed "Commander South". Additionally, Solid Snake's back-story is embellished, with the manual claiming that he participated in the Grenada invasion prior to joining FOXHOUND. It should be noted that these alterations to the game's plot only appear in the game's manual, but never in the game itself; moreover, the plot summary in the Japanese Famicom version's manual, along with Solid Snake's character profile, is identical to the MSX2 version's Japanese manual.A bonus game disc featuring the Famicom version of ''Metal Gear'' was included in the Premium Package edition of ''Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes'' released only in Japan. ===PC MS-DOS and Commodore 64=== The NES version of ''Metal Gear'' was the basis of two computer ports that were released in 1990 for PC MS-DOS and the Commodore 64 in North America and Europe. The PC MS-DOS conversion was programmed by Charles Ernst, while the Commodore 64 conversion was handled by Unlimited Software Inc. The PC MS-DOS version contains many minor changes, such as a faster-depleting health bar. However, the Commodore 64 version is closer to the NES version, with only small musical and visual changes. A third computer conversion for the Amiga is listed on the rear packaging of both computer versions, but was never released. ===Mobile phones and PlayStation 2=== A version of ''Metal Gear'' was released for mobile phones in Japan on August 18, 2004. It could be downloaded on the i-Mode, EZweb and Vodafone services. Although based on the MSX2 version, it includes several new features and changes. This same version of the game was included as a component of ''Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence'' for the PlayStation 2. The North American version included a retranslated English script, as well as an optional Spanish script. In 2008, Konami began offering the mobile phone version of ''Metal Gear'' to North American players via their Konami Mobile service. The re-released versions were programmed by Aspect Co., Ltd. under Konami's supervision. It is also available for Nokia N-gage gaming platform. New features include two difficulty settings ("Original" and "Easy"), an unlockable Boss Survival mode and an infinite bandana which provides the player with unlimited ammo when equipped (similar to the one featured in ''Metal Gear Solid''). Some of the boss characters were renamed as well. In the Japanese version, the script was changed to include kanji and hiragana, in addition to katakana and romaji. The English version uses a completely new translation different from the early MSX2 and NES localizations. ===PS3, Xbox 360, and PS Vita releases=== A version of ''Metal Gear ''was rereleased within the Metal Gear Solid HD collection, and is available on the menu screen of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. This version is unchanged from the previous itineration release on Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence for Playstation 2.
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