One of the most notorious f**k yous in modern gaming, we all played Metal Gear Solid 2 in the hope that wed get to step back into the boots of Solid Snake, the gravelly-voiced protagonist beacon of awesome that made the first game a joy to play. And for the prologue, Kojima Productions didnt disappoint, as you took on a Tanker full of American soldiers which had been subtly taken over by terrorists. There were big playable set-pieces, a boss fight and some great story introduction, culminating in everything falling apart when Revolver Ocelot tears the whole tanker apart, causing a huge environmental disaster for which Snake takes the fall. So far, so Metal Gear Solid. But then, the main game fires up and were introduced to a new character, who takes off his helmet and is revealed to be Raiden, possibly the wimpiest replacement in the history of gaming. People were naturally furious though the Metal Gear series had been going a long time before the Playstation era, many peoples introduction to Solid Snake had come during his adventures in Shadow Moses. Theyd grown attached to him as a well-drawn character, even if he was prone to monologue-ing and hanging out with people who do the same. So when they got this effeminate, whiny acrobat as a replacement, they were understandably furious. Really, we all knew that the devious Hideo Kojima had done this on purpose to wrong-foot us, but it didnt stop us from all being pissed as hell. The game effectively swapped out its title character, its unique selling point at a stroke, and demanded you praise it for its audacity. The fact Snake turns up later in a supporting role and continues to be awesome just somehow made things worse.