10 Video Game Hero Transformations You Didn't See Coming
3. Raiden & Old Snake - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots boasted two surprise hero transformations for the price of one.
Most unexpectedly there's Raiden, the wildly divisive protagonist of Metal Gear Solid 2 whose replacing Solid Snake in that game made him a fanbase punching bag for years.
But when he returned in the fourth game, Raiden was no longer a goofy, lanky twerp in a slinky sneaking suit: he'd become a badass cyborg ninja who believes he belongs on the battlefield.
Given the supreme amount of ass Raiden kicks in the game, it was most certainly a glow-up in the eyes of just about every fan.
Conversely there's Solid Snake, whose appearance is drastically altered in this game, as the cloning process that created him has accelerated his ageing, causing him to look considerably older and appear more physically weak than his actual numerical age. And so, Solid Snake became Old Snake.
Nobody could've expected either of these transformations following Metal Gear Solid 2, but such is Hideo Kojima's brilliantly unhinged genius.