Interestingly, Raiden may be the only character on this list to be doomed before he'd even appeared in game. Metal Gear Solid's phenomenal success turned Solid Snake and his creator Hideo Kojima into gaming superstars. Everybody clamored for more and unsurprisingly, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty was put into production. While E3 trailers clearly showed Snake as the star once more, behind the scenes, a new protagonist was being lined up; one who would cause immense controversy upon arrival. You see, Raiden is actually the star of Metal Gear Solid 2. Solid Snake features in the prologue (the Tanker Chapter) but the main bulk of the game sees you playing as Raiden. The fan backlash was pretty incredible. People turned on Raiden almost instantly, refusing to accept him as a genuine hero. Some have offered reasons behind the switch; that playing as Raiden allows us to see Solid Snake as the legendary soldier he is, but still, the overall feeling was one of negativity. Putting aside rampant fanboyism, Raiden doesn't have many redeeming qualities. He acts as a blank slate of sorts, asking questions which allow newcomers to the series to feel welcomed. That's all well and good (at least it prevents the game from being bogged down by tutorials) but it kind of makes Raiden seem pretty silly. On top of that, he actually has no real world experience; all of his training was done in virtual reality. Again, that's acceptable, although it's kind of ruined by his cocky nature. Despite not having undergone a real mission before, Raiden insufferably brags about his accomplishments in VR, almost instantly causing us to dislike him. Snake could back up his heroic boasts and taunts; Raiden is just an annoying rookie. Is Raiden unfairly judged? Definitely. The overwhelming hatred directed at him by the community back in 2001 was unfair. Does he redeem himself in game? Not particularly. While Metal Gear Solid 2 remains a great game to this day, it's heroic lead leaves something to be desired, mainly actual heroic qualities.
I have an addiction to achievements, a craving for new bands and a dream to become Captain America. I once finished second in a Mario Kart 7 tournament so I'm kind of a big deal.
