4. Naked Snake Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Introducing an injury system can be a double-edged sword, a sort of damned-if-you-do-damned-if-dont scenario and this especially applies in something as revered as the Metal Gear Solid canon. But to Hideo Kojimas credit, Naked Snakes medical problems were well implemented and added an extra dimension to the gameplay insofar as you knew there were consequences for your tomfoolery. However, there was something of an oversight in the system, and that was Naked Snakes cigars. Of course, it was always possible to smoke in other Metal Gears how was Solid Snake going to notice beams while looking manly without them but because the injury innovations hadnt yet been put in, you had no frame of reference for damage. But then along came Snake Eater with its bone-breaking, health-capping system and it confused the hell out of us. If you went too Tarzan in the trees, Snake could break both legs but still be able to somersault forward. He could break both arms yet still fire an RPG launcher with gay abandon. This was confusing enough in itself but because Snake is for all intents and purposes a pretty formidable bloke, we let it slide. But when you combined his compound fractures with his taste for cigars, problems began to arise. The fact of the matter was that Snake could smoke his health down to the bare bones if he kept his cigar in too long, and if you suffered from any injuries no matter how unrelated this time was reduced. So occasionally, you had somewhat bizarre scenes where an able-bodied Snake would easily survive a point-blank grenade but thanks to the combined forces of broken legs and Malboro he could die from falling short distances. And so ended the story of Snake, a man harder than a coffin nail but felled by his smoking addiction. Thats the sort of thing that belongs in a public awareness advert.