The Context: There is nostalgia galore in the grand finale game of Snake's timeline and it most definitely shows during the revisit to Shadow Moses Island. One of the game's infamous "Beasts" is a mechanical wolf that is fought in the same snowfield as the final Sniper Wolf battle in the original Metal Gear Solid. The Fight: It shouldn't come as a surprise but the battle also plays out similarly; it just has the added factor of more updated shooting conventions. And that's certainly not a bad thing, especially considering that sniper duels get the palms sweating and are all about strategy. There's also the added layer of not being able to see a damn thing in the blizzard without thermal goggles on and having to track snowy footprints. On a pure gameplay level this battle stomps the original version, but as a whole that one is far more memorable.
16. Sniper Wolf (Round 2) Metal Gear Solid
The Context: This is arguably one of the most emotionally-driven battles across the entire franchise as it essentially involves Snake killing Otacon's new lover. It's indisputable proof that love is capable of blooming even on a battlefield, but just an unfortunate circumstance for Otacon that he, Snake and Wolf are on different sides of the battle. After the fight - and Snake finishing the job - one of the franchise's most provocative dialogue exchanges takes place as Snake and Otacon question what they are even fighting for. The Fight: In stark comparison to Metal Gear Solid 4's modern spin on the classic battle, this is just more of the same from the previous encounter between Snake and Wolf. All it boils down to is finding a good hiding spot, taking some medicine to steady your aim and choosing your shots wisely.
15. Volgin/Shagohod Metal Gear Solid 3
The Context: Shortly after the first encounter between Big Boss and Volgin is an on-rails segment which sees Eva steering a small vehicle as Big Boss fires at both oncoming and trailing enemies. Their plan is to lure Volgin and his Shagohod tank across a bridge rigged with explosives set to go off once fired at. Of course, if it were as simple as shooting some explosives in a scripted sequence, there wouldn't even be a boss battle. The Fight: First off, it's crucial to note that technically this entry is two battles combined, as after dealing enough damage to the Shagohod itself some more cinematics will play and Volgin will pop out of its hatch with a brand-new life bar. The first half of the fight is essentially a test of endurance for Eva's excruciatingly horrible driving skills while Big Boss fires missiles at the Shagohod treads. Direct hits lock the Shagohod in place so you can then successfully fire at the exposed weak point. Afterwards, it's really just about taking aim at Volgin with either more missiles or tranquilliser rounds. Nevertheless, it's one chaotic dual-layered fight filled with on-rails shooting and an abundance of missiles.
