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5 Metal Gear Solid - Psycho Mantis
Metal Gear Solid pushes PSone, Sony's DualShock and developer Konami's imagination way beyond the moistened lip of the envelope and into the halls of gaming legend, and nothing illustrates this better than Psycho Mantis and his mind-boggling skills.
Solid Snake's memorable duel with the insane, gasmask-clad psychic doesn't just breach the fourth wall - the separation between you, in the real world, and the game, in the virtual one - it shatters it.
Without wanting to stray into scraggy-bearded existentialist territory, fighting Psycho Mantis (he can read your mind, remember) requires you to think outside the grey box and take on your enemy by using your advantage of being outside the game. At this point, Metal Gear has already opened your gaming head to the possibility of this sort of real/virtual crossover by cunningly hiding Meryl's radio frequency right on the back of the game's box. But the best is yet to come.
First, he delves into your memory - card, that is - picking out any Konami games you've played, before commenting on your saving strategy through Metal Gear Solid. Then Mantis orders you to put down the controller, demonstrating his telekinesis ability by 'moving' the pad, sending the DualShock motors into overdrive. Finally, he yells "Blackout!" and the screen goes blank - except for the word "hideo" in small type. And that's when things get really interesting.
Continue on as normal and Mantis will pre-empt your attacks, dodging out of the way of your bullets or fists; infuriating, until you figure out how to beat him. Discovering that plugging your controller into port two on your PlayStation cancels out Pyscho Mantis' psychic ability - leaving him cursing "Why couldn't I read your mind?!" as you pummel him across the office - brings a sense of real achievement; of besting both Mantis and the game itself. And this is something few games, if any, can match.
Add to that the occasions that Psycho Mantis possesses poor Meryl, forcing her first to attack you, then seduce you, before finally trying to take her own life - your only way of saving her to beat her unconscious; or his ability to become invisible, meaning you need your heat goggles to see him; or your ability to actually see through Mantis' own eyes in some sections, watching yourself watching yourself watching... It's the boss encounter to end all boss encounters.
Above: Possessed people say the strangest things - Psycho Mantis attempts to use Meryl's comely charms against you
First, he delves into your memory - card, that is - picking out any Konami games you've played, before commenting on your saving strategy through Metal Gear Solid. Then Mantis orders you to put down the controller, demonstrating his telekinesis ability by 'moving' the pad, sending the DualShock motors into overdrive. Finally, he yells "Blackout!" and the screen goes blank - except for the word "hideo" in small type. And that's when things get really interesting.
Continue on as normal and Mantis will pre-empt your attacks, dodging out of the way of your bullets or fists; infuriating, until you figure out how to beat him. Discovering that plugging your controller into port two on your PlayStation cancels out Pyscho Mantis' psychic ability - leaving him cursing "Why couldn't I read your mind?!" as you pummel him across the office - brings a sense of real achievement; of besting both Mantis and the game itself. And this is something few games, if any, can match.
Add to that the occasions that Psycho Mantis possesses poor Meryl, forcing her first to attack you, then seduce you, before finally trying to take her own life - your only way of saving her to beat her unconscious; or his ability to become invisible, meaning you need your heat goggles to see him; or your ability to actually see through Mantis' own eyes in some sections, watching yourself watching yourself watching... It's the boss encounter to end all boss encounters.
