Not every game needs cutscenes to tell amazing stories, but theMetal Gearseries has certainly made great use of them over the years. In fact, when talking about the appeal of these games, cutscenes are usually one of the first things mentioned. There are so many well-directed and brilliantly written scenes throughout the series.
Many of the most impressive ones take up plenty of time. This is because not only does Hideo Kojima enjoy creating cutscenes, but he also likes making them long. The series is famous for its lengthy cutscenes, but which game has the longest one? Here are each of the main games, ranked based on the length of their longest cutscene.
We’re not counting codec calls as cutscenes. However, if one appears during a scene, its length still counts toward the scene’s overall number. Plus, since the first two Metal Gears don’t have actual cutscenes, they haven’t been included.
Since Ground Zeroes is essentially a glorified prologue to Phantom Pain, it’s short and doesn’t have many cutscenes. Therefore, it certainly doesn’t have many long scenes. The longest is the opening one, which takes up nine minutes of your time.
It serves as your first look at Skull Face and his XOF group. Also, you get a voiceover and appearance from Big Boss, who helps set the scene and describe the current situation. It works well as an introduction to the game, even if it’s shorter than all of the other games' longest scenes.
It isn’t easy to decipher which is the longest cutscene in the original Metal Gear Solid game. This is because there are a few of similar length. The pre-fight conversation with Liquid atop Metal Gear Rex takes around 12 minutes, while the ending of the game is about 11 minutes long. Therefore, the longest scene occurs after the battle with Gray Fox.
It begins with Fox dropping a hint about who he is, followed by a long codec call, and then a lengthy conversation with Otacon. In the really long scene, you learn about both Gray Fox and Otacon. You find out who each of them is and their respective backstory. So, there is a lot to cover.
You could argue that these are two separate scenes, but since the location remains the same and the transition is natural, it feels like one continuous scene.
Phantom Pain doesn’t have as many big cutscenes as several of the other games in the series. Most of its scenes are only a few minutes long. That said, the game does feature a fairly lengthy 14-minute scene early on. It’s the one where you wake up from a coma. You don’t just spring up; you slowly wake and keep going back to sleep.
During the times you’re awake, the doctor gives you tests and explains your situation, namely that your body is filled with shrapnel and you’ve been in a coma for nine years. Then, things get a bit more action-packed as an assassin comes in and tries to kill you.
Because so much is revealed in MGS3’s final cutscene, it may be assumed that that is the longest one in the game. That is not the case, though. The actual longest scene is the briefing for Operation Snake Eater. This occurs immediately after the Boss’s defection and provides a comprehensive explanation of Naked Snake’s mission.
It sets things up really well, providing a clear explanation of the situation and Snake’s mission objectives. While the briefing is going on, you also get to witness Snake traveling to and landing in the jungle. Therefore, both scenes can be considered one since they intertwine. This is the reason it lasts 16 minutes.
Toward the end of Metal Gear Solid 2, there are several long cutscenes. The one that is just about the longest is the scene between Raiden and Solidus before they face each other in one ofthe best boss fights in the series. The scene doesn’t contain as much action as the following fight does. Instead, there is a lot of talking.
Raiden, however, mainly serves as a listener in this scene. He listens to both Solidus and the Colonel AI, who’s talking on the Codec. A significant amount of information regarding the Patriots and Solidus is revealed during the scene. You learn about all of their motivations and objectives while you’re waiting for the final fight to begin.
No Metal Gear fan will be surprised that Metal Gear Solid 4 has the longest cutscene in the series. After all, it’s a game famous for long cutscenes, and its final one isamong the longest in gaming history. In fact, it actuallyholds the Guinness World Record for the longest individual cutscene.
This scene sees Big Boss reemerge for the first time in years and meet with Solid Snake. The two then share a long conversation, discussing various topics, including the end of the Patriots, the fact that Big Boss is alive, and the FOXDIE virus. Zero is also there, clinging to life until Big Boss finishes him off. Then, Big Boss passes away, too. The whole thing serves as a fitting conclusion to the first four games in the Metal Gear Solid series.
