Post by john on Feb 12, 2011 18:00:12 GMT -5
I have no idea why people are so convinced that Ocelot is the true hero of the series, or that his intentions were, at the very least, noble.
When Liquid Ocelot said "this is just as I had hoped things would end", my first thought was "huh?"
My first clue that the whole thing was bullsh*t was during Liquid Ocelot's speech about "trial and error."
"Our father – Big Boss – sought to free himself from that chokehold. His dream was to create an army of free citizens, one that answered to no government… Outer Heaven. But he failed, because of you."
The way he said "because of you" sounds very angry and resentful, as if he thinks stopping Big Boss was a bad thing.
"Nine years ago, I tried to free us from the control of our genes."
Here's the thing; Liquid died trying. Snake accomplished what Liquid tried to achieve.
"Four years later, our dear brother – Solidus – sought to free us from the control of the Patriots' memes."
Free from the control of the Patriots' MEMEs? Well gee, that's precisely what Solid Snake did, and also freed Jack from at the end of MGS2!
So, ironically, Liquid's speech is more of a highlight reel of Snake's accomplishments that Outer Heaven failed at.
"All of that – all of it – was nothing more than a process of trial and error… The end result of which is Outer Haven. To be free from Sons of the Patriots, the ultimate form of external control imposed on the Patriots' soldiers."
He just said it right there; he was only concerned with freeing SOLDIERS from the grips of SOP.
Ravi, as usual, puts it perfectly;
Then in this scene, we see a satellite getting nuked, calling back to Liquid Ocelot's plan to destroy JD and hijack the System.
So at this point, I started to raise an eye brow. Because of this, I had no problem beating the snot out of him.
Then after the fight, everything makes sense now; he predicted that the world will descend into chaos, thus fulfilling "Outer Heaven"... except Otacon explains that Sunny modified the virus to prevent all of that.
Naomi tricked Liquid Ocelot into thinking FOXALIVE would complete his goals (or at least his bare minimum objective.)
Simple enough. The entire issue was settled; it was just Kojima trolling the fans for a bit, then tried to make it plainly obvious that what we thought Ocelot meant by "this is just as I'd hope things would end" wasn't what we thought it meant.
I join TUS, and read about some people bitch about the implausibility of the microwave scene. I didn't really mind this fact all that much, but then I see people try to justify it by saying "well, Ocelot probably didn't have the microwave turned on to full blast, since he needed Snake to upload FOXALIVE", and I was like "oh that makes se... wait, WHAT?!"
Some more experience on Metal Gear fansites and... well, let's just say I'm glad the Soup exists.
Am I seriously one of the few "hardcore" fans to notice all this on their first playthrough? When I beat the game, I figured that the sh*t about Liquid Ocelot being misinformed, and Naomi not being so much of a bitch, was all common knowledge among the fanbase. Boy was I wrong.
The strategy guide? f...ck that thing. I was at GameStop a while back, and a copy of the MGS4 strategy guide was opened. So, I decided to read as much of the "Interpretations" section as possible.
A few mistakes I found that shows why it's bullsh*t;
1.) It says that Naomi pretended to be kidnapped in order to get Sunny to finish the virus. This is wrong. According to her body language in the Act 3 briefing, she was originally going to collaborate with Otacon. She changed her mind after Otacon talks about how Sunny cracked her message, and how she helped create Metal Gear Mk.II.
2.) It doesn't even mention Liquid Ocelot's predictions for world chaos. It just says that he explains they were on the same side the entire time. This, to me, proves that these guys have no idea about what they're talking about. Now, they could have just said that he was still under the influence of the Liquid persona. But then...
3.) ...that would contradict how it cites the fact that Liquid Ocelot didn't try to kill Snake when he easily could have. But let's look at those situations;
In Act 1, he's having a seizure. He has nothing to go on at that point.
In Act 3, again, he's seemingly hopeless. As far as Liquid concerned, he has the entire System in his hands. He even explains his plans to Naomi and Vamp. Snake's only lead was the Mk.II getting on Liquid's boat in the nick of time. I doubt Ocelot has a crystal ball that told him that would happen. So most likely, they were clueless that the Mk.II were recording them, so "acting" isn't an excuse.
Not that any of this matters. In Act 4, Liquid tries to run over Snake with Outer Haven.
That right there tears down that argument.
Relying on someone to use their wits and skill in order to do their own deed (like how Liquid has Snake activate REX, or the Boss sending the Cobra unit out to kill Big Boss in order to get him ready for their fight) is one thing. It's another to try to crush a defenseless old man with a giant warship. You can't just say that he was holding back the full force of the ship, because if that was the case, why make it look like he was going to crush him anyway? The ONLY reason Snake was alive after that scene was because Raiden held back arsenal gear long enough for Mei Ling's ship to start firing at it. Again, Ocelot may be manipulative, but he doesn't have a f...cking crystal ball.
Oh, and the microwave room.
4.) It says that Ocelot was aware of the fact that he would die of Snake's new strain of FOXDIE, and that he went through with it regardless... not ONCE is this EVER even IMPLIED in the game.
So I guess they could just throw away the idea that Ocelot's personality was conscious, and that he really did think he was Liquid, in order to explain why he tried to smash Snake with Haven, or why he went over his plans to have GW replace JD with Naomi and Vamp, and made him go through a microwave room. But then, that tears down that "this is just as I had hoped things would end" line, even more than it already is.
"Soon America will descend into chaos... it'll be the wild west all over again... fire will spread across the world... the people will fight... and through battle, they will know the fullness of life"... is "just as [he] had hoped things would end!" So even if his plans for world domination was a ruse, Ocelot wanting to leave behind a legacy of world chaos ala Fatman still doesn't exactly put him in a positive light. You can't just say that Ocelot's personality was beginning to resurface, which allowed him to say that "this is just as I had hoped things would end" line, because he still speaks from Liquid's perspective (referring to Snake and Solidus as "brothers", and Big Boss as "father"), and that still doesn't explain his predictions for world chaos.
Also, remember this scene? Where SOMETHING launches into the sky to destroy a sattelite (ie JD.)
Get this; viruses don't work like that. FOXALIVE only erased the AIs. It shouldn't cause an explosion like it did in the visual depiction as seen at the end of Liquid's speech, or even look like it was "launched." You didn't see GW get blown to bits after the virus was uploaded, despite being a Patriot AI as well.
So Liquid Ocelot did intend to launch the nuke and take over the System, but he had Naomi "trick" Snake and Otacon into finishing FOXALIVE and upload it to GW, because if he failed to launch the nuke (Mei Ling explains in the Act 5 briefing that Haven needs to be as close to JD as possible in order to get an accurate shot. What if he misses?) he would need a backup plan, which was FOXALIVE. This would ruin his plans for world domination, but in the end he would be happy either way. For the Liquid persona, he has surpassed Big Boss and fulfilled his dream. For Ocelot, Big Boss wakes up and can restart Outer Heaven. Remember that, after the Patriots declassified Big Boss' file, the whole world became Big Boss fanboys. It's not hard to assume that, had it not been for Naomi's tape, he could have mercenaries and Naked Snake-wannabees from around the world flock to him like a god, just like he did after the fall of Outer Heaven and the rise of Zanzibar Land.
But since he would like to take control of the System (in the case of Ocelot, he would have wanted to cut all the bullsh*t Big Boss would potentially have to go through above and just just let him take over. Or maybe Ocelot did intend to have Snake upload the virus and ruin Liquid's chance for world domination, just in case Ocelot doesn't come back to his senses, and have Big Boss reestablish Outer Heaven himself. Either way, they were both rooting for endless conflict), he tried to destroy REX with RAY (which was specifically designed to destroy REX derivatives), smash Snake with Haven, and set up the microwave room, not to mention all the scarabs. You could say that the reason he chose to fight Snake on top of Haven is the same as when Liquid Snake in MGS1 fought Snake on top of REX (ie REX getting destroyed = loosing the System.)
What he didn't count on was that Naomi is a changed woman, ever since she met Snake in MGS1.
Combined with Ocelot's Big Boss/Liquid fanboyism, the fact that Ocelot said "I AM Liquid's doupelgangar" (ie he inherited Liquid's sins. I disagree with DTG when they say that Ocelot stopped standing for Liquid after the fight. Otherwise, he wouldn't have said "am", as in present tense), the fact that Big Boss' intentions for a soldier's paradise was NOT retconned, the fact that Big Boss admits that he made huge mistakes, and praises Snake for not making the same mistakes he made, proves that it was Solid Snake and co., NOT Ocelot, that saved the world from the Patriots and Outer Heaven, and fulfilled the Boss' will.
And while I'm at it; I don't think this was referenced in the strategy guide itself, but I have a feeling that this was used in an argument before.
Claim: None of the scarabs went after the Mk.II in the scene in GW's server room!
Counter-claim: It's called "sh*tty directing." Want another example?
Pay attention to Drebin's truck, and that chair Otacon sits in.
Now you see it... and now you don't!
And even if Liquid Ocelot was dandy with FOXALIVE being uploaded, that doesn't change the fact that he was tricked into thinking it wasn't modified to preserve society.
Claim: Big Boss says that the Patriots could only repeat patterns. He said Ocelot used this to his advantage.
Counter-claim: No. He was talking about how they injected Snake with a new strain of FOXDIE, and some other sh*t Monstrous Births went over. He said nothing about how Ocelot took advantage of that in that scene.
Claim: Well, Raiden could have been sent out by Big Mamma in order to protect Snake from Haven!
Counter-claim: I don't believe that Big Mamma was on Ocelot's side (she wanted to revive him simply because she loved him, even if she didn't realize that keeping him alive is only hurting the world, going by the logic of his "back to zero" speech), but I'll believe this for now. There was still no point in pretending to try and smash Snake. Going by the guide's logic, the Patriots were already convinced that Ocelot was being controlled by Liquid, and Snake was already determined like hell to stop him. That "Raiden was sent to protect Snake" thing only works if the Liquid persona was in complete control. And keep in mind; that also tears down the idea that Liquid intentionally kept Snake alive, and that "this is just as I had hoped things would end!" line... even more so than it already is.
Claim: Liquid Ocelot's speech on the Volta River mirror's Big Boss' "back to zero" speech!
Counter-claim: Keep in mind that the game's theme is SENSE. Big Boss' Outer Heaven stood for total anarchy and warfare, while Zero's Patriots stood for absolute control. Two totally opposite ideals, yet they were inspired by the same thing; the Boss' will. So while Liquid Ocelot may THINK he's bringing the world "back to zero", he's only part of the problem.
In MGS1, Liquid "did what [his] genes" told him. Liquid Ocelot was created, in his own words, to insure that future generations never prosper. He promises to not fight this fate any longer.
Refer to Snake's line in Act 2.
Liquid Ocelot (both of them) wanted to leave behind a legacy of world chaos, where people will fight all the time because, in his mind, that is the only way for people to know the fullness of life. Not a very "prosperous" era if you ask me.
Claim: The idea that Naomi was the one that convinced Big Boss to save Snake and "atone for his sins" is a pure assumption!
Counter-claim: No it's not.
"Naomi... she told me... everything..."
"There's one more thing... Naomi wanted me to tell you... about the old FOXDIE in your body..." He then procedes to explain that the new FOXDIE in his body is preventing the old FOXDIE from reproducing, which will prevent the epidemic Naomi warned him about in Act 2, as confirmed by her follow up. Keep in mind; Big Boss said Naomi WANTED him to tell Snake all of this.
Now, just think; Snake foiled Big Boss' plans twice. So obviously, Big Boss wouldn't have very nice feelings towards Snake when he woke up after his long sleep. With the fact that Naomi apparently wanted Big Boss to tell Snake everything, it is outright absurd to think that Naomi didn't at least try to soften Big Boss up. Maybe, after hearing about Snake's actions after Shadow Moses, he finally realizes the Boss' will (which Snake carried on via Philanthropy), and that's what made Big Boss do everything he did at the game's end.
And remember; the main goal of Ocelot and EVA's organization was to revive Big Boss, which Naomi joined because Big Boss was her beloved benefactor. Why then, would she have Big Boss practically commit suicide to save his biggest enemy?
Simple; when she joined Ocelot and EVA's group, she also joined FOXHOUND with plans to get her revenge on Snake for killing Big Boss and Frank Jaeger, but after realizing he wasn't such a bad guy (in fact, she gained a new appreciation for life thanks to him), she works towards thwarting Ocelot's plans in secret and "atoning for her sins", similar to what the Boss did with Volgin during Operation: Snake Eater.
Also, this scene is almost a direct callback to this scene from MGS1. In both situations, Snake asks when he's going to die, and then the person he asked simply says "everyone dies when their time is up."
But what really ties it all together, is this;
Naomi, in Act 1: "Snake... if you won't be a prisoner to fate... then go... fulfill your destiny."
And...
Big Boss: "You are no longer... a prisoner of fate."
That may be weak on its own (Big Boss also said Snake is no longer a "seed of war", a callback to what Drebin calls him after defeating Raging Raven), but combined with everything else I just said, it practically makes it a fact.
Now, the fact that Big Boss doesn't really mention Ocelot's plans to fulfill his own sick dream had me stumped for a while. But then I remembered this line; "Cats do love to play as Snakes." Further solidifying that Ocelot's comments about Liquid Snake in the torture sessions in MGS1 were genuine (which makes him even more batsh*t crazy since he intended on having him killed.) In a way, saying that Ocelot wanted to bring Big Boss "back to life" by destroying the Patriots could also be a metaphor for reviving Outer Heaven, since the destruction of the Patriots, had it not been for Sunny's memetic-symbolic modifications to FOXALIVE, would also mean the rise of Outer Heaven. Big Boss was in a nanomachine-induced coma, that could only be ended with the end of the Patriots. When he wakes up, he could of brought the world down to ashes. In stead, Naomi softens him up (ala Sunny modifying FOXALIVE), so he decides to save Snake's life, and bring everything "back to zero."
And take a look at this scene;
www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8EfL2ZtkUc&feature=related#t=04m47s
The way he says "Ocelot" has a very harsh and angry tone to it. The way I see it, he's disgusted at what Ocelot tried to do, and hates himself for inspiring him to do it.
So really, this whole situation is no different from when the MGS3 strategy guide claimed that the DOD guy was Roy Campbell, or how people misinterpret MGS4's portrayal of Big Boss as a retcon. According to the GAME ITSELF, he's far from a hero, and his intentions weren't even that noble. Instead, he's the prime example of Big Boss' tattered legacy. He was the Boss' son, yet his obsession with Big Boss led him to go far away from achieving her true will. You can almost compare it to Peter Stillman and Fatman from MGS2.
:whew: I'm done. Everything makes sense. People. Are. F...cking. Stupid.
And don't give me that "there is no good or evil in MGS" bullsh*t because that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about intentions.
When Liquid Ocelot said "this is just as I had hoped things would end", my first thought was "huh?"
My first clue that the whole thing was bullsh*t was during Liquid Ocelot's speech about "trial and error."
"Our father – Big Boss – sought to free himself from that chokehold. His dream was to create an army of free citizens, one that answered to no government… Outer Heaven. But he failed, because of you."
The way he said "because of you" sounds very angry and resentful, as if he thinks stopping Big Boss was a bad thing.
"Nine years ago, I tried to free us from the control of our genes."
Here's the thing; Liquid died trying. Snake accomplished what Liquid tried to achieve.
"Four years later, our dear brother – Solidus – sought to free us from the control of the Patriots' memes."
Free from the control of the Patriots' MEMEs? Well gee, that's precisely what Solid Snake did, and also freed Jack from at the end of MGS2!
So, ironically, Liquid's speech is more of a highlight reel of Snake's accomplishments that Outer Heaven failed at.
"All of that – all of it – was nothing more than a process of trial and error… The end result of which is Outer Haven. To be free from Sons of the Patriots, the ultimate form of external control imposed on the Patriots' soldiers."
He just said it right there; he was only concerned with freeing SOLDIERS from the grips of SOP.
Ravi, as usual, puts it perfectly;
I think the problem you are having is that freedom can be used as a vehicle for statism The reds in Russia were fighting for freedom from an oppressive and tyrannical government. The Taliban started as a freedom fighting group in Afghanistan to keep the Soviets away from their land. Look what ended up happening.
Liquid just said it right there though--the goal was not to free everyone, but to allow for free soldiers. Of course, Big Boss is the leader but that seems to be okay. This still doesn't retcon Big Boss being batsh*t insane because Liquid Ocelot is batsh*t insane himself.
Liquid just said it right there though--the goal was not to free everyone, but to allow for free soldiers. Of course, Big Boss is the leader but that seems to be okay. This still doesn't retcon Big Boss being batsh*t insane because Liquid Ocelot is batsh*t insane himself.
Then in this scene, we see a satellite getting nuked, calling back to Liquid Ocelot's plan to destroy JD and hijack the System.
So at this point, I started to raise an eye brow. Because of this, I had no problem beating the snot out of him.
Then after the fight, everything makes sense now; he predicted that the world will descend into chaos, thus fulfilling "Outer Heaven"... except Otacon explains that Sunny modified the virus to prevent all of that.
Naomi tricked Liquid Ocelot into thinking FOXALIVE would complete his goals (or at least his bare minimum objective.)
Simple enough. The entire issue was settled; it was just Kojima trolling the fans for a bit, then tried to make it plainly obvious that what we thought Ocelot meant by "this is just as I'd hope things would end" wasn't what we thought it meant.
I join TUS, and read about some people bitch about the implausibility of the microwave scene. I didn't really mind this fact all that much, but then I see people try to justify it by saying "well, Ocelot probably didn't have the microwave turned on to full blast, since he needed Snake to upload FOXALIVE", and I was like "oh that makes se... wait, WHAT?!"
Some more experience on Metal Gear fansites and... well, let's just say I'm glad the Soup exists.
Am I seriously one of the few "hardcore" fans to notice all this on their first playthrough? When I beat the game, I figured that the sh*t about Liquid Ocelot being misinformed, and Naomi not being so much of a bitch, was all common knowledge among the fanbase. Boy was I wrong.
The strategy guide? f...ck that thing. I was at GameStop a while back, and a copy of the MGS4 strategy guide was opened. So, I decided to read as much of the "Interpretations" section as possible.
A few mistakes I found that shows why it's bullsh*t;
1.) It says that Naomi pretended to be kidnapped in order to get Sunny to finish the virus. This is wrong. According to her body language in the Act 3 briefing, she was originally going to collaborate with Otacon. She changed her mind after Otacon talks about how Sunny cracked her message, and how she helped create Metal Gear Mk.II.
2.) It doesn't even mention Liquid Ocelot's predictions for world chaos. It just says that he explains they were on the same side the entire time. This, to me, proves that these guys have no idea about what they're talking about. Now, they could have just said that he was still under the influence of the Liquid persona. But then...
3.) ...that would contradict how it cites the fact that Liquid Ocelot didn't try to kill Snake when he easily could have. But let's look at those situations;
In Act 1, he's having a seizure. He has nothing to go on at that point.
In Act 3, again, he's seemingly hopeless. As far as Liquid concerned, he has the entire System in his hands. He even explains his plans to Naomi and Vamp. Snake's only lead was the Mk.II getting on Liquid's boat in the nick of time. I doubt Ocelot has a crystal ball that told him that would happen. So most likely, they were clueless that the Mk.II were recording them, so "acting" isn't an excuse.
Not that any of this matters. In Act 4, Liquid tries to run over Snake with Outer Haven.
That right there tears down that argument.
Relying on someone to use their wits and skill in order to do their own deed (like how Liquid has Snake activate REX, or the Boss sending the Cobra unit out to kill Big Boss in order to get him ready for their fight) is one thing. It's another to try to crush a defenseless old man with a giant warship. You can't just say that he was holding back the full force of the ship, because if that was the case, why make it look like he was going to crush him anyway? The ONLY reason Snake was alive after that scene was because Raiden held back arsenal gear long enough for Mei Ling's ship to start firing at it. Again, Ocelot may be manipulative, but he doesn't have a f...cking crystal ball.
Oh, and the microwave room.
4.) It says that Ocelot was aware of the fact that he would die of Snake's new strain of FOXDIE, and that he went through with it regardless... not ONCE is this EVER even IMPLIED in the game.
So I guess they could just throw away the idea that Ocelot's personality was conscious, and that he really did think he was Liquid, in order to explain why he tried to smash Snake with Haven, or why he went over his plans to have GW replace JD with Naomi and Vamp, and made him go through a microwave room. But then, that tears down that "this is just as I had hoped things would end" line, even more than it already is.
"Soon America will descend into chaos... it'll be the wild west all over again... fire will spread across the world... the people will fight... and through battle, they will know the fullness of life"... is "just as [he] had hoped things would end!" So even if his plans for world domination was a ruse, Ocelot wanting to leave behind a legacy of world chaos ala Fatman still doesn't exactly put him in a positive light. You can't just say that Ocelot's personality was beginning to resurface, which allowed him to say that "this is just as I had hoped things would end" line, because he still speaks from Liquid's perspective (referring to Snake and Solidus as "brothers", and Big Boss as "father"), and that still doesn't explain his predictions for world chaos.
Also, remember this scene? Where SOMETHING launches into the sky to destroy a sattelite (ie JD.)
Get this; viruses don't work like that. FOXALIVE only erased the AIs. It shouldn't cause an explosion like it did in the visual depiction as seen at the end of Liquid's speech, or even look like it was "launched." You didn't see GW get blown to bits after the virus was uploaded, despite being a Patriot AI as well.
So Liquid Ocelot did intend to launch the nuke and take over the System, but he had Naomi "trick" Snake and Otacon into finishing FOXALIVE and upload it to GW, because if he failed to launch the nuke (Mei Ling explains in the Act 5 briefing that Haven needs to be as close to JD as possible in order to get an accurate shot. What if he misses?) he would need a backup plan, which was FOXALIVE. This would ruin his plans for world domination, but in the end he would be happy either way. For the Liquid persona, he has surpassed Big Boss and fulfilled his dream. For Ocelot, Big Boss wakes up and can restart Outer Heaven. Remember that, after the Patriots declassified Big Boss' file, the whole world became Big Boss fanboys. It's not hard to assume that, had it not been for Naomi's tape, he could have mercenaries and Naked Snake-wannabees from around the world flock to him like a god, just like he did after the fall of Outer Heaven and the rise of Zanzibar Land.
But since he would like to take control of the System (in the case of Ocelot, he would have wanted to cut all the bullsh*t Big Boss would potentially have to go through above and just just let him take over. Or maybe Ocelot did intend to have Snake upload the virus and ruin Liquid's chance for world domination, just in case Ocelot doesn't come back to his senses, and have Big Boss reestablish Outer Heaven himself. Either way, they were both rooting for endless conflict), he tried to destroy REX with RAY (which was specifically designed to destroy REX derivatives), smash Snake with Haven, and set up the microwave room, not to mention all the scarabs. You could say that the reason he chose to fight Snake on top of Haven is the same as when Liquid Snake in MGS1 fought Snake on top of REX (ie REX getting destroyed = loosing the System.)
What he didn't count on was that Naomi is a changed woman, ever since she met Snake in MGS1.
Combined with Ocelot's Big Boss/Liquid fanboyism, the fact that Ocelot said "I AM Liquid's doupelgangar" (ie he inherited Liquid's sins. I disagree with DTG when they say that Ocelot stopped standing for Liquid after the fight. Otherwise, he wouldn't have said "am", as in present tense), the fact that Big Boss' intentions for a soldier's paradise was NOT retconned, the fact that Big Boss admits that he made huge mistakes, and praises Snake for not making the same mistakes he made, proves that it was Solid Snake and co., NOT Ocelot, that saved the world from the Patriots and Outer Heaven, and fulfilled the Boss' will.
And while I'm at it; I don't think this was referenced in the strategy guide itself, but I have a feeling that this was used in an argument before.
Claim: None of the scarabs went after the Mk.II in the scene in GW's server room!
Counter-claim: It's called "sh*tty directing." Want another example?
Pay attention to Drebin's truck, and that chair Otacon sits in.
Now you see it... and now you don't!
And even if Liquid Ocelot was dandy with FOXALIVE being uploaded, that doesn't change the fact that he was tricked into thinking it wasn't modified to preserve society.
Claim: Big Boss says that the Patriots could only repeat patterns. He said Ocelot used this to his advantage.
Counter-claim: No. He was talking about how they injected Snake with a new strain of FOXDIE, and some other sh*t Monstrous Births went over. He said nothing about how Ocelot took advantage of that in that scene.
Claim: Well, Raiden could have been sent out by Big Mamma in order to protect Snake from Haven!
Counter-claim: I don't believe that Big Mamma was on Ocelot's side (she wanted to revive him simply because she loved him, even if she didn't realize that keeping him alive is only hurting the world, going by the logic of his "back to zero" speech), but I'll believe this for now. There was still no point in pretending to try and smash Snake. Going by the guide's logic, the Patriots were already convinced that Ocelot was being controlled by Liquid, and Snake was already determined like hell to stop him. That "Raiden was sent to protect Snake" thing only works if the Liquid persona was in complete control. And keep in mind; that also tears down the idea that Liquid intentionally kept Snake alive, and that "this is just as I had hoped things would end!" line... even more so than it already is.
Claim: Liquid Ocelot's speech on the Volta River mirror's Big Boss' "back to zero" speech!
Counter-claim: Keep in mind that the game's theme is SENSE. Big Boss' Outer Heaven stood for total anarchy and warfare, while Zero's Patriots stood for absolute control. Two totally opposite ideals, yet they were inspired by the same thing; the Boss' will. So while Liquid Ocelot may THINK he's bringing the world "back to zero", he's only part of the problem.
We're a system. Insurance that future generations never prosper. The Patriots saw fit to create us, and in doing so became our only raison d'etre. I won't fight my fate any longer. I'll kill Zero and Big Boss, and become a Patriot myself.
Refer to Snake's line in Act 2.
Campbell: Beneath the surface, a new Cold War is brewing between Liquid and the Patriots.
Snake: And no matter who wins, the world has no future.
Snake: And no matter who wins, the world has no future.
Claim: The idea that Naomi was the one that convinced Big Boss to save Snake and "atone for his sins" is a pure assumption!
Counter-claim: No it's not.
"Naomi... she told me... everything..."
"There's one more thing... Naomi wanted me to tell you... about the old FOXDIE in your body..." He then procedes to explain that the new FOXDIE in his body is preventing the old FOXDIE from reproducing, which will prevent the epidemic Naomi warned him about in Act 2, as confirmed by her follow up. Keep in mind; Big Boss said Naomi WANTED him to tell Snake all of this.
Now, just think; Snake foiled Big Boss' plans twice. So obviously, Big Boss wouldn't have very nice feelings towards Snake when he woke up after his long sleep. With the fact that Naomi apparently wanted Big Boss to tell Snake everything, it is outright absurd to think that Naomi didn't at least try to soften Big Boss up. Maybe, after hearing about Snake's actions after Shadow Moses, he finally realizes the Boss' will (which Snake carried on via Philanthropy), and that's what made Big Boss do everything he did at the game's end.
And remember; the main goal of Ocelot and EVA's organization was to revive Big Boss, which Naomi joined because Big Boss was her beloved benefactor. Why then, would she have Big Boss practically commit suicide to save his biggest enemy?
Simple; when she joined Ocelot and EVA's group, she also joined FOXHOUND with plans to get her revenge on Snake for killing Big Boss and Frank Jaeger, but after realizing he wasn't such a bad guy (in fact, she gained a new appreciation for life thanks to him), she works towards thwarting Ocelot's plans in secret and "atoning for her sins", similar to what the Boss did with Volgin during Operation: Snake Eater.
Also, this scene is almost a direct callback to this scene from MGS1. In both situations, Snake asks when he's going to die, and then the person he asked simply says "everyone dies when their time is up."
But what really ties it all together, is this;
Naomi, in Act 1: "Snake... if you won't be a prisoner to fate... then go... fulfill your destiny."
And...
Big Boss: "You are no longer... a prisoner of fate."
That may be weak on its own (Big Boss also said Snake is no longer a "seed of war", a callback to what Drebin calls him after defeating Raging Raven), but combined with everything else I just said, it practically makes it a fact.
Now, the fact that Big Boss doesn't really mention Ocelot's plans to fulfill his own sick dream had me stumped for a while. But then I remembered this line; "Cats do love to play as Snakes." Further solidifying that Ocelot's comments about Liquid Snake in the torture sessions in MGS1 were genuine (which makes him even more batsh*t crazy since he intended on having him killed.) In a way, saying that Ocelot wanted to bring Big Boss "back to life" by destroying the Patriots could also be a metaphor for reviving Outer Heaven, since the destruction of the Patriots, had it not been for Sunny's memetic-symbolic modifications to FOXALIVE, would also mean the rise of Outer Heaven. Big Boss was in a nanomachine-induced coma, that could only be ended with the end of the Patriots. When he wakes up, he could of brought the world down to ashes. In stead, Naomi softens him up (ala Sunny modifying FOXALIVE), so he decides to save Snake's life, and bring everything "back to zero."
And take a look at this scene;
www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8EfL2ZtkUc&feature=related#t=04m47s
The way he says "Ocelot" has a very harsh and angry tone to it. The way I see it, he's disgusted at what Ocelot tried to do, and hates himself for inspiring him to do it.
So really, this whole situation is no different from when the MGS3 strategy guide claimed that the DOD guy was Roy Campbell, or how people misinterpret MGS4's portrayal of Big Boss as a retcon. According to the GAME ITSELF, he's far from a hero, and his intentions weren't even that noble. Instead, he's the prime example of Big Boss' tattered legacy. He was the Boss' son, yet his obsession with Big Boss led him to go far away from achieving her true will. You can almost compare it to Peter Stillman and Fatman from MGS2.
:whew: I'm done. Everything makes sense. People. Are. F...cking. Stupid.
And don't give me that "there is no good or evil in MGS" bullsh*t because that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about intentions.