METAL GEAR SOLID.NET

Just as no Final Fantasy game is complete without Chocobos, no Metal Gear Solid game is complete without Ocelot, members of the Sasaki family, or indeed a range of Cardboard Boxes. Now, not everyone loves Ocelot or finds him helpful in a sneaking mission, but I have yet to hear someone complain about the trusty Cardboard Boxes. This page is in honour of such assets to stealthy gameplay, and may no other game ever usurp the use of them!

Why do we love boxes so much? Here's why:

• It doesn't back-stab, spy or lie to you
• It's always there for you
• You can fit inside it and almost pretend you're "part of the furniture"
• You can use it to quickly get around the base by choosing your trucks and conveyor belts carefully
• Wolf-dogs can urinate on it and allow you to pass through their pack
• Available in a variety of colours
• Inconspicuous and fashionable simultaneously
• Good for advertising
• The ZOE box in MGS2 can scare away birds with its watchful "eye" - Big Box is watching you!
• Naked Snake, Solid Snake and Raiden all find them useful
• It is fun to walk onto an electric floor wearing one
• It can put out fires if you find yourself engulfed in flames
• Available in wet and dry
• Surveillance cameras won't recognise you if you're stationary
• Timeless contraption which every secret agent should have
• Comes with corrugated wall insulation to keep you warm in the winter
• Clones can share boxes in Peace Walker
• Easy to cosplay as...

There have been several boxes in the Metal Gear Solid series so far, but the one most of us remember seeing first is the Heliport Box, or Cardboard Box A as it was officially known. I have grown rather attached to this particular box and so here, as a result of my devotion, is my own personal Heliport Box:

Here we have the Cardboard Box I made: Fairly simple to make and based on the design of the box as found in The Twin Snakes. You can take this little wonder everywhere, except some buses...

Once you have your box, why not try hiding in a tree? Of course, not all boxes are left in trees, so perhaps you would be better off with ordinary camouflage if you're going to try hiding up a tree.

On the other hand, amongst junk is ideal. No one would ever suspect that that box was just an assassin hiding.

Be sure to keep clean though because boxes don't often smell of human body odour. But if it's not safe to come out of your box when you wash, don't do so!

Finally, be careful where you choose to hide. Amongst rubbish is indeed inconspicuous but not necessarily safe on refuse collection days.