Metal Gear Codec Screen

Submission 16,864

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PTT 40.96 MEMORY Watch out, Snake, this guy is a colossal f------ retard.

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About

Codec Screen, also known as Codec Conversations and Radio Screen, refers to cutscenes in Metal Gear series in which the series protagonists use an in-ear microdevice called Codec to communicate with commanding officers and other characters. The conversations are visualized via so-called Codec screens, which show the talking characters and their dialogue. Online, the Codec screen has been used as exploitable, often paired with humorous dialogue and/or featuring characters from other fandoms.

Origin

On July 13th, 1987, action-adventure video game Metal Gear by Konami was released for MSX2 computer in Japan and Europe.^[1] In the game, the main protagonist Solid Snake communicates with his commanding officers via a portable transceiver, with dialog shown to the player in cutscenes (shown below, left). The radio screens were featured in all consecutive games of the series, with a communication device known as Codec replacing the radio in 1998 video game Metal Gear Solid (shown below, right).^[2]

This is 3ig IB os S... e had a jamming attack but it's solved. .over CFE

In addition to Metal Gear series, the codec conversations also appear as taunts in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008) and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) (shown below).^[3]

Otacon, there's a chimpanzee here wearing a Nintendo hat.

P1 llinⅢ The Ice Climbers have conquered frozen glaciers and dangerous mountaintops together. I think they've formed a bond that we can't even fathom. 4.9

Spread

A well-recognized feature of Metal Gear series installments, Codec screen gained popularity online as an exploitable. On September 7th, 2009, YouTuber ScottFalco uploaded a video parody titled "Metal Gear: Codec Moments".^[4] The video gained over 139,000 views in ten years.

In 2012 and 2013, variations of the screen featuring Balloon Solid Snake were posted online by several users.^[5]

On March 8th, 2018, Metal Gear Solid's Codec was added to Death Generator meme generator.^[6]^[7] The feature allows users to create custom Codec conversations between several characters from the game (examples shown below).

foone @Foone The generator has been updated, it novw can do METAL GEAR SOLID (specifically, the PS1 version) foone.github.io/SierraDeathGen PTT 98,ae MEMORY Snake. Do you think love can bloom, even if you cut back on funding? 1:52 AM -8 Mar 2018

PTT E140.85 MEHORY colonel can you please pick me up from school i'm not feeling well

PT T 40.85 MEMORY Thats how mafia works, Snake

P TT 40.85 MEMORY Snake, try to remember the basics of Drip

In the following year, multiple notable parodies based on the Codec screen, both videos and images, were posted on various platforms, including YouTube, Reddit, Twitter and Instagram.