As many Metal Gear fans know,the destruction of the Twin Towers and WTC building 7 (aka the Solomon Brothers building) on 9/11 2001 caused changes to be made to the game,most notably,a scene of mass destruction in New York in which the Statue of Liberty and the New York Stock Exchange among other buildings are demolished.
Looking at The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 I'm guessing the Towers were intended to be prominently featured,although nothing is mention of them in the script
Yet still,the game is filled with ideas of terrorism and conspiracy all going down right there in Manhatthan,along with some interesting imagry as well
Even the Cathedral of St. Patrick, (which Kojima and his team photographed during their research trip to New York) reminds me of Boaz,Jachin,and Solomons temple. (St. Patricks cathedral served as the inspiration of the European cathedral in MGS4.
Another common fact that all Metal Gear fans know is that Solid Snake's alias Iroquois Pliskin comes from the 1981 John Carpenter film Escape From New York.
Here is a link to read Hideo Kojima's personal thoughts on the film and how it inspired him. I would also recommend to check out Kojimas commentary on Planet Of The Apes which is another film that features a displaced Statue of Liberty.
Since the High Priestess of tarot is closely associated with Solomons Temple and its pillars,I can't help but think of Lady Liberty in that position.
Oh,and speaking of snakes flying around Manhattan,there's a B-Horror movie from the early 80's called Q: The Winged Serpent wherein New York is terrorized by a flying monster believed to be the serpent deity Quetzalcoatl
Escape from New York flying snake/twin towers
One eyed flying snake, MGS2
9/11 marked a pivotal moment in todays “information age" where the whole world was watching this phenomenal event unfold live before our eyes,cable news networks ran 24/7 coverage,and the internet was finally becoming a casual thing among all generations and cultures.Two months later,MGS2 came out and floated ideas about a new societal shift,catalyzing moments in history that alter our collective conscious (much like the JFK assassination before it) through what Philip K. Dick would call living information. Actually,Philip K. Dick was also writing about simulated information-driven realities and distorted identities well over 40 years ago (Philip K. Dick wrote the short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale in 1966 which was the basis for the film Total Recall.One of my favorite MGS2 analysis draws comparison between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Total Recall,read it here)
Acting as the first step in the war-on-terror-at-home, George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act on October 26,2001 ,two weeks before the release of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty
Hmm...and there were some pretty bizarre conspiracy theories out there about 9/11 and digital media manipulation,such as the creators of September Clues
One more note - ain't it weird how the Millenium Hotel that across from where the twin towers stood kinda looks like the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey?
view 1999 Konami in-house promotional video
Here is a note from the MGS2 Game Plan regarding what was supposed to be the game's original title.
The Roman Numeral 3 can be seen as three pillars or towers
LIGHTNING FLASH
LIGHTNING
For more archetypal architecture in NYC,check out these two videos by Scott Onstott
The MGS2 Game Plan also makes mentions of Iraq and North Korea that were removed from the script.
Images from the Japanese MGS2 Making Of book
Hideo Kojima on 9/11
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