Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Bosses Revealed

At this year's Leipzig Games Convention, new bosses were revealed for the much anticipated Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

Named the "Beauty and the Beast Unit," these new bosses are all females. They were transformed, both mentally and physically, into cyborgs-like killing machines by the trauma they suffered from the effects of war; hence the name "Beauty and the Beast;" Beauty because before they were normal women; "Beast" because war transformed them into killing machines. The same theme will be reflected on the overall story of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

To emphasize the beauty part more, Hideo Kojima, the creator and director of the series, hired real-life actresses and models to create in-game models in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the first this has been done in the franchise. Lyndall Jarvis, Scarlett Chorvat, Mieko Rye and Yumi Kikuchi will be representing the four female warriors Crying Wolf, Laughing Octopus, Raging Raven and Screaming Mantis of the "Beauty and the Beast Unit" (it is not known which actress plays who at this point).

If the warriors' names sound familiar, it should. The "Beauty and the Beast Unit" pays homage to the "Foxhound Unit" of the original Metal Gear Solid: Decoy Octopus (Laughing Octopus), Psycho Mantis (Screaming Mantis), Sniper Wolf (Crying Wolf) and Vulcan Raven (Raging Raven). You could also say the names pay homage to the "Cobra Unit" of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater: The Fear (Screaming Mantis), The Fury (Raging Raven), The Joy (Laughing Octopus) and The Sorrow (Crying Wolf).

Each of the four warriors will have different abilities and back stories. Aesthetically, their robot suits somewhat resemble their animal code names. Here is a brief rundown on each of their abilities:

Crying Wolf
Out of the unit, Crying Wolf is the only one who doesn't have a physical humanoid appearance; the robot suit looks to be a tight and uncomfortable fit for her. The Crying Wolf has no head; instead it has a spherical device (which functions as an eye). Crying Wolf is easily the most mobile and strongest of the bunch. She can run through the street hoping from wall to wall and can stop and lift a moving tank easily.

Laughing Octopus
Laughing Octopus has four tentacles that help her move in addition to strangling (like a snake) and impaling her enemies. She somewhat resembles Doctor Octopus from Spiderman. The most interesting aspect about her is that she, like the main protagonist Solid Snake, can use the Octocamo to disguise herself with the surroundings. She also has three spherical devices floating around her.

Raging Raven
The only flying member of the "Beauty and the Beast Unit," Raging Raven can also use her wings to decapitate enemies. She is also the most equipped for battle with three rockets on each wing and a gun on her right hand. She may also be the most insane person in the group as she is constantly shouting "RAGE!" and "SHOW ME YOUR RAGE!" while killing her enemies.

Screaming Mantis
By far the most intriguing member is Screaming Mantis (Solid Snake even utter the words "can't be" when he first saw her). This monster has six mechanical arms: four of them hold knives; the other two are used to hold one marionette each. Fans of the series will be able to recognize the marionettes as Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear Solid and The Sorrow from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. She can control the enemy's body (even forcing him to kill his own comrades) and clutch them to death.

Aside from the four members of the "Beauty and the Beast Unit," you can expect much more boss battles. A fight with a new Metal Gear is pretty much guaranteed as well as one final showdown with Ocelot (and Liquid Snake). Vamp may also be fightable.

As the last Metal Gear Solid game, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots looks to pull off all stops when it comes to the boss battles. Solid Snake will have his hands full fighting them early next year when Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will finally be released after years of anticipation.