PC players of Metal Gear Solid 4 immediately unlocked the same special achievement upon starting the game. Let's just say that statue was rather unlucky.
Metal Gear is a series with a wildly eclectic style. It boasts some of the finest storytelling in gaming history, and even after multiple playthroughs, the emotional impact of its top-tier entries remains unmatched.
That said, the series doesn't shy away from absurdity.
The series has a recurring character whose core trait is chronic irritable bowel syndrome, which is later revealed to be hereditary—his ancestor in Metal Gear Solid 3 also had an urgent need to relieve himself at any time and place.
Beyond this "defecation enthusiast," the game world is filled with such nonsensical details and interactions. For instance, players slip on bird droppings at the start of Metal Gear Solid 2, and there are fourth-wall-breaking lines poking fun at the PS3 (which were modified in the port). Metal Gear Solid 4 also features a famous scene: players can pose next to a statue for camouflage, but if they get too close repeatedly, Snake accidentally breaks off the statue's private parts.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 even includes an achievement for this action, titled "Handle With Care," which requires players to "break off the statue's most important part." After the game officially launched on Steam yesterday, BlueSky user Columbologist noticed an interesting statistic while checking the achievement list. Honestly, his summary was more spot-on than mine. The post read: "Everyone waited nearly 20 years for MGS4 to come to platforms other than the PS3, and 91.8% of players' first move upon launching the game was to rush over to the statue and break off its dick."
Although this percentage had dropped to 21.4% by the time I wrote this article, the fact remains: within just a few hours of Metal Gear Solid 4's PC release, 91.8% of players broke off the statue's private parts. This was exactly the reaction Hideo Kojima intended.