Item
SOCOM (SOCOM pistol)
A semi-automatic handgun equipped with a laser aiming module, serving as Solid Snake's primary firearm in Metal Gear Solid.
Action
About
The SOCOM is a signature tactical pistol utilized by Solid Snake in the 1998 stealth-action game Metal Gear Solid. It can be upgraded with a suppressor found in the game to eliminate enemies silently. The weapon also appears in related media, including the Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions Demo CD and other promotional demo discs.
Modelled after the real-world Heckler & Koch Mark 23, the handgun represents the franchise's shift toward authentic military realism. Within Metal Gear Solid (1998), players first acquire the weapon inside a cargo truck parked at the Shadow Moses heliport. It features an integrated Laser Aiming Module (LAM) that assists with targeting, though firing it unsuppressed immediately alerts nearby guards.
The weapon's prominence extended to promotional and peripheral releases of the late 1990s and early 2000s. It served as a primary tool for completing stealth trials in the Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions Demo CD (1999) and was featured in early gameplay slices on the Metal Gear Solid Demo CD (2002). Furthermore, the item's digital data and associated game saves were distributed via specialized promotional peripherals, such as the Metal Gear Solid SharkByte Memory Card (1998). This weapon established a mechanical template for subsequent tactical gear in the series, cementing the relationship between real-world firearms and the franchise's stealth-action gameplay.
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