Metal Gear Solid (メタルギアソリッド) (commonly abbreviated as MGS) is a stealth action video game directed and written by Hideo Kojima. The story of Metal Gear Solid takes place in 2005, south-west of Alaska in the Bering sea. It follows Solid Snake, a retired soldier who infiltrates a nuclear weapons disposal facility to neutralize the terrorist threat from FOXHOUND, a renegade special forces unit. Snake must liberate two hostages, the head of DARPA and the president of a major arms manufacturer, confront the terrorists, and stop them from launching a nuclear strike.