Snake and Raiden's age in MGS4?

I've always been really curious about this one. I know MGS4 takes place around 2014, and can't remember when MGS2 was supposed to take place.

I had heard that Snake was supposed to be 28 in one of the games...I'm thinking MGS2, and Raiden is prolly around the same age, and in the 4th installment, Snake's really around 42 or so, making Raiden...in his late 30's to early 40's? Also, as for Raiden, it is mentioned that he was 6 some time during a possibly fictitious Liberian war (otherwise, that would have been in the late 80's to early 90's).

My head hurts a little trying to figure it out...does anyone have an idea?

Snake would be 42, because we know that he was "born" in 1972. As for Raiden, it's hard to say. Mid-late twenties?

Originally Posted by Slime

Snake would be 42, because we know that he was "born" in 1972. As for Raiden, it's hard to say. Mid-late twenties?

Yeah, in MGS2, maybe...but in the 4th one? I don't think that would work...:/ I mean, should I just assume he's around 40 as well?

But then there's the whole "6 in the Liberian war" thing, which I read took place in the late 80's
...I dunno.

Yeah, the Liberian Civil War thing makes me think he was born in 1983, making him 31 in 2014. That's in no way definitive though, so now that I think about it, I'm just going to assume he's somewhere in his late twenties or early thirties. Definitely don't think he's in his late thirties/forties though.

Yeah I think Raiden is in his late 20s early 30s.

Are we talking physical or biological age here?

Originally Posted by Crab Helmet

Are we talking physical or biological age here?

I'm sorry--could you explain the difference? I was curious as to the age of the character himself within his world, as Snake is (now that I've found out thanks to Slime) 42 in the game.

They don't give him a date of birth, as far as I know, and his face is age (as well as gender, haha) ambiguous.

Thanks for the responses, by the way.

They don't give him a date of birth, as far as I know, and his face is age (as well as gender, haha) ambiguous.

Originally Posted by Young Old Man

I meant that you can't tell what age or sex he is by his face. Sorry, awkward English :3

In MGS4, Snake has aged rapidly, becoming an old man even though he is in his fourties. This is part of his genetic prgramming from the cloning project.
Raiden hasn't suffered from acclerated ageing, but is now a Cyborg Ninja.

Originally Posted by Calypso

I'm sorry--could you explain the difference? I was curious as to the age of the character himself within his world, as Snake is (now that I've found out thanks to Slime) 42 in the game.

They don't give him a date of birth, as far as I know, and his face is age (as well as gender, haha) ambiguous.

Thanks for the responses, by the way.

Well, due to a side effect of being a clone and so on, Snake ages incredibly rapidly. It may have been 42 years since he was born, but in terms of age comparable to other humans, he is probably in his mid-60s.

Well, Snake was born in 1972, while Raiden was born between 1983-1990.

Snake was 28 in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. That game took place in 1999.

Okay--thanks. For Raiden, I guess I'll just assume he's like...23 in the 2nd. Making him around...38 or so in the 4th? I dunno, but sounds good to me.

Huh...I'd assume that Raiden was in his late 30s to early 40s. Snake is approximately 42, as has been said, since he was "born" in 1972. But again, Snake's genetics cause him to age rapidly. In MGS2, Liquid says (speaking through Ocelot) that Snake looks very aged, and mentions that it is due to his genes. It was also confirmed that his genes caused his deterioration.

I would say that Raiden is roughly the same age as Meryl, give or take a couple years. His face is not a good indication, because Konami made a habit of making all the characters age rather will, except for Snake, in this series. Honestly, by looking at faces, I would have thought EVA was in her 50's, instead of 70's. However, Raiden's voice sounds rather young in MGS2, as it is apparent that he has aged in his voice by MGS4, and it took place not long after Meryl's first mission, only about 4 years after, and she was definitely really young at that time.