Long before Merry Gear Solid 2: The Ghosts of Christmas Past, there was Merry Gear Solid 2: Songs of Festivity, a game that had the player playing as John Lennon (Big Beard). Do you see why that would be a bad idea? Let me tell you:

A) It’s a game about The Beatles.

B) It’s a Christmas game about The Beatles.

C) It’s a Christmas game about The Beatles, but also Metal Gear.

D) I don’t know anything about The Beatles. In fact, the only reason John Lennon came up in the twist ending to Merry Gear 1 was because I googled “Famous Beards” and he came up.

It was a bad idea, but from it came a very good idea. In The Ghosts of Christmas Past, I was going to add a John Lennon reference by having Lennon play the part of Johnny Sasaki, the idiot guard that appears in all of the Metal Gear Solid games (Johnny Lennon, you see)

The idea was ultimately dropped, since it was kind of a Time Paradox to have John Lennon walking around in modern times.

From the idea, though, came this very quick and very barebones musical sketch I did for Johnny Lennon’s introduction and the subsequent sneaking out of whatever jail he was guarding. Needless to say, it won’t be appearing in the final game.