Boombox is a common term used for a portable cassette/CD player (the latter during the 1990s onward) and AM/FM radio with two sound amplifiers. They generally were the size of briefcases, unlike the more compact Walkman.
Usage
During the Peace Walker Incident, the AI researcher, Dr. Strangelove, utilized a boombox to play "Sing" by the Carpenters, although she turned it off when about to commence with her torture of the then-recently captured Big Boss to find out why he killed The Boss during Operation Snake Eater, both to complete the Peace Walker AI weapon for the Peace Sentinel group, and for her own personal reasons.
During the 1980s, both the Red Army and various Private Forces in Afghanistan and the Angola-Zaire border region of Africa, respectively, frequently utilized boom boxes to play various songs that were popular at the time. In addition, Quiet's cell on Mother Base contained a boombox that frequently played various songs.
In 2014, Outer Heaven's Haven Troopers utilized a boom box at a secluded cabin near the mountain trail in South America that played a facsimile of the then-captive Naomi Hunter's voice, as bait to draw out Solid Snake to kill him.
Behind the scenes
Boomboxes frequently appear in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, as a means to collect various in-game songs to listen to on the iDroid. Boomboxes that have a collectible song are heard playing the song in question and have an icon appear showing the action button as well as a cassette tape prompting the player to collect the tape. If the player collects it, the boom box will fall over, and later revisits will have it not play any sound at all.
Other Boomboxes can be found at differing locations that have a faint audible sound of someone talking in the background, although unlike the ones playing songs, these can't actually be interacted with.
If the player shoots the boombox playing Naomi's voice in Metal Gear Solid 4, the sound will slow down.
Appearances
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain