Quote Originally Posted by Evan
Quote Originally Posted by Lindy
No, the point of Raiden was that players could identify more with the character, one who was fresh to the battlefield like they were, rather than a veteran like Snake.

It was nothing to do with making Snake look "cooler".
Well thats what Kojima said on the DVD that came with my copy of the game. He wanted to give the players a new perspective of Snake to make him look more impressive. Come ot think of it maybe it wasnt Kojima but someone important enough to get an intervew said that.
That's a good point - Raiden idolises Snake, in a way. So rather than having Snake as the lead character, whose eyes we see through, we instead get an external perspective on him - seeing what he looks like to other people. It also shows the kind of influence Snake has had on the world, even though he's always been a (largely) "unsung hero". A bit of recognition for all his hard work, you might say.