The Japanese always have managed to get western culture into their games with out many of us knowing. David Bowie has been in Metal Gear Since MGS2. Simply put his 'persona's' from his various songs and music video's have been somewhat coppied into character in the series. Raiden, Kaz, Occelot and Boss, to name a few are based of David Bowie.
As for the Diamond Dog's theme, Bowie had a album called the Diamond Dogs. It's pure speculation on my part but, the track listing on the album seems to for shadow some of the events in MGS.
1.Future Legend
2.Diamond Dogs
3.Sweet Thing
4.Candidate
5.Sweet Thing (Reprise)
6.Rebel Rebel
7.Rock N Roll With Me
8.We Are The Dead
9.1984
10.Big Brother
11.Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family
1. Future legend - A possible reference to Big Boss.
2. "We will make diamonds from their ashes and, take them into battle with us. A shining Light to our brothers in arms. Even in death, we are diamond dogs"
6. "Rebel Rebel" against Zero's system.
8. "Those who do not exist - as seen in the Trailers"
9. TPP takes place in 1984
10. Cipher
11. The Patriots/Controller of the USA.
Also interesting to note the the dog on the logo is a Rhodesian Ridge back.
There are a few timelines that show the main plot's and highlight the basic story.
The games in their chronological order are:
1964 – Snake Eater (MGS3 - PS2/3/Vita)
1970 – Portable Ops (PSP/VITA)
1974 – Peace Walker (PSP/VITA)
1975 – Ground Zeroes
1984 – The Phantom Pain
1995 – Metal Gear
1999 – Solid Snake
2005 – Metal Gear Solid (PSone/3/Vita)
2007/09 – Sons of Liberty (PS2/Vita)
2014 – Guns of the Patriots (PS3)
2016/18 – Rising: Revengeance
If you want to play the story in order to catch up with Phantom Pain it would be:
MGS 3 Snake Eater
MGS Portable Ops
MGS Peace Walker
MGS V Ground Zero's
MGS V Phantom Pain
They are all available on the Vita.
I also wanted to point out, while I like David Hayter as Snake. I think Kiefer Sutherland has done an exceptional job. When I play the older MGS games it feels like Hayter draws out some of his words too much.





