Metal Gear Solid just mounted a comeback with Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, but following it up might not be easy. With Metal Gear‘s identity thoroughly tied to creator Hideo Kojima, proceeding to create new games without him at the helm will inevitably invite criticism. Beyond Snake Eater, even remakes could be challenging.
In an interview with Japanese outlet Real Sound (shared by VGC), Metal Gear Solid producer Noriaki Okamura discussed options for the future of the franchise. Konami is apparently “still in the stage of thinking about what to make next,” but Okamura would like to capitalize on the momentum. Whether the next entry will be another remake or a new game is “undecided,” and “applying the same methodology” used for Delta: Snake Eater wouldn’t work for other games.
Stuck On The PS3
Real Sound asked Okamura specifically about a Metal Gear Solid 4 remake, which Okamura addressed with some skepticism. “MGS4’s code ended up being quite unconventional,” according to Okamura, which is fairly typical of PS3 exclusives built to capitalize on Sony’s powerful but bizarre cell architecture. Consequently, creating a modern re-release or remake would be far from straightforward.
If Metal Gear Solid 4 is off the table, Konami could always work backward and resurrect Metal Gear Solid 1 or 2, although they would also come with their own challenges. The first two Solid games shared the top-down approach of Snake Eater‘s original release, but they never received third-person remixes like Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, which served as the basis for Delta: Snake Eater. With a focus on cramped corridors and hostile hangars, the environments might not translate as well.
Konami Isn’t Giving Up
I’m not entirely convinced that Metal Gear Solid should proceed without Kojima, but if it does, it’s at least nice to know that the Delta: Snake Eater team isn’t rushing into things. Nothing would kill the idiosyncratic creative brilliance of Metal Gear more quickly than a one-size-fits-all approach, which Okamura clearly understands.
At any rate, whatever comes next will likely be better than Metal Gear Survive, Konami’s disastrous first attempt at a Kojima-less Metal Gear. I wouldn’t be opposed to better spin-offs in the vein of games like Metal Gear Acid and the GBC Metal Gear Solid (known as Ghost Babel in Japan), both of which were more successful at translating Metal Gear‘s strengths. Just don’t threaten me with Metal Gear Solid 6 unless there’s a truly great idea behind it.
- Video Game(s)
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Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004), Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Metal Gear Survive, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
- Character(s)
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Solid Snake, Big Boss, Liquid Snake, Raiden, Revolver Ocelot, The Boss, Gray Fox, Otacon
