LGC07: Kojima-san introduces Metal Gear Solid 4's boss characters

by Jem Alexander { Aug 23rd 2007 at 8:30AM }

Hideo Kojima whipped out his Genius-to-English dictionary again today in order to address the press at the Leipzig Games Conference personally, rather than through a translator. Showing off a new video, he introduced us to Metal Gear Solid 4's boss characters. After a short video showing all the bosses from past Metal Gear Solid games, Kojima asked us "but how can you improve on these? Let me show you."

What followed was a spine-tingling in-game video showcasing each of the new bosses for the upcoming title. They come in the form of beautiful women transformed by a brutal war into sick, metallic beasts. A tentacle-wielding creature with a cruel laugh. A giant silver wolf with an echoing howl. A creature with wings and a jetpack, constantly screaming "rage!" and a floating puppeteer, complete with attached marionettes. All of them twisted, mechanical beasts.

Keeping with the "Beauty and the Beast" theme, Kojima modeled these boss characters and their movements off of "real world beauties", one of whom, Yumi Kikuchi, stepped up on stage to declare how happy she is to be in the game -- and how much she loves Leipzig, naturally.

Our anticipation for this game is at its highest yet. Q1 2008 can't come quick enough.

Tags: LGC07, MetalGearSolid4

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Sparda23 @ Aug 23rd 2007 8:37AM

My honest opinion, personally, and no one has to agree, is that these things are lame. Seriously, Kojima has gotten such a big head and so many suck ups that he could take a dump and animate it, and people would STILL love it.
He lost me at MGS3. I could not be less excited about MGS4, and that video showcasing these bosses made me even less excited. Kojima needs to make up his mind as to what kind of game he's making.

But then again, he has so many raving fanboys it really doesn't matter WHAT he does.

teenagertc @ Aug 23rd 2007 8:55AM

Are boss battles considered next gen?

J.Goodwin @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:26AM

Boss battles weren't even last gen (see Halo 2 ending controversy). However, I like them anyway, so screw the haters.

Ska Oreo @ Aug 23rd 2007 12:32PM

Agreed. The bosses look fucking stupid, even the old man from MGS3 is cooler than all of them combined.

micklol @ Aug 25th 2007 3:28AM

The moral here is: DON"T mess with women!

AlexP @ Aug 23rd 2007 8:46AM

Tentacles make me hotttt.

Mudbeed @ Aug 23rd 2007 8:49AM

Sorry, but that is the dumbest thing anyone has ever said. You think loving the style and art as fanboyism.

I love the MGS story and the characters are always interesting, espoecially the bosses.

You say it's getting worse and worse and yet the MGS3 bosses were some of the best of the series.

It's ok to not like MGS, but to say that others do like it because of fanboyism is a sh*t statement.

If it wasn't for the story, I may not even play these games (I'm not a big fan of the controls, etc).

I dunno I think you are on crack.

Sparda 23 @ Aug 23rd 2007 8:53AM

Well look dude, I'm not saying only fanboys like it. Sorry if you took it this way. All I'm saying is that I don't. Then made a realization that it doesn't really matter, whether I like it or not, or whether you do or not, because this is MGS. And MGS has more fanboys than there are trees in the world.

JJ Rooster @ Aug 23rd 2007 9:06AM

Mudbeed, I think it's funny that you admit you don't like the gameplay and are only concerned with the story unfolding to you in cut-scenes. I think you are in luck with this one. Seriously, how much actual demo footage have we seen on this game? 5 minutes? Honestly Kojima, just go make movies, it's clearly your preferred medium.

bl13 @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:30AM

There's a 15-minute gameplay video around, narrated by Kojima, and yes that's 15 minutes of gameplay.

Dahk @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:31AM

Actually JJ to the Rooster. 15 full minutes of sweet action gameplay footage. Frick its being released in another half a year. They're not going to give a full hands-on at this moment - it'll ruin all the hype.

I personally fully agreed with Mudbeed. I love it for the story.

Gameplay in MGS3 was a bit too complicated, and its a bit difficult to get used to. But apparently they're warping all that for the better. It'll have some similarities, but really you've GOT to be impressed if they can fit those controls into a nice intuitive control system. I mean Snake in the game can do like frickin anything you want him to lol.

Honestly, we love MGS for a REASON. You don't (bold) always (unbold) have fanboys/girls flocking to games, because ... everyone else does. I think what Kojima has done so far in this last hit to the series is absolutely spectacular. And you can't doubt some of the stuff he does throughout the MGS series is whickedly awesome.

... and lol @ Genius - English dictionary Jem. Haha.

JJ Rooster @ Aug 23rd 2007 1:33PM

Sorry guys, you're right. I did the see the 15min gameplay earlier, but it felt like 5 minutes with all the "pause-menu-change camo-pause-menu-scroll weapons" stuff that really takes you out of the game world. Don't you think this game would have released this year if Kojima was concerned with gameplay instead of camera angles?

Jerk Face @ Aug 23rd 2007 8:54AM

God damn it.. why do I want to suddenly get a PS3?

mike_p @ Aug 24th 2007 5:25PM

I wouldn't worry. If you can hold off and borrow some patience from the Europeans, it'll be on the Xbox 360 before you know it!

apotheosis.x @ Aug 23rd 2007 8:58AM

The constant use of "Kojima-san" REALLY annoys me. You're writing for an american website in english...use Mister/Mr.

Jerk Face @ Aug 23rd 2007 9:25AM

Here, I got this card for you.

http://bigpicture.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/urban_asshole_1.jpg

Lemmiwinks @ Aug 23rd 2007 1:17PM

poor apotheosis-san...

fawazr @ Aug 23rd 2007 2:35PM

@apotheosis.x

Don't worry. Nihongo-philes just like to wave their cocks in people's faces. See, they aren't Japanese enough not to be called "gaijin," but they still think they're better than you. Ignore them and they'll eventually lose interest and return to playing with their Katana blades and reading Lafcadio Hearn.

apotheosis.x @ Aug 23rd 2007 9:11AM

Oh now I see. 90% of Jem Alexander's posts are Sony related. Great....a Sony Fanboy's writing for Joystiq...that's what this place needs.

Jerk Face @ Aug 23rd 2007 9:23AM

Joystiq writes about who is in the freaking news, and guess what? It has been Sony for the past few days.

Who cares?

upz @ Aug 23rd 2007 9:36AM

You do realize that he's a writer for PS3 Fanboy, which is as much of a part of Joystiq as XBox360 Fanboy and Nintendo Wii Fanboy. They probably sent him to save on airfare since he's already in Europe.

Curmeo @ Aug 23rd 2007 9:16AM

these boss characters are absolutely stunning. man Kojima is a legend, the Spielberg of games.

megaStryke @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:16AM

Notice the lack of any and all harsh criticism in this post. Here, we see the Curmeo in his natural environment. When the Curmeo steps outside of its comfort zone, it explodes into a vitriolic rage.

Curmeo @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:42AM

and upon seeing the Curmeo's comment, the megaDouche tries going up the Curmeo's ass, as usual.

Ska Oreo @ Aug 23rd 2007 12:34PM

Are you serious? Jesus christ I know that you're a rabid fanboy, but this takes the cake. Spielberg can kick Kojima's ass any fucking day.

megaStryke @ Aug 23rd 2007 12:59PM

It's karma. You needlessly troll Nintendo topics or make anti-Nintendo comments when the topic at hand has nothing to do with Nintendo. As a result, I troll you.

fawazr @ Aug 23rd 2007 2:39PM

"these boss characters are absolutely stunning. man Kojima is a legend, the Spielberg of games."

This sort of hyperbole only invites criticism and suspicion. Who even talks like that? Other than shills, that is.

Curmeo @ Aug 23rd 2007 2:41PM

megaDouche, care to show an example of what you claim i do? lets see what you got, chump.

megaStryke @ Aug 23rd 2007 3:04PM

Gladly.

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/pro-evolution-soccer-2008-coming-to-wii-in-2008/
"Aug 22nd 2007 8:39AM 'you can likely expect a complete overhaul of the control method.'

oh you mean tacked on waggle controls, gotcha."

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/17/todays-most-first-person-waggle-video-metroid-prime-3/
"Aug 17th 2007 8:29AM a GameCube level game with waggle controls on a $250 overpriced system? thanks ill pass."

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/03/warhawk-dated-august-28th-digital-and-retail-prices-announced/
"Aug 4th 2007 8:56AM thats cool. i actually meant to contrast Warhawk with any online Wii game, say Mario Strikers Charged."

All I did was take a quick look at your postings through your profile. I picked three from the last few weeks, and of course not including and quotes from the Wii shortage topic.

baby sea tuna @ Aug 23rd 2007 4:05PM

That was a truly sweet burn.

Ska Oreo @ Aug 23rd 2007 4:18PM

agreed.

Curmeo @ Aug 23rd 2007 5:31PM

hey megaDouche,

"It's karma. You needlessly troll Nintendo topics or make anti-Nintendo comments when the topic at hand has nothing to do with Nintendo. As a result, I troll you."

my first two comments *are* related to Nintendo. let me try helping you out. a troll comment would be "Nintendo sucks." thats what a troll comment is. all three comments of mine are based on valid arguements, as i and some others see it. you not liking my comments is another thing.

only my third comment wasnt Nintendo related. i think thats the only comment ive made on Joystiq that wasnt Nintendo related. but that wasnt a troll comment either. it vas a valid point, as i see it. if it was a troll comment, i would say "MSC sucks" without giving any valid reasons why i feel that way.

try again megaDouche. we both know i yet again win this arguement.

megaStryke @ Aug 23rd 2007 6:35PM

"my first two comments *are* related to Nintendo. let me try helping you out. a troll comment would be 'Nintendo sucks.' thats what a troll comment is. all three comments of mine are based on valid arguements, as i and some others see it. you not liking my comments is another thing."

These are his "valid arguments":

Curmeo on tuning Pro Evolution Soccer to Wii controls: "oh you mean tacked on waggle controls, gotcha."

Curmeo has traveled into the future and learned beyond a shadow of a doubt that those extra months yielded absolutely nothing. I mean, how else would he know that the game's controls were just plain waggle?

Curmeo on Metroid Prime 3: "a GameCube level game with waggle controls on a $250 overpriced system? thanks ill pass."

All the early praise from various gaming outlets who have had hands-on experience with the completed build be damned. Never mind that these outlets have touted the controls as the best or some of the best in any console FPS, much less for a Wii game. Forget that thinking that "value for your buck" is a vague factor that varies from person to person. Curmeo hasn't played the game, but HE knows. He always knows.

"only my third comment wasnt Nintendo related. i think thats the only comment ive made on Joystiq that wasnt Nintendo related. but that wasnt a troll comment either. it vas a valid point, as i see it. if it was a troll comment, i would say 'MSC sucks' without giving any valid reasons why i feel that way."

Curmeo on Warhawk online: "thats cool. i actually meant to contrast Warhawk with any online Wii game, say Mario Strikers Charged."

Now why would a discussion on Warhawk online lead to a Wii comparison? Notice how he doesn't want to compare the online component to Xbox Live, which I am told is the PSN's closest competitor. It's almost common knowledge that the Wii has the least robust online system, but why would Curmeo pit one single PS3 game against any and all current and future Wii online games? Why wouldn't he measure it against a single similar title on the comparable Xbox 360? He is about 100% certain that Warhawk has better online than all the Wii games combined, but he seems to want to stroke his ego by throwing them into the ring anyway just to prove he's right.

Notice also how he doesn't give reasons why he thinks Warhawk's online is better than, say, Mario Striker Charged's online.

Cal @ Aug 24th 2007 12:39AM

Those are some pretty bad burn marks there, Curmeo

Curmeo @ Aug 24th 2007 11:07AM

first off megaDouche, nothing i said is false.

i said: "oh you mean tacked on waggle controls, gotcha". its true. the game will have tacked on waggle controls since its a port.

then i said: "a GameCube level game with waggle controls on a $250 overpriced system? thanks ill pass." notice i didnt use the words "tacked on" since MP3 isnt a port. everything in the quote is correct. it is a GameCube-level game, it does feature waggle controls, and Wii is overpriced since the $250 isnt fully worth one's money since Nintendo doesnt sell the hardware at a loss, compared to the competition.

then i said: "thats cool. i actually meant to contrast Warhawk with any online Wii game, say Mario Strikers Charged" this is the only quote, out of the three you used, that i refered to Nintendo even though the topic was about Warhawk. even then my comparison is true. Warhawk's online options dwarf MSC's online options as well as any presently available online Wii game.

oh yeah and Xbox Live is $50 a year. PSN is free, like Wii's online service. so why should i compare PSN to Xbox Live?

Curmeo wins again.

Fish @ Aug 23rd 2007 9:21AM

Neat!

Fish @ Aug 23rd 2007 9:24AM

I dunno man, they're different at least. At least you know Kojima's creative vision isn't being compromised.. because there is no way some douche in a suit was pushing for more tentacles.

Is it me, or are the good games getting more and more esoteric?

Ska Oreo @ Aug 23rd 2007 4:15PM

Haven't there been tentacles in almost all of his games?

I seriously think Kojima has some tentacle fetish.

Mjkeller @ Aug 23rd 2007 9:35AM

So... In the past the MGS bosses, characters etc have been somewhat classy, though at times odd.
These ones have the campy factor of the mighty morphin power rangers..
Yeah...
Next please.

DFR @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:20AM

Damn, I never realised there were so many ignorant people around!
@JJ Rooster Only 5 minutes of gameplay? You've not seen the 15 minute+ demo from E3 this year? It's on the PSN and places like Gametrailers. Good grief!
As for the designs, you know it's wholly subjective and to be honest I think anyone who uses the designs of these bosses as an excuse to slag the game off are desperate for ANY excuse to slag it off, simply because IT'S NOT ON THE 360!

Ska Oreo @ Aug 23rd 2007 4:16PM

Or... maybe it's because they indeed look gay.

Pall @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:42AM

bad arse chars.

Ali @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:57AM

Looking very nice, hurry up and be 2008 already.

Kirk Mead @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:07AM

Yes it's a bit esoteric. It kinda always has been. Some want MGS (under Kojima) to be simpler and more accessible intellectually than it is. Sure if you just want to play it to play solid game then you can do that. But it is not a simple series, rather, (at times) a complex commentary on war, inter-personal and inner-personal conflict. These new bosses like many of the MGS characters in general are tortured souls and victims of their own (making) internal conflict. The bosses have ALWAYS been over the top whether it was in appearance or rhetoric.

Yeah, this has always been a "mature" title, hell did anyone pay attention to how three played out and ended. Heavy series in general I think...

EMilt @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:07AM

Metal Gear is played out. When is Kojima going to think of some new ideas for a game? Sony fans have to wait this long for this? Come on, feminine robots? Playable characters running around butt-naked?...This series is corny!

J @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:09AM

The headline for this should have said,
"My MGS4 bosses, Let me show you them."

D L Ball @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:33AM

Wow the fan boy hate of 360 gamers is scary I love games and this looks fun. I'll admit I wasn't crazy about the MGS game but this one looks like it could be fun again. like MGS1 & MGS2. I really hope this are only mid level bosses. The hound looks tough, puppet master reminds me too much of guy with the gasmask from the first MGS. Medusa looks like a fun fight and the Fury loving flying freak just needs a rocket up the butt to shut him the hell up. Not bad I want to see what happens later. Please if you're 360 fan boy drop the hate you guys have great games too chill.

baby sea tuna @ Aug 23rd 2007 4:16PM

It's funny that you say that considering that you're probably the first person on this thread to bring up the 360. You know, people are allowed to hate on the MGS series, Kojima, or the MGS4 bosses without being "fanboys" of another system.

Personally, I'm stoked for this game, even moreso after seeing that video. I'm really excited by the fact that this game seems like it's actually going to focus more on gameplay than the others, which have pretty awful control/animation when you compare them to most shooters/stealth titles. Plus, the in-engine cutscenes look really frikkin good.

Pizzaboy @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:45AM

used to be a sony fanatic till i bought the wii. if there is one thing i regret from the whole experience is that im gonna miss out on Kojimas masterpiece.
please develop something for the wii Kojima!

and for all those who bash the game and dont have anything nice to say about it obviously havent played the series. leave your ego behind and rejoice that kojima hasnt given up on the series as he once stated long ago.
peace