Having celebrated his 45th birthday on Sunday (happy birthday!), Metal Gear series creator Hideo Kojima has again spoken on the trickiness of leaving the series despite his strong desire to get on with new ventures.
Speaking with Kikizo, Kojima likens his on-again, off-again relationship with the series' director's chair to that of famed Japanese anime director Hayao Miyazaki. "It's like when [he] says he is not going to do more [movies], and then always ends up doing [them]. I think I am kind of in a similar situation," said Kojima, adding, "I have ideas other than Metal Gear, and I want to go on to make other new games, but for political, business or technology reasons, there is always a time when I have to return."
Don't take that to mean "as director," though. "I would like to pass on the Metal Gear series to younger staff members, and then go on to produce the title, and not be so attached to it," he confided. Given his involvement as co-writer of MGS3 and co-writer / co-director of MGS4, Shuyo Murata – director of Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – is currently tipped as Kojima's pick to take the reins of MGS5.
Reader Comments (58)
Posted: Aug 25th 2008 11:16PM (Unverified) said
In all honesty, I don't want it to end. Not when Raiden is now a fucking cyborg ninja, and doesn't whine anymore. But what can they be fighting and fighting for now? mgs4 had such a happy ending and everything came to a close, any new enemies would just seem insignificant. I can't wait to find out!
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Posted: Aug 25th 2008 11:32PM LAZoftheTamarinds said
They can always go back in time with the series and cover some of events of Big Boss's life. Or how about the events with Raiden and Sunny in Area 51, when Raiden saves Sunny from the Patriots.
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Posted: Aug 26th 2008 3:04AM Alex R said
Why not make a series of shorter games (Portal length?) that cover the lives of the level bosses before stuff happened like FoxHound and all of the Metal Gears. Sniper Wolf's and Psycho Mantis's stories would be good fun. Imagine Psi-Ops but with a better main character.
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Posted: Aug 26th 2008 7:47AM (Unverified) said
They'd have to be longer. Portal length FAILS and it's success was a one-off.Now if they were 5-6 hours each(Half-Life Episodes) it would be more plausible.
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Posted: Sep 14th 2008 7:19PM (Unverified) said
Raiden still sucked. His jumping in and saving Snake was cool, but still I would prefer this series to wrap up with the 4th.
Seriously game developers are so annoying. Can't they ever just finish a series off? Thats like asking for a Godfather pt. 4.
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Seriously game developers are so annoying. Can't they ever just finish a series off? Thats like asking for a Godfather pt. 4.
Posted: Aug 25th 2008 11:39PM carg0 said
healthy diet and exercise are the obvious suggestions but the real key is staying out of the sun.
the Japanese (especially the females) follow this rule like religion, even walking around with umbrellas on bright, clear days. that's why a lot of asian females are hit with that sterotype of looking like a child when they're actually in their mid-twenties. y'see they understand, unlike most idiots in the US, that's there's no such thing as a safe tan. period. that's why all those people you see at the beach, ignorantly bathing in sun's radiation, wind up looking 50 by the time they hit their 30's. of course, there's that whole 'melanoma' thing as well...
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the Japanese (especially the females) follow this rule like religion, even walking around with umbrellas on bright, clear days. that's why a lot of asian females are hit with that sterotype of looking like a child when they're actually in their mid-twenties. y'see they understand, unlike most idiots in the US, that's there's no such thing as a safe tan. period. that's why all those people you see at the beach, ignorantly bathing in sun's radiation, wind up looking 50 by the time they hit their 30's. of course, there's that whole 'melanoma' thing as well...
Posted: Aug 25th 2008 11:20PM LAZoftheTamarinds said
Good.
Metal Gear can't be Metal Gear without Kojima.
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Metal Gear can't be Metal Gear without Kojima.
Posted: Aug 25th 2008 11:22PM mactanaguchi said
on one hand, i want more metal gears. on the other, i did really enjoy boktai and lunar knights. im not sure what to root for here.
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Posted: Aug 26th 2008 1:27AM (Unverified) said
I just want more acid.
These shakes are just killing me.
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These shakes are just killing me.
Posted: Aug 26th 2008 8:23AM (Unverified) said
It's heroin that makes you shake, not acid. LSD doesn't even create a physical dependence like other substances which cause people to go into withdrawal. Perhaps you should take your junk-ridden veins away from the keyboard. Your bad vibes are really upsetting the pink elephant perched on my shoulder.
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Posted: Aug 26th 2008 1:08PM (Unverified) said
I would like another Metal Gear Ac!d game with more cards.I always wanted to do a Revolver Ocelot themed deck but there wasn't that many cards.
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Posted: Aug 29th 2008 1:14AM (Unverified) said
Pretty sure a lot of drug-related dependencies give you the shakes. But I'll leave you and your pink elephant to decide.
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Posted: Aug 25th 2008 11:36PM (Unverified) said
ZOE 3 needs to come out and be the best thing ever first.
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Posted: Aug 26th 2008 12:09AM (Unverified) said
I agree. ZOE 2's graphics are on par with Super Mario Galaxy.
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Posted: Aug 25th 2008 11:42PM (Unverified) said
Kojima may become the George Lucas of videogames.
Plagued by having to fill in new plot bits to an idea he started years ago, one that is still too popular to move on to something else.
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Plagued by having to fill in new plot bits to an idea he started years ago, one that is still too popular to move on to something else.
Posted: Aug 26th 2008 12:05AM (Unverified) said
Except his quality didn't go down the toilet after the third one...
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Posted: Aug 26th 2008 2:08AM Saucepanman said
Seriously... I thought he was much younger than he is before I saw his Wikipedia page
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Posted: Aug 26th 2008 12:01AM (Unverified) said
Anyone else starting to get a Paris Hilton vibe from him? I'm getting tired of all this will-he, won't-he, he dissed someone...
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Posted: Aug 26th 2008 12:08AM (Unverified) said
Metal Gear Solid 5: Return of The Veterans
Snake in his super wheelchair packed with miniguns, rocket-launchers.. and of course, wheelchair camo.
But watch out! If spotted, your oxygen levels will decrease, resulting in a higher risk of heart attack.
Nah, I keed :3
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Snake in his super wheelchair packed with miniguns, rocket-launchers.. and of course, wheelchair camo.
But watch out! If spotted, your oxygen levels will decrease, resulting in a higher risk of heart attack.
Nah, I keed :3
Posted: Aug 26th 2008 11:30AM jumpshot said
Lol... Walker knife fights. The codec scenes would be longer and mostly about the increased price of things and which cammo to put on your "depends". Of course, if he's in a retirement home, his active cammo could be a bed sheet since the walls are usually white anyway.
So his sneaking around would be trying to find a place to have a smoke. "!" "What whas that? Oh, it's just a box."
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So his sneaking around would be trying to find a place to have a smoke. "!" "What whas that? Oh, it's just a box."
Posted: Aug 26th 2008 2:34AM Zorque said
I don't want to belittle the man for his obviously huge contributions to gaming, but I really wish he wouldn't return. The Metal Gear franchise are some of my favorite games ever, but this last one really had me grinding my teeth. I know I'm going to get low ranked, and that my opinion's gonna be all-around reviled, but I really don't care all that much.
I've gotta say it: Hideo Kojima turned one of my favorite series into a masturbatory fan-service nightmare. I know the series has always had its in-jokes and fourth-wall breaking moments, but it seems like this entire game was built around "HAHA, IT'S HIDEO'S NAME, GET IT? HAHA, THAT WAS IN A GAME BEFORE THIS ONE, GET IT?" He plastered his own name on every possible surface in MGS4, to the point where I was just trying to dodge his meta-references and actually play.
And don't get me started on his obvious Sony bias. Every single aspect of that game, possibly excluding the completely unnecessary (but admittedly kinda cool) hi-def video loading screens, could have been done on the 360. The graphics weren't really all that impressive, and though they were a pretty significant step above the previous iterations of the series, they're nothing the 360 couldn't have handled with ease.
The voice acting might have been the cause that the game wouldn't fit on a single DVD, but multiple discs didn't seem to be a problem for Hideo with the original MGS, and I know there are plenty of people who would have gladly switched discs to play this game.
Lastly, the story was just awful. I know the series is meant to be light-hearted even in seriousness, but it was such a cop-out. ***SPOILERS***Big Boss isn't dead? Oh. I guess that nothing that happened throughout the series was all that important, then, since so much of it revolved around his remains. Vamp isn't really supernatural, it's just nanomachines? But you didn't have to explain Psycho Mantis' psychic powers, or Vulcan Raven's seeming power over aspects of nature, or Fortune's ability to deflect bullets even without her magnetic.... thing?
I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though the man can make a fun game, his ego and his constant refusals to compromise, just like some of the people in charge of Sony (see Kutaragi's comments on the early PSP screen cracking problems, etc), have ruined what would otherwise be an excellent product.
I hope he stays on in some capacity in order to keep gameplay fresh and exciting, but please keep him out of the spotlight, it takes away from the real star: the game itself.
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I've gotta say it: Hideo Kojima turned one of my favorite series into a masturbatory fan-service nightmare. I know the series has always had its in-jokes and fourth-wall breaking moments, but it seems like this entire game was built around "HAHA, IT'S HIDEO'S NAME, GET IT? HAHA, THAT WAS IN A GAME BEFORE THIS ONE, GET IT?" He plastered his own name on every possible surface in MGS4, to the point where I was just trying to dodge his meta-references and actually play.
And don't get me started on his obvious Sony bias. Every single aspect of that game, possibly excluding the completely unnecessary (but admittedly kinda cool) hi-def video loading screens, could have been done on the 360. The graphics weren't really all that impressive, and though they were a pretty significant step above the previous iterations of the series, they're nothing the 360 couldn't have handled with ease.
The voice acting might have been the cause that the game wouldn't fit on a single DVD, but multiple discs didn't seem to be a problem for Hideo with the original MGS, and I know there are plenty of people who would have gladly switched discs to play this game.
Lastly, the story was just awful. I know the series is meant to be light-hearted even in seriousness, but it was such a cop-out. ***SPOILERS***Big Boss isn't dead? Oh. I guess that nothing that happened throughout the series was all that important, then, since so much of it revolved around his remains. Vamp isn't really supernatural, it's just nanomachines? But you didn't have to explain Psycho Mantis' psychic powers, or Vulcan Raven's seeming power over aspects of nature, or Fortune's ability to deflect bullets even without her magnetic.... thing?
I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though the man can make a fun game, his ego and his constant refusals to compromise, just like some of the people in charge of Sony (see Kutaragi's comments on the early PSP screen cracking problems, etc), have ruined what would otherwise be an excellent product.
I hope he stays on in some capacity in order to keep gameplay fresh and exciting, but please keep him out of the spotlight, it takes away from the real star: the game itself.
Posted: Aug 28th 2008 11:28PM xThePunisherx said
Wow you're an idiot. I would explain everything wrong in that, but i only have a couple hours of free time before i go to sleep again.
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Posted: Aug 26th 2008 2:51AM Ironmanxrs2 said
Every story about him gives me the impression that he hates life right now. He's always talking about wanting off Metal Gear.
Before MGS4 he said he didnt want to do it but he had threats against his life if he didnt. Now he's saying he wants to do something else but "politics" and money keep him coming back.
I give him 2 more MGS games before he jumps out of a Tokyo window.
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Before MGS4 he said he didnt want to do it but he had threats against his life if he didnt. Now he's saying he wants to do something else but "politics" and money keep him coming back.
I give him 2 more MGS games before he jumps out of a Tokyo window.
Posted: Aug 26th 2008 2:59AM (Unverified) said
Please. For the love of God. Don't.
We don't need another Metal Gear. You peaked with MG2. Since then your games have become nothing but long-winded gas-baggery with afterthought gameplay that has done nothing but atrophied over time. You don't know how to make a game. You only know how to make long, plodding cutscenes containing the most mundane and obvious exposition ("Hi I'm the black guy with blond hair. I'll make any weapons you find work. The military industrial complex. Did I mention I'll make the weapons you find work? Nanomachines. Oh, and if you find any weapons, I'll make them work!"), ridiculous characters, and nonsensical storylines. Yes, they're well-choreographed. Yes, they're well-presented. But so is MMA, and I still don't get down with watching two guys roll around on the ground, no matter how passionately you explain the motives.
We all know you don't want to make games since you haven't made one in years. So go make the goddamn 30-hour unbearable movie you've always wanted to make, explaining your naive and pop-culture understanding of international relations, history, and warfare. Think of it: then all the irritating people who pretend your games are good, or 'masterpieces of storytelling', and so on can love you EVEN MORE because you've managed to sell them your schtick in two genres! Heck, learn to sing and you'll be a triple threat!
No more MGS. It's played.
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We don't need another Metal Gear. You peaked with MG2. Since then your games have become nothing but long-winded gas-baggery with afterthought gameplay that has done nothing but atrophied over time. You don't know how to make a game. You only know how to make long, plodding cutscenes containing the most mundane and obvious exposition ("Hi I'm the black guy with blond hair. I'll make any weapons you find work. The military industrial complex. Did I mention I'll make the weapons you find work? Nanomachines. Oh, and if you find any weapons, I'll make them work!"), ridiculous characters, and nonsensical storylines. Yes, they're well-choreographed. Yes, they're well-presented. But so is MMA, and I still don't get down with watching two guys roll around on the ground, no matter how passionately you explain the motives.
We all know you don't want to make games since you haven't made one in years. So go make the goddamn 30-hour unbearable movie you've always wanted to make, explaining your naive and pop-culture understanding of international relations, history, and warfare. Think of it: then all the irritating people who pretend your games are good, or 'masterpieces of storytelling', and so on can love you EVEN MORE because you've managed to sell them your schtick in two genres! Heck, learn to sing and you'll be a triple threat!
No more MGS. It's played.
Posted: Aug 26th 2008 3:18AM (Unverified) said
You DO know he has the aspiration to treat video games like movies, right?
I'm sick of people bitching about MGS4 and its cinematics. It's metal gear fucking solid. COME WITH EXPECTATIONS OF LONG CINEMATICS YOU ASSHOLES.
It's HIS creation, let HIM do as he wants.
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I'm sick of people bitching about MGS4 and its cinematics. It's metal gear fucking solid. COME WITH EXPECTATIONS OF LONG CINEMATICS YOU ASSHOLES.
It's HIS creation, let HIM do as he wants.
Posted: Aug 26th 2008 3:22AM (Unverified) said
It's not saying much, but MGS is far and away the most intellectually sophisticated video game series in the mainstream, period. I'm sure there are loads of games that deal with mature topics in a better fashion, but none of them have the mainstream appeal that MGS has achieved. Not even close. Deus Ex has been long forgotten, with Warren Spector a name few know of, and it never had a large fanbase. Ken Levine's Bioshock's gameplay was too weak and shallow to give it lasting value, and it was identical to System Shock 2. That leaves.. well, that's pretty much it. Everything else is so obscure that anything they had to say was forgotten due to shoddy execution in other areas.
The GTA series is akin to the Jerry Springer shows, so there's not much there to write home about. And the Call of Duty series are akin to the GI Joe cartoons.
Kojima really is the game industry's George Lucas. Is George Lucas the most brilliant man on the earth? Heck no. But the game industry is full of Michael Bays, so we take what we got.
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The GTA series is akin to the Jerry Springer shows, so there's not much there to write home about. And the Call of Duty series are akin to the GI Joe cartoons.
Kojima really is the game industry's George Lucas. Is George Lucas the most brilliant man on the earth? Heck no. But the game industry is full of Michael Bays, so we take what we got.
Posted: Aug 26th 2008 10:28AM Vcize said
The long cinematics didn't bother me. What bothered me was the absurd amount of dramatic death scenes without people actually DYING. And of the couple people that actually did finally die, they had already had like 6 eight minute long dramatic death scenes before they finally keeled over.
I like those dramatic scenes, but they've got to MEAN something. We don't need an 8 minute scene with sad music so Raiden can look like he just died but really he just passed out because he's tired, then wake up, say a few words, then have another 8 minute dramatic death scene with sad music just so he can go back to sleep again before waking up again a few minutes later.
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I like those dramatic scenes, but they've got to MEAN something. We don't need an 8 minute scene with sad music so Raiden can look like he just died but really he just passed out because he's tired, then wake up, say a few words, then have another 8 minute dramatic death scene with sad music just so he can go back to sleep again before waking up again a few minutes later.
Posted: Aug 26th 2008 3:15AM (Unverified) said
Christ, let the man do something else. Let a game series die for once. About the only game series I don't want to die is Zelda, and that's probably due to my own "wish they'd make a game as awesome as Link to the Past" bias.
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Posted: Aug 26th 2008 3:16AM (Unverified) said
Kojima, please do a new title. MGS is not done to death but at the same time, you're such a creative man, please bless the gaming industry with a new wonder, we really could use it. D:
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Posted: Aug 26th 2008 4:03AM (Unverified) said
How about he lecture other game studios about how to make a good quality friggin game. Madden 09 is fucking dogshit. Put the production values/graphics, imagination, and attention to detail into a fucking Madden football game instead of the same lousy boring shit people buy every year. This guy has set the bar on what is Next Gen entertainment. Halo and Gears2 are dogshit too compared to MGS4. The bar is set.
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Posted: Aug 26th 2008 6:15AM ysdarkfact said
I just want a new Snatcher game. Hell even a remake of the first game would be great.
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Posted: Aug 26th 2008 8:03AM (Unverified) said
Ryan Payton has already said (unofficially) that MGS5 is already in its planning stages and it will be about Big Boss wether this is before MGS3 or after MPO is still unknown but I hope it is bofore MGS3 as I want more of The Boss!
I knew MGS4 wasn't the last MGS and I would have been happy for Kojima to go onto something else, but I am not going to complain he is thinking of comeing back. Its his baby, no wonder he wants to leave it.
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I knew MGS4 wasn't the last MGS and I would have been happy for Kojima to go onto something else, but I am not going to complain he is thinking of comeing back. Its his baby, no wonder he wants to leave it.
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