Character Confirmed for MGS4 **Spoiler**

[Benji]

Revolver Ocelot Returns for MGS4

Kojima discusses this and military training at Kojima Productions.

by Anoop Gantayat

September 30, 2005 - Konami is in full Metal Gear Solid 4 mode following the Tokyo Game Show debut of the game's first trailer. In addition to a daily blog in which producer/director/writer Hideo Kojima continues to share precious morsels on the title's development, the latest issues of Japan's biggest videogame magazines are home to interviews with Kojima himself. Today, we picked up the latest issue of Hyper PlayStation and have summarized some of the key points from the magazine's chat with Kojima.

The magazine first points out that the Snake featured in the trailer is very old. In response to this, Kojima points out that Snake is actually Big Boss's clone, and because of this, he ages quicker than others. It's not the case, in other words, that Metal Gear Solid 4 takes place dozens of years after MGS2.

The other characters in the game have aged as well, although not as much. Otacon, for instance, doesn't look as old as Snake, although he has aged since MGS2. Revolver Ocelot was already old in previous Metal Gear games, but he's still around for MGS4, and we can expect a big old timers fight between him and Snake.

Kojima is asked to comment on "No Place To Hide," one of the themes of MGS4. He explains that this time around, Snake is in the heart of a war zone -- more specifically, he's not in enemy controlled territory, but in the main enemy base itself. As the game is set in a war zone, where battles are a common thing, buildings are damaged and destroyed, leaving Snake in situations where there is, indeed, no place to hide.

But the phrase has another meaning. Based on the current situation, players may end up coming to the decision that there's no reason to hide. Explaining, Kojima touches upon an area he's discussed before, where Snake isn't necessarily facing up against a single enemy, but may find himself in the middle of a war between two countries, say country A and country B. It's possible that country C will intervene in the battle as will resistance group D. Snake, for his part, can use alliances to infiltrate the enemy, making it so that hiding isn't required.

For instance, suppose Snake wants to infiltrate country A. An easy way to do this would be to kill a member of country B and become a hero in country A. Players aren't just infiltrating a place now, they're also infiltrating the circumstances and situation, Kojima explains.

This added depth may explain one of the funnier parts of the Tokyo Game Show MGS4 trailer. The trailer begins with a mock first person sequence, which Kojima states at the interview's outset was just a joke. Later in the interview, though, he comments that the trailer was meant to depict the center of a war zone. At the site of this typical first person shooter war-like setting, Kojima expects that people might think that Metal Gear had become a "normal game." However, one of the new elements of MGS4 is this typical battle field changing according to the player's actions. Kojima expects people who buy the game expecting a simple war game to be surprised.

Kojima has also previously made comments on a psychological warfare that's being worked into Metal Gear Solid 4, and in the new interview, he clarifies a bit. He describes the actions of the enemies in previous Metal Gear games to be unrealistic, as the enemies appear to be cold killing machines. This is an area that will be worked on in MGS4. In order to convey the basic idea, Kojima gives an example where standard soldiers are psychologically weak, and by surprising them with a noise, you can reduce their preparedness for battle.

This psychological weakness aspect is currently being worked into the game, but Kojima is not sure how far his team will be able to take the idea. As a first step, Kojima has enlisted Mori Motosada as a military adviser, reprising his role from the previous two games. Under Motosada's eye, the staff members are undergoing training, from which Kojima hopes they will return safely.

I like that alliance idea, the problem I have with the other games was that they were basically just sneaking when spy work is about more than that. I might consider buying it if it's out on release day, if not then a lot of other games could be making my money dirty.

I know this was from September but I didn't know about it before

Edited October 26, 2005 by Benjirino~!

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I'd buy MGS if the main aim was to rescue a mutant banana.

This sounds pretty cool. Old Snake would surely have plenty of old in-jokes and the alliances thing could work nicely.

I'm a big fan of Kojima as he's always looking for ways to push gameplay forwads.

[Summers]

The title's kinda spoilery, eh? :\

[probablyoliver]

Yeah, I haven't even completed MGS2, you've basically told me that Ocelot survives No.2.

You suck.

[Benji]

Yeah, I haven't even completed MGS2, you've basically told me that Ocelot survives No.2.

You suck.

Jeez you're stuck in a time warp.

It was the title at IGN anyway so I win. Still, spoiler tags inserted for you whiny Wendelines.

[Summers]

Yeah, but since have IGN cared about spoiling shit?

Either way, the war-zone and alliance thing does sound amazing.

[Vilge Duin]

How's it spoilery?

Unless you want absolutely no information pertaining to story in the game at all... I don't see how it's spoilery.

I have yet to even play Snake Eater, but the information on it seems like it's shaping up decently. They need to stop with releasing double games... if that makes sense. Metal Gear Solid eventually (not the intention at first though) got Twin Snakes on the Gamecube. MGS2 got Substance. Snake Eater is getting Subsistance.

Just make the game all in one in the first shot, anything else is just milking a cashcow.

[Benji]

Yeah, but since have IGN cared about spoiling shit?

Either way, the war-zone and alliance thing does sound amazing.

Aye valid point. I'm sorry guys, forgive me and I'll give you extra votes in the video game thread as long as you vote FF9

[Summers]

How's it spoilery?

Unless you want absolutely no information pertaining to story in the game at all... I don't see how it's spoilery.

I have yet to even play Snake Eater, but the information on it seems like it's shaping up decently. They need to stop with releasing double games... if that makes sense. Metal Gear Solid eventually (not the intention at first though) got Twin Snakes on the Gamecube. MGS2 got Substance. Snake Eater is getting Subsistance.

Just make the game all in one in the first shot, anything else is just milking a cashcow.

Yes. Because an exact fact about someone returning, which could have been revealed in a great way - like in all the other MGS - is ruined. It takes the "holy shit, Ocelot again" effect away when you know he's going. Snake Eater was badass. Awesome ending.

[Kaney]

Aye valid point. I'm sorry guys, forgive me and I'll give you extra votes in the video game thread as long as you vote FF9 shifty.gif

Give me extra something elses and I might consider it. It'd be pretty obvious Revolver was gonna be in it anyway, he's one of the founding characters and they couldn't just leave it off the way they did in MSG2. Ollie just sucks for not having beat it yet >_>

Anyway, I was hooked since I saw the proper trailer anyway, it looks awesome, and so does the alliance thingy. I just hate the way Otacon appears in the trailer, I'm not gonna spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but it seems too 'Jak And Daxter' to me.

[Vilge Duin]

Well in that case I can see why someone wouldn't want information spoiled.

The Internet has jaded me on not having anything kept from those who don't want to know. A couple movies, a book, an entire comic series and a game have had their endings ruined for me recently. It does take the fun out of things. Stupid Internet people...

[lanky316]

I've said it before and I'll say it again Regal > Spoilers

[Benji]

Well in that case I can see why someone wouldn't want information spoiled.

The Internet has jaded me on not having anything kept from those who don't want to know. A couple movies, a book, an entire comic series and a game have had their endings ruined for me recently. It does take the fun out of things. Stupid Internet people...

I had the Fight Club swerve ruined for my by my mates the day after it came out on DVD, the movie still rocked but I can't help but think it would've been more fun waiting for the "when's he going to realise (SPOILER)?"

[probablyoliver]

Yeah, I haven't even completed MGS2, you've basically told me that Ocelot survives No.2.

You suck.

Jeez you're stuck in a time warp.

It was the title at IGN anyway so I win. Still, spoiler tags inserted for you whiny Wendelines.

Shut up. I only bought it like a week ago.

Good game.