How Kojima Got Pulled Back Into Metal Gear

[Keane Ng]

How Kojima Got Pulled Back Into Metal Gear

After repeatedly declaring that he was moving away from the Metal Gear Solid franchise, Hideo Kojima is back at it with two new MGS games. Why'd he get back into the game? Well, he's doing it for the kids.

Michael Jordan. Jay-Z. People who have famously declared that they would be retiring from the professions that they were the kings of to do other things, only to come back in a couple years. "Can't leave rap alone, the game needs me," Jay-Z said. Well, in the case of Hideo Kojima, a game literally needed him.

After saying over and over that he'd be taking a smaller role on the Metal Gear Solid games, Kojima announced at E3 that he was working on two of them. The Raiden-headlining Metal Gear Solid: Rising will only find Kojima in a production role, but the PSP's Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker has Kojima as a designer, director and producer. Three central and important roles. So why'd he come back?

"I was going to have a hand in the project as a producer, and make titles other than MGS," Kojima recalled in an interview with Dengeki: PlayStation. "But, I set the game in the South American country of Costa Rica and created a story with themes about nuclear deterrence and the Cold War. It looked as if it might be very confusing to young people, because of generational differences. So, in the end I finally said, 'I'll do it.'"

So. Kojima didn't trust anyone to be able to explain Cold War-era issues to young people, so he decided that he would do it himself. Because he's like a history teacher, he's so good at explaining important events of the 20th century to the silly kids these days. I'm telling you, only a dude who rides ducks like it's nothing can do stuff like this.

Kojima also went into some details about the game, saying that it features "completely different...action than what has appeared in the series so far." That new action includes what Kojima is calling "The Love Box," the cardboard box that two characters can hide underneath as seen in the Peace Walker trailer during E3.

Yes, that's right. The Love Box.

[Via GameCenterOnline [http://www.gamercenteronline.net/2009/06/12/kojima-wants-to-teach-youth-about-the-cold-war-and-the-love-box/]]

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[Eric the Orange]

More kojima/ducky pic... it always creeps me out.

But really Kojima? Your the ONLY person capable a explaining the feelings of the cold war to kids. Seems your getting a bit arrogent.

 

[SharPhoe]

More kojima/ducky pic... it always creeps me out.

I somehow get the feeling that there's a hidden meaning behind the duck... [sup]*coughit'ssecretlyanewMetalGearindisguisecough*[/sup]

On topic, I don't think it's a matter of arrogance, I think he's just self-reliant when it comes to this kind of stuff.

 

[Sparrow]

Seriously not even reading the text. Thats the most awesome picture in existance.

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

Oh yeah the cold war that hard to explain...

[b/] PantsoffDanceoff Guide to the Cold War[/b]

On nothing but sheer principle two big countries hated each other and they made lots and lots of weapons so they could blow the shit out of each other, unfortunately both of them had a glass jaw and thus didn't really do anything. And then after 50 years they decided that covertly hating each other would be more productive.

[b/]The End[/b]

 

[Jumplion]

Honestly, who else but Kojima could possibly make a Metal Gear game?

 

[Eric the Orange]

Seriously not even reading the text. Thats the most awesome picture in existance.

do a search here on "metal gear solid" and look at articles in the news room. This pic is in a lot of them.

 

[oliveira8]

Honestly, who else but Kojima could possibly make a Metal Gear game?

Well obvius it would be!..hmmm...wait a second..hmmm...Rod Serling!!!!!!

AH! Yes I...wait that guy is dead...so..I guess no one but Kojima.

 

[quiet_samurai]

I don't care how cool you are, you just can't look like a badass while sitting on a yellow duck toy... thingy.

 

[Eric the Orange]

Well lets see what happened the last time he wasn't directly involved. He was telling a story of survival, stealth, and walking nuclear tanks. Metal Gear for the Nes was a relatively standard shooter with some really fucked aspects, and no damn Metal Gear.

Er, my memory of the old days may be a bit fuzzy but I think there was one. It was top down so and 8-bit graphics so it's hard to tell. But I think you had to beat it using plastic explosives.

 

[Aura Guardian]

Honestly, who else but Kojima could possibly make a Metal Gear game?

Sonic Team
/joke

 

[Kiutu]

More kojima/ducky pic... it always creeps me out.

But really Kojima? Your the ONLY person capable a explaining the feelings of the cold war to kids. Seems your getting a bit arrogent.

Or maybe the past shows that games can lose their way when the maker is not invovled anymore.

I don't care how cool you are, you just can't look like a badass while sitting on a yellow duck toy... thingy.

Kojima never was really a 'badass; type person. He always seems like a cool but geeky kind of guy, but I like that.

 

[yeah_so_no]

Kojima's head must be an interesting place to live in.

 

[-Seraph-]

Well lets see what happened the last time he wasn't directly involved. He was telling a story of survival, stealth, and walking nuclear tanks. Metal Gear for the Nes was a relatively standard shooter with some really fucked aspects, and no damn Metal Gear.

Er, my memory of the old days may be a bit fuzzy but I think there was one. It was top down so and 8-bit graphics so it's hard to tell. But I think you had to beat it using plastic explosives.

The game indigo is referring to is the utterly shitty NES port/remake of the MSX2 metal gear game. The NES version was dramatically changed in some utterly stupid ways and I think Kojima himself even denounced that game of being part of the metal gear franchise. The MSX2 version of Metal Gear is the definitive version and should never bet associated with the NES version...EVER.

 

[AceDiamond]

Well lets see what happened the last time he wasn't directly involved. He was telling a story of survival, stealth, and walking nuclear tanks. Metal Gear for the Nes was a relatively standard shooter with some really fucked aspects, and no damn Metal Gear.

Er, my memory of the old days may be a bit fuzzy but I think there was one. It was top down so and 8-bit graphics so it's hard to tell. But I think you had to beat it using plastic explosives.

The game indigo is referring to is the utterly shitty NES port/remake of the MSX2 metal gear game. The NES version was dramatically changed in some utterly stupid ways and I think Kojima himself even denounced that game of being part of the metal gear franchise. The MSX2 version of Metal Gear is the definitive version and should never bet associated with the NES version...EVER.

And the NES versions should never be used in a series chronology either. As to "The Last Time He Wasn't Directly Involved" and this question:

Honestly, who else but Kojima could possibly make a Metal Gear game?

I'll cheat a bit here and point out the Metal Gear games he did not have a hand in writing. Apart from the two Metal Gear Ac!d games, he also didn't write Metal Gear: Ghost Babel for the GBC. In fact, in terms of Ghost Babel he was merely acting in a supervisory role, while letting Shinta Nojiri handle most of the writing and directing work. And Ghost Babel was a good game. So yes, someone other than Kojima can make a Metal Gear game

I'm not suggesting they do, however. Not because Kojima is the only man capable of explaining the cold war (which he is not), but because if 4 was any indication they seriously need to kinda wrap this up.

 

[-Seraph-]

Oh that's why Kojima got back into Metal Gear, for the kids.

Silly me thinking that he was just trying to make that final 20 million he needs to finish the solid gold yacht he's been building with a Solid Snake bow ornament.

NONSENSE!! we ALL know that he needs that money to complete his fully functioning real life Metal Gear. I mean jesus it couldn't be more obvious.