Metal Gear Solid

Every Metal Gear fan will already have seen it, the latest trailer for Hideo Kojima’s current project, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. But like a true Metal Gear trailer, it manages to show a lot, while raising even more questions. Here is an analysis.

First of all, the trailer shows several points on the timeline. Coupled with earlier information, this is what we can reconstruct as a possible chronology:

- Ground Zeroes (shortly after Peace Walker, so around 1974): the start of the game. Snake infiltrates the Cuban Prison Camp Omega in an attempt to rescue Chico. The burned man is introduced, and his plans to attack the Mother Base of Militaires San Frontieres.

- The attack on Mother Base (shortly after the Ground Zeroes part, so around 1974): Mother Base is attacked by an armed group. Snake and Miller manage to escape by helicopter, but at some point get heavily injured (maybe a crash?). Mother Base is destroyed.

- Hospital scene (shortly after the Mother Base attack, so around 1974): Snake, Miller and a third person (we see the scene from his point of view) are in the emergency room of a hospital. Big Boss is rescued, but falls into a coma.

- Hospital scene 2 (9 years later, so around 1983/1984): Big Boss wakes up from a coma. His left arm has been replaced by an iron hook. The hospital is being attacked by an armed group, possibly with the goal to kill Big Boss. A mysterious bandaged man who calls himself Ishmael (a possible reference to a character from Moby Dick by Herman Merville), helps Big Boss escape.

- Big Boss running out of the hospital, it’s difficult to tell where this fits chronologically, but probably just before the ambulance scene mentioned next.

- Ambulance scene (shortly after the hospital attack): The bandaged man and Big Boss try to escape the hospital in an ambulance, but this results in a crash. Big Boss drags himself out of the vehicle, and finds himself eye to eye with a floating character wearing a gasmask, resembling Psycho Mantis.

- Ocelot horse back scene (probably shortly after the ambulance crash): Ocelot (presumably) arrives on horse, and him and Big Boss join forces, and take flight together. They are being attacked by a man on a flaming unicorn. At some point some force seems to strike in front of them, causing the horse to throw Big Boss of its back.

- Diamond Dogs scene (probably some while after the hospital escape, so somewhere in the early 80s): Snake is sitting on a motorcycle wearing a Diamond Dogs jacket. He has a mechanical arm now that looks a lot like the one Zadornov has in Peace Walker. Miller seems to talk about ‘their new home’, probably a new base. The most curious element in this shot is the ting sticking out of Snake’s forehead, resembling a horn. According to Kojima, this is actually debris embedded into his skull.

Now, here are some images from the trailer, and what they are showing:

This is the attack on Mother Base, in which the plant is completely destroyed.

A gasmask wearing character who reminds us of Psycho Mantis in MGS1.

It is very likely that this is Ocelot (probably in his late 30s). He is starting to grow his mustache and comb his hair back like he does in MGS1 onwards. His clothing style is also showing the cowboy look he is famous for (especially the spurs he is wearing).

This takes place after the hospital escape scene. Ocelot helps Big Boss escape on horseback. Ocelot rides, while Snake fires at enemies. This looks like a gameplay segment, similar to the escape scene in (for example) MGS3, where EVA drove the bike and Snake fired at enemies. The horse resembles the one The Boss rode in MGS3, but since this particular horse died in Peace Walker it must be a different one.

The title of the game is Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The subtitle could refer to many things. Most literally, the arm Big Boss is missing. It could also refer to the fact that Big Boss had to kill The Boss, who he feels was a part of him (‘Half of me belongs to The Boss’, as Snake said in MGS3).

Another noteworthy thing is the fact that instead of ’5′, this game uses the Roman number ‘V’. This seems to be related to the ‘V’ mentioned at the very end. Kojima explained in an interview the reason to use ‘V’ instead of ’5′ is that they wanted to reinvent the series and have it reflected in this way, and the ‘V’ stands for the victory the team hopes to achieve with this game.

‘V has come to.’ The line appears on the screen, and we hear a woman’s voice saying it. It seems to be significant, but very difficult to tell what it means at this point.

‘A Phantom Battle Waged by the Vanished’. ‘V’ stand for ‘Vanished’?

Big Boss is wearing a jacket with the Diamond Dogs logo, and we hear a voice over of Kaz saying ‘Our new home’. Diamond Dogs is a new unit built by Big Boss and Kaz to replace MSF. Maybe Kaz has been setting it up in the nine years Big Boss was in a coma, and he is now showing it to him (‘You see this?’). Kojima explained that the name has several meanings, one of them referring to the unit being comprised of so called ‘Dogs of War’, who despite this still have their pride (hence the ‘Diamond’).

This takes place after the attack on the hospital, since the arm is already missing. Big Boss now has a prothetic arm similar to the one he got from Zadornov (it could be the same one). Kojima said that this arm will grant Big Boss some special abilities.

The song used in the trailer is about being an outsider. From Wikipedia:

Manson explained that the title Not Your Kind of People was ’a call to arms in a way to anyone who feels like we do about the world’, saying that ‘it can be great to be outsider.’

There’s a lot more little details you can get from the footage released so far, but it’s hard to go through every possibility while staying as close to the truth as possible. Of course, it’s important to remember Metal Gear’s trailers are never what they seem, nothing can really be taken at face value. So keep in mind that everything above could turn out to be completely false. It’s merely an interpretation of what has been shown and said so far. We won’t know anything for sure until we’ve played the game. Especially when to song accompanying the trailer states ‘Everything is a lie’.

After the reveal of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain at GDC 2013, Geoff Keighley conducted a lengthy interview with Hideo Kojima. You can find the video interview here, or a written summary below.

First, Keighley asked about the mysterious reveal using the Moby Dick Studio and Joakim Mogren character, and why it was done this way. Kojima answered that the first reason behind this was that they wanted to do something interesting. But they also wanted to reveal the trailer without saying it was Metal Gear, so they could see how well the Fox Engine would be received without the big name of this famous series attached to it, so just based on the visuals alone. They did know people would figure out what it was, this was intentional.

As for the Joakim Mogren interview on GTTV, Kojima actually wanted to act as Mogren himself but he was busy so they used a Swedish guy instead. Moby Dick Studios is just Kojima Productions Japan, although Kojima would like to have a studio in Sweden.

Commenting on the structure of the game, Kojima explained that Ground Zeroes is a prologue, and takes place 9 years before The Phantom Pain. Put together they comprise MGSV. The Phantom Pain is the main part of the game, and it will be a huge game, according to Kojima. He couldn’t comment on how the two parts will be distributed, but they are in fact two parts of a whole.

As for the point on the timeline: Ground Zeroes takes place almost immediately after Peace Walker, and Phantom Pain 9 years later, roughly around 1984.

Keighley asked about the decision not to use David Hayter as the voice actor for Snake. Kojima explained that this is a new type of Metal Gear game, and they wanted to have this reflected in the voice actor as well.

Keighley asked about the third person in the hospital, when Big Boss slips into a coma, and through whose eyes we see the scene unfold. Hideo Kojima laughed and said this person is he himself.

Kojima explained that  the new unit, Diamond Dogs, has many different meanings behind its name. One of them is a reference to a David Bowie album. It also refers to the term Dog of War, but at the same time they have their pride (which is reflected in the Diamond part).

The ‘horn’ Big Boss has on his head in the final scene of the trailer, is actually debris and bone embedded in his skull. In this scene Big Boss also has a bionic arm,  with which the player will be able to do different things in the game.

The game will have familiar faces from the saga, but there will also be many new characters, that Shinkawa has been working on. They will be a different taste from what he has done in the past.

The style of the gameplay is a real open world, and realistic infiltration. You figure out when you are going to the area you want to sneak in, how you’re going to get there. Maybe you will sidetrack into a sidemission along the way, which changes your strategy. Many options are available to the player, as the game will feature completely free design.

The time the player decides to take on the mission affects the situation. During the night, there may be less guards, but your vision will also be more restricted and you may have to use jeeps (because of their headlights) or a flash light, which makes it easier to get caught. It’s up to the player to decide the best strategy.

Fox Engine is not just about graphics, it’s mainly about the changing the way games are created at Kojima Productions. It will make game design more efficient, so time can be shifted from creating assets to actual game design.

Keighley asked about the title of the game: why the change from numbers to roman numerals? Kojima answered that they want to reinvent the series, and shifting from 5 to V represents their will for victory. The V here stands for victory.

Keighley asked what the theme or the message for this new Metal Gear game will be. Kojima answered that he has had a theme for the game in his mind since the beginning, but he can’t reveal it just yet. Metal Gear has always had an anti-war message, and was also about what to pass on to the next generation. MGS1 had Gene, MGS2 Meme, MGS3 Scene, MGS4 Sense and PW Peace. Kojima didn’t want to say what the theme for MGSV will be, but he did say it is a very heavy theme.

You will play the entire game as one character (Big Boss).

Keighley asked about the hallucinatory elements we saw in the Phantom Pain trailer, such as the whale and the flaming unicorn. In the game there will be a balance between real, and little bit of supernatural. But it will be primarily realistic. The ratio will probably be around 80% real, 20% sci-fi and supernatural elements.

Kojima Productions Japan and Los Angeles are not working on the same title, and Kojima would prefer to have the two studios work on different things, and compete against each other.

How much has the game changed since its inception, Keighley asked. According to Kojima, it has not changed very much. Initially some people on the team were opposed to making MGS an open world game, but now they are all on the same page.

Keighley commented on the very impressive looking graphics seen in the MGSV trailer, and asked if we can expect to see the game on next gen platforms such as the PlayStation 4. Kojima said he couldn’t comment on this. He did say that the game was running on a PC, but targeting current gen hardware (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3). On these platforms, it will look very close to what they have shown.

As a final note to the fans, Kojima stated MGSV is going to be a very different experience from other MGS games, but he said it’s a lot of fun, it’s something different, and this is what he wants to create.

Source: Gametrailers.com

Kojima Productions Japan, as well as the new Los Angeles studio are recruiting for new staff members at GDC 2013. Hideo Kojima posted some photos of the recruitment booth on the conference floor. The yellow logo represents the Japanese studio, the red logo the one in LA.

Job listings can also be found on the official Konami sites, go here for Japan and here for Los Angeles.

Source: Hideo Kojima Twitter

The interview Geoff Keighley conducted with Hideo Kojima at GDC 2013 will be posted online later this week. Via his Twitter, Keighley let us know that Kojima confirmed David Hayter won’t be in the game. He also confirmed a lot of other things, but what exactly, Keighley didn’t specify.

David Hayter, who has been the English voice actor for Snake since Metal Gear Solid 1 in 1998, and for Big Boss in the later games, posted on his Twitter yesterday he had not been contacted for this new game. We can already hear Snake’s new voice during the gameplay demo, and now Kojima has made it official.

What the reason is remains unknown, but Keighley confirmed Kojima will clarify this decision during the interview. It might have something to do with differentiating the changing character of Big Boss from his younger self (Naked Snake), and also from his ‘son’ Solid Snake. For such reasons, Big Boss in Metal Gear Solid 4 was voiced by Richard Doyle, but he doesn’t seem to be the current voice actor either. We will find out more when the interview airs.

Source: Geoff Keighley Twitter, David Hayter Twitter, Hideo Kojima Twitter

Enjoy these brand new screenshots from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Click to enlarge.

Source: MetalGearSolid.be

After his GDC presentation where he showed off Fox Engine and Metal Gear Solid V, Hideo Kojima gave some more clarification on Twitter about how the different sections of the game fit together.

“Ground Zeroes” is a prologue of “MGSV”. 9 years after that event will be “The Phantom Pain”. MGSV is constructed w/ prologue and main game “TPP”. The game play demo I presented today is the opening of “TPP” which is tutorial that starts from crawling.

So, to summarize, the game starts off with the Ground Zeroes segment (Snake infiltrating the prison camp on Cuba). This will most likely take place shortly after Peace Walker (so around 1974).

After that, – probably after being attacked – Snake falls into a coma, and awakes 9 years later. That’s when the segment Kojima showed off today takes place.

This is the tutorial to the main game, The Phantom Pain.

“TPP” stands for “The Phantom Pain”. We used it as a project code as we were not able to use “MGS5″ outloud.

For Japanese audience, we added translated lyrics of the song by Garbage in the trailer. Enjoy with the meaning of the song.

To watch the trailer of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, go here.

Source: Hideo Kojima Twitter 

Here are a bunch of screens taken directly from Kojima Productions’ GDC presentation on Fox Engine. Some of the images used are from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Click to enlarge.

Some short info bits from the presentation:

• Kojima Productions used PhotoScan to create character and object models.
• For clothing and wrinkles, they used Marvelous Designer 2. This can save a lot of time for the modelers.
• Metal Gear Solid V uses a linear workflow for lighting and textures, and simulates camera effects such as depth of field, bloom and motion blur.
• Fox Engine uses ‘deferred rendering’
• All light shaders support translucency.
• Realism and artistic quality are both needed, sometimes breaking away from reality may give better results in the game.

At the short Q&A session afterwards, someone asked: How much detail do you have to sacrifice when making a model with PhotoScan when actually putting it in the game?

Kojima Productions responded: We use a normal map in order to overcome this limitation.

Kojima Productions also revealed the logo of their new studio in Los Angeles.

Together Kojima Productions LA and Kojima Productions Japan see it as their mission is to become the top studio in the world. Both studios are currently hiring.

Gaming journalist Geoff Keighley is holding an interview with Hideo Kojima about Metal Gear Solid V, Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes. The interview will be an hour long, and, according to Keighley, no questions are off limits.

No questions are off limits for my Kojima interview, which will be a full hour on MGS5, Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes. Send your Qs.

People are already submitting questions, if you have something to ask head over to Twitter and post your question.

Hideo Kojima’s ‘Joakim Mogren’ mask, which he wore while getting on stage at GDC 2013.

Source: Geoff Keighley Twitter

Hideo Kojima has shown off a new trailer for his upcoming game at GDC 2013. Just like many people have speculated, Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain are one and the same game.

Link to the trailer

Gameplay demonstration:

Here are some details:

• Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes are one and the same thing: Metal Gear Solid V.
• Miller makes a short appearance in the trailer.
• Big Boss has been in a coma for 9 years.
• The trailer is run real time on the Fox Engine.
• The part where Snake wakes up from his coma, as seen in The Phantom Pain trailer, serves as a tutorial for the game.
• The tutorial is a more linear segment to get familiar with the controls, the rest of the game is open world.
• Big Boss seems to have a mechanical arm, similar to the one of Zadornov in MGS: Peace Walker
• Another thing to note is that Snake didn’t seem to be voiced by David Hayter, or Richard Doyle. It sounds like a new voice actor.

Source: Hideo Kojima GDC presentation

Hideo Kojima, along with a few other staff members from his studio, is holding a presentation at the Game Developers Conference 2013.

The main focus of the presentation will be Fox Engine, the newly developed game engine by Kojima Productions. There will also be a new trailer for Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes, and Kojima will make an announcement of some sort as well.

The presentation, called Photorealism through the eyes of a FOX: The Core of Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes, will take place today, on 11:00 AM PST. It will take between 75 and 90 minutes.

Stream is live

Alternate stream in case the one above isn’t working

Gaming website GameSpot will be live streaming the event.