Thoughts on a Metal Gear Remake

Imagine this: a remake of the first two Metal Gear games (the MSX ones from 1987 and 1990), either as two separate games or merged together into one, with the audiovisual and cinematic quality of a modern Metal Gear Solid game, and the same immense production values.

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Below you will find more detailed information and ideas that you can check out.

Contents:

• General
• Packaging
• Boss Fights
• Voice Actors

The remake features the same story, but entirely rewritten by Hideo Kojima, with a much deeper plot, more character development and a lot of cutscenes. It would thus be more like a retelling of the story, of this part of the saga. Script written by Kojima. Musical score composed by Harry Gregson-Williams. Character design by Yoji Shinkawa.

Snake is very young and still somewhat of a rookie. During the game you are trained by Gray Fox, and he serves as a mentor to Snake, teaching him what he needs to know about combat, survival and war in general. We get to know Gray Fox as a human and a friend to Solid Snake. We might hear him say some quotes that Snake later recites on Shadow Moses (‘On the battlefield, after a week, no one has a name’, when Snake asks him his real name). Maybe Gray Fox tells him his real name when Snake beats him on the minefield.

For now it’s just wishfull thinking of course, but we can only hope something like this will become reality one day. We know Kojima said he isn’t really interested in doing remakes right now, but because these retellings would become so different it would almost be like making entirely new games.

These two games contain very important parts of the Metal Gear saga, and not many gamers have had the chance to experience them. Furthermore, there are quite some things in the two MSX games that have been retconned in later installments, and remaking the games could be a way to make everything fit together.

The Collector’s Edition is a big paper box with three contents: the game in its regular box, a tin box with bonus discs (a making of, the theatre mode including all the cutscenes from the game and the full soundtrack of the game) and an artbook featuring artwork from the game drawn by Shinkawa, and comparisons between the MSX game and the new game.

Example of what the box could look like.

One of the bosses is of course the famous hand-to-hand fight against Gray Fox.

Resembling the fight with The Boss in MGS3, you have to evade Gray Fox’ attacks and, while being careful not to step on the mines. When you see an opening, run towards Gray Fox. Now the game turns towards a Liquid-Ocelot in MGS4-style mechanic so you can fight barehanded in a beat-em-up style.

At the end you fight Big Boss.

Before beating Big Boss (who looks like the one in MGS4 but slightly younger, less tired and rougher, more dangerous), he gives a long speech that explains his reasons behind what he did (but nothing about The Patriots or anything like that). He could hint at The Boss, for example telling Snake that he had a mentor like Snake has Gray Fox now.

Big Boss also tells Snake about the ‘curse’ that The Boss had, he had and his sons will have:

An interesting new approach to the gameplay could be the weather having an impact on it. In South Africa and Zanzibar Land Snake has to face with extreme conditions like heavy rainfall and storms. He has to know how to overcome those, giving the game a survival aspect like MGS3. Survival and OSP in general plays an important part again: Snake is well equipped but he doesn’t have the high-tech gadgets he has later, especially in MGS4. He has to rely on his survival instinct and techniques thought to him by Gray Fox and Master Miller.

 

Solid Snake
David Hayter – while he does have the gravely Solid Snake voice everyone knows, it’s pretty different from the one in MGS4, where he’s old and relatively weak. It’s more like the voice he has in MGS1, but even younger, less gravely.

Big Boss
Richard Doyle – like in MGS4, but a little more fierce. Sort of like a combination of Big Boss and The Fury (who was also voiced by Doyle)

Gray Fox
Personally I’d like it to be Rob Paulsen, the voice actor for Gray Fox in The Twin Snakes. Many people probably disagree, and that’s fine. Of course, he would sound different than he sounded in MGS1, because he isn’t an insane semi-revived ninja yet, but more a hardened soldier. He has to sound calm, in control of everything, because that’s how Snake describes him later. It would be a nice contrast with the crazy, screaming person he has become when he’s a cyborg ninja.

McDonald Miller
The same voice actor who voiced him in Peace Walker: Robin Atkin Downes.

Colonel Campbell
Paul Eiding, no question. Sounding pretty much the same as in the other games.

So these are some of our ideas of what a remake could be like. We hope some day this project will be realized by Kojima. We know a lot of people are asking for it.