Projects
1987-2008 Twenty One years of Living the Dream...
Metal Gear is regarded by many as the greatest, but most complex Saga ever created, with the thousands of twists and the desires to push a systems capability to their limit. But Metal Gear had a humble beginning...
It all began back in 1986 a young Hideo Kojima had joined the recently established Konami Computer Entertainment group and his first job was to help direct the sequel to "Artic Adventure" called "Penguin Adventure 2" it was a simple driving forward adventure game where the player had to rescue his princess with a special apple from their homeland. Sadly to get the good ending the player had to be extremely good.
After the production of Penguin adventure Kojima tried to create a war game called "Lost Warld" because of its complexity and the restrictions from the computers of the time Kojima's superiors cancelled the project and it never saw the light of day, but it does show Kojima's desire to push a computer to its limits even then...
After the canning of Lost Warld Kojima was given one last chance.
Taking inspiration from the restrictions of the computer and his family (Playing hide & seek)
Metal Gear was Born!
Metal Gear
Created by a team only 8 people! Metal Gear was released in 1987 on MSX computer system, selling relatively well its was also translated for Europe, but because few owned an MSX outside Japan it wasn't a big seller.
Seeing the success of the Nintendo Entertainment System, known as the Famicom in Japan, a team was put together to port the game to the console, Kojima was not involved however.
Released in 1988 the port was a huge hit in America and Europe however in the port much of the sprit and even the Metal Gear! Were lost due to graphic restrictions and time restraints.
Snake Revenge
With the success of the Metal Gear the NES team were given the go ahead for a sequel; however they abandon the stealth aspect in favour of a more straight forward run and shoot game.
Although the game had some loose links to Metal Gear, including finally allowing the player to actually fight a Metal Gear it's regarded by both the fans and even the people who made it as not a true sequel.
While the other team were making Snakes Revenge, Kojima had moved on and was creating "Snatcher" which later released in 1988 for the PC & MSX.
Based on Blade Runner, which was based on ### you played Gillian Seed an Android Hunter with Junker who's job it was to hunt down androids that literally stole skin! off their victims and take over their life. The game was a huge hit in Japan and saw ports which would last for another decade to other consoles and regions. The game also features a small mech called "Metal Gear MK II" which would later feature in Otacon’s Bio for Metal Gear Solid and actually feature in Metal Gear Solid 4 as Solid Snake's aid.
Metal Gear 2 : Solid Snake
The sequel that almost never happened started life in 1989, Kojima was on his way home from work when he ran into a member of the staff who worked on Snakes Revenge. Explaining that he believed Snake Revenge was not a true sequel to Metal Gear, he pleaded with Kojima to make a true sequel that would please the fans.
The next day Kojima had written up the basic plan for what was to be Metal Gear 2 : Solid Snake.
For the sequel the team grew to 10 people working on the improved MSX2, with a better spec to work with the graphics, music and story length were greatly expanded upon.
Released in 1990 Metal Gear 2 : Solid Snake was an instant hit in Japan but it would be another 16 years before a translation would make it outside Japan with Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence.
After the development was over Kojima went back to creating another detective game which would later be known as "Policenauts" which sadly has only ever been released in Japan in 1994 first on the PC and later on 3DO, Playstation & Sega Saturn, it was the first of its kind featuring cut scenes and complete dialogue, the player had to investigate a cartel bent on taking over the space station colony Beyond Bounds. The game features the future Metal Gear character Meryl Silverburgh who like her counter part in Metal Gear is a Foxhound Member.
During this development Kojima met up with his future team member and skilled designer Yoji Shinkawa.
With Policenauts completed Kojima assisted with the Tokimeki Memorial (Lets Date) series, assisting with the theme editions for Soccer, Music and Poem. It’s worth noting these game where made based off the same engine that was used in Policenauts.
Metal Gear Solid
The game that would change the gaming world forever began life back in 1996.
Seeing the 3D potential of the Playstation console Kojima decided to go back to his beloved Metal Gear story and the team increased to 31 people.
Taking over 2 years to develop and perfect Metal Gear finally released in 1998 in Japan and later in the USA & Europe. The game was an instant hit with its epic storyline, music, cinematics and is regarded as the best Playstation game of all time; as a result Konami made Kojima director in the company.
Metal Gear Solid : Integral / VR Missions / Special Missions
With the success of Metal Gear Solid, Konami encouraged Kojima to create an add on to his game. What he came up with was the VR collection where Snake briefly had the choice of doing in Metal Gear Solid.
Released in 1999 the game features over 200 missions, including mysteries, giant killings and the infamous photo shoots. For Japan at least the game improved on the original Metal Gear by allowing the player to play the whole game! in first person and make use of the Pocketstation which sadly never made it outside of Japan.
Metal Gear Solid : Ghost Babel
Created exclusively for the Nintendo Gameboy Colour, Ghost Babel was released in early 2000 and is an alternate story to Metal Gear Solid, taking a combination of the VR missions from Integral and the top down game play of the original MSX games.
Kojima however was only involved in the writing of the story, but for the first time it allowed Snake's to face off against each other via link cable. The game was warmly received but it wasn't a huge hit.
With the turn of the millennium came the next stage of the computer revolution with the sequel to the Playstation, the Playstation 2 the next generation of 3D graphics.
Inspired by the new limits of the console Kojima began testing the hardware and as a result of this the "Zone of the Enders" game was created. In June of 2001 at the E3 Expo, the first trailer to Metal Gear Solid 2 was revealed.
Lasting over 11 minutes long it was an unprecedented hit and showed the real capabilities of the console, while other developers were still struggling to create more linear games.
In early 2001 "Zone of the Enders" was released, though it wasn't directed by Kojima, he still had a strong hand in its creation and is regarded as one of the best Mech combat games of its time. But to boast sales it came with a demo of Metal Gear Solid 2, though it only covered up to the Olga battle. It was enough to hugely increase the success of Zone of the Enders and greatly increase the hype of Metal Gear Solid 2.
The demo version is the only one to feature images of the twin towers which where later removed and the Famas gun, which never made it to the final game.
Metal Gear Solid 2
In late 2001 Metal Gear Solid 2 was released to mass praise, pushing the console for its time.
Metal Gear Solid 2 portrayed one of the most exciting and complex stories ever devised, which in turn created more questions than answers. Demanding a better quality and a more cinematic music score, Harry Gregson-Williams was brought in to create the music, he has since been involved in every other Metal Gear Solid game so far
Metal Gear Solid 2 pushed stealth to a whole new level and this resulted in many other loved Stealth games including Splinter Cell.
However as was revealed later by Kojima Metal Gear Solid 2 was originally going to be a completely different game to what it finally became. In the beginning...
The setting was Iran and Iraq, and the story focused on nuclear weapons inspections; Metal Gear was rumoured to be behind closed doors and inspectors were being denied access, At the time, a Metal Gear type is being transported by aircraft carrier which must be stopped within a certain time limit, the ones who were to hijack the ship was none other than Liquid and his crew.
But about a half year later into the project, the Middle East started to heat up again Kojima realised, they couldn't develop a game like that. The tanker remains in Metal Gear Solid 2, but in a very different form to what was originally conceived, however parts of this variation do make it into Metal Gear Solid 4...
The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2
With the huge success of Metal Gear Solid 2, Kojima's team began work on the next add on Substance, but seeing the demand from fans for how the game was made a special Making of was created which released in late 2002.
The Document was effetely a glorified demo for Substance featuring 5 missions, but the main feature was something special indeed. Containing the original scripts, designed and a glimmer behind the scenes of the creation process it was like no other making of made to this day.
Metal Gear Solid 2 : Substance
Released in final quarter of 2002, Substance continued the same ideas from Integral, now featuring 500 missions, consisting of a mix of VR & alternate missions in the locations of the game. The biggest feature was the Snake Tales, which Kojima especially wrote to reveal and expand information on the characters of the Saga. I strongly recommend you play through these at least once...
With Substance completed, work began in urnest on the 3rd instalment of the Metal Gear Solid series, with Kojima taking a step back the team were left to create Metal Gear Solid 3 for themselves.
In the mean time Kojima helped produce the sequel to Zone of the Enders, now in Cel Shaded Graphics and complete with anime cut scenes the games speed was increased 10 fold and as a result it was a much faster and enjoyable game. "The 2nd Runner" was released in Early 2003.
To the fans its was a fantastic sequel but the mainstream gamer didn't buy it because of being so unknown.
Needless to say it's become one of the few big classics to not sell as well as could have been hoped.
Metal Gear Solid 3
With the fans begging for Kojima to take control of the next episode to ensure a great game. Kojima decided to retake the directors chair once again, but the main reason he took this step was because his team were unsure how to use the new jungle setting and link it to the Metal Gear Saga.
The resulting decision was to portray the pivotal mission of Big Boss, when he both earns his Title and learns the truth about his own countries affairs.
Released in Late 2004 Metal Gear Solid 3 took stealth to a whole new level, the story and historic battles where the best the Saga has produced so far seen namely The End's battle which could last for hours!
Metal Gear Ac!d
Directed by Shinta Nojiri Metal Gear Ac!d is a side story based in the future after the end of the Solid Snake Saga, a card turn based game, it is highly addictive and using special combos. This was the first game to have no involvement from Kojima. Ac!d was released just after Metal Gear Solid 3 in December 2004. Though not a big hit it ensured a sequel would be released.
Metal Gear Solid 3 : Subsistence / Metal Gear Online
Seeing the success once again of his creation Kojima wanted to create another add on for Metal Gear Solid 3, but taking his inspiration from his team, The new version would feature Online for the first time and a fully rotateable camera.
The Online mode began life during the development of Metal Gear Solid 3 and was used by the team to test the combat mechanic and camera's it was only made into a game after Kojima saw how enjoyable and addictive it was.
Kojima also finally decided to release the true MSX versions of Metal Gear & Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake, which fans had been demanding for over 15 years as no translation was ever made of Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake until now.
Released in later 2005 Metal Gear Solid 3 : Subsistence is the most successful add on to date and the online mode regularly had more players than ANY other Online game on the Playstation 2. Also for those who purchased the Limited Edition version, the player was given a cinematic version of the whole of Metal Gear Solid 3.
The online mode ended in early 2007 to make way for the Portable Ops servers, but I like many others felt that was a mistake until its sequel was released.
Metal Gear Ac!d 2
Once again released just after Subsistence in 2005, Ac!d 2 expanded on the formula of the first game with greatly improved cinematics, enemies and card variety, many of which are used in Metal Gear Solid 4!
Based on the events after Ac!d you once again play as Snake trying to disable another AI controlled Metal Gear.
Metal Gear Solid : Portable Ops
With many people demanding a true SOLID game for the Playstation Portable work began on a sequel to Metal Gear Solid 3, Kojima left control of this project to his newer team member Ryan Payton but supplied the story which would link to what he was working on for Metal Gear Solid 4.
Using artwork by the Comic Artist Ashley Wood who had serialised Metal Gear Solid & Metal Gear Solid 2.
Portable ops was released in late 2006 and finally gave the player a true Solid. Featuring epic sequence of elation and sorrow despite not being directly created by Kojima, Portable Ops was a big hit and in Japan especially the Online mode was greatly welcomed.
Metal Gear Solid 4
Work began on Metal Gear Solid 4 in 2005, as with 3 Kojima wanted to stand aside and allow his team to create the final chapter in Solid Snake life, but one again he was pushed back into the directors seat, much to everyone’s surprise when it was revealed in a Metal Gear Solid 3 style "No Place to Hide" trailer, when Kojima finally got his own department he called "Kojima Productions", which uses the F.O.X. logo Yoji Shinkawa designed for Metal Gear Solid 3.
Taking to future where war is nothing more than a business, controlled by Money and ID control,
Solid Snake takes on his final battle, what will be the outcome? We all decide on June 12th 2008...
But theirs gonna be a 5 right?....
