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IGN Kojima Interview

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 11:24 am
by Henry Spencer
Excellent interview that delves into games we care about other than MGS!
http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/863/863842p1.html
IGN: Now there were a few things that fans of the series have easily picked up on in footage released of the game, such as Policenauts posters. Even the Mark II is reminiscent of Snatcher. I have a two part question. First, how many elements of previous games, such as Zone of the Enders or Snatcher, have helped to influence or shape game elements of MGS4? Secondly, would you return to Zone of the Enders or Snatcher possibly once you've put Metal Gear Solid 4 to rest?

Kojima: You might think that I might pass away because I'm putting everything into this past series! (laughs)

To answer your first question, none, actually – that's just a service to the fans, the genuine fans of Kojima Productions. Policenauts and Snatcher wasn't probably released in America and some other parts of the world outside of Japan. In Japan, there are still a lot of core fans who really love all of the series. Even Meryl – she used to appear in Policenauts – so it's a kind of service to say thank you to the fans, actually.

Finally, it's the end of Snake, so I'd really want to start something really fresh and new when I create the game for the next one. However, maybe the sequel to ZOE, or a remake of Snatcher, for instance, if I just participate as a producer, yeah, that could be possible.

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 11:38 am
by Anubis
I want a new freaking Z.O.E so badly
Hell, I want a new Zone of the Enders more than I want MGS4.
There, I said it! It's true, I stand by it. PROUD

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 12:34 pm
by 87th
I didn't really advertise the interview as much, but I already mentioned this in the Project 'S' topic, in the Snatcher forum.

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 1:20 pm
by JimboKudo
I'm still worried because he sounds kind of doubtful with the whole that MIGHT be possible thing.

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 1:37 pm
by 87th
"Might" just means that he plans to do it, but he's not in a position to confirm anything, yet. I'm actually surprised he's talked about it at all, since they are still just ideas.

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:05 pm
by lance
I think I'm gonna be depressed for a long time now since MGS is ending. Or as Kojima termed it "Finally, it's the end of Snake, so I'd really want to start something really fresh and new when I create the game for the next one." It is as if he is thankful that it is finally over. Maybe the pressure is too much on him already being the brain behind MGS. Well, i couldn't blame him...

Also, with him saying STARTING SOMETHING REALLY FRESH is something I would surely look forward to.

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:50 pm
by JimboKudo
lance wrote:I think I'm gonna be depressed for a long time now since MGS is ending. Or as Kojima termed it "Finally, it's the end of Snake, so I'd really want to start something really fresh and new when I create the game for the next one." It is as if he is thankful that it is finally over. Maybe the pressure is too much on him already being the brain behind MGS. Well, i couldn't blame him...

Also, with him saying STARTING SOMETHING REALLY FRESH is something I would surely look forward to.
I think he just feels that he can maybe open up some new horizons with a new set of games. I don't think that he wouldn't enjoy making a new MGS game, but it's probably nice to have a clean slate again yaknow?

87th, the one thing that I'm worried about is that in the other topic, Kojima says that he thinks that they might do something in the MG and MG2:SS worlds, and he practically confirms it. That's the thing I'm not to happy about, since I would much rather have them leave these games alone, and move on to make a new snatcher or ZOE game (I think that MG2:SS was particulary good and doesn't even need remaking).

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 7:38 pm
by 87th
JimboKudo wrote: 87th, the one thing that I'm worried about is that in the other topic, Kojima says that he thinks that they might do something in the MG and MG2:SS worlds, and he practically confirms it. That's the thing I'm not to happy about, since I would much rather have them leave these games alone, and move on to make a new snatcher or ZOE game (I think that MG2:SS was particulary good and doesn't even need remaking).
I agree almost completely with your sentiments. I'd rather encourage him to do something completely original than do more sequels, though. Of course, I'm very happy to hear that he's working with Goichi Suda on Project "S", but I have a couple of reservations about it. If they were working on an original project, I wouldn't have those worries, but I don't think I'd as excited, either.

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 9:29 pm
by JimboKudo
87th wrote:
JimboKudo wrote: 87th, the one thing that I'm worried about is that in the other topic, Kojima says that he thinks that they might do something in the MG and MG2:SS worlds, and he practically confirms it. That's the thing I'm not to happy about, since I would much rather have them leave these games alone, and move on to make a new snatcher or ZOE game (I think that MG2:SS was particulary good and doesn't even need remaking).
I agree almost completely with your sentiments. I'd rather encourage him to do something completely original than do more sequels, though. Of course, I'm very happy to hear that he's working with Goichi Suda on Project "S", but I have a couple of reservations about it. If they were working on an original project, I wouldn't have those worries, but I don't think I'd as excited, either.
Yeah, I think it will be really cool to see the product of their work. They both have very unique styles of games, so who knows what will come of it. I wish I could play No More Heroes, so I could maybe get a better feel as to what type of games he does. It sure seems weird. Then again, no one ever said that the Metal Gear universe was normal...

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 9:48 pm
by shidoni
JimboKudo wrote:I wish I could play No More Heroes, so I could maybe get a better feel as to what type of games he does. It sure seems weird. Then again, no one ever said that the Metal Gear universe was normal...
I don't think suda51 would treat something like that the same way, he'd be a lot more 'safe' with it, alot more self-concious. I'd trust him with it, completely... he knows what hardcores want.

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 9:55 pm
by JimboKudo
shidoni wrote:
JimboKudo wrote:I wish I could play No More Heroes, so I could maybe get a better feel as to what type of games he does. It sure seems weird. Then again, no one ever said that the Metal Gear universe was normal...
he knows what hardcores want.
I'm fairly confident from what I've heard.

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 10:09 pm
by 87th
Actually, No More Heroes was a bit of a departure for Suda (not stylistically, but gameplay wise), who usually works on adventure games. It'll give you more of an idea of what he can do, and how creative he can be, but it's not the archetypal Goichi Suda game. Flower, Sun & Rain: Unending Paradise is coming to America and Europe on DS this year (maybe "The Silver Case" and "The Silver Case, 25 Ward", too). I think that's closer to his usual stuff.

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 11:33 pm
by JimboKudo
It's weird, but it looks excellent! Yet another reason that I need to pick up a DS this year (along with the Phoenix Wright games). The weirdness kinda reminds me of this Japanese movie that I saw a while ago called something like super survive style 5 plus, or something like that.

Re: IGN Kojima Interview

Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 4:12 am
by ShinjiPG
Henry Spencer wrote:Excellent interview that delves into games we care about other than MGS!
Kojima: (...)
To answer your first question, none, actually – that's just a service to the fans, the genuine fans of Kojima Productions. Policenauts and Snatcher wasn't probably released in America and some other parts of the world outside of Japan. In Japan, there are still a lot of core fans who really love all of the series. Even Meryl – she used to appear in Policenauts – so it's a kind of service to say thank you to the fans, actually.
Thank you for neglecting foreign fans, Kojima-san. It's not like the foreign "core fans" don't know about Meryl.
And, wtf, he doesn't know that Snatcher was released in America? I think that must be some error of translation, really...

Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 4:20 am
by Henry Spencer
^Jeremy Blaustein did say that Kojima had practically zilch to do with the Snatcher game released on Sega CD, so Kojima saying that, doesn't really surprise me, since Koj has probably forgotten all about the Sega CD version(?) It's pretty obvious to me that Kojima thinks Western fans only like Metal Gear, with a few liking ZOE, which is essentially true, unfortunately. Think about it, how many people outside of these forums talk about Snatcher? Very few people.

Re: IGN Kojima Interview

Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 5:21 am
by 87th
ShinjiPG wrote:I think that must be some error of translation, really...
I think so.
Hideo Kojima wrote:Snatcher wasn't probably released in America
Yes, definitely, as that sentence makes no sense. I hope it wasn't Kojima's translator who's responsible, as they've probably been working on MGS4's English script, too.


JimboKudo- The game sounds like a Suda51 take on Silent Hill 4: The Room (of course, FS&R came out first, but let's not get into that). You play as an (guess what!) assassin called Sumio Mondo, who had stayed at Hotel Flower, Sun & Rain to defuse a bomb on a plane in the local airport. Sumio misses the opportunity to defuse the bomb, before the plane takes off, full of passengers, and explodes, crashing into the island.

When Sumio wakes up the next day, he finds himself stuck in yesterday, with another chance to defuse the bomb. As the day repeats, people request more and more of Sumio, and things around the hotel get more surreal and warped. Sumio finds that living in Groundhog Day is slowly making him go insane. He has to survive the day, and defuse the bomb, before he loses his sanity completely.

It sounds really interesting to me, and since hearing that it will get an English release, I'm very happy that I haven't spoilt the experience for myself by attempting to play it in Japanese, first.

Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:22 pm
by JimboKudo
I think it's great that the DS is getting so many adventure games. The setup is perfect! I just wish that the psp had more of them. The only psp adventure games that I ever hear about are dating sims, and those aren't exactly my cup of tea. Anyway, does anybody know what the english release date is going to be for this game? I finished Hotel Dusk (borrowed a DS from somebody), so I'm probably gonna want to pick this up when it comes out.

Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:38 pm
by 87th
I'm surprised there hasn't been any official announcements about an American release, yet. The game's out for a month in Japan, and I heard the US release would be soon after that, but I haven't heard anything about it. They're probably trying to give No More Heroes as big of a push as they can before announcing plans for Flower, Sun and Rain (NMH is still being advertised on TV in Europe, at the moment).

Apparently The Silver Case has a lot of text to translate in it, so don't expect that to come out until the end of the year. I think they plan to include 25 Ward in the DS version of The Silver Case, as it was originally a mobile phone game, and probably isn't enough to justify being sold as an individual DS game.

Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 3:06 pm
by JimboKudo
87th wrote:I'm surprised there hasn't been any official announcements about an American release, yet. The game's out for a month in Japan, and I heard the US release would be soon after that, but I haven't heard anything about it. They're probably trying to give No More Heroes as big of a push as they can before announcing plans for Flower, Sun and Rain (NMH is still being advertised on TV in Europe, at the moment).

Apparently The Silver Case has a lot of text to translate in it, so don't expect that to come out until the end of the year. I think they plan to include 25 Ward in the DS version of The Silver Case, as it was originally a mobile phone game, and probably isn't enough to justify being sold as an individual DS game.
Oh well. I guess this is where patience comes in. I've gotten used to waiting for things to come across the sea for a while now. I guess this just means a bit more waiting. Maybe it'll give me some time to go buy a DS instead of borrowing one. :grin: