News - Famitsu interview with Hideo Kojima
Posted by
David Cochran
at 11:21:14 AM EST on 10.11.2006.
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima, along with several other game creators, was interviewed by Famitsu during the Tokyo Game Show. The interviews were published in last week's Famitsu issue, and I've translated Kojima's here for everyone's pleasure. Enjoy!
Famitsu: First off, let’s talk about Metal Gear Solid 4. Is the current Tokyo Game Show MGS4 trailer of actual game-play on the PS3?
Kojima: Until now the trailers were made up of demo scenes in the game, but this time we edited together scenes of real game-play. In actuality, I would rather have had a playable version up, but there were some parts we were still hesitant about so instead we showed MGS4 in the form of game-play scenes.
Famitsu: There were some big changes we saw this time around, like the optical-camouflage and barrels.
Kojima: Until now we were using cardboard boxes, but then I kind of thought about how it would really be like to put a cardboard box over your heard in a battlefield.
Famitsu: Just watching it’s obvious, but game play style has also changed. Well then, you also have Metal Gear Portable Ops coming out quite soon, too, am I right?
Kojima: Yes, we’re thinking of releasing it sometime in December. Regarding its production, we’re nearly done, but this year-end season we’ll be having a game seemingly released every week so we’re still kind of lost on a final release date for Portable Ops.
Famitsu: Certainly. You have
Boktai and
Kabutore coming out along with MGS: Digital Graphic Novel which was recently released, so maybe it would be a bit early for another sequel.
Kojima: This time we made MGS: Digital Graphic Novel’s story based on the MGS storyline, but for those players who started with MGS3 and want to know more about MGS2’s storyline we’re also thinking about them too. Next year will be Metal Gear’s 20
th anniversary and personally I was thinking of ending the series with MGS4 but stopped myself.
Famitsu: Next I’d like to touch upon
Kabutore [stock trading game for DS]. This game is really breaking the boundaries for you, isn’t it?
Kojima: Yes, it is. I really want to surprise people with this game. I want to deliver a new feeling to the player, so I’m pushing myself hard in order to [do that]. That said, I also have MGS4 to work on and only wish I could save myself more time and energy to work on other projects.
Famitsu: With games like
Boktai and
Kabutore it really seems like you're trying to stay on the cutting edge.
Kojima: Really it’s just because I like to make games like these.
Famitsu: I see. Well then, on to my next question. Do you have any plans to make a Metal Gear portal site?
Kojima: We’re tentatively set to start the site in December. The age where game making is a one-sided affair is ending. With the portal we’ll be collecting people’s written stories and ideas so that everyone together will be a part of creating the Metal Gear series.
Famitsu: You sure are thinking of many different ideas. On to my next question – let me ask you about this year’s game show. Was there a booth this year that caught your eye in particular?
Kojima: I haven’t really looked that carefully but I do want to see some of the PS3 titles. That being said, there sure were a lot of people this year. There were even many non-Japanese attending the show. I thought to myself for a second, ‘Is this E3?’ Since it’s our one festival of the year I want it to keep with the same momentum of this year’s and continue growing further.
Famitsu: I would also like to ask you about the next generation of video game hardware. What do you think of it all?
Kojima: They all have their certain charms, and I would like them all to succeed. Not only the next generation systems but portable gaming and cell phone games are also reaching new heights. With time I’d like to try doing more new things and really challenge myself. I’m hearing much about each new game system. Each company has entrusted their futures with their respective new hardware, so we’re carefully looking at each one and seeing what kind of expressions we can create with them. At this point in time I’m not thinking about which system will likely succeed. Like I said, I want all of them to succeed.
Famitsu: Are you saying there’s a chance that you’ll be making games for each new game system?
Kojima: Of course. As for now, though, MGS4 is a big enough project and it’s at the center of my attention.
Source: Famitsu
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eggmanimn 10.14.2006 at 02:26:31 PM
Oh come now, the soldiers running around had to have boxes to hold their stuff in-transit. Can't be that hard to find one.
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terpfen 10.13.2006 at 11:27:29 PM
"I'll probably be a bit more hidden or even an unlockable, but the box will be there."
I don't think it'll be a bonus, but it'll only appear in certain areas in which you'd normally find cardboard boxes... which would not be the streets of the middle east.
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visual77 10.13.2006 at 08:11:17 PM
The box will be there. I have no doubts about that. I'll probably be a bit more hidden or even an unlockable, but the box will be there.
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terpfen 10.13.2006 at 07:06:16 PM
"After how many games now does he suddenly realize that wearing a box on your head in battle is a little strange?"
They worked in a joke about it in MGS3, and given that the current gen didn't have super-ultra-realistic graphics, or at least a level of detail necessary enough to approach the whole "photorealism" thing, the cardboard box was still workable.
I wouldn't be surprised to see the box make its return, though.
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kureishima 10.13.2006 at 01:45:36 PM
A -lot-? That doesn't make sense, though.. :(
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geo 10.13.2006 at 12:10:28 PM
It doesn't say too much really. Not about smash brothers anyway. But expect alot of non-nintendo characters. It's just a hunch.
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kureishima 10.13.2006 at 08:50:03 AM
Now this, I would like to see more of.
Translate that Smash Bros. interview, pretty please.... :)
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biocat 10.12.2006 at 11:04:37 PM
Yeah, it's funny. After how many games now does he suddenly realize that wearing a box on your head in battle is a little strange?
Anyways, I'm working on translating another interview so expect that in a few days or less.
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gon 10.12.2006 at 08:45:46 PM
I don't care what people say, in my mind it is Hideo Kojima with his game ideas which is mkaing games good. Cell proccesors and wii-motes are just flashy gimicks to claim better immersion. However it is geniuses liek Hideo who create immersive games like MGS1-3 whith great gameplay that revolutionize the industry.
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soul4ger 10.12.2006 at 10:52:46 AM
Is that stock trading title a "game," like Wall Street Kid on NES almost, or is it just a "training" title? Like, teaching you how to invest and stuff like that? If it's an actual game, where you buy and sell stocks for clients and s***, that would be AWESOME.
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esuzumy 10.12.2006 at 07:54:47 AM
Naw, the translation was good -- I hope I didn't come off sounding sarcastic or anything. I just thought the line's meaning itself was pretty funny.
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biocat 10.12.2006 at 06:48:38 AM
Perhaps I kept that line a little too direct in translation. Basically he was implying that it's silly to wear a box on your head in war.
The other interviews were with the creators of: Monster Kingdom Unknown Realms/Genji, Smash Bros. ZX, Heroes, Yakuza, Jeanne D'Arc/White Knight Story, and Monster Hunter.
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esuzumy 10.12.2006 at 04:47:24 AM
... I'm the only one who got a kick out of, "Until now we were using cardboard boxes, but then I kind of thought about how it would really be like to put a cardboard box over your head in a battlefield", huh?
Awesome translation.
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terpfen 10.12.2006 at 12:53:25 AM
"No Z.O.E 3? :("
I remember a report from a while back that Kojima has a couple of ideas for a possible ZoE3, but he's busy with... well, everything else.
"Honestly, if it does end up on 360, I'm going to be far from surprised."
Don't count on it.
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c4andvari 10.11.2006 at 11:04:45 PM
No Z.O.E 3? :(
Ahh, well I think it's still good that Hideo is broadening his horizons with new types of games. Stock trading though, that's a big step, especially to make it big in a country like america, people would be more content with a Lottery game more so than a stock game.
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soul4ger 10.11.2006 at 10:49:43 PM
Well, if it's just a port, Kojima doesn't have to invest as much time into overseeing that as he would the development of a new project. Honestly, if it does end up on 360, I'm going to be far from surprised.
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solar_blitz 10.11.2006 at 09:57:51 PM
It's just as likely that Kojima would work on cell-phone games after finishing up MGS4 as Kojima working on a new Wii game after finishing up MGS4. Same goes for XBox360, DS, and the Metal Gear Portal.
And I personally would like to see MGS4 on XBox360 as well. Not just to save some cash (I know I'll get an XBox 360 someday...), but also to continue to experience Metal Gear Solid with force feedback. I want to FEEL those moocowing crapping Metal Gear monstrosities coming from tens of yards away!
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soul4ger 10.11.2006 at 08:44:51 PM
Come ooooooon, MGS4 port on Xbox 360. Save me $600, Kojima! I know you want to!
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pixy misao 10.11.2006 at 07:44:31 PM
Good interview, it's good to hear from Kojima being so indifferent to all systems. Still, I wonder who else was interviewed?
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jayb222 10.11.2006 at 06:19:04 PM
So he will work on teh Wii and 360 after he's done with MGS4? Awesome!!!
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wellness 10.11.2006 at 03:44:20 PM
Kojima stopping himself from ending the Metal Gear series.
Thats funny, we all know Konami would never let it die. Its one of their biggest games.
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geo 10.11.2006 at 01:27:28 PM
Awesome that was a great piece of info. Can't wait to get my hands on all his new productions. And that metal gear portal sounds good.
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bidingtime 10.11.2006 at 01:04:38 PM
Interesting stuff! What I found really surprising was the idea of letting fans influence the direction of the MGS series. I think that's a fun idea, but I figured it would never happen with a big corporation because they're always worried about getting sued.
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drakken 10.11.2006 at 12:13:05 PM
Wow, that was a good size interview. Nice job on the translation, David. :)
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drumlord 10.11.2006 at 12:11:42 PM
Wow, thanks for that Dave. I don't think we've ever had such a large translation done just for GAF before.
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biocat 10.11.2006 at 11:44:09 AM
That it is.
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jjmai 10.11.2006 at 11:41:46 AM
Kabutore is the stock trading game, right?
