The year is 1964, and the world was split into East and West. The Cold War that triggers Operation Snake Eater sets this decades spanning espionage story into motion.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (a remake of the 2004 MGS3: Snake Eater) is being developed in-house at Konami in collaboration with Virtuos. There is currently no release date for Delta, but it is speculated that the game could be ready by Q4 2024, releasing for PS5, Series X/S, and PC.
In 1998 the PlayStation 1 game, Metal Gear Solid, changed how both players and the industry thought of video games, and now it is almost time to enter back into the alternate historical fiction of video game auteur Hideo Kojima with the return of the franchise on the latest gaming hardware.
After the fallout between Konami and the franchise’s creator, Hideo Kojima, following the release of Metal Gear Solid V, and the cancellation of the Silent Hill reboot P.T in 2015, Konami remade the cutscenes of Metal Gear Solid 3 for a pachinko machine. These were considered dark days for Metal Gear Solid fans at a time when the company completely abandoned a portion of its passionate consumer base.
However, Konami appears to be listening to them now by bringing back its beloved gaming IPs and even making up for it with a proper Metal Gear Solid 3 remake.
Even so, some fans are not happy that the Metal Gear Solid resurgence does not involve Kojima, but seeing as how Konami is treading lightly on its return with a remastered collection and remake, rather than continuing the story of the franchise, it is entirely understandable, especially since Kojima is busy working on the highly anticipated Death Stranding sequel with Kojima Productions.
Try To Remember the Basics of CQC
Close quarter combat (CQC) is the fighting style created by an American hero known as The Boss and her apprentice, protagonist codenamed Naked Snake, in the 1950s, following her success leading the Cobra unit in WW2. This fighting style has been an essential part of all the games, with the saga dating back to the 1987 release of Metal Gear on MSX2.
The chronological order of the main canon is as follows: MGS3: Snake Eater (1964), MGS: Peace Walker (1974), MGSV: Ground Zeroes (1975), MGSV: The Phantom Pain (1984), Metal Gear (1995), Metal Gear 2 (1999), Metal Gear Solid (2005), MGS2: Sons of Liberty (2007-09), MGS4: Guns of the Patriots (2014).
Luckily for newcomers, the MGS3 prequel, which tells the story of Snake’s origin, is the first to receive a remake. Although the announcement trailer is not representative of how the game will look, it does nail a specific tone that the MGS3 remake is deserving of, and fans were treated to the new character model of Naked Snake, as well as official in-game screenshots of the remake, courtesy of Konami, that show the new and improved environments compared to the 2004 PlayStation 2 original.
The Greek Meaning of Delta Is Derivative of “Change” Or “Difference”
The official description of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, from the Konami website, states that the remake is “the same gripping story and engrossing world, but now with cutting-edge graphics and 3D audio, which bring the jungle to life.” The development team further describes it as a “faithful recreation of the original story and game design, while evolving the gameplay with stunning visuals and a seamless user experience.”
Konami’s Head of Communications has since said that the remake will re-use the original voice actors and voice lines for both subbed and dubbed. This means that the iconic voice of Snake, David Hayter, is returning, but in a new way that will surely shine in the remake.
As of right now, it doesn’t seem like fans will have to worry about Konami making changes where they shouldn’t to Kojima’s masterpiece. Unlike the Bloober Team Silent Hill 2 remake that appears to be a faithful re-imagining, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater looks to be a “remake” in the traditional sense. This means that the same voice acting and game design will stay intact but with significant updates to the graphical fidelity and gameplay.
Seeing as how Kojima is not overseeing the development of this game, this is best case scenario, and is evidence to suggest that the Konami development team is staying true to the original game. Perhaps, “Delta” is thus referring the same story but told in a different order, as MGS3 marks the origin of Snake and the franchise.
Retelling the story in chronological order is more marketable to a new audience, which is why the “3” is omitted from the title. This aligns with previous statements made by Konami on if they would remake more Metal Gear Solid games, having expressed “we will consider it while listening to the voices of our customers.” This begs the question; how would Konami follow up Snake Eater? Perhaps, a remake of Peace Walker or a re-imagining of the Metal Gear games on the MSX2 or skipping ahead to a remake of the PS1 Metal Gear Solid.
Either way, it appears that the financial and critically successful Resident Evil remakes with Capcom are the blueprint for what could be. This is just the beginning for Delta, as there is presumably a long development ahead, seeing as how the announcement trailer wasn’t prepared to show any actual in-game footage.
In the meantime, players can look forward to Vol. 1 of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection.
A Hideo Kojima Game, Redefined
This collection will reportedly include the HD ports of Metal Gear Solid 1 – 3, Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Snakes Revenge, and digital extras like a screenplay book, graphic novels, strategy guides and newly recorded songs from the franchise.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 releases October 24, 2023, on PC, PS5, Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch for $59.99, or the games can be purchased separately, if digital, for $19.99.
This is more expensive than it should be for games that are around 20 years old, even for the amount of content in the collection, seeing as how the Legacy Collection for PS3 costs less, and also includes Peace Walker and MGS4. Perhaps, $39.99 would have been more of an appropriate price point.
However, it is still unknown at this time if there will be any improvements to the Master Collection, such as graphical upgrades, more trophy challenges, extra content, or even haptic feedback support on PS5, but hopefully this is the case given the price.
“Building The Future and Keeping the Past Alive Are One In The Same”
A leak from the Metal Gear Solid website insinuates that Volume 2 could include Peace Walker, MGSV, and MGS4, which is significant since MGS4 has been stuck on the PS3 because of how it was specifically built around the console’s architecture. This is unconfirmed, but it has been backed up by IGN who had reached out to Konami for comment.
Assuming Volume 2 will also release on the Nintendo Switch, then it would certainly be MGS4 and the PS3 version of MGSV at a scaled down resolution and slower frame rate to compensate for the lack of updated hardware. Despite this, having these games available on the Nintendo Switch with its OLED screen and portability factor would be a game changer for fans of the franchise, and although controversial, the GameCube remake of Metal Gear Solid 1, The Twin Snakes, with luck would also be on the table.
The Master Collection of Metal Gear Solid is sure to keep fans busy until the remake comes out, but hopefully there is more to justify the $59.99 price point than just ports of the PS3 HD collection. Regardless, Konami is doing fans a solid for bringing back one of video games most celebrated franchises.
The return of Metal Gear Solid is imminent.
