Kojima-san has recently been interviewed on Twitter regarding Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker...
"I was born in the 1960's, the middle of the cold war. The 70's shaped me into who I am in a lot of ways. Apollo, International Exposition, the Oil Shock, and the Watergate Scandal. This is also the period in time that would lead into Japan's bubble economy, and dark times for the U.S. A period that cannot be ignored, that is why I chose it for the setting of PW." - Hideo Kojima
What did you have for lunch today?
"Tomato base spaghetti with mozzerella cheese."
How is Peace Walker's development going?
"I am doing the last rounds of checking for PW. After the checks, this becomes the product that people will have in their hands of course after it is pressed. We are running parallel with the overseas version as well so after the Japanese version, checks for the overseas version starts. I am also working on the trailers, at the same time, brainstorming plans for events."
In a prior meeting, you said "Once Peace Walker is done, it will be a masterpiece." When did you get the confidence for this?
"PW has many aspects that previous MGS titles haven't had. I was confident, but worried at the same time when each element started to develop. Then around November, these elements started linking and I started seeing the entire picture. Not only did I see this, but team members started seeing the concept develop and at that point, I remember that I felt confident And reassured about this project."
Is the game a masterpiece in story or gameplay?
"PW is going to be released as a portable game, but it is a TRUE MGS game in the saga, not a spin off. Of course, we have put a lot of power into the story. It should be pretty exciting. The potential of a portable game, an innovative system that changes the nature of future MGs is what makes this a game a title to look forward too."
I've heard that there's a landmark element to the gameplay systems. Is this something that's there because of the PSP platform?
"We put a lot of thought into gameplay that handhelds excel at. 'Teamwork,' 'multiplayer,' and 'trade,' are all great components but that is not everything. We also wanted challenge toward a new game design. This is something we couldn't have achieved if we had developed PW for a next gen console."
Was PSP set as the platform from the start of development? In other words, was PSP selected in order to realize this game design, or was it like with Metal Gear -- born from
considering the special capabilities of the platform.
"Our goal was to create a traditional MGS game for PSP in the beginning. How do we translate it over on the PSP...but once we started the planning the direction slowly shifted toward a 'MGS that evolves on a handheld.' We did not think about the low specs, moreover we decided to make a Next-Gen game on a portable device."
You've said that you want MGS to be played by young players. Are there any features or elements that were made with young people in mind?
"We studied what young people liked and without changing the MGS world, added different elements for gameplay. System, characters, story, voice acting, etc. We just made the entrance into the MGS world bigger without changing the core. A product with a serious story along with a strong message."
Your works always have themes. Following "Meme," "Gene," "Scene" and "Sense," what is Peace Walker's theme?
"The theme for PW is 'Peace.' I have always included an anti-nuke/war message in previous MGSs but war and explosions have not gone away. 'Why do we need armies and nuclear weapons?' I wrote a script regarding this issue of this balance... only kept through the existence of armies and nuclear weapons as 'deterrence' to maintain 'Peace.'"
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