I like many have found various pieces of news / rumours regarding the possiblity of Hideo Kojima working on Metal Gear Solid 5. Having thought about the idea of an MGS 5 I personally would say 'no thanks' to the idea in some respects.

My main reason for being a negative nelly is due to the fact that Metal Gear Solid 4 was billed as Snake's final mission. It was a chance for a gaming generation to have a last hurrah and to say goodbye to a sneaking / stealth legend and the master of 'the old cardboard box trick' - Solid Snake. The problem with this idea however was that they didn't deliver. Our experience was cut short by a bait and switch, what could of been a truely epic ending for a gaming icon was destroyed by the fear of change. This is a phenomenon that occurs heavily in TV shows. The cop show that tries to change the format and have the main character in jail only to have him out before the hour is up...why not go for something different, have them in for a full series - change the format and keep it fresh? Instead with MGS 4 it was left open for what we are now hearing rumours of - Metal Gear Solid 5.

I do not want to see Solid Snake return. I do not want to see him even older, even more chewed out and a shadow of his former self. If we had to continue this franchise - stop with Snake and give me a new protagonist. Advance the MGS universe 20-30 years and have the main protagonist be Meryl and Johnny's son. You could still have some familiar faces show up if necessary. But put in some new mechanics, some fresh ideas and go easy on the cutscenes. Don't get me wrong - I liked MGS 4 just fine and the cutscenes were amazingly produced, but maybe consider adopting a bit more player participation.

Alpha Protocol was at its core very flawed, but it had a fantastic conversation system that you needed to stay involved with cutscenes to use. This could offer the chance to have a bit more say in how your character would react to situations in a new MGS - perhaps even branch the storyline off to offer greater replay value.

All in all I just don't want to see Kojima say something along the lines of 'I'm stepping down - I won't be part of this." only to push those who take the reigns away cause they're not doing quite what he'd like with the franchise. If you have to do this again Hideo - go big or go home. Make something unique and original and just mix it up a little. Don't be afraid to change the format like everyone else.

How does everyone else feel about a potential MGS 5? Do you have any ideas on how to keep it fresh? Or would you like nothing more then to see the world of MGS left well and truely alone.