Kojima: MGS4 A Tribute To The Hardcore

Hideo Kojima

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has been in the news a lot lately, and we all know why. At a recent press briefing in Tokyo, though, the master had more comments on subjects other than his upcoming brainchild, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Check out what he had to say in regards to Japanese vs. Western game development:

"...When you think about the future of videogames, I think that you need to take some risks to move on forward. Once you halt, it's really hard to go [back on track] and take steps forward. Unfortunately, overseas game production companies, which are well-funded and extremely skilled, have surpassed us by a couple of steps. It was once said that Japan molded the world's videogame [industry], but that's becoming a thing of the past. Sad as it may be, it's the truth." (source- GameSpot)

Kojima is only echoing the thoughts of other Japanese developers, including Konami sound director Akira Yamaoka, who told Game Developer Magazine that there's a "huge gap [between Japanese and American developers]," and said Western developers are "very advanced," and then- "wow...Japan is in trouble." Now, in response to this, Kojima is firmly convinced that MGS4 will certainly cater to the hardcore gamer, those who may have left Japanese-developed games behind.

"...We shouldn't forget about the hardcore gamers whose lives are about videogames," he said. "The gamers who consider videogames a subculture, and enjoy taking their time to sit down and play games that gives them energy and courage. I wanted to remind those gamers about the fun of videogames. I know that we're going against the trend, but we've been working hard for the past four years so that the fire [of non-casual games] won't blow out."

We all know that casual gamers are rising in number every day, especially in the US. But we're talking about MGS, which isn't a mindless run 'n gun FPS, and it isn't a bloody dexterity test like many basic action games. No, this is one game that truly will satisfy the hardcore, and it seems Japanese developers will want to do more of this in the future...

5/14/2008 Ben Dutka