Highlights
- Metal Gear Solid Delta wows fans with a new trailer, featuring a faithful remake of MGS3 with modern upgrades.
- David Hayter’s return as Snake in Metal Gear Solid Delta is a welcome nod to loyal fans of the franchise.
- Konami’s attention to detail and developer Virtuos’ involvement promise a promising update to the beloved classic.
Metal Gear Solid Delta got a brand-new trailer during the recent Xbox Showcase. Despite the lack of a release window, there have been plenty of positive reactions to the gorgeous-looking remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The project looks to be a faithful recreation of the beloved 2004 PS2 release, but with far more than just a new coat of paint. Enhanced stealth mechanics and more modern gameplay elements almost seem a given at this point, but perhaps the most exciting element for veteran fans of the Metal Gear franchise is the return of the legendary David Hayter as the voice of Snake.
Throughout Metal Gear‘s explosion in popularity throughout the late 90s and early 2000s, the protagonist, Snake, was always voiced by David Hayter. His voice became synonymous with the character, whether he was playing Solid Snake, or his biological father, Big Boss. Hayter would continue voicing Snake throughout several sequels, right up until Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker was released in 2010. For Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, creator Hideo Kojima controversially replaced Hayter with well-known Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, a move that divided the fan base. Having Hayter back in the infamous role of Naked Snake for MGS3 Delta will go some way to making up for Kojima’s lack of involvement in the project.
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All signs so far point to Metal Gear Solid Delta sticking to its source material pretty closely, with pretty much all the footage shown so far perfectly replicating events from the original game. The gameplay mechanics will probably be much more closely aligned with MGS5 than the original game, though, and fans should expect a modern overhaul of everything from shooting to hand-to-hand combat, as well as sneaking around the dense jungle maps. Konami has sought assistance in the development of the project from Singaporean developer Virtuos, which has also had a hand in projects such as Horizon: Forbidden West, and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
David Hayter’s return is yet another example of how Konami is attempting to handle the project with the care and attention the fan base demands. The only other Metal Gear-related release that Kojima didn’t have a hand in, aside from the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection: Vol 1, was 2018’s Metal Gear Survive, an extremely poorly received survival game featuring zombies, that had very little to do with the Metal Gear series aside from its name. Should Konami drop the ball with this one, Metal Gear fans could lose trust in the Japanese developer and publisher.
David Hayter Being Back Can Only Be Good For Metal Gear Fans
The recent Metal Gear Solid Master Collection: Vol.1 allowed fans to experience the original trilogy for the first time on modern consoles, and for some younger fans, this would’ve been their first foray into the series. While some will feel that the games should’ve been remade in order, Metal Gear Solid 3 takes place earlier in the timeline than any of the other games, so chronologically, it makes sense for it to be the first one to receive a remake, given its importance to the overarching story.
If Metal Gear Solid Delta is a success, there’s every chance that some of the others could get the same treatment. With David Hayter back in the role that he excelled in, fans of the series will be eager to get their hands on the game as soon as possible, but unfortunately, as yet, there’s nothing to indicate a release date. While it was initially earmarked for a 2024 release, each passing month without news makes this less likely. Gamers will be hoping to receive some concrete news on the game’s release window sooner rather than later.