Metal Gear 3 Gets Hollywood Talent

David Hayter, Kyle Cooper, & 'HGW' signed.

Konami's new Metal Gear Solid title will again be drawing in top-level talent from Hollywood. The company has announced that it has signed David Hayter, Harry Gregson-Williams and Kyle Cooper to reprise their roles in director Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

While he has been the voice of Snake since 1998's Metal Gear Solid on PlayStation, David Hayter is best known these days as a screenwriter. Hayter has worked on some of the biggest movies of the last few years, including both X-Men and X-Men 2.

"Snake is one of the most dynamic characters in video game history," says David Hayter. "I've always enjoyed developing characters and creatively exploring their personalities in my screenplays."

"Working with Kojima to bring this ultra-cool character to life has been a truly rewarding professional experience and certainly one of the top roles I've ever done."

Another Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty alumnus reprising his role is composer Harry Gregson-Williams. Fresh off of stints on Shrek 2 and Bridget Jones: Edge Of Reason, Gregson-Williams has infused the game with a soundtrack that resonates with what gamers are seeing on screen.

"Instead of focusing on the time period in which the game takes place, I have created a soundtrack that is respectful of the pre-existing MGS taste," says Harry Gregson-Williams.

"The music enhances each of the various layers of the game and augments the overall storyline. It has been a pleasure working with Hideo Kojima as he truly understands the importance music plays in setting the tone for any story."

While the contributions of title screen directors are overlooked, recent films like Seven and Spider-Man have proved that the credit sequences don't need to be dull.

This is precisely why Konami has tapped Kyle Cooper, creator of the two aforementioned intro sequences, to do the same for Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

Cooper and Kojima have collaborated to create something novel: a completely interactive opening sequence.

"Working with Kojima on MGS3 has given me the rare opportunity to push the boundaries of the lead-ins I traditionally create for television and movies, resulting in a new style of visual storytelling that cannot be re-created on the silver screen," said Cooper.

"Unlike those for feature films or TV shows, the intro sequence to MGS3 is fully interactive and allows players to be part of the experience, not just a spectator."

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is the latest game from Hideo Kojima. The series has been an enormous success for Konami since its rebirth as Metal Gear Solid on the PlayStation in 1998.

The game has pushed the limits of storytelling in games, blending the best of movies and games in an experience that defined the stealth-action genre.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater will be released exclusively on PlayStation 2 later this month in North America, with a UK release to follow thereafter.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games