Think a Metal Gear Solid VR game could work? David Hayter, the iconic voice of Solid Snake reckons so.
Hayter said as much in an interview with Upload last week. Discussing his new role in VR stealth game, Phantom: Covert Ops, he talked about how the genre is well suited to the platform. “It gives you such paranoia about what’s going on behind you and what angle [enemies] can see you from, and you’re really right in it,” Hayter said.
“The silenced pistol is so effective at hugely long ranges and, just like you say, in Metal Gear you have to line up that laser just right, but you can hit guys way across the wind,” he later added. “It’s really cool.”
But does Hayter think Metal Gear itself could work in VR? “I was also in a game called Republique and that was produced by Ryan Paton who produced Metal Gear 3 and so I got that for the Oculus and it really works,” he explained. “It’s different from Metal Gear but a similar sort of stealth mechanic and it’s really immersive and very effective. I’d love to see Metal Gear on Oculus.”
There have been a lot of interesting takes on the stealth genre in VR over the past few years; some more influenced by Metal Gear than others. 2019’s Espire 1: VR Operative, for example, was a solid attempt at adapting many of the series’ core mechanics to VR. But Hayter agrees that a Metal Gear VR game could add a uniquely cinematic feel.
“You have real face-to-face meetings with these characters and you’re right in it,” he said. “I mean that was the thing about the first Metal Gear was that it was the first truly cinematic game experience and now of course we’re into multiple levels beyond at this point. But I think it would work very well.”
Sadly we’re not likely to get a Metal Gear Solid VR game anytime soon; the series has been silent since 2018’s Metal Gear Survive and creator Hideo Kojima (who has a few interesting ideas about VR himself) split from publisher Konami all the way back in 2015. But, if Konami ever did decide to revitalize the series, we’d definitely love to see it reimagined in VR. Especially all those hour-long cutscenes.
Do you think Metal Gear Solid VR could work? Let us know in the comments below!
