When Hideo Kojima left Konami back in 2015, it sent shockwaves through the gaming community. Kojima remains one of the industry’s most influential and well-respected video game designers and his connection with Konami and the Metal Gear series is in many ways responsible for that. Although he was able to quickly find his feet and moved on to other things, he leaves behind one of gaming’s biggest IPs.
Now that the dust has settled a little, people are starting to ask questions about the future of the Metal Gear series. Would it be okay for Konami to continue it without him or would they be better off rebooting it and starting from scratch? With nearly half a decade having passed since the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, it’s a choice that Konami is going to have to make sooner rather than later. Looking at the bigger picture, there are certainly plenty of pros and cons for each side.
10 Reboot: Hideo Kojima’s Departure From Konami
To many, Hideo Kojima is Metal Gear. With this in mind, having somebody else continue his story just wouldn’t feel right to many players. Given how complex the story is, finding somebody capable of even attempting to fill Kojima’s shoes would be challenging enough in itself.
A reboot would be a great way to draw a line under Kojima’s Metal Gear and start something new. Further distancing themselves from Kojima and the unceremonious manner in which the two parties split could only be a good thing for both Konami and the Metal Gear series.
9 Continue: There’s Already A Strong Fan Base
The series’ fan base has been built up through decades of hard work and so to risk damaging it unnecessarily seems somewhat foolish. It’s difficult to predict how fans will respond to even minor changes, let alone a complete reboot.
Games like Duke Nukem Forever and the god-awful Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts are great examples of how a poor reboot can damage the perception of a series. Given Konami’s recent track record, a half-hearted reboot certainly isn’t beyond the realms of possibility. Were this to happen, it could destroy the Metal Gear legacy.
8 Reboot: The Story Has Become Incredibly Convoluted
The Metal Gear Series has one of the most overly complicated stories in all of gaming. Trying to keep track of everything that’s happened so far requires way too much work for most casual gamers. Add to this the fact that the huge amount of existing lore seriously limits the direction that any future narrative could take and rebooting the series starts to make a lot more sense.
A reboot would bring with it a new story and an opportunity to avoid over-complicating it with bizarre plot twists. Even if Konami continued with the tradition of including such twists, the blank slate would at least mean that it would take a while before the series’ story had players scratching their heads.
7 Continue: A Lot Of Work Has Been Put Into The Story
Complicated though it may be, the lore of Metal Gear has taken decades to establish. The idea of throwing all of that out and starting from scratch likely won’t sit too well with some of the higher-ups at Konami, nor the Metal Gear fan base. Some of the more bizarre elements aside, Metal Gear‘s story is an incredibly interesting one.
Rebooting the story would lead to constant comparisons being made to the original, not to mention the potential backlash that would likely ensue if key story beats were altered or removed. Changing the story too drastically might also lead to a game that’s so far removed from Metal Gear that it may as well be a brand new IP.
6 Reboot: The Huge Advancements In Technology
Gaming has come a long way since Metal Gear first released for the NES back in the late 80’s. Even the PS1 classic Metal Gear Solid is starting to show its age a little. Starting from scratch on modern consoles would allow Konami to once again create groundbreaking Metal Gear games that aren’t constrained in any way by the titles that came before it.
While it’s still possible for gamers to go back and play the original titles, many of the mechanics found throughout the series are incredibly dated by modern standards. As examples of gaming’s history or a nice nostalgia trip for fans, they’re perfectly serviceable. It’s unlikely, however, that these games will be drawing in too many new fans to the series.
5 Continue: A Reboot Could Be Seen As Disrespectful
While it’s possible that a reboot would attract a new audience, some long-time series fans may not be interested. Given the work that Hideo Kojima put into creating the Metal Gear universe, some may see it as a huge sign of disrespect to effectively remake his life’s work with a new director at the helm.
Of course, it’s just as likely that some of these fans may refuse to entertain the idea of any Metal Gear game that doesn’t have Kojima’s name on it. Indeed, if the mediocre performance of Metal Gear Survive is anything to go by, even a continuation of the series may struggle to achieve the same success as earlier Metal Gear titles.
4 Reboot: Many Gamers Haven’t Played Some Of The Earlier Titles
Should Metal Gear Solid 6 ever see the light of day, that number at the end is going to be incredibly daunting to anybody who has never played a Metal Gear game. Knowing that they’ll have to play through five or more games to truly understand the overarching narrative (assuming such a thing is even possible) gives them a great excuse to just skip it.
This is not helped by the series’ reputation for having incredibly long games. Perhaps were the original titles shorter in length, players might be willing to play through them or check them out on YouTube in order to catch up. It’s unlikely that too many people will be willing to invest the hundreds of hours needed to do so though. A reboot solves this problem entirely.
3 Continue: There Are Some Great Characters In The Series
If the aim of a reboot was to create a more straightforward narrative, including some of the series’ most iconic characters may prove to be difficult. People like Otacon, Psycho Mantis, and Revolver Ocelot are responsible for some of the series’ most iconic moments and their loss would be huge to both fans and the series itself.
While it’s possible that Konami could simply write the story around these characters, this runs the risk of a narrative that feels forced. Conversely, making changes to the characters to fit a new narrative probably wouldn’t sit too well with many fans of the series.
2 Reboot: The Series Is Getting Pretty Old
Metal Gear is one of the longest-running video game series of all time and in many ways, its age is starting to show. While other long-running franchises have reinvented themselves time and time again over the years, Metal Gear has always stuck quite rigidly to the same formula. Although little tweaks here and there have provided the illusion of freshness, it may be best to reboot now before the series starts to feel truly stale.
Games like Doom and Tomb Raider are shining examples of how a good reboot can breathe new life into an ailing franchise. Konami needn’t completely reinvent the wheel or anything, but taking a look around at what other developers are doing might provide the inspiration they need to create an even better Metal Gear.
1 Continue: It’s Working Just Fine The Way It Is
Whether or not the series is broken is certainly a conversation worth having. The ending of Metal Gear Solid V is incredibly underwhelming compared to some of the series’ earlier entries and the less said about Metal Gear: Survive, the better. Despite this, however, The Phantom Pain was the best selling Metal Gear game ever.
With this being the case, it’s hard not to point towards that old adage, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ From a business point of view, Konami would be foolish to risk damaging one of their most valuable IPs. Only a company with no regard for the legacies of their best work would do such a thing.
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