With a storyline as rich (and arguably as convoluted) as Metal Gear's few could fault creator Hideo Kojima for having a tough time juggling it all. Yet, with a fan base that's solely devoted to the franchise, and who know its every in and out, we have some troubling news.
According to Kojima, the latest entry in the Metal Gear franchise, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, will feature some franchise "inconsistencies." He's admitting it now, lest fans jump on him for it later.
While Kojima wouldn't go into specifics, he explained that in trying to create a story set after the events of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (release date: 2004) and Metal Gear Solid (release date: 1998) the writing team might have slipped up here and there. He likens the experience to George Lucas' writing of the Star Wars prequels, in that "when you try to write something that was supposed to be in the middle there will be some inconsistencies when you go into very small details."
Now, to compare Kojima's own work to that of George Lucas' is one thing, but to draw comparisons between Metal Gear and the Star Wars prequels is never a good idea. It doesn't matter how rich the universe is, those movies are considered by most fans to be poorly thought out regardless of their place in the larger Star Wars canon.
Nevertheless, it's understandable that Kojima would miss a minor detail or two, and he acknowledges that, and is at least trying to get in front of the backlash. However, if he suspects there might be backlash, maybe these "inconsistencies" aren't as minor as Kojima implies.
And let us not mention the ravenous Metal Gear fan base that poured over The Phantom Pain teaser for hours, discovering even the most minute, seemingly insignificant details. If there's anything out of sync in Metal Gear Solid 5's story, trust us the fans will find it.
Just the same, the end goal with a game like Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, as with any game, is to deliver an engaging experience — a goal to which Kojima adhered. It may mean some slight deviations from the canon, but if Phantom Pain's story as a whole works then fans might be able to let some little issues slide.
"The most important part is writing something that is fun, something that is impressive, something that is better than it was before. So sometimes in the interest of doing this, of having a better experience, we sacrifice some consistencies in the story."
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, and next year's prequel Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes, looks to be Kojima Entertainment's biggest undertaking yet. A brand new next-gen engine, a story that will certainly rival all of the franchise's past iterations, and Kiefer Sutherland as the voice of Big Boss — what more could fans ask for?
Are you concerned that Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain will have some inconsistencies? If the game and story are entertaining does that matter?
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain currently has no release date, but is in development for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
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Source: Kotaku