Things You Might Not Know About The Development Of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

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2004 marked the release of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, a game notorious for its challenging development process, thanks to Hideo Kojima’s relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation in his video game creations. This dedication can occasionally result in delays as new ideas are continuously implemented.

As a dedicated gamer, I’m thrilled that Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is making a comeback, even though Hideo Kojima isn’t directly involved this time around. It’s exciting to witness this classic game being revitalized for a new generation! To pay homage to the remake, let’s delve into the behind-the-scenes story of how the original Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater came to life.

Kojima’s PS3 Ambitions

Couldn’t Wait Any Longer

As a devoted fan, I’ve always admired Hideo Kojima’s vision for the Metal Gear Solid series – each new console release was anticipated as a leap forward in gaming. Initially, he planned for Metal Gear Solid 3 to debut on the PlayStation 3, following the PS2’s run with MGS 2: Sons of Liberty. However, with the next-gen console taking its sweet time, Kojima, being the innovative visionary that he is, chose to harness the power of the PS2 instead.

In an interview with GameMaster back in May 2005 (featured in the Did You Know Gaming video), Hideo Kojima revealed that due to the size limitations of PS2 discs, they had to significantly reduce content. One such content was a radio station designed for Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. This radio station would have played songs sung by Kojima and his team, which were intended to cause discomfort to Naked Snake if listened to.

The Concept Of The Game’s Jungle

Know Your Environment

In their third game on PlayStation, Kojima’s team aimed to innovate with Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater by exploring concepts that few developers had ventured into before, as Kojima discussed during an online interview with GamePro in August 2003. This included plans for a jungle setting and how weather could influence the game’s environments dynamically.

During the final game, the weather changed based on the zone Snake ventured into. In an interview with Eurogamer in April 2004, Kojima discussed the team’s training in close-quarter combat and survival skills in jungles, which served as inspiration during game development.

Naked Snake’s Dreams

Guy Savage Wasn’t The Planned Mini-Game

In the latter part of the game “Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater”, there’s an opportunity for players to initiate a dream sequence when Snake is imprisoned. This triggers a side-game called Guy Savage, resembling fast-paced action games like “Devil May Cry” or “Kingdom Hearts”. Originally, Kojima envisioned the dream segment to include Gradius, but ultimately opted for Guy Savage instead.

Shuyo Murata, one of the game’s directors, handled the “Guy Savage” segment within the game. Interestingly, during a promotional event in 2011 for the Zone of the Enders HD Collection, it was unveiled by Famitsu that the “Guy Savage” section could have served as an early version or prototype for what might have been Zone of the Enders 3. For a better understanding, fans can delve deeper into this Famitsu event using a reliable English translation tool.

The Infamous Torture Scene

It Could Have Been Longer

The majority of Metal Gear series games feature scenes involving torture, some of which allow player interaction. However, in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, while Kojima intended for players to engage with the torture scene featuring Snake, the game design only allowed observation as it unfolded. Additionally, the scene was significantly shorter than originally intended.

In a 2005 interview with PSM (Publication Name), Kojima hinted at alternate player responses to a specific scene but didn’t delve deeply into details. However, the significance of this scene remains undeniable. It offers insights into how Snake lost his eye, a wound inflicted by Revolver Ocelot, and ultimately how he came to wear the iconic Big Boss eye patch.

The End

Kojima Loves A Good Sniper Fight

In the Cobra Unit, The End stands out as the most intriguing member due to his ancient age yet remarkable sharpshooting skills. During an interview with PSM in February 2005, Kojima expressed his admiration for Stephen Hunter’s sniper novels, one of which being The Master Sniper. This work served as inspiration for Kojima to devise a grueling two-week-long confrontation featuring The End.

Because of the team’s suggestions, Kojima ultimately had to abandon his idea for the epic boss battle since they weren’t finding it enjoyable. Nevertheless, what was left remained thrilling, and he eventually added a more intricate sniper battle in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain during the encounter with Quiet.

Cut Characters

What Could Have Been The Cobra Unit

Yoji Shinkawa serves as the concept artist for the Metal Gear series, much like Kojima is to the series itself. Shinkawa’s artwork can be found online in various iterations of the games, including early renditions of characters such as The End and The Fear. In an earlier version, The Boss was planned to have a partially exposed body with a snake tattoo on her chest.

The characters with minimal background details from the game “Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” are particularly intriguing. One character, Number 2, often referred to as Snake Eyes, might have belonged to the Cobra Unit. Number 8 was even more mysterious, resembling a man with a wingspan like that of a pterodactyl and a large beak.

In “Metal Gear Sold 3: Snake Eater”, some characters have sparse biographical details that leave much to the imagination. For example, Number 2, also known as Snake Eyes, could potentially be linked to the Cobra Unit. Number 8, on the other hand, was a captivating enigma, appearing as a man with characteristics reminiscent of a pterodactyl, including a large beak.

A 3DS Feature Could Have Made It Onto The PS2

The EyeToy’s Capabilities

In January 2005’s edition of EGM, an interview with Kojima was published where he spoke about the development of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and expressed his intention to incorporate the PlayStation 2 EyeToy in some capacity, without providing specific details. Some fans hypothesized that the EyeToy could potentially be used to snap images of real-world objects which players could then use to generate camouflage patterns in the game.

The reasoning behind their belief stems from the fact that the 3DS version of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater incorporated the device’s camera feature. However, it’s important to note that while Kojima did reveal some concept art for camouflage in the August 2003 issue of EGM, an idea where players would manually paint Snake’s face was eventually removed because it didn’t function correctly.

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2025-08-28 11:05