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Report: Metal Gear fan remake featuring Hayter shut down
A remake of the original Metal Gear - not Metal Gear Solid, for clarity - that reportedly featured David Hayter reprising his years-long role as Solid Snake has been shut down, according to Metal Gear Informer. The site reports that a producer on the game told them that "the guys over at Konami couldn't agree on a decision so [they] had no choice but to shut us down." Although fans of the 1987 MSX top-down stealth game won't get to relive Solid Snake's mission to take down Outer Heaven, they can still experience a sample of what the team had planned by checking out a recently-released trailer featuring David Hayter - or at least someone doing a spot-on impersonation of him. Ah, the bitter taste of what could have been. [Image: Outer Heaven Productions]
Snatcher devs reunite for steampunk adventure Blackmore
Watching the Kickstarter pitch video for steampunk-themed adventure game Blackmore is like watching your favorite band get back together - if your favorite song by said band was the cyberpunk adventure game Snatcher, that is. Jeremy Blaustein, localizer for Snatcher, Metal Gear Solid and the Silent Hill series, is heading up a new studio called iQiOi in hopes of developing Blackmore, a game he says has been his "dream" since he started working in the industry. His dream has until March 12 to raise $200,000. Blaustein has tapped several other creators who contributed to Snatcher as well. Satoshi Yoshioka will reprise his role as character designer, while Motoaki Furukawa will handle the game's soundtrack. Blaustein has also recruited David Hayter to voice main character Emma Blackmore's brother, Jonas. There's no footage or screenshots available yet, though the game's Kickstarter page describes gameplay as "classic point and click" in a isometric-view, 2.5D environment. Players will guide Emma through a gadget-laden, steam-powered vision of 1888 London on a quest to catch a murderer. Those more historically-minded may recognize the date as the year Jack The Ripper began his infamous killing spree. Should Blackmore pick up enough steam - and money - Blaustein plans to release the game for PC and Mac in spring of 2015.
David Hayter-voiced République sneaks to iOS on December 19
Camouflaj's stealthy crowdfunded game Republique will launch this Thursday, December 19 on iOS. Republique Director Ryan Payton noted in an interview with IGN that the game's PC and Mac versions will arrive next year. Republique earned $555,662 on Kickstarter in May 2012 and features both David Hayter and Jennifer Hale as voice actors. The indie action game, which resurfaced in February with new 3D backgrounds as opposed to its original pre-rendered ones, will cost $4.99 on the App Store. The game stars Hope, "a young woman trapped within a shadowy totalitarian state," drawing inspiration from George Orwell's classic novel 1984. Players take control of "Big Brother," protecting Hope and guiding her through the game by influencing the environment through unlocking doors, powering down lights and tapping phone calls.
Old Snake David Hayter prepares for The Long Dark
David Hayter will lend his voice to Hinterland's upcoming survival sim, The Long Dark. Hayter, worked as writer on films such as X-Men, X2, The Scorpion King and Watchmen, had a 15-year run playing Snake in the Metal Gear Solid series. The addition of David Hayter to the voice cast follows last week's announcement that another recognizable voice, Jennifer Hale, has also signed on for The Long Dark. Hale's character, as with Hayter's, has yet to be revealed. The Long Dark, which has less than 48 hours left to go on its Kickstarter run, exceeded its funding goal of $200,000 CAD yesterday. In the game, players assume the role of bush pilot William Mackenzie, whose plane mysteriously malfunctions following a supernatural event. While stranded in the wilderness, Mackenzie must battle the elements and predators of his newfound icy forest environment.
David Hayter: Hearing someone else as Snake 'makes me a little ill'
David Hayter, the voice of Snake since 1998's Metal Gear Solid, won't reprise his role in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain – and that sucks, Hayter writes in an elongated Twitter post."If it were my choice, I would do this role forever," Hayter says. "To hear anyone else's voice coming from Snake's battered throat, makes me a little ill, to be honest. But the truth is – it's not my choice. Any and all casting decisions are the sole purview of Hideo Kojima, and Konami itself. And that's fair."Konami never approached Hayter for the role, Hayter writes. He found out the production team "wouldn't be needing" him in December, when the recording sessions for Phantom Pain began in Los Angeles."No reason, or explanation was given beyond that. And that was it," Hayter says. He was "bummed" by the news. Konami head Hideo Kojima wants Phantom Pain to represent a "new Metal Gear game" and hasn't revealed who the new voice actor will be."To be clear, I love being a part of the world of Metal Gear," Hayter writes. "I admire its technological innovations, the gameplay, the political message of it all. But primarily, I love the fans of these games. Two grown men burst into tears upon meeting me at the Vancouver Fan Expo last year. Now that ... Is a rare and excellent role. You know you're making an impact. And I love doing it."Read Hayter's full description of events here. Yes, it's elongated by Twitter standards, but it's by no means a long read; it's simply concise and quietly sad.
David Hayter says he wasn't asked to voice Metal Gear Solid 5 [update 2: separate games]
One thing you should have noticed in the today's trailer for Metal Gear Solid 5 is the supposed voice work of Kiefer Sutherland. Sutherland is most certainly not David Hayter, previous voice talent for Big Boss and Solid Snake since the series' humble beginnings on PlayStation, who's indicated he won't be reprising a starring role."Well look, at least I had a good run," Hayter tweeted today, likely after seeing the news himself. He also replied "nope" to another Twitter user, who inquired if Hayter was asked to reprise his roles as voice actor. Snake losing his voice is quite a phantom pain in itself, except for the whole Kiefer Sutherland part.Update: To clarify, the supposed voice of Sutherland can be heard from the bandaged man that is guiding Snake in the trailer, not Snake himself. Presumably, another voice actor has replaced Hayter.Update 2: Contrary to what Kojima said during the GDC panel today, Konami has confirmed with Joystiq that Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain are indeed separate games.
The Soapbox: MMOs waste millions on voice-over
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. A-list voice actors are not new to the video game genre. Over the last 20 years, video games have pulled from the same pool of talent as cartoons and commercials. But it really wasn't until last year with DC Universe Online that we started to see MMOs advertise the voice talent they had in the games. DCUO filmed multiple documentary-style videos to impress us with the level of voice-over work the game had. Although DCUO was the first fully voiced MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic made a point to tell us that it had over 200 different voice actors (300 if you believe IMDB) with over a thousand recording sessions for over 200,000 lines of dialogue. In the end, what's the pay-off? Six months after launch, the majority of players will threaten to leave a SWTOR pick-up group if the other players don't skip over the dialogue. Although a large portion of players did watch all the dialogue shortly after the game launched, all the players I spoke to said that the cutscenes started to grate on them before they'd even reached level 50. And even though DCUO was the first MMO to be fully voiced, SWTOR got away with advertising that it was first mainly because voice-overs were considered so insignificant by the MMO community that almost no one noticed the fib. And dare we even talk about the expense of recording 200,000 lines of dialogue? Is fan excitement over, say, Mark Hamill's Joker worth the cost of bringing him in on the project in the first place?
IMDB: Kevin Butler, Cole McGrath, Drake, Snake voice actors in Playstation All-Stars cast
The IMDB page for PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale reveals some more all-stars appearing in the game as some form or another. Listed in the voice cast are Nolan North as Uncharted's Nathan Drake, David Hayter as Snake, Eric Ladin as Infamous's Cole McGrath, and ... Jerry Lambert as fictional executive Kevin Butler.It's tempting to imagine Kevin Butler's in-game stint as the VP of Special Attacks, but these characters aren't necessarily playable. The game is full of cameos, like Captain Quark in the background of a Ratchet & Clank level. We're asking Sony to clarify this information. Kevin Butler would tell us, if he existed.Update: For its part, Sony said it didn't set up the IMDB page. And since IMDB listings can be edited by users, it's entirely possible it was fabricated by a dreamy-eyed fan hoping to will this into existence.
Republique gets vocal support from David Hayter and Jennifer Hale
Ambitious stealth game République has a long way to go before meeting its Kickstarter goal of $500,000 in its last eight days, but it hasn't stopped the folks at Camouflaj from adding some big names to the game's cast. Today's update reveals both David Hayter and Jennifer Hale will contribute their vocal talents."Hayter will play the role of the head revolutionary in the world of République, and Hale will voice the role of 'The Mentor' – a complex character who knows Hope better than anyone," the Kickstarter page reveals. Hayter is probably best known for voicing Solid Snake in the Metal Gear Solid games, while Jennifer Hale was the voice behind the female Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series and every other speaking female in video games ever.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker English voice cast announced
With fingers crossed, we turned to the latest Kojima Productions podcast, hoping beyond hope that the studio had taken our recommendation to refresh the voice of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker's bearded protagonist. Our nominee for Solid Snake's new pipes? Bobcat Goldthwait. Sure, Mr. Goldthwait would likely take the series in an unexpected direction -- but what unsuspecting player wouldn't be swept up in an exploration of Snake's rarely discussed history as a rabid, nigh-incomprehensible stand-up comic? Now there's a 90-minute cutscene we can get behind. Alas, Konami's recently announced voice cast for Peace Walker is actually (gasp!) sans-Goldthwait. Of course David Hayter will reprise the role for, like, the hundredth time. The rest of the totally unsurprising list can be found after the jump -- but why not watch this beautiful excerpt of the Peace Walker that could have been instead? [Via Kotaku]
Lost Planet film will have 'completely different' story, Inafune on board
It's been a while since we last heard about the Lost Planet movie, but G4 managed to get a couple of words about the flick out of Capcom's Jun Takeuchi back at Gamescom. The film likely won't reference Lost Planet 2, according to Takeuchi, who also noted that "as the story line goes, the movie is completely different from the game." Well, as long as they don't turn it into something about a planet that everyone knows intimately, we won't mind (and neither will EA's Alain Tascan). Takeuchi also confirmed the involvement of Capcom veteran and Mega Man creator, Keiji Inafune. The extent of his role in the production is still unknown, but we'll sleep a bit easier knowing that Inafune is there to help make sure none of that 200 million goes to waste.
David Hayter founds Dark Hero Studios
We're pretty easy to win over. Do one video game voice that we really love (say Solid Snake, for instance) and we're willing to support you in pretty much anything you do after that. Heck, we'll even forgive the fact that you wrote that line about what happens to toads when they get struck by lightning. So it's with no small amount of jubilation that we announce that David Hayter, voice of the aforementioned Metal Gear lead, has co-founded Dark Hero Studios, which will focus on "film, TV, Internet and vidgame projects in the action, sci-fi and horror genres."We're such big fans of Hayter, we're gonna give Dark Hero's first project, film/graphic novel/video game Demonology a B+ and call it "a non-stop thrill ride from start to explosive finish."[Via Insulinfunk]
David Hayter says Metal Gear movie a possibility again
Is David Hayer working on a Metal Gear Solid movie? Maybe. Perhaps. We'll see. He doesn't seem to know himself, as you can see in the interview from Collider.com after the break. It seems that the movie was shelved thanks to "Hollywood politics" but recent developments could mean that it's back on track. Possibly.Judging from his smirky face and fidgety nature, Hayter seems fairly convinced that the conversation he had a week and a half prior to the interview could mean the resurrection of the film, with him at the helm. Seemingly, he feels announcing it would jinx the production again -- which is the last thing we want. You take your time, Mr. Hayter. In the meantime, we'll be here. Waiting.[Via Kotaku]
The best thing you'll see today: Metal Gear voice cast improv
A mere five days into the new year and our sanity is being brought into question. Is this video after the break really what it seems to be? The principal voice cast of Metal Gear Solid 4 improvising a group therapy session during which the lines between their real selves and the characters they portray break down with high-larious results? Yep, it is.UltraNeko, host of the YouTube series Sadie's Gaming Infection, somehow managed to get David Hayter (Solid Snake), Jennifer Hale (Naomi Hunter), Paul Eiding (Col. Campbell), Christopher Randolph (Otacon), and Quinton Flynn (Raiden) into one room for one of the most bizarre -- yet entertaining -- gaming-related videos we've ever seen.Things we learned from watching the video: David Hayter likes to CQC random people on the street; Christopher Randolph thinks his cat is a real Metal Gear Mk. II; oh, and Quinton Flynn seems to really want to be the star of the next MGS. Raiden starring in MGS5 -- surely a joke, right? What's next? Area 51 is actually a secret stronghold of The Patriots? Sure. Hit the break and prepare to leave reality behind.
MGS4 cast has identity issues, holds group therapy session
How dedicated is the vocal cast of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots? So dedicated that they believe they are the characters to which they breathe sound and life into. Is it some form of hypnotic gene therapy which brings out such wondrous talent? Maybe ... it's the work of the Patriots? *Cue dramatic music* Whatever the reason be, they now meet up regularly to (jokingly) discern between what really is game and reality.Dr. Sadie, records one such session documenting how far our beloved actors have had one too many serums in the neck. Paul Eiding (aka Colonel Campbell) is on a junkie binge for some Scissors 61. While Christopher Randolph (aka Otacon) reveals he's been turning his cat "Mark" into Mark II ... by strapping a camera to its back. David Hayter (Old Snake), Jennifer Hale (Naomi), and Quinton Flynn (Raiden) are all there with their buddies with some hilarious consequences. See it all after the break. Thanks go out to Dr. Sadie for totally breaking doctor-patient confidentiality! [Thanks LAZoftheTamarinds!]
E308: Capcom conference dedicated to Lost Planet movie
Capcom's E308 Press Conference wrapped up about an hour ago and the company decided to focus its attention on bringing Lost Planet to the silver screen. In production from Arad Productions, the team that brought us the Spider-Man films, Lost Planet is expected to land in theaters around February 2011. Penned by David Hayter, voice of Solid Snake of Metal Gear fame, the film promises to stay close to the original vision planned out by game producer Keaiji Inafune. From discussion during the panel, it appears that both the Capcom brass, who were in attendance, and the father-son duo from Arad Productions are geniuenly interested in creating a legitamate action film without completely changing everything about the game.A funny, and confusing moment, came when Capcom CEO Haruhito Sakamoto claimed Capcom saw great success from film adaptations of Resident Evil and Street Fighter. "We've had success with both of those," Sakamoto told the thin crowd of journalists.Street Fighter? Really? Well, you know what that means. Jean-Claude Van Damme will be in the Lost Planet film. You heard it here first.
Warner Bros. and Capcom confirm Lost Planet film, David Hayter to pen
Variety has confirmed that a film adaptation of Lost Planet is indeed in the works via Warner Bros. The script will be penned by X-Men and Watchmen scribe David Hayter, also known as the voice of Solid Snake. WB and Capcom are co-financing the film, with Warner Bros. having worldwide distribution rights. No details on the plot, but we've submitted our proposal for the film, which would feature LP main character Wayne Holden sneaking through a secret military compound on a remote island. It would be, dare we say, awesome?
Hayter clarifies his Anime Expo statements
David Hayter, voice actor for Metal Gear Solid series' Solid Snake and Hollywood scriptwriter, has responded to the reports about statements that came out of the recent Anime Expo. " ... I have a somewhat acerbic sense of humor and occasionally, the things I say get taken out of context, or misinterpreted by the press or the Internet Community (I know that sounds hard to believe, but it happens.) Also, large crowds of people tend to freak me out," said Hayter.1Up, who originally ran the story about Hayter's "frustration with Kojima," has posted a letter written from Hayter to 1Up clarifying that his words were taken out of context. "I made a joke about another "notorious" moment from Metal Gear Solid, the first game that I recorded, in 1998 ... Anyway, I referred to performing the scene as "humiliating," but if you watch the videos of the panel, I hope that it is clear that I was trying (perhaps failing,) to be funny."Hayter continues, "I not only owe a huge portion of my career to Metal Gear, and to Hideo Kojima, the genius who created them, but I am also a rabid fan of the games. I have played through each and every one to the end. I have watched every cut-scene, listened to every codec conversation. I have Metal Gear posters on my walls." Read the full letter over at 1UP.[Thanks, konungr!]
Rumor: Lost Planet movie to be announced at E3
We're putting two and two together and getting ... Lost Planet. First we were tipped by a source close to Capcom that the company would have a movie-related announcement at next week's E3, and that it would involve someone "well known to gamers." Next we read that David Hayter, voice of Solid Snake and screenwriter for such films as X2: X-Men United and the upcoming Watchmen, was talking Lost Planet at last week's Anime Expo '08. It all adds up. As reported by IGN, Hayter said he is "just closing the deal with Warner Bros." to pen a Lost Planet flick while speaking at AX08, although "nothing is confirmed yet." Of course, Capcom's E3 announcement could always be concerning another movie, but the evidence before us is compelling. [Via Capcom-Unity]
Video: David Hayter at Anime Expo
David Hayter spoke rather candidly about playing the role of Snake in the Metal Gear series this weekend at Anime Expo. Hayter has made it clear that he'd want to write the Metal Gear movie script, and he's expressed some of his criticisms of the series' storyline. Thankfully, Zac from Kotaku has captured a majority of the panel through shaky-cam. The first series of videos can be seen above -- the rest at Kotaku. For any Metal Gear fan, hearing the famed voice actor speak so bluntly and freely will come as a refreshing treat.
