Interview with Kojima and Nomura > here

[Powderkeg]

Here you go Shifty. Tell me truthfuly. Do you believe this is true?

MGS4's Snake will be able to melt into the background - a graphical effect Kojima, ever the helpful soldier in these next-gen battles, says is only possible on PS3.

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=65323

Do you honestly believe this graphical effect cannot be reproduced on any system except for the PS3?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

The Playstation systems have made him rich. Surely he's biased towards the brand that has made him so much money over the past decade. Wouldn't you be biased towards a system and fan base that made you rich? I sure would.

Taking Squaresoft as an example, Nintendo made them rich, but they had no hangups switching to PlayStation (an unproven format?) when they had the chance. I don't know the ins and outs of that, and maybe deals were struck. But from what I've gleaned, it was a straight dropping of Nintendo because they didn't like them, and all the FF fans bought PS's.

Correction, he isn't creating a userbase, he's catering to a well established fan base. If he switched systems then he would have to create a new userbase.

Are the fans fans of PS3, or MGS? If he switches to XB360, will the fans all buy XB360s to play MGS, or buy PS3's and not play MGS and complain? I don't know, but I expect people go where they games they want are, and I think the devs know this.

I mean, if he really believes the PS3 is simply the best system why doesn't he just come out and say precisely that and do so in a way that leaves no question as to what he meant?

Exactly . All he's done if give poetic comparisons, and not actually saying unequivocally 'I think this is best,' so we don't know for sure that he does rate it best overall, or just he has this odd interpretation of the systems.

But to answer your question, yes. Many developers (Or at least their PR team) find themselves in a position where they have to hype up the system that they are producing games for.

I can understand how that could be the case, especially on established platforms. I'm unconvinced Kojima is in that position though.

 

[Robert.L]

Powderkeg kojima financed one of his games titled policenauts before mgs so apparently kojima was already rich before mgs on playstation.

On the side note mgs 2 was from what i have heard on junkerhq was partially financed by kojima himself.

And i think his fanbase would move along with him if he disided to move to another platform.

 

[Powderkeg]

Taking Squaresoft as an example, Nintendo made them rich, but they had no hangups switching to PlayStation (an unproven format?) when they had the chance. I don't know the ins and outs of that, and maybe deals were struck. But from what I've gleaned, it was a straight dropping of Nintendo because they didn't like them, and all the FF fans bought PS's.

More like dropping them due to financial reasons and Nintendo's choice of sticking with cartridges, which Square games wouldn't fit on at the time.

Are the fans fans of PS3, or MGS? If he switches to XB360, will the fans all buy XB360s to play MGS, or buy PS3's and not play MGS and complain? I don't know, but I expect people go where they games they want are, and I think the devs know this.

They are fans of both. They see the game as a reason to buy the PS3, and they see the PS3 as the system where MGS belongs. They also have other PS3 games they want, and most are unlikely to want to have to buy both a PS3 and 360 to play MGS and the other games they want. Trying to remove the game from the system would upset the majority of those fans.

 

[Powderkeg]

Powderkeg kojima financed one of his games titled policenauts before mgs so apparently kojima was already rich before mgs on playstation.

He used to be a multiplatform developer, but switched to Playstation only during the Playstation/N64 generation.

And FYI, Metal Gear was first introduced on the MSX, which was a cooperative console developed by ASCII and Microsoft.

On the side note mgs 2 was from what i have heard on junkerhq was partially financed by kojima himself.

Sure, but who else helped finance it?

And i think his fanbase would move along with him if he disided to move to another platform.

And what if his fanbase are also fans of Final Fantasy and Gran Turismo? Would they be so quick to leave behind 2 loved games for 1?

 

[Robert.L]

He used to be a multiplatform developer, but switched to Playstation only during the Playstation/N64 generation.


And FYI, Metal Gear was first introduced on the MSX, which was a cooperative console developed by ASCII and Microsoft.




Sure, but who else helped finance it?





And what if his fanbase are also fans of Final Fantasy and Gran Turismo? Would they be so quick to leave behind 2 loved games for 1?

kojima did develop for Saturn so your wrong about that and the only hand that Microsoft had with MSX was MSX-BASIC and that's it as far as i remember and like i said it is just a rumor that kojima financed mgs2 partially so take it with a grain of salt but i suppose if it's true then i would guess konami did finance the rest.

And what if his fanbase are also fans of Final Fantasy and Gran Turismo? Would they be so quick to leave behind 2 loved games for 1?

Some would , some wouldn’t , some would get the other platform along with ps3 in this case .

 

[Mefisutoferesu]

So... I don't really want to read through this thread (too much character assassination for my taste), but I'd like to contribute my belief as to what Kojima means from this interview, if it's been said before, sorry. Going off the que about "that's not culture" I think Kojima feels it will be the PS3 that has the games that define te generation and impact future games... in other words, the "Matrix"s of the video gaming world will be brought to us through the PS3. Subsequently, since developers always study and evolve the industry we'll sooner or later see the ideas end up on 360 games, but maybe with not quite as much pizzazz (an allusion to the theater vs watching it at home, suggesting he may feel PS3 is more powerful, though obviously there's no indication how much, since there are varying levels of home theaters). Of course, down the line you'll see Wii game trying to imitate and bring the concepts in from the leader titles on the PS3/360, but with severe corners cut (for obvious reason). Much in the same way TV starts trying to introduce movie effects or direction, but budget constraints and various issues hamper it.

In other words, PS3 games will be at the forefront shaping and changing gaming this coming generation, with the 360 following close behind, then followed by a rather constrained imitations on the Wii. Just like how movies come out in the theater are later followed up on DVD, while TV shows try their best, working with what they have, to bring the movie grandeur to the small screen.

 

[Powderkeg]

kojima did develop for Saturn so your wrong about that

He PORTED a few games to the Saturn, and most of them were ported very early in the systems life, long before the Playstation became popular.

and the only hand that Microsoft had with MSX was MSX-BASIC and that's it as far as i remember

Microsoft helped set all of the standards that the format was built around. The very name of the system, MSX, means Microsoft eXtended. (At least it did at the time. 15 years later people started trying to redefine what the name meant.)

and like i said it is just a rumor that kojima financed mgs2 partially so take it with a grain of salt but i suppose if it's true then i would guess konami did finance the rest.

And maybe a bit of help from Sony too.

Some would , some wouldn’t , some would get the other platform along with ps3 in this case .

Most wouldn't. Most don't want to have to spend $1,000 on gaming hardware to play the games they want. They will instead buy the system with the most games that they want, and if one of those games moves to another system, well, then it simply loses sales.



And I would like to point out that MGS2 did appear on the Xbox and sold extremely poorly. A total flop, in the bargin bin in less than 3 months. I would be willing to bet that makes a MUCH larger difference in what system future MGS games are made for than which system is more powerful.

 

[Robert.L]

Wasn’t the playstation already popular in 1996 ? and snatcher and policenauts as far as i remember where earlier released on Saturn then playstation with snatcher version on Saturn actually regarded the better version. and it's still doesn't change the fact that he was a multiplatform dev.

Microsoft helped set all of the standards that the format was built around.

This is new to me never heard anything about that.


And MSX standing for MicroSoft eXtended is just an old rumor along with Matsushita Sony X-machine and few other weird ass meanings.

I believe Nishi actually confirmed at the MSX fair in Tilburg in 2000 or 2001 (don't remember) that MSX stood for Machines with Software Exchangeability .


and mgs2 selling lousy on xbox is no surprise anyone that wanted that game has already gotten it . if the game was though released at the same time for both platforms i still think that playstation 2 version would have had more sales but xbox version would have done much much better.

 

[TheChefO]

You are 100% correct. It's sad that some people here can't see or understand this. Your right it's the featureset (the machine as a whole) that Kojima is comparing.

What does a "featureset" have to do with an experience (movie)? Will the ability to watch bluray movies make MGS4 a more "theater" like experience? What about the motion sensing controller, will that "fully realize the experience" or would rumble not be more immersive? Perhaps he meant the hdmi port? "It enables true 64bit color!" or the built-in wifi? umm ...

ahh ...

Nevermind all, I figured it out - Resolution.

When one is at the theater they are viewing a very hi-def picture and it is then downsampled to fit dvd and a year or two later, some of them get downsampled again to regular tv resolution. I see now. So it's confirmed, mgs4 is going to be 1080p!

I can't wait for mgs4 to come out on "dvd" cause that "movie" is gonna be great!

or ...

Perhaps Sony will be bundling ps3 with their home theater packages hence when one buys a ps3 and brings home mgs4 they will have this truly emotional experience out of the gate as the sound system is there the big screen is there and the media/system is there. I get it now.

I wonder if one could be "certified" though with 360 if they had the right setup.


Seriously guys there really aren't a whole lot of conclusions one could come to with these statements being made by really only two people. Kutaragi (made a statement along these lines) and Kojima.

 

[TheChefO]

Did anyone else catch this from the same source?

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/716/716047p1.html

what price reaction? ... {whistles on by}


Seriously - this kind of reaction to ps3 price is more along the lines for what I was thinking we would get after e3. Consesus at the time was "they already knew the price before hand". Seems I wasn't the only one surprised...

When one looks at these percentages for reaction to ps3 price and the recent thread on Japan's response and the eventual userbase come this time next year and factors in ERP's timeframe for bringing a game from one platform to another, I expect a mass shift of developer support for 360/wii come fall 2007 which will materialize in games selection late 2007/early 2008.

Good times ahead guys - good times

 

[mckmas8808]

What does a "featureset" have to do with an experience (movie)? Will the ability to watch bluray movies make MGS4 a more "theater" like experience? What about the motion sensing controller, will that "fully realize the experience" or would rumble not be more immersive? Perhaps he meant the hdmi port? "It enables true 64bit color!" or the built-in wifi? umm ...

ahh ...

Nevermind all, I figured it out - Resolution.

When one is at the theater they are viewing a very hi-def picture and it is then downsampled to fit dvd and a year or two later, some of them get downsampled again to regular tv resolution. I see now. So it's confirmed, mgs4 is going to be 1080p!

I can't wait for mgs4 to come out on "dvd" cause that "movie" is gonna be great!

or ...

Perhaps Sony will be bundling ps3 with their home theater packages hence when one buys a ps3 and brings home mgs4 they will have this truly emotional experience out of the gate as the sound system is there the big screen is there and the media/system is there. I get it now.

I wonder if one could be "certified" though with 360 if they had the right setup.


Seriously guys there really aren't a whole lot of conclusions one could come to with these statements being made by really only two people. Kutaragi (made a statement along these lines) and Kojima.

Whoa cowboy slow down. You are getting a little ahead of yourself.

 

[TheChefO]

Whoa cowboy slow down. You are getting a little ahead of yourself.

Enlighten me sensei

 

[JeffK]

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/716/716039p1.html

Quote:


Based on his comments with Ge-Maga, Kojima seems to be highly favorable of Sony's strategy. "If you think about the future of the industry and game creators, I get the feeling that the winner had better be the movie theater -- or, the PS3. No one will say that the price is cheap. However, the PS3 is 'the future.' The Wii is interesting, but in terms of functions, it's a machine with past concepts."

What functions of wii are past concepts? Wifi? This is a function that isnt even fully utilized today. I think the best console to utilize wifi so far in terms of gaming (which should be the primary object of a console) has been the Nintendo DS and this technology will only get stronger with the combination of the DS and Wii. The machine may be built with past hardware concepts, but its time to let software catch up so that users can truly appreciate whats inside their machines and get the most value out of them.

 

[mckmas8808]

Enlighten me sensei

You're just talking in front of what I was saying. You were adding extra funnies and non-sense that I never meant. But yes the added HDD and Blu-ray drive can possibly be something that adds that extra spice to a videogame from a dev's perspective.

What functions of wii are past concepts? Wifi? This is a function that isnt even fully utilized today. I think the best console to utilize wifi so far in terms of gaming (which should be the primary object of a console) has been the Nintendo DS and this technology will only get stronger with the combination of the DS and Wii. The machine may be built with past hardware concepts, but its time to let software catch up so that users can truly appreciate whats inside their machines and get the most value out of them.

I think he is talking about graphics and lack of High Def resolution.

 

[TheChefO]

You're just talking in front of what I was saying. You were adding extra funnies and non-sense that I never meant. But yes the added HDD and Blu-ray drive can possibly be something that adds that extra spice to a videogame from a dev's perspective.
.

The point is while those features do add "value" to the ps3, they do not add value to the core gaming experience or at least not enough to make a difference to the average gamer. Heck most couldn't see a difference between svideo and component much less hdmi. I think the last quote says it all. He thinks ps3 should win. And with his emphasis on tech etc I'm guessing this is based on Cell and how great a dsp err processor it is. Now where did he stand last gen again?

 

[mckmas8808]

The point is while those features do add "value" to the ps3, they do not add value to the core gaming experience or at least not enough to make a difference to the average gamer. Heck most couldn't see a difference between svideo and component much less hdmi. I think the last quote says it all. He thinks ps3 should win. And with his emphasis on tech etc I'm guessing this is based on Cell and how great a dsp err processor it is. Now where did he stand last gen again?

You don't know what a HDD and Blu-ray drive can add to a game. Perhaps for some reason Kojima feels that it might. It's his opinion really. And what does last gen have to do with anything?

 

[TheChefO]

You don't know what a HDD and Blu-ray drive can add to a game. Perhaps for some reason Kojima feels that it might. It's his opinion really. And what does last gen have to do with anything?

I've had an xbox since day one I know what an hdd can add to a game. and a medium that is roughly three times the storage of dvd9 does make it a bit more convenient to have a game actually have that much more content if the developer is so inclined rather than have to swap discs but umm ... yeah last gen we had hdd standard on xbox.

Speaking of last gen - that has to do with his stance/statements. If he feels the best tech should win where was his support for xbox? It was clearly the best tech last gen and this gen it's a questionable stab for either 360 or ps3. One could make an argument for either side as to which holds the edge. Last gen it was clearly xbox. So, with that said, with last gen being clearly outlined which was the superior tech and his desire to have the best tech win, why didn't he support it and say "xbox should win because xyz tech"?

I think he has other umm ... thoughts ... than the best tech should win.

 

[mckmas8808]

I've had an xbox since day one I know what an hdd can add to a game. and a medium that is roughly three times the storage of dvd9 does make it a bit more convenient to have a game actually have that much more content if the developer is so inclined rather than have to swap discs but umm ... yeah last gen we had hdd standard on xbox.

Speaking of last gen - that has to do with his stance/statements. If he feels the best tech should win where was his support for xbox? It was clearly the best tech last gen and this gen it's a questionable stab for either 360 or ps3. One could make an argument for either side as to which holds the edge. Last gen it was clearly xbox. So, with that said, with last gen being clearly outlined which was the superior tech and his desire to have the best tech win, why didn't he support and say "xbox should win because xyz tech"?

I think he has other umm ... thoughts ... than the best tech should win.

Damn so now you think Kojima is kissing up to Sony? Heck no it is his darn opinion hate it or love it. His opinoin on who will win probably goes beyond strickly power.

 

[TheChefO]

Damn so now you think Kojima is kissing up to Sony? Heck no it is his darn opinion hate it or love it. His opinoin on who will win probably goes beyond strickly power.

I don't hate his opnion and I agree his opinion probably goes beyond strictly power.

I'll just state I'm skeptical and leave it at that - fair?