Shinta Nojiri on Metal Gear Acid

Acid was probably a very appropriate name for the PSP extension of Hideo Kojima's legendary Metal Gear series, considering how it burned with a corrosive controversy that divided fans.

The reason for this disagreement was Acid's gameplay style. Gone was the real-time stealthing that had made the MGS games huge worldwide hits, replaced by a turn-based, card-playing strategy mechanic that players either loved or hated.

Review scores swung from what we'd expect from a Metal Gear game to almost devastatingly low. But that hasn't stopped Kojima Productions, the newly formed branch of Konami headed up by the man himself, from announcing the sequel. In what could be seen as stubbornness or confidence the card-based strategy gameplay will remain in Acid 2, but the new cel-shaded visuals herald lots of other new additions.

Metal Gear Acid

While the first game isn't even available in Europe yet we managed to sit down with Shinta Nojiri, Acid's director at Kojima Productions, to find out about his hopes for the European release, his plans for Acid 2, and his relationship with Kojima.


What kind of direction did you want to take the PSP version of the Metal Gear Solid universe in?

Shinta Nojiri: Well, when Hideo Kojima gave me the honour of heading up the Metal Gear Acid team he told me that since we were developing for an all-new piece of hardware that we should try something new with the gameplay. So we came up with a more strategic aspect and it became Acid.

Do you think that the strategic element of Acid is particularly suited to a portable device like the PSP?

Shinta Nojiri: Yes, definitely. I worked on the Game Boy Colour version which was an action game, but when you're playing a portable game you want to be able to stop and start at any time. So a strategic game where you are playing cards and thinking about your moves between turns is perfect for a handheld machine like the PSP.

What does Acid add to the Metal Gear universe?

Shinta Nojiri: You can collect cards and items that refer back to characters from throughout Metal Gear history, so from a collector's point of view that adds a great deal to the experience.

Were you pleased with Acid's strategic card-based play when you finished work on the game, and will we see it again in the sequel?

Shinta Nojiri: I'll be honest. When we finished the game we were not sure how Metal Gear fans would react to it. But once we saw the first reviews and the sales numbers we felt assured that we had done a very good job. Of course, there are always points that we want to improve on, and we will certainly address them in the sequel. One tactic we will use again is to make one of our team concentrate solely on the card system to make it as strong, unique and special as possible. We have a very small team because we're working on a portable game, but that worked well for us last time.

Metal Gear Acid

How would you convince European Metal Gear fans that they will enjoy Acid's take on the MGS universe?

Shinta Nojiri: It's interesting, because I think Metal Gear fans will instantly feel at home with Acid even though the style of play is slightly different. But a positive thing we have is the fact that people who haven't played any Metal Gear games before are coming to a brand new type of game, and will therefore enjoy it just as much as long-term fans. So I would ask all gamers, whether fans of MGS or not, to play Acid without prejudice.

Was it difficult to work with the PSP, given that it is a relatively new platform?

Shinta Nojiri: I would say it was fun, but also difficult. The PSP hardware was developing as we developed Acid. It was getting better every day, and we had to make sure we kept up with the hardware. Also, because no one had developed for the system before we had to start from scratch, so that was a challenge, but we overcame it. In fact, I will tell you a funny story. When we began working on the game we cut up pieces of paper to make cards, and then designed the game using these cards. So you could say that our first PSP development tool was actually a stack of paper!

How exciting was it to see the final PSP design and hear about all the features you could use in Acid?

Shinta Nojiri: I've always worked on portable gaming platforms, from the Game Boy Colour to the Game Boy Advance and Boktai. The thing that really amazed me about the PSP was the level of visuals we could achieve. For a portable machine, the graphics are stunning. So that was the most exciting thing for me.

Metal Gear Acid 2

How pleased were you to be able to implement a multiplayer mode, and how pleased are you with the results?

Shinta Nojiri: There are a few issues with the multiplayer mode, like the fact that it takes quite a long time to play it. It's not something you can have a quick game of with a stranger on the bus, for example. And I have another problem with it: I'm not the strongest player in my team! Some guys beat me all the time, and they're usually much younger than me too! But that's one of the cool things about the strategy side of Acid, the way that everyone plays with slightly different tactics. Sometimes I play a card and the younger members of my team teach me a lesson about how I should have used it!

Acid 2 will be one of the first games from the newly formed Kojima Productions. Will that cause changes in the development of the game?

Shinta Nojiri: I don't think things will change that much. But the game will certainly be different! Acid 2 is a sequel, but the stories are very different. Having said that, if you play Acid 1 you will enjoy Acid 2 a great deal more.

Can you tell us a little about some of the changes and additions you have planned for Acid 2?

Shinta Nojiri: Well, development has started so I have to be very careful about what I say, but there will definitely be big changes to the game. At the moment I don't have any more to say, but I will say this: Kojima Productions likes to surprise its fans.

Will you be bringing back popular characters or perhaps introducing all new characters?

Shinta Nojiri: Again, it's still early in development so I don't want to say too much, but we're definitely thinking about some interesting ideas. I will give you one piece of advice - if you've played through the first Acid game you'll have a much better understanding of Acid 2. We'll be able to tell you more in the future, but I think you can see from how much we've changed the graphics that we're not scared to try new things.

Metal Gear Acid 2

When will Acid 2 be available?

Shinta Nojiri: I have no idea!

Also at E3 Metal Gear Solid 4 was confirmed for PS3. Would you like to build in connectivity between the PS3 game and Acid 2?

Shinta Nojiri: We had connectivity between MGS 3 and Metal Gear Acid already, so we may well look at having something similar between Acid 2 and Subsistence. As for MGS 4, I have no idea when that's coming out so you'll have to ask Kojima!

Speaking of, how much influence did Kojima have on the development of the first Acid game?

Shinta Nojiri: As you know Hideo Kojima does all the storyline and scripting for the MGS series. For Acid, however, he let me do all the creative work. He gave us a lot of freedom. All he told me was, "make it cool!" I had to figure the rest out myself.

I bet he kept peeking his head around the door to offer his opinion though, right?

Shinta Nojiri: Yes, a little bit!

Did you ever want to do a fully 3D Metal Gear game on PSP, and do you plan to in the future?

Shinta Nojiri: Again, that's something you'd really have to ask Kojima. He's the boss!

Metal Gear Acid will be available alongside the European launch of Sony's PSP on September 1. Metal Gear Acid 2 is scheduled for release next year.

Graeme Boyd