For Kiefer Sutherland, Metal Gear Solid V Has Been A ‘Gig And A Half!’

Some say that having Snake voiced by anyone other than David Hayter for a Metal Gear Solid game, specifically in Metal Gear Solid V, is sacrilegious. Others say that the damage to the character done by an almost satirical over-exaggeration  performed by Mr. Hayter in Metal Gear Solid IV opens the door to someone else taking the helm to Snake’s likeness. Regardless of that discussion is the ultimate question: is Kiefer Sutherland up to the task?

IGN caught up with Sutherland while discussing news about the upcoming “24” mini-series, but were able to break off a chunk of time asking about his role in the series of Metal Gear Solid V games, Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain. He calls it, “A gig and a half,” that he has been working on for over a year.

"…They were showing us some stuff that they had just finished in Japan, and they were showing it back to us. It was this one little clip that’s final, final, final, and it’s me on a horse. I’m riding the horse, and then I go from a run to a lope to a walk, and then standing still. I don’t know a lot about games, so I’m watching it, and the guy who’s watching it with me goes, ‘Oh my God. Your ears moved.’ Then he was looking at the throat, and he said, ‘You can see the pulse.’ I mean, it was so real, and all I kept thinking was, ‘This is how they’re going to make movies soon.’ They’re halfway there now, you know, but they’re going to make films like this. This is not far off."

Sutherland also notes that in playing Snake for Metal Gear Solid V that the direction he keeps getting for the voice is “Lower,” and that he started to sound like Tom Waits. It is a welcome sign to see Sutherland going beyond just his normal voice that we have known to associate with his popular “24” character, Jack Bauer.

Forget the fact that Ground Zeroes, coming out next month, is an incredibly short game. Forget the fact that Phantom Pain won’t be coming out for a long time. Forget even the fact that the “Bonus Missions” for the PlayStation and Xbox versions of Ground Zeroes don’t sound all that enticing. If Kiefer cannot play a convincing Snake, then the game will crumble apart around him. Even if I think it’s possible he can pull it off, the pressure seems insurmountable. Let’s hope it all works out, for Konami, game director Hideo Kojima and fans alike.

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