Feature By

Chi Kong Lui

The public unveiling of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty (MGS2) at this year's E3 tradeshow sent ripples throughout the game industry. Probably no other single game at E3 managed to generate as much excitement, and as a result, all eyes were focused on one man, Hideo Kojima. The main creative force behind the Metal Gear series was once again the man of the hour—a position that he is all too familiar with. I missed my opportunity to talk with Kojima-san at E3. Amidst all the frantic appointments and meetings, we couldn't work something out. Thankfully for us, I was able to catch up to him after E3 and have some of my questions answered.

In previous interviews, you've mentioned that you have a deep love of films and anime. What brought on that love and, if you had to name one film or anime that influenced your work the most, what would that be?

I grew up in a family that enjoyed movies. I cannot name a single film that influenced my work. All films I see influence me one way or the other.

The Academy Awards have recently begun to recognize videogame industry and have given Oscars to developers for their musical scores in games. Do you feel the Academy should expand those categories, and would you like to be awarded an Oscar for your work on games? If you did win, what would you say during your acceptance speech?

I didn't know that. Evaluation criteria are different between films and games, but as a film lover, I am very happy that games are now getting recognized. Of all awards in the world, the one I want the most (I've dreamed of getting) is an Oscar. I hope some day a time comes when game designers do become nominees. Just like people from Hollywood say, I'll probably start out by saying, "I'd like to thank my family for supporting me."

Let's talk about Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty. What is the estimated budget for MGS 2, and how many developers are working on it?

I cannot give you information on the budget. There are 35 people on my team.

In terms of percentage, how much power of the PlayStation 2 does MGS 2 utilize?

It is hard to say how much power my game utilizes. I've worked on PS2 for only a year, so let me say 50 percent as of now. What is key is how much more of the power I can use. I know for sure that I can do much more with it.