Is There A Reason Snakes Voice Changed

I'k Nevets: Nerd, cinephile, TV-junkie, bookworm, gamer, and slacker extraordinaire.

David Hayter in his live-activeness guest appearance in Metallic Gear Solid iv: Guns of the Patriots

The title says it all. Later on acting as the American vox of Snake ever since the very commencement Metallic Gear Solid game in 1998, voice player (and screenwriter) David Hayter has finally gotten the boot. Throughout the years, Hayter has been an outspoken and genuine fan of the Metal Gear franchise (even taking a paycut in society to take the original bandage brought dorsum for the 2004 MGS remake,The Twin Snakes) and has appeared in every sequel, prequal, and spin-off of the series that's spawned from that original PS1 game. He'southward love by fans, his delivery of lines have become iconic ("Metal Geeeear!"), and now he's gone. Tossed away similar yesterday's trash and replaced with everyone'southward favorite Lost Boy, Kiefer Sutherland.

The question is... why?

Now don't get me wrong, Kiefer is smashing. I'yard a big fan—really. He was awesome every bit the quintessential 80s jerk and he's still awesome as the ass-kicking Jack Bauer that he'south known equally today. Nevertheless, you just don't replace the actor portraying the master protagonist of an ongoing, already successful franchise when you don't accept to! This would hold true fifty-fifty if the thespian was atrocious; which Hayter was not.

Original voice of Snake, David Hayter, Tweets virtually his replacement in the Metal Gear serial

What'due south David Hayter's Perspective?

Equally you can probably infer from the above tweets, the man who gave phonation to Ophidian doesn't appear to be particularly thrilled past being replaced. Bated from the comedic value of watching a voice player make passive-ambitious jabs and comments on Twitter, though, these sorts of tweets gave us some other important piece of information: that it wasn't Hayter's option not to return.

Earlier this, many believed that information technology may've been possible that Hayter simply turned down the office. Which, while that would have been sorry news, it wouldn't be anything new in showbiz (enough of actors are replaced after choosing not to reprise their role). Hayter somewhen elaborated on his replacement in an interview with Game Informer where he brought upwards his encounter with a producer of MGSV while the game was still in production. Hayter asked if they should hammer out a bargain for reprising the iconic role and was told merely that he wouldn't be needed. Hayter recounted:

"That was basically it, and then I talked to Kris Zimmerman (Metal Gear English casting and voice manager). She said, 'We're going forward, but it looks like they are going to try and replace you.' They tried to do that earlier, and information technology never worked. They tried to get voice matches, and it never happened."

And and then the plot thickens! As information technology turns out, this wasn't Kojima'south first attempt at replacing Hayter with an A-list celebrity. Hayter went on to tell Game Informer:

"I had to re-audition for Metallic Gear 3 to play Naked Serpent. They made me re-audition to play Old Snake, and the whole time, they were trying to detect somebody else to do it. I heard that Kojima asked one of the producers on Metal Gear 3 to ask Kurt Russell if he would have over for that game. He didn't want to exercise it."

And to brand the entire debacle fifty-fifty more melancholy, Hayter continued past speaking near how hurt he felt to be replaced, and how much the series meant to him:

"Information technology was annoying to me, considering I thought that I had given a lot to the series and really helped promote it. At the same fourth dimension, I genuinely feel that the run I had every bit Snake was remarkable. If yous get that once in your career, that's amazing. I don't accept any ill will toward Kiefer Sutherland or anything like that. The whole affair could have been handled ameliorate and a trivial more respectfully, but I'm not going to cry virtually information technology."

"I was then annoyed by the Metal Gear V debacle, and people said, 'Are you gonna play the game?' Yeah. That'll be 60 hours of humiliation that I can't get to. I haven't played the latest two iterations, considering it's just too painful."

For video of the to a higher place mentioned Game Informer interview, check below. The juicy bits beginning at around 59 minutes in.

Kojima's Reasoning

According to Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima, his reason for replacing Hayter was due to a desire to recreate the serial. In an interview with Gametrailers (the clip can be found on Youtube here), Kojima too added that motion capture factored into the reason.

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Hayter's gonna detest.

"I wanted to make sure the actor who did the voice as well acted out the facial expressions as well. Snake is now 49, and I was looking for someone who could realistically convey the feelings of this older, weathered Snake through both his facial expressions and his tone of voice. A friend of mine, producer Avi Arad, recommended Kiefer Sutherland, which made a lot of sense for us, and so we approached him. ... The technology now allows acting to have eye stage, then that's the direction we're taking."

I suppose the implication here was twofold. First, that they wanted to take a new management with the series and, 2d, that Hayter wasn't actor plenty to pull off the facial expressions required of Ophidian in The Phantom Hurting.

Sounds reasonable plenty... right?

Simply wait! If Kojima was wanting to recreate the series by bringing in new blood, why did he keep the guy who played Otacon when casting for the role for Otacon'southward father? And, come to recall of it, why did he non modify the voice of Snake for the Japanese version of Metal Gear Solid Five: The Phantom Pain? Was the recreation of Metal Gear only meant for Americans? I'm non one for conspiracy theories (see my other manufactures) only I've gotta say: something smells fishy.

I mean, honestly, do these look like the kind of facial gestures that only a master thespian like Kiefer Sutherland could pull off?

Kiefer using facial capture tech to aid Ophidian express the gamma of emotions in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

How Useful WAS Kiefer Sutherland's Facial Capture?

And now that we're hither getting a good look at Snakes vast array of emotions, does anyone think this even looks like Keifer Sutherland? The respond is no. Information technology doesn't. And in our previously mentioned interview with Hideo Kojima, he explains why:

"Honestly, I wanted to capture the looks, voice, facial expressions, and movements all from a unmarried actor. That would involve making a 3D browse of the actor's face up, so capturing that actor'southward facial and vocal operation, forth with their body movements and applying all of that to the grapheme. Nonetheless, I couldn't go that far with Serpent. The reason is that fans have known Ophidian for over 25 years, and he has an established look. So, instead, we needed to use a CG model of Serpent as a base and alloy 5 or 6 different people'south faces on top of that to add realism. So the respond is 'no'. Snake's face does not look like Kiefer'due south."

So in one moment Kojima mentions how a real actor (every bit oppose to a voice actor) was needed to express emotions through his facial gestures, and in the next he's explaining that they had 5 or 6 unlike people in at that place to act every bit the model for Snake. And, ironically, his reasoning for Snake not looking like Kiefer is because players already accept a pre-established idea of how Snake has looked over the years; but what nigh how he's sounded since 1998?

In the cease, what was actually left of Sutherland's facial capture work? Neither his face, torso, or expressions wound up looking anything similar the character he was portraying. Merely his facial movements equally he spoke (which, honestly, didn't appear to be that special). And, of course, that voice. Which seems odd considering the previously mentioned quotes past Kojima. Quotes like the following:

"As for the changing of the vocalism with the new technologies we are at present able to express emotions non only past voice, but besides with the expressiveness of the faces.The chief theme this time is revenge, and so far the Ophidian emotions could non lucifer the words, but now that emotions can be expressed too with the faces we needed a existent actor, not just a voice histrion. So we decided to use Mr. Sutherland."

If we saw nix of Sutherlands actual face, though, what really was being added to the story that a vox actor couldn't convey? Could Hayter not scowl correctly?

Silence on the battlefield. Complete. Utter. Silence. All the time.

Speaking of Kiefer's Vocalisation — Why Don't We Always Hear It?

That's correct. With all this hoopla over Snakes voice, the buckets of money they must've spent on getting an A-list celebrity in to do it, nosotros barely even hear the guy utter a peep. The cutscenes in the game have been snipped to almost nada, Snake inappreciably talks during the scenes that are at that place, and the codec is completely non-existent for the first time always (there is a radio that y'all can call, but Snake never engages in conversations with it). The end result turns out to be that nosotros have the first well-nigh mute Snake since, well... always (unless yous count the MSX2 and NES days, when no i spoke).

So, granted, fifty-fifty if Hayter had reprised his iconic part in the series (and the script were the same), we would've actually rarely heard him speak. Which probably leads the reader to enquire: Then why practise you seem so pee'd off? It wouldn't affair anyway if Hayter were there!

This is a reasonable question. And I don't have much of a defense for it. However, I'one thousand the one writing this so it's my questions that count. And my question is: If they were barely going to have Ophidian speak, and so why non just bring back David Hayter—the voice histrion who the fans already know, love, and whose voice has divers the character(s) for the last 17 years? After all, how much impairment could his voice do to the plot if it's rarely even heard? And how much could Kiefer's voice have helped?

Kiefer Sutherland (left) having the Metal Gear plot explained to him. Serpent/The Boss (right) being informed that David Hayter is yesterdays news.

A Serious Voice for a Serious Game?

A popular reasoning for the vocalisation change, among both fans and Kojima, is that with the new graphics available, no longer are over-the-tiptop vocalisation actors required. In the one-time days video game graphics weren't polished enough for characters to limited emotion through their faces lonely so the dialogue frequently needed to be over explanatory and overdone to get the indicate across. In the original Metal Gear Solid, for example, none of the characters fifty-fifty had faces; they were just a blur of motionless pixels which vaguely implied a confront. Considering of this, no character could merely scowl to show anger, give a subtle wait to bear witness love, or even pout to express sadness. Everything needed to be verbalized and exaggerated for effect. This is similar to how phase actors need to speak loudly and make big, unatural body movements during performances so that audiences tin can ameliorate understand what's going on from a altitude (this overblown method of acting, by the mode, even carried over into early films before more subdued, naturalistic performances became the norm).

So yeah, admittedly this is a pretty good argument for replacing actors. Or, at least, information technology could accept been; if the residual of the game were at all consistent with its reasoning. And assuming that Hayter couldn't take toned his ain acting down.

This isn't a video game like The Last of U.s.a., where the characters, environments, cutscenes, and scenarios all experience like real life (yes, even the parts with zombies). There's no exaggerated moments, no hiding in cardboard boxes, no corny lines, no fourth wall breaking situations where characters tell yous to "press the action button", and, most importantly, all of the vocalisation actors—big, pocket-size, and in-between—audio like real people. In Metallic Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, on the other hand, Kiefer Sutherland'south "subdued" delivery of lines is actually an anomaly when compared to the rest of the games bandage. Actors, left and right, from Emmerich's classic, whiney voice, to Miller and his goofy "They played us similar a damn dabble!" types of lines, to the constantly over-the-meridian Skull confront, all sound just every bit over-the-top in MGSV every bit always. So what'southward the deal? How would the Snake we've grown to know and dearest over the years be out of place here?

Venom Serpent showcasing the epic intense drama of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Hurting

This is a game which includes an enemy fabricated of fire who can absorb bullets. A game where you can distract enemies with life-sized balloons that await and talk like y'all. When yous startle a bad guy, a behemothic assertion signal appears over the top of his or her caput. Yous accept a dog who wears an eyepatch. You lot have a horn-shaped protrusion on your forehead. Your most fearsome foe is a man in a Zorro mask whose face looks like a skull. The indicate existence: There'due south nothing about this game which makes its tone appear more serious than the games that came earlier it.

Of grade, this isn't a bad thing. I, personally, don't know of any fans of the series who are lament about Metallic Gear's silliness, weird easter eggs, or its over-the-pinnacle story and characters. In fact, nosotros all love those things! But don't say y'all're irresolute the voice of your protagonist because you lot're going for a more than serious or realistic tone when in that location's nothing else about the game that suggests that to be true.

Big Dominate and Sons inc.

This Is The Story of Big Dominate/Venom Snake — Not Solid Snake

Like any good fanboy, I similar to rationalize certain inconsistencies in the Metal Gear series when I can. I don't want to hate on a series which means so much to me. So hither's how I tried to brand the replacement of Hayter make more sense: Hayter was, is, and forever volition be, Solid Snake. Only this is the story of Big Boss/Venom Snake. Why not give him a new vocalisation? Right?

Information technology was a hard excuse to swallow and, clearly, I've since coughed it right back up. Information technology but makes no sense compared with the previous games in the Metal Gear series. Mostly for three important reasons:

1. Snake is an identical clone of Big Boss. It'due south only natural that they have identical voices.
2. In case in that location's whatsoever doubt to the above betoken, on the previous MGS games which starred Big Boss as the protagonist (Snake Eater, Portable Ops, and Peace Walker), each was voiced past Solid Snake's vocalization role player, David Hayter.
3. In the Japanese version of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, there was no change of actors. The human who played Solid Snake (Akio Ōtsuka) continues to play Big Boss/Venom Snake today.

How can we perchance continue to flim-flam ourselves into thinking the change makes sense with facts such as these staring us in the face?

The tangled, conspiratorial spider web of Kiefer Sutherland, Hideo Kojima, and David Hayter.

Summing Things Upward — And The Truth Behind Why David Hayter Was Replaced

Before we become into my decision of the truth behind David Hayter's replacement, here'south a quick refresher of what nosotros've addressed so far.

• David Hayter never chose to get out the Metal Gear series. In fact, he appeared to be genuinely hurt not to exist included.
• This wasn't Hideo Kojima'due south showtime effort at replacing Hayter. Nosotros know of at least ane other fourth dimension (during the making of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater) when Kojima actively tried to supplant Hayter with some other big celebrity, Kurt Russel (who turned the part downwards).
• I reason which Kojima gave for changing actors was because he wanted to take a recreation of the series. However, the fact that he didn't alter actors in his own countries (Japan) version of the game could pb some to exist dubious near the consistency of this statement.
• Another reasoning of Kojima's for changing actors was because he desired a "existent actor" for the part, due to the facial capture technology involved that would allow a alive actor to physically portray the characters emotions with his facial gestures. Withal, Kojima has also stated that — and players tin plainly see that — MGSV's Snake looks nothing like actor Kiefer Sutherland. Kojima went on to explain that a CG model of Serpent was used and a blend of 5 or 6 other peoples faces were added on superlative of that to add realism to the grapheme. With that being said, Sutherland did practice the facial capture (when he spoke, Snakes not-Sutherland mouth moved, etc.). But, in all honesty, how much of an improvement could that have been when compared to Hayter or almost anyone else who possesses the ability to smile, squint, and frown?
• Information technology's also been stated by Kojima and fans of the serial that a more "subdued" and realistic vocalization performance was needed for the game, as its tone and drama were much more serious in nature. However, this doesn't appear to be consistent with the other over-the-peak voices and sequences in the game.
• A popular fan defense is that since this is a story well-nigh Big Boss/Venom Ophidian and not Solid Snake, then it's only natural for another voice histrion to be used. However, as mentioned above, the same voice actor is standing to exist used in the Japanese version of the game. As well, David Hayter has already voiced the same grapheme in all of the past Large Boss-centered Metal Gear Solid games.
• In MGSV, for the first time ever, Snake barely utters a word. So how much of a difference was a phonation change really making? Why bother making it inconsistent with the previous games when the new actor is rarely even heard?

And then what's the conclusion?

While some of united states may be happy with the alter and some of us may non, the truth is that none of us tin can ever know for sure why Hideo Kojima chose to replace David Hayter in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. That notwithstanding, in my opinion the truth seems pure and uncomplicated: starpower.

That'southward right. Equally far as I tin make out, it'due south as meaningless as that. In the acting world, it's known as "stunt casting."

It's aught new in the vast and wonderful world of media. Kojima simply wanted a celebrities name involved with the projection (any fan of the Metallic Gear series knows that Kojima is all about publicity schemes). As talked well-nigh in our previously mentioned interview with David Hayter, this wasn't Kojima'southward starting time attempt at replacing the voice histrion with an A-list, Hollywood action star; this was merely his outset successful attempt. And as you tin can run into in this clip (the video is set to brainstorm at the 56 minute marking), even the MGS series' voice director, Kris Zimmerman, has stated:

"I do know that Kojima had always wanted to take a, you know, Hollywood star [as a] part of the process."

In the cease, though, whether or not it was only a publicity motility, or Kojima's longtime dream to work with a Hollywood action star, or if information technology really was an "artistic selection," no one but Kojima knows. My coin is on publicity. However, then once again, maybe I but miss the Snake that I grew up with.

Victory Pose

As much as I've poo-pooed all over the casting of this game, I have to admit: Information technology'south still damn fun. For long time Metal Gear fans, such as myself, it's destined to fall brusque in many means. However, every bit games in general get, I'd be lying if I were to say it wasn't a corking video game to play for the mechanics alone.

I enjoyed the gameplay and so much, in fact, that I've since 100 percented information technology and finally nabbed my quaternary Metal Gear Solid platinum trophy for Playstation (albeit, I made sure to practice so in MGS1 habiliment). Which all just goes to show, fifty-fifty the virtually disappointing of Metal Gear games beats most other games out there.

What Does Hitler Think of Kiefer Sutherland Replacing David Hayter?

Questions & Answers

Question: David Hater was Snake in Metal Gear Solid for 15 years, why of a sudden change voice actors?

Answer: In a sense, the change wasn't too subtle. Co-ordinate to Hayter himself, Kojima had been on the picket for a new voice for Ophidian since as far back as MGS3, when it's rumored that he attempted to bandage Kurt Russell in the office. Kojima is a large fan of Hollywood action films (even designing and naming Snakes grapheme after Russell'south Escape from New York character, Snake Plissken) and has supposedly e'er wanted a existent-life Hollywood activity star to helm the role of hero in his Metallic Gear series. The casting of 24 stars, Keifer Sutherland, may have simply been Kojima's starting time successful endeavour at nabbing the kind of star power he wanted all along.

Kat on June 05, 2020:

My theories:

1. Kojima clearly wants to be part of Hollywood and has developed quite the ego over the years, and having an histrion like Sutherland aligns Kojima more with the Hollywood crowd. He may now believe he and his franchise are "above" voice actors like Hayter.

ii. Combining Kojima'due south badly wanting out of the franchise after MGS3, continued working on MGS from Konami's force per unit area due to the American demand for more Kojima written MGS, and American MGS gamers' love for Hayter as Snake, hiring a new voice actor was essentially sabotage to get out of developing MGS.

Solid Snake = David Hayter on August 02, 2019:

I call back that Hideo is a genius, i do just i have been a MG fan since forever. I started with the first Metal Gear and have played all of so always since, i love them as my absolutly favorit franchies of all time. All the same that they replaced David Hayter in the very last game was a really stupid error. I lost the feeling for the game and i felt really disappointed, WHY when they only had i more game in the series?!? Metal gear solid, the first game in the solid "part", I played over and once again, same thing with metal gear solid 2 and 3 at to the lowest degree 4-5 over and over again. Just I was so disappointed with the fifth that I oasis't even finished it at all.... and a lot considering I lost the feeling because Hideo wanted a KNOWN star.... this is bulls*hit in my opinion. David Hayter is Big Dominate and Solid Ophidian and no i else. Bad mistake Hideo Kojima, a very bad mistake! You have lost a life time fan for good considering y'all got greedy!

metalgearlazy on July 17, 2019:

kojimas new "game" is null simply star power. hope he gets something out of it. personally, i don't think that game will practice whatever skillful in term of sales. and iam not going to purchase a game just because norman reedus is in it.

JustAnotherFan on June 25, 2019:

This was a great and insightful read, however, the only argument I accept is if Snake existence a clone meant that his voice should match Big Boss'south and so why didn't Liquid and Solidus have the same phonation? Why didn't Hayter voice them all in that case? Don't become me wrong, he already voiced Big Boss in MGS3 and MGSPW so he for sure should Non take been replaced just for V, but the idea that Big Dominate has to sound the exact same as David (Solid or the Vocalization Actor) is inconsistent with every other clone of Large Boss from the story. Absolutely everything else I agree with. This was nothing more than than a "Star Ability" move.

MoonAmethyst on May 17, 2019:

Practiced article. My opinion is that information technology ultimately came downwardly to David Hayter rubbing Kojima upward the wrong style. I retrieve hearing once that David Hayter really wrote a screenplay about/inspired by Metal Gear Solid and Kojima felt that was a huge liberty.

I likewise suspect that Kojima resented the level of fan loyalty David Hayter had in the west. Most of us loved David Hayter every bit much, if not more, than Kojima -- he was, is, and always will be Snake.

No law-breaking to his fans, but Kojima oftentimes comes across equally an big-headed bowwow -- I mean, the sentence "now that emotions tin be expressed likewise with the faces we needed a existent player, not merely a voice actor" says information technology all. How belittling can you get? His behaviour over the Castlevania franchise is also a fairly skillful graphic symbol reference -- if someone had swaggered into Kojima's franchise and told him how to run information technology, he'd have gone mad. Nonetheless that's exactly what he did to IGA when Lords of Shadow was developed. Not a good sign.

On a final biting note, replacing David Hayter was a huge f- yous to the fans of MGS. Kojima can list as many reasons as he likes, simply ultimately, it was a modify none of the western fans wanted.

wats on April 28, 2019:

@That guy it wasnt that bad

Soffie on April 17, 2019:

It was less about facial capturing and more than about movement. A lot of facial capturing actually isn't about matching about how the face looks, only near how it moves, but that's beside the point. The real reason had to practice with how a twoscore-yr old soldier moves and behaves in certain situations.

If y'all check cutscenes like the Birthday scene (where he thinks he hears gunshots) or the depression morale scene ("We don't draw on fellow soldiers" moment), we see natural movements and reactions matching what you would expect of a 40-year former Serpent, and the gruff yet soft, male parent-like vocalisation yous hear in the morale scene in particular matching that of what you'd expect [the thought of] Snake to sound like subsequently the events of Peace Walker and Footing Zeroes.

Hayter has a very particular style of voice acting and perchance even movement, and information technology would non have been ideal for what was in this game. I dear MGS3 and Hayter's piece of work in it, but even so I can't deny that it's Sutherland's personality and behavior that defined MGSV for me.

TL;DR -- They didn't hire Keith for his voice acting. They hired Keith for his experience in moving and personifying a matured, middle-aged soldier (or amanuensis).

Either way, I hope Hayter does accept a solid future in his career. There are a lot of games he'd be platonic for.

Bb on Apr 11, 2019:

Venom wasn't a clone or a relative in whatever mode. Using a different voice actor other than Hayter clues in on it with actually saying information technology.

Using Hayter for MGS 5 would not have made sense.

That guy on January 06, 2019:

Welp your mgs5 game sucked kojima, if past some phenomenon chance you could see this annotate. Gamers (your artist outlet audience) dont give a shit who sits on the thrones of hollywood. We desire good games. Just brand a movie instead already christ.

Roboticplaguetv on Nov 27, 2018:

Phantom Pain was the worst Metallic Gear. People say Konami is at fault but I believe it was

The Gutter Monkey (author) on Oct 27, 2018:

@ Bob

Thanks for commenting. Merely what Snakes do you think I'm mixing upwards?

Bob on September 03, 2018:

sadly, MGS V is a train wreck of a game that was never finished. Likewise, your getting your snakes mixed up.

Diego Escauriza on August 02, 2018:

David Hayter was unique I founded hard to believe that after working for Mr. Kojima for 15 years he would exist replaced.... I was shocked and I wonder if Mr. Kojima made the right selection.

GR4VY_B04T on July 31, 2018:

Keifer does speak alot if y'all listen to the cassettes. Mgs v was an unfinished game that was pushed out by greedy publishers. I bet most of the cassettes in the game would've been made into a cutscenes if they had more time, but sadly we're left with the husk of a masterpiece.

GR4VY_B04T on July 31, 2018:

@Conspiracy Kool-Help the real big dominate appeared during the prologue & truth mission. Still voiced past kieth Sutherland. I approximate if he wasn't people would've caught on to the secret way quicker. Maybe if we were told sooner information technology may accept made the twist a little easier to get over. We only find out at the finish of the game that the whole fourth dimension we were lied to, and at that bespeak there'south goose egg left to assistance get over that somewhat sour note, just if we had known from the get-go we would've had fourth dimension to digest the news. Mayhap and then nosotros would've come to embrace the idea Kojima was trying to push button.

DutchBoy on March 12, 2018:

Is it possible that Kojima knew that he was hopping off the boat with Konami and wanted to inflate the beak for his opus and spit in their eye equally he walked abroad?

The Gutter Monkey (author) on February x, 2018:

@ Conspiracy Kool-Aid

Hi, Conspiracy Kool-Aid. Thanks for the annotate! That's certainly a cool way of thinking virtually it. There doesn't appear to exist proof either way for that particular reasoning, then I certainly can't think of a manner of disproving information technology. And if nosotros ever practice detect out a definitive, no-dubiety-near-it reply as to why Hayter was replaced, I'd definitely rather your thoughts to exist true than my own. Haha

Even so, for me, personally, information technology feels a chip similar a stretch of the imagination (which, granted, feels like an odd sentence to say when talking about Metal Gear). It's simply that the reasoning of stunt casting appears to me (for at present, at least) to be more logical (albeit cynical) and more consistent of a conclusion when other factors are kept in mind. Such as Kojima's previous attempts to replace Hayter with a renown Hollywood activeness guy, the Japanese voice actor not changing, Sutherland taking on the role of Big Boss in Ground Zeroes (although I do savour your alternate idea of that part beingness a false mind-control memory), and the fact no 1 involved in the game has appeared to drib a hint well-nigh this before. As I believe someone else in the comments mentioned, information technology would accept been a mind-blowing improver to the twist if Hayter had made a cameo as real Big Boss at the end of the game (assuming his appearance within game isn't an aforementioned simulated memory or schizophrenia, of course). Aside from the "holy-sh!t!" shock of it, it coulda shut down all u.s. nay-sayers in an instant. Haha

Merely, once once more, I do enjoy your idea. It'due south very clever. And I promise I may ane day find out I'm wrong and that information technology's truthful. As for now, though, I believe I'd need a bit more convincing in order to not see it as just an imaginative connecting of the dots. Later all, equally the great Carl Sagan popularly voiced: Extraordinary claims crave extraordinary evidence.

Conspiracy Kool-Aid on February 10, 2018:

Kiefer Sutherland was casted to play the Medic. Big Boss never appeared in the game one time. Ishmael was an illusion conjured up while the Medic was under hypnogogia. The unabridged game was lies and illusions. The Medic was substantially a schizophrenic and was talking to himself in that hospital. Kojima would not purposefully utilize the same actor for ii different people at the same time unless he was actually hinting to something else and messing with the role player (Which we know he loves to do). The game has a twist within a twist. The game tells you that you lot've been under mind command. The "psuedo-historical" events that took place in MGSV:GZ was actually the medics virtual indoctrination as the role of Big Boss and was all a simulation that even we as the histrion were duped into believing. In the terminate the real Big Boss never appeared In one case in either MGSV's.

Now as to why David Hayter seems bitter about the situation, either he wasn't told about the reality breaking plot-twist to keep it surreptitious, or he was told to human action upset well-nigh the whole ordeal again to proceed it a undercover. Strangely there is a theory that Hayter does have a secret cameo role as Raiden in the MGSV:GZ side op Jamais Vu, listen closely. All in all the games focus is revenge and charade through and through. Nothing you're told is true and it'due south entirely possible Kojima is messing with us more than information technology seems.

The Gutter Monkey (author) on Dec 10, 2017:

Telenike's sorta got you there, Chris. The voice casting can't only be shrugged off due to us playing as a different grapheme this time around, every bit the original graphic symbol had the aforementioned new voice histrion as well. (Incidentally, this is all covered within the avalanche of words in a higher place these comments.)

And @Dwayne, I believe I may have actually enjoyed the bodily game a tad more than you (although I think it stinks as an entry to the Metal Gear serial) merely I totally agree with your assessment of the lifelessness of the new characters.

In either case, thank you for commenting! (all three of you)

Telenike on Dec 03, 2017:

@chris Minglis

Yeah, only Ishmael, who led Venom Snake out of the infirmary, was Large Boss and he was voiced by Keifer Sutherland as well. If Kojima wanted the carpeting pull of Venom not being Naked Ophidian to go down to the voice actors, then Hayter should accept played Ishmael. That would have been awesome and made sense. Solid and Naked have the same voices because Solid is a perfect clone of Naked (well dominant genes anyway), but Venom is a product of reconstructive surgery and therefore has a vaguely similar just distinct vox.

Chris Minglis on October 29, 2017:

If y'all played through the story style and actually comprehend the multiple endings you would know that your not playing equally big boss, your playing as his trunk double and second in command, with facial reconstructive surgery and some kind of schizophrenia, who happens to be the big boss yous kill in the original metal gear game, LOL kojima deserves a friggen honour for fooling all of you lot.

Dwayne on August 19, 2017:

Kiefer is an absolute disappointment to the character. Lifeless, emotionless acting. Even Ocelot was a disappointment. I can't get through thirty% of the game considering of these voice actors. In fact Hideo Kojima tin can shove it. If the original cast isn't returned I won't be supporting the franchise once again. I've been a fan since I was a kid but seeing something I love being mutilated like this calls for me to hit them where information technology hurts, their wallets. I know I'yard only one person, only I'm sure other people experience the same and they will see that when sales start to drib.

Lucas-san on July 31, 2017:

@The Gutter Monkey

You're welcome. I am just happy to see someone who isn't all "but Kiefer have and then much emotion in his voice! You tin hear the actually hear the depth of emotions!"

Yeah, let'south hope that we'll get to hear David Hayter voicing Snake, once more, anytime.

The Gutter Monkey (author) on July 31, 2017:

@ Lucas

Hullo, Lucas. Thanks for reading! Wish I had more than to respond to y'all with only it looks like you've already covered most of the ground I already agree with. But here'due south hoping that someday, somehow, in one dimension or another, we'll get to hear Hayter voicing our beloved hero again.

Thanks commenting!

Lucas-san on July 29, 2017:

So, well, hi. I am Lucas, nice to run into y'all.

Well then, aye, you pretty much pointed everything out I knew about it. I still feel bitter about this.

I call up that I got a lot of angry replies when I brought it up back when the whole ordeal was new and fresh but since I agree with the majority of what you accept written here, if non everything, I am going to post something that I need to get off my chest.

The whole argument about Naked Serpent non being the same every bit Solid Snake hence why the voices are different, plus the voices are different in MGS4, with Richard Doyle being the voice there, is pretty abrasive to me.

So, well, I believe that it's something well-nigh that the Japanese voice actors are male parent and son, but information technology's also the fact that having David vocalization Quondam Ophidian is one and so Big Dominate whose been kept alive in a tube for a long time, he is one-time and worn out, so his vocalization could have changed; seen from a approved perspective (I don't know if that'due south a term). I don't listen that. That modify fabricated sense and as funny as hearing Hayter voicing both of them might have been, I retrieve this was the right choice.

Now, here is the obvious trouble...

David Hayter was the voice of Large Boss in Peace Walker but he was replaced in Ground Zeroes, which takes place not long subsequently that game. So the whole "but it was not ACTUALLY Large Boss in the outset place, then that's why they used Kiefer"-theory is pretty much shattered.

I even stated back then that if they had David voice Large Boss in Ground Zeroes, then information technology could have been explained abroad with something like: "During the explosion, your vocal chords had been damaged, etc., etc.", and I would accept bought that explanation. Yet, that never happened, sadly.

And at the finish of The Phantom Pain, we run into Big Boss....nonetheless voiced by Kiefer..

Imagine if they had Hayter there! It would have been perfect, maybe (at least to me).

Once more, that did not happen, either.

What really makes me upset about this is too the fact that Hayter, y'all know, DAVID HAYTER, the Voice OF SNAKE THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE Serial upward to this bespeak, was not allowed any sort of involvement in the game. At least have some decency and practise something with him....only no, similar you lot said, he was given the boot, left outside and not allowed back inside.

There are many other things I would dearest to rant on about just those are just very personal opinions of mine.

Thank you lot for the commodity, keep up the good work.

Best regards,

Lucas

The Gutter Monkey (author) on July 05, 2017:

@ Kat

Oh, and thank you for your annotate too, Kat! Sorry, I had zippo left to rant about in answer to yours, haha. I do concord, though.

The Gutter Monkey (author) on July 05, 2017:

@ Noogie

Hi, Noogie! Thanks for the comment, I appreciate it. I'm in total agreement. Equally much as I enjoyed sneaking around and tranqing guys, the game equally a whole just didn't hitting me like the previous entries in the serial. I felt no existent connection to anything going on or to whatsoever of the characters in it; especially the character I was playing. Snake non being played by Hayter was undoubtedly a big role of that. Serpent being basically a mute was probably an fifty-fifty bigger function. I say this often but, to me, this will e'er exist a expert game simply an absolutely terrible Metal Gear game. Due to the absence of Hayter and and so many other reasons.

Equally annoying every bit constant codec calls and cutscenes in the previous games may have been (although, personally, I more often than not enjoyed them) they actually helped in fleshing out the characters and making you care about who they are and what was happening with their story. It added an extra bit of motivation to everything I did within the game itself considering I always wanted to see what happened next in their story. In MGSV, nonetheless, I only felt like a random guy being repeatedly told by another random guy to go excerpt all the same Another random guy (interspersed with a rare xx second cutscene where my grapheme only stares blankly at some other person equally they talk at him). Then, to pinnacle that off, I'm beingness voiced by a random guy (certain, I know who Keifer is, only he's pretty much a stranger to the serial) and at the finish of the game (SPOILERS) information technology turns out that I AM a random guy!

Whew, years later and my bittersweet relationship with this game nonetheless plagues me. Haha. Anyhow, thanks over again for the annotate.

Noogie on July 02, 2017:

I'k a fan & play the game since the beginning "talking" MGS Solid Snake & I e'er thought Snake/Large Boss talks manner too much, it gets on my nerves sometimes lol. Merely when I play Phantom Pain & all suddenly, he went dull & silent well-nigh of the time now, fifty-fifty Ocelot did more talking than the human being himself ... It made me feel that I really miss the old Ophidian/Big Dominate aka David Hayter terribly. Okay, I understand with this "Big Dominate" is not *spoilers ahead* the real Big Dominate but nevertheless... Not hearing that iconic voice afterward playing the games for so many years is just... weird. Fifty-fifty sis of mine who is non a fan of MGS noticed the dullness of the series and then no wonder some, (or perhaps nearly) of MGS fans here are still dissapointed till now.

Kat on June 24, 2017:

Metal Gear is not Metallic Gear without Hayter. Period.

The Gutter Monkey (author) on April 26, 2017:

@ Sybato

Thanks for leaving a comment, Sybato!

Putting aside my inclination to presume Hayter was replaced for more business concern-like rather than artistic-like reasons, I do have to acknowledge that my longing for Hayter to exist in this detail game is undoubtedly bias. I never was good at accepting replacements of main actors in either video games, movies, or Tv set shows. I suspect it has something to do with my emotional investment into each of the mediums and how the break in consistency really throws me for a loop and takes me out of the story.

If I tried to pull back and look at this games story in a more stand-lone mode, I believe I can come across improve where you're coming from. I'd probably liken it to something such every bit seeing a new Matrix that had an awesome script (a male child can dream, right?) but starred Daniel Day-Lewis as Neo. Sure, I think he's a ameliorate actor than Keanu and, for this detail hypothetical role, he'due south perfectly suited (for some reason). But even if it was the all-time Matrix since the original I'd probably withal e'er be longing for Mr. "Whoa" — due to character consistency alone haha.

With that being said, regardless of the many problems I had with the game, I did enjoy playing information technology for what it was. To me, however, information technology but didn't feel like Metallic Gear. And Hayter's absence (among other things) was a big reason.

But anyway. Thank you over again for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

Sybato on Apr 25, 2017:

Having played MGSV recently it'southward pretty obvious throughout the main missions that this Snake is far more hostile and night than previous ones. When he was tasked with killing those child soldiers in the jail cell, I was honestly more surprised that he didn't kill them, because upwards until that point he was largely silent and a jerk to everyone he came in contact with that wasn't Miller or Ocelot.

I definitely capeesh Hayter's performance more in both MGS3 and MGS4 (which are the but other games in the series I've played), but I do think that Kiefer Sutherland ameliorate fits this particular iteration of Snake. Not because Hayter couldn't do information technology, but because this Serpent mostly acts in ways that are counter to Big Boss and Solid Ophidian.

The Gutter Monkey (writer) on April 24, 2017:

@ Skirmich

Hi, thank you for commenting (politely haha). I understand the reasoning of your argument and have addressed my views of it inside the article itself and inside the comments section hither (it'south understandable that you may accept missed it, I admittedly wrote a lot). I'll jot it downwardly over again real quick though, just to save yous the time it may take in hunting it downward.

I suppose it comes downwards to a matter of intention and consistancy. Information technology doesn't appear to me that the choice of voice actor was fabricated DUE to Ophidian beingness this new Venom fella.

• In the Japanese version of the game, there was no vocalism actor change. The guy who played Solid still plays Venom.

• While Venom and Big Boss may not exist clones or at all genetically related, Large Boss (the real Big Dominate) was also voiced past Sutherland in the new games.

• In other MGS games that revolve around Big Boss, David Hayter portrayed the character (bated from the unusual example of the cease of MGS4, where he was for some reason played by a guy with what sounded similar a mid-Atlantic emphasis).

• While Big Bosses other clones, Liquid and Solidus, were voiced past different people, the past times in which nosotros played as Big Dominate he was voiced by David Hayter.

Due to things such as these, and what was mentioned in the article of course, I accept trouble buying the notion that the vocalisation change was fabricated for story-purposes or consistancy. Every bit pitiful as it makes me, it seems likely that information technology could have been done due to more shallow reasons. My best guess, judging by the evidence I presented at least, is stunt casting.

I appreciate your input though. And your annotate! Thank you!

Skirmich on April 24, 2017:

The answers is pretty darn simple... (SPOILERS AHEAD)

The Phonation is different because the guy in MGSV is not the existent Big Dominate (From MGS3) you are playing as "Venom Snake" (If you call back MGS3 Big Boss lawmaking name was Naked Snake) which is a random soldier that was literally shaped and hypnotized to wait and think he is Big Boss.. This explains why his phonation is different gameplay wise.

Your statement of Solid Snake existence a Clone of Big Boss and thus he has the aforementioned vocalization falls short because neither Solidus or Liquid (Both besides Clones of Big Boss) are voiced by David Hayter.

The Gutter Monkey (author) on March 23, 2017:

@ Rafaela

I fail to understand your valley girl-esque reasoning. I'one thousand assuming information technology's a classic argument from incredulity, though.

Rafaela on March 23, 2017:

Yeah, similar, "hey I'g going to buy MGSV because it has a Hollywood actor'southward voice for Snake"... NOT.

Heres Something on March twenty, 2017:

[EXTREME MGS5 SPOILERS Ahead. Seriously.]

Here'southward an idea. Remember at the very end of the game, when you lot find out that your character "Venom" or "Punished" Serpent was in fact, not Big Dominate at all? Just some random soldier they face molded and hypnotized into believing he was? You become a letter from the real Big Boss at the very end of the game and he voices a pocket-size paragraph about what happened. WHY did they non get David Hayter to record that one beggarly part? It would perfectly explain the voice change, y'all get to keep Kiefer as your headliner/mocap guy, and the twist gut wrenching payoff backside this whole David Hayter being replaced debacle would have been the biggest Kojima troll of all fourth dimension. You but had to get DH in the recording booth for similar 20 minutes. Wasted opportunity.

For the tape, I'm not confused as to "why" this didn't happen. This mail serves more as a, 'hey wouldn't it take been nice if?' dealie.

Tony Horo on March 05, 2017:

Guys, I think the real reason is that merely recently (since MGS3) Kojima brainstorm to make contact with people overseas. He never really bothered with the english cast before, just because he was but involved with the japanese side of things. When he started to make contacts with people from hollywood (similar Avi Arad), he came upward with the idea to bring actors he'south a fan to the serial he created. We all know that Serpent is based on Kurt Russell, and that's the reason he tried to use him in MGS3, as well, he's a fan of 24, enough to attempt to make Kiefer announced on his game. Kojima probably never had much contact with Hayter, and since he's not a famous histrion, Kojima probably has the feeling he's not equally skilful as the actors he's fan for years, plus, he doesnt have every bit much relation with the english bandage since, as I said before, he was only involved with the japanese bandage, and so ditching David Hayter would be piece of cake for him,. Kinda harsh, but that's probably the truth about this alter.

The Gutter Monkey (author) on January 20, 2017:

All sales are final.

x on January xx, 2017:

"Why David Hayter Was Really Replaced"

3000 words later:

"the truth is that none of united states of america can e'er know for certain"

I want my click dorsum.

Roflcopter on January 18, 2017:

Kojima really is going downward hill. I haven't played MGSV nonetheless and I don't plan on it. I like Davids vocalisation and it'due south stupid to pay a big name actor to practice it instead. Shows what bad decisions Kojima makes.

The Gutter Monkey (author) on Jan 12, 2017:

@Ben

Why wouldn't they use stunt casting? I agree that the game would be popular regardless of who they chose to cast in the atomic number 82, simply tossing a hugely recognizable proper noun in there to star in it certainly doesn't hurt anything — especially if you lot're looking to bring in new players to the series as oppose to just retaining the quondam fans. And, equally I've explained in this article, I've given my reasons for believing this equally a viable likelihood.

Also inside the article, I've agreed that I enjoyed playing the game. Considering, as games in general go, it really was fun for what it included. As a Metal Gear Solid game, nevertheless, I couldn't help but feel very permit down. Which I know these two statements may sound contradictory, only it'southward certainly how I feel (information technology's equally if I payed for Pac-Human and got Pong instead — both are fun in their ain means, but I was wanting and expecting something different). And if you view comments past other fans across the interwebs, you'll find that even if you lot're non in agreement with me, I'm not alone in this view.

At present here'southward where I get long-winded...

I enjoyed many aspects of the game. But at that place were many other more particular aspects that were missing that I — with proficient reason, in my opinion — had expected from a MGS title. I get certain kinds of enjoyments from a Metal Gear game that many other games are defective. Creative boss fights, for example, such as having to change controller ports for Psycho Mantis, having to defuse bombs while dodging an obese man on roller skates, having to realize that the fight with Vamp isn't going to finish unless I jab a syringe in his throat, the fist fight with Liquid Ocellot where we relive every fighting style in the past games, all those by ballsy hand-to-mitt fist fights in full general, the Beauties with all of their varies strategic fights, the seemingly neverending sniper battle with an quondam human in the forest (and the multitude of ways you can defeat him that include such weird things as letting him die of erstwhile historic period or killing him earlier in the game before that fight fifty-fifty happens), the weird fourth dimension when we had to walk through a foggy river while The Sorrow has the ghosts of everyone nosotros've killed in-game floating effectually united states of america (and the play a trick on at the end of that walk where nosotros have to realize to come back to life as oppose to avoid dying in the beginning place), etc., etc. Within these past titles in that location was one imaginative scenario or fight later on another that was as much of a puzzle equally information technology was a battle. It was great stuff! On MGSV, even so, the only strategy required appears to involve how well you sneak (which you also had in the previous games) or how fast you lot can run-and-gun. Even stranger, run-and-gunning, something unheard of and penalized in previous games, can often even cease up in giving you a ameliorate game score within MGSV, due simply to how quickly information technology allows you to consummate a level. The sneaking selection is fun, and done well, but it's distressing to me that this is all there actually is to the game. The puzzles and imagination seem to all be gone. Heck, there'southward non even a real boss fight at all.

An open world seems fun. But then, this "open up world" doesn't announced to include much of, well, anything in it. Yous're lucky to see a sheep on the side of the road. Y'all can't even climb over a mountain to take a shortcut anywhere. Instead, the mountains human activity as funnels that atomic number 82 to one base to another, with each base being near an identical copy of the terminal. And you visit these same bases repeatedly inside the game, too, afterwards fifty-fifty repeating the same levels.

Several of these changes inside the game really become on to support a more selling-out idea that may exist related to the aforementioned stunt-casting. If they were going simply for new players, unfamiliar with the serial, then casting a new lead would exist a move to make. The open world (if that'due south what nosotros're going to call it) would be another. Then there'south that ability to run-and-gun that non-fans enjoy, the motorcar-healing that makes the game easier, the slow-motion effect, the lack of long cutscenes and codec calls (the lack of a codec all together) that so many newcomers always complained about. I know it seems like a bold stance, simply it actually does experience that this isn't a game for Metal Gear fans at all; however, they knew all the old fans would come along anyway.

I'grand not saying that I'chiliad definitely correct about whatsoever of this, and I hope I'thousand non. With that being said, the pieces do seem to fit pretty well. And if the game didn't take "Metallic Gear" in the title, I'd most certainly bask it more than.

James on January 12, 2017:

In total agreement with the man who wrote this article David Hayter is Large Boss! How can I possibly bask MGSV as a continuation of MGS3 when they have different actors voicing big dominate!? It's stupid and pitiful Solid Snake is the true heir to Big boss that's why they share the same voice because out of all of the failed big boss clones Solid was the closest to Large boss legacy yes Solidus was genetically closer but Solid killed the other candidates to Big boss legacy Liquid ophidian and the phantom Venom snake. Solid lay beside a dying big boss in MGS4 Big boss respected Solid saw him as his own human being. Just wish Hayter had voiced Big boss in MGSV wouldn't take minded Kiefer voicing venom for the majority of the game simply for the tiny segment in ground zeroes and for concluding mission 46 in MGSV Hayter had voiced Large boss just on second play through when quiet Is also revealed that would have been incredible also mission 51 was truely required to complete the story! Otherwise a good game just a few missing elements mainly Hayter! That kept the game from being truely Great!

Ben on November 05, 2016:

Stunt Casting? Even if they don't give Snake even one line of dialogue it would still be popular as fuck. Seriously that game was so fun and is beautiful the merely complaint I have is the obvious cut content!

The Gutter Monkey (author) on Oct 02, 2016:

@ Babyfarts

How-do-you-do Babyfarts! Proficient to see a polite dissenting stance plopped downwards here.

I don't know if I'd get as far equally to call myself a "butthurt Hayter fanboy" (so again, I judge no butthurt fanboy would really accept a label that immediately dismisses their opinions) but I certainly would take preferred Hayter'south voice in the MGSV video games. No uncertainty nearly that. He was awesome. Also, I enjoy consistency in my characters.

Nevertheless, fifty-fifty if I were this "buthurt" guy you've chosen to classify me as, it seems unfair that this should dismiss my entire article (I tried to put equally many sources in as possible to support my opinions). It would be much more benign if you'd accost each point and requite me a good reason to believe my idea's aren't really the case . I don't Desire to remember Kojima was simply selling out or making choices due to shallow reasons, you know; I love his past games and don't like thinking of my favorite artists in that fashion. However, as far as I can tell, the bear witness seems to point in that direction in this detail case.

I'll grant you that I'1000 not entirely sure about the "identical" part. However, they are still clones. And to be non-identical, information technology seems odd why then that Big Boss would look and sound exactly like Solid Snake in the previous Big Dominate-centered video games Ophidian Eater, Portable Ops, and Peace Walker (the latter taking place only 9 years prior to Ground Zeroes). So even if they weren't identical clones, information technology had already been established that they had identical voices (incidentally, the Japanese voice actor for Solidus is the same who does the Japanese voice for Serpent). At to the lowest degree at these younger ages they did. Apparently past the time MGS4 came along and Big Boss was in his 70s he'd all of a sudden developed a transatlantic accent.

Anywho. Thanks for your comment!

Babyfarts on October 02, 2016:

Another butthurt Hayter fanboy.

I stopped taking you lot seriously when you wrote ''Snake is an identical clone of Big Boss. It's only natural that they have identical voices.''

Except that he's not, the ane who's closest to an identical clone of Big Dominate is Solidus Snake and guess what? He'south not voiced past Hayter, neither is Liquid Snake. Weird, huh?

Source: https://levelskip.com/action-adventure/Why-David-Hayter-Was-REALLY-Replaced-in-Metal-Gear-Solid-V-The-Phantom-Pain

Posted by: davisandessaint.blogspot.com

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