The news so far...
Actor Kiefer Sutherland will take on the role of Snake in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, Konami confirmed today, with the actor performing voice and facial capture for the character, who will be 49-years-old in the forthcoming sequel.
"The themes are a little different from previous games in the series. We're taking on some heavy subjects, like race and revenge. As a result, I wanted Snake to have a more subdued performance," series creator Hideo Kojima said, "expressed through subtle facial movements and tone of voice, rather than words."
MGS5 takes place in 1984, Kojima said, and the developer wanted an actor who could "genuinely convey" Snake as he would in his late 40s.
"It's different from anything we've done before," Kojima said, explaining that he turned to producer Avi Arad for assistance, who referred him to Sutherland. "I felt that he was the perfect fit, in terms of age and performance," Kojima added.
For developer MercurySteam, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is all about Dracula and properly explaining his story in a way they felt it has not been previously done, the studio said in Konami's pre-E3 conference today.
"When we set out in 2007 to reimagine Castlevania and do something new with it, it was a very risky proposition and we were all very nervous about it," said producer Dave Cox. "With the Lords of Shadow universe we decided very early on that we wanted to tell the story of Dracula, but felt that Dracula had never been properly explained, and his story had never been properly told."
Lords of Shadow was about Gabriel Belmont, the deterioration of his good intentions as he becomes Dracula and his eventual fall into darkness, said Cox. He explained that players really "picked up on" the game's epilogue and that was where MercurySteam decided to pick up the story for Lords of Shadow 2.
The sequel's story becomes darker and more cruel, with Dracula as the main character. Unlike the previous Castlevania games, enemies will have shields and armor that must broken down to expose their weaknesses and defeat them. The game will be require more strategy and tactical thinking in taking down opponents.
The Mercury Engine was adapted for the "new era" for Lords of Shadow 2. The team wanted the game's world to grow organically, and players will be able to freely roam the world without load times. Players will be able to look and move whenever they want using the game's new free-moving camera, allowing them to turn it 360 degrees and view the world in detail. The game will take place in Dracula's castle as well as a new modern city.
