The announcement of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater has a lot of implications. It opens up the avenue for other Metal Gear remakes. These remakes can improve multiple aspects of their original counterparts that include but are not limited to graphics and gameplay. One of the biggest ways Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater can deliver the quintessential Metal Gear experience is by bringing back the original voice cast.
While the trailer was the highlight of the recent PlayStation Showcase, most have yet to realize that Konami has confirmed the original voice cast will be returning for the Metal Gear game. The English voice case for Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater features some strong actors. From Lori Alan's powerful performance as The Boss to Josh Keaton's inexperienced Oceleot, each cast member did such a good job that their characters would be incomplete without their voices. But arguably the most sought-after voice for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater has to be the man behind Snake's words, David Hayter.
David Hayter Can Use More Recent Metal Gear Games As A Basis For Snake
At first glance, David Hayter's performance as the Snake who would become Big Boss is none too different from his portrayal of Solid Snake - the former's clone. Both have a gruff, grizzled tone to their voices and are dead set on accomplishing the tasks assigned to them. But something about Big Boss changes after Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater's prologue. The defection of The Boss to the Russians shakes him to his core, and he becomes more cautious around supposed allies like Eva and Nikolai Sokolov. This uneasiness culminates in a final confrontation with The Boss as Big Boss is forced to eliminate her for the good of his country.
With the number of Metal Gear games released post-Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, David Hayter now has a bigger grasp on the character of Big Boss. After Operation Snake Eater, Big Boss eventually cuts ties with the United States of America and forms Outer Heaven. He becomes jaded and sees himself and his fellow soldiers as dogs of war that have been misused and abused by their former countries.
The general information regarding these events might have been known pre-Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater but the games that came after revealed more minute details. Big Boss's treatment of child soldiers is shown on full display in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. The game also shows how he views nuclear weapons as a deterrent rather than a threat. It's these tidbits of the later games that show Big Boss's transformation from war hero to villain. Using Big Boss's experience both before and after Operation Snake Eater, David Hayter can further flesh out Big Boss's character through his voice.
Kojima's Decision To Replace Hayter With Kiefer Sutherland Has A Chance To Be Undone
When series creator Hideo Kojima decided to go with actor Kiefer Sutherland as the voice of Big Boss for Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, fans were understandably upset. David Hayter had been voicing Solid Snake and Big Boss for so long that he had become inseparable from the characters. His unique voice and understanding of the lore of Metal Gear helped him bring out the best in his characters - something Keifer Sutherland seemed to struggle with.
By comparison, Sutherland's portrayal of Big Boss was cold. lifeless, and unnaturally reserved. This might be how Kojima wrote the character, but compared to Hayter's performances, Sutherland's Big Boss falls flat. Others would argue that the Big Boss players control for the majority of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain isn't who he says he is, but the other characters Sutherland plays also suffer from the same problems. David Hayter returning to the Metal Gear series means that fans will be controlling a version of Snake that they know and love, which is a big win for the upcoming remake.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.