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[Edzi]

Hayter was awful in Peace Walker and I'm glad I didn't have to listen to a second of that growling nonsense voice in Ground Zeroes or The Phantom Pain.

Kiefer might have been boring but he didn't sound like a joke. Hayter's Snake voice is a parody of itself at this point.

Dude, we get it, he wasn't great in PW. That doesn't change the fact that he is the voice of Snake/BB for most of the fanbase.

 

[Professor Renegade]

Spoiler

I mean it's not like he would have voiced Big Boss anyway.

 

[MMarston]

I'm not a huge Metal gear guy, but is Hayter's work in the series regarded as good? I mean his voice is iconic but I don't really think his performance is stellar in really any of the games.

It's not award winning acting, but he's definitely done way better than Snake.

Shit, that one casual stint he did in a Gundam OVA was better than Snake.

 

[ZeroX03]

On the bright side, he's a mother fucking shark now.

 

[Ridley327]

This doesn't even make sense. Of course we'd be having the same conversation for the other actor lol

Like someone saying "Anyone can do Mario, Charles Martinet is easily replaceable, imagine if he had never done the voice" and you'd get laughed out of the thread.

That's the point I'm getting at: any VA could have been Snake, which is to point out that whoever voiced Snake is not the reason why the series has endured.

 

[Wereroku]

I think its pretty fucked how you just jump to "I bet Kojima cant even speak english. He wouldnt even be able to tell if Sutherland is better or not"

Well he is Japanese I don't assume people know english just because they do work internationally. He always communicates through an interpreter for any long discussion so I was just assuming he may know some but isn't fluent.

I mean hell I know some japanese but I couldn't tell you if an anime VA was any good.

 

[Zee-Row]

I just can't believe you replace Hayter with Sutherland and waste his talent by having him hardly talk in MGSV. I know he talks more in the tapes but it's nowhere near the amount dialog Snake speaks in previous games. You basically paid an actor millions to be a silent protagonist.

 

[spazchicken]

I think its pretty fucked how you just jump to "I bet Kojima cant even speak english. He wouldnt even be able to tell if Sutherland is better or not"

I think it's a pretty valid question. I've seen plenty of Kojima interviews and have yet to hear him speak English in any of them. And even if he does speak English, the question of if he speaks it well enough to be able to tell good English acting from bad, is still very valid.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

hayter doesn't know kojima as a person? after all those years of working with him? really?

I love the way so many assume Kojima is a cool guy. To me it seems more like the opposite.

 

[mocolostrocolos]

Spoiler

I mean it's not like he would have voiced Big Boss anyway.

That's the point, he should've.

 

[Obscura]

Though I was saddened to hear he wouldn't be reprising his role as Snake in MGSV I can't help but feel like he's being immature about it. It's over. Don't say things like "I'll never work with one of the best minds in the business again". They wanted a "bigger" game and that meant a (shitty) name actor. It's not uncommon for an iconic tv/film character to be re-cast so there is a precedent for it in the entertainment industry.

I would have loved if Kurt Russell voiced Snake in MGS3. Snake Pliskin voicing his video game child would have been cosmically beautiful.

I love the way so many assume Kojima is a cool guy. To me it seems more like the opposite.

What a strange thing to say in reply to what you quoted. Not saying Kojima is a "cool guy" but maybe Hayter didn't know him because he was in a vocal booth, did his job and went home as opposed to developing the game alongside Kojima.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

That's the point I'm getting at: any VA could have been Snake, which is to point out that whoever voiced Snake is not the reason why the series has endured.

We have no way of knowing that. Hayter is a part of Snake's character. MGSV is pretty jarring to not have Hayter.

And I'm just a casual player of the MGS series, and even I think Snake's voice in MGSV is way off. It doesn't even feel like Snake at all.

 

[Tesseract]

You aren't explaining how exactly that has anything to do with with Kojima's ego. He obviously wasn't all that impressed with Hayter's voice acting and wanted to replace him. How does that say anything about his ego? Keep in mind that Akio Otsuka, Snake's Japanese voice actor, has voiced him in every single game. So he's not someone looking to replace everyone, he specifically wanted Hayter out of there.

he wanted sutherland, he wanted hollywood

it was an ego stroke, nothing more

fission mailbox

 

[pupcoffee]

I hope Hayter (and the gaming media) moves on. It's been half a decade since he was not-involved in Metal Gear.

 

[NinjaCoachZ]

Well he is Japanese I don't assume people know english just because they do work internationally. He always communicates through an interpreter for any long discussion so I was just assuming he may know some but isn't fluent.

I mean hell I know some japanese but I couldn't tell you if an anime VA was any good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbPov9f5_lU

^I don't like how the title calls it "Engrish", but overall he's pretty good.

 

[entremet]

I think it's a pretty valid question. I've seen plenty of Kojima interviews and have yet to hear him speak English in any of them. And even if he does speak English, the question of if he speaks it well enough to be able to tell good English acting from bad, is still very valid.

Kojima is a huge American movie fan, though. I'm sure he has an ear for English sounding voices and acting.

 

[bender]

Kiefer might have been boring but he didn't sound like a joke. Hayter's Snake voice is a parody of itself at this point.

I think I'd rather have the parody of itself over the performance that Sutherland delivered. It just screamed, "I don't give a shit." Granted, the script did him no favors.

 

[Lemondish]

Hayter just jelly his scripts can't compare to Kojima's.

Nothing compares to Kojima's scripts, for better or worse.

Hoping to see a fresh face take over Metal Gear, personally. They'd likely try and make things right with Hayter, and might actually try and make things right with the fans. MGS5 was baaaaaad.

 

[spazchicken]

I hope Hayter (and the gaming media) moves on. It's been half a decade since he was not-involved in Metal Gear.

In a world where games take half a decade to develop, I'm not sure if that's a lot of time.

 

[NoctisVsStar]

I love the way so many assume Kojima is a cool guy. To me it seems more like the opposite.

they haven't met before so this is ultimately a non issue, compared to Akio that's different since he actually provided feedback and has a personal relationship with Kojima. Don't get wrong I was mad when hayter wasn't there, however it's a issue for us fans but for Kojima I doubt he even cares.

 

[BiGBoSSMk23]

MGS4 was not great either. He's gotten worse over time.

I still like him better though

He's still fully capable of delivering MGS1 Snake goodness. Listen to his VO in DA Inquisition.

It's all about the direction he's given.

 

[mocolostrocolos]

I think it's a pretty valid question. I've seen plenty of Kojima interviews and have yet to hear him speak English in any of them. And even if he does speak English, the question of if he speaks it well enough to be able to tell good English acting from bad, is still very valid.

Well, I had the chance to speak to Kojima a few years ago (actually during MGS4 promotion in Spain), and by then, he didn't speak fluently.

I can't say if he has improved his English skills in the last 8 years, but since he's been traveling around the world with a fluent Japanese spoken man as Cerny, I don't think he took the lead on the conversations he has abroad Japan.

 

[foxuzamaki]

He wasn't fired, he assumed he would be reprising the role. He's been very immature about it and the way the internet consistently takes is side is strange to me.

I dont see how Sutherland made MGSV a worse game.

This is why VA's get treated like shit, like power puff girls reboot, all 3 of the original VAs are still alive and well, but werent even contacted to reprise their roll at all.

 

[Creaking]

On the bright side, he's a mother fucking shark now.

Glad that Street Sharks reboot really took off.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

I don't know about all that but I do believe Kojima could possibly have quite an ego. He has to have his name on everything and even two companies named after him. I've never seen a Zelda game with "A Miyamoto Game" on the front of the box.

Dude seems calm and humble in pictures but you never know. Just my take.

sid meir must be an asshole then

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

I think it's a pretty valid question. I've seen plenty of Kojima interviews and have yet to hear him speak English in any of them. And even if he does speak English, the question of if he speaks it well enough to be able to tell good English acting from bad, is still very valid.

That poster isn't really asking a question though, he's assuming Kojima isn't intelligent enough to understand English and that his decision to replace Hayter is based on his own ego and desire to go Hollywood rather than the decline in Hayter's work as Snake.

Kojima's given a few interviews in English and has an English Twitter in addition to his Japanese Twitter, but I doubt anything would convince someone so seemingly determined to dislike Kojima.

 

[Wereroku]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbPov9f5_lU

^I don't like how the title calls it "Engrish", but overall he's pretty good.

Yes he does seem to have some ability to speak english but does he know conversational english well enough to gauge an actors performance. I mean hell we know he wasn't involved with any of the earlier english casting and most of his decisions seem to involve getting a big name in the role. Being able to understand and speak some of it doesn't mean you know it well enough to understand a large amount of dialogue.

 

[Outrun]

he wanted sutherland, he wanted hollywood

it was an ego stroke, nothing more

fission mailbox

I have to agree.

If we got an upgrade in voice acting dept. I could understand.... But all we got was a famous name.

 

[sappyday]

The thing that pisses me off is that Kojima simply wanted a bigger name to voice Snake. I bet you if he could get Kurt Russel over Sutherland then he would, despite the fact that Hayter is pretty much Snake and made Snake into what he is.

Hayter was shit in PW and even in MGS3-4 but slap some sense into him and make him tone it down to his MGS1-2 days. It would've fit just fine in MGSV.

 

[WrenchNinja]

That poster isn't really asking a question though, he's assuming Kojima isn't intelligent enough to understand English and that his decision to replace Hayter is based on his own ego and desire to go Hollywood rather than the decline in Hayter's work as Snake.

Kojima's given a few interviews in English and has an English Twitter in addition to his Japanese Twitter, but I doubt anything would convince someone so seemingly determined to dislike Kojima.

His english twitter is nonsense and food pics lmao

 

[Sean]

Actors get replaced all the time. They usually wish their replacement good luck and move on with their lives. Hayter is doing the complete opposite here, acting like a jealous ex. Not a good look for him.

 

[Crimsonclaw111]

Would've made sense to keep Hayter for at least Ground Zeroes and the intro to V.

 

[10k]

At the end of the day, Hayter won by not being part of that abomination of a story that was MGSV.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

Kojima blessed him by not putting him in MGSV.

 

[entremet]

I'm pretty surprised that Hayter is so attached to Snake.

I thought he would view Snake as a dumb video game character and move on. It warms my heart that he feels so connected to the character lol.

This seems common with VA, though.

 

[NinjaCoachZ]

Yes he does seem to have some ability to speak english but does he know conversational english well enough to gauge an actors performance. I mean hell we know he wasn't involved with any of the earlier english casting and most of his decisions seem to involve getting a big name in the role. Being able to understand and speak some of it doesn't mean you know it well enough to understand a large amount of dialogue.

FWIW he also writes the English translation of his tweets himself, and plus he loves western media (music, movies, etc.) And in Japan most people learn at least basic English in school. I don't think it's too farfetched that he understands it decently enough.

His english twitter is nonsense and food pics lmao

I mean sure, he may not be fluent, you have to at least give him respect for doing his best, as with anyone learning a second language.

 

[NoctisVsStar]

The thing that pisses me off is that Kojima simply wanted a bigger name to voice Snake. I bet you if he could get Kurt Russel over Sutherland then he would, despite the fact that Hayter is pretty much Snake and made Snake into what he is.

Hayter was shit in PW and even in MGS3-4 but slap some sense into him and make him tone it down to his MGS1-2 days. It would've fit just fine in MGSV.

Of course he would any day of the week.

 

[Zee-Row]

I can't recall where I read this at but I'm pretty sure there was a Kojima interview (Pre-MGS4) where Kojima had said that he preferred the English voices including Hayter's snake. That's usually why the Japanese versions of Metal Gear solid intergal and MGS2 Substance had the English dub in their Japanese releases replace the Japanese voices.

 

[Ridley327]

At the end of the day, Hayter won by not being part of that abomination of a story that was MGSV.

Considering the movie he was working on during the time that the recording for MGS5 took place, I'm not sure Hayter was that much better off.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

Though I was saddened to hear he wouldn't be reprising his role as Snake in MGSV I can't help but feel like he's being immature about it. It's over. Don't say things like "I'll never work with one of the best minds in the business again". They wanted a "bigger" game and that meant a (shitty) name actor. It's not uncommon for an iconic tv/film character to be re-cast so there is a precedent for it in the entertainment industry.

I would have loved if Kurt Russell voiced Snake in MGS3. Snake Pliskin voicing his video game child would have been cosmically beautiful.



What a strange thing to say in reply to what you quoted. Not saying Kojima is a "cool guy" but maybe Hayter didn't know him because he was in a vocal booth, did his job and went home as opposed to developing the game alongside Kojima.

they haven't met before so this is ultimately a non issue, compared to Akio that's different since he actually provided feedback and has a personal relationship with Kojima. Don't get wrong I was mad when hayter wasn't there, however it's a issue for us fans but for Kojima I doubt he even cares.

I find it baffling that you don't see an issue that the director of a major game franchise has never even met the voice actor whom his main protagonist is synonymous with and been the voice for for well over a decade.

You guys are taking the piss right?

 

[Wereroku]

That poster isn't really asking a question though, he's assuming Kojima isn't intelligent enough to understand English and that his decision to replace Hayter is based on his own ego and desire to go Hollywood rather than the decline in Hayter's work as Snake.

Kojima's given a few interviews in English and has an English Twitter in addition to his Japanese Twitter, but I doubt anything would convince someone so seemingly determined to dislike Kojima.

Really fuck you man I wasn't questioning his intelligence. That has nothing to do with speaking multiple languages. I was questioning if he has enough knowledge of the language to actually judge an actors performance. I can watch a movie in spanish right now and have no idea how good the actor actually is. Being unable to understand a language completely will render many subtle things worthless.

FWIW he also writes the English translation of his tweets himself, and plus he loves western media (music, movies, etc.) And in Japan most people learn at least basic English in school. I don't think it's too farfetched that he understands it decently enough.

I mean sure, he may not be fluent, you have to at least give him respect for doing his best, as with anyone learning a second language.

English as a school curriculum was a pretty recent thing many of the older generation don't speak english at all. Also learning the language in school doesn't mean you are fluent in it. They teach spanish for 4 years in many US schools and I doubt any of them could communicate with a native speaker.

 

[SolicitorPirate]

I'm pretty surprised that Hayter is so attached to Snake.

I thought he would view Snake as a dumb video game character and move on. It warms my heart that he feels so connected to the character lol.

This seems common with VA, though.

Didn't he used to write MGS fanfics? Or was that just a dumb rumour that grew out of hand?

 

[Kinsei]

I'm pretty surprised that Hayter is so attached to Snake.

I thought he would view Snake as a dumb video game character and move on. It warms my heart that he feels so connected to the character lol.

This seems common with VA, though.

I'd imagine that if you played a character for over a decade you'd be attached to it no matter what the medium was.

 

[spazchicken]

sid meir must be an asshole then

I can see making a brand from your name and placing it in a spot or two but K is overkill with it. But maybe that's how you go from being known to just being employee 3,591. I'm in no position to say what he's doing is wrong because it's working for him.

That poster isn't really asking a question though, he's assuming Kojima isn't intelligent enough to understand English and that his decision to replace Hayter is based on his own ego and desire to go Hollywood rather than the decline in Hayter's work as Snake.

Kojima's given a few interviews in English and has an English Twitter in addition to his Japanese Twitter, but I doubt anything would convince someone so seemingly determined to dislike Kojima.

Ah, I see.

 

[NoctisVsStar]

I find it baffling that you don't see an issue that the director of a major game franchise has never even met the voice actor whom his main protagonist is synonymous with and been the voice for for well over a decade.

You guys are taking the piss right?

Like I said Hayter >>>>>>> Keifer any day of the week, what I'm saying is Kojima doesn't particular care and he never had a relationship with him to begin with, in short he had no love lost for Hayter. He wants those big Hollywood names is all I'm saying for better or worse.

 

[foxuzamaki]

That poster isn't really asking a question though, he's assuming Kojima isn't intelligent enough to understand English and that his decision to replace Hayter is based on his own ego and desire to go Hollywood rather than the decline in Hayter's work as Snake.

Kojima's given a few interviews in English and has an English Twitter in addition to his Japanese Twitter, but I doubt anything would convince someone so seemingly determined to dislike Kojima.

If i were to point you towards a subbed anime and then ask you if the actors in the show were giving a great and oustanding performance, would you be able to genuinely tell me if it is one?

 

[Death Metalist]

Hayter as Solid Snake to me is like Conroy as Batman. I grew up with their voices and it's the only voices I hear whenever I see pictures of the characters. People can hate as much as they want but that's the way I feel about them embodying the characters, they make the characters to me. Adore both.

Having said that, Kiefer wasn't bad at all and I enjoyed his performance but man was he underused. I don't know about this drama between Hayter and Kojima so I can't judge, we may never know what the fuck happened exactly during the development of MGSV. One thing is for sure though that it seems to be batshit crazy and we're lucky we got a game in the end, a superb one at that.

 

[Ratrat]

Wow. Kotaku really trying to stir shit.

 

[GreyOcelot]

I'm pretty surprised that Hayter is so attached to Snake.

I thought he would view Snake as a dumb video game character and move on. It warms my heart that he feels so connected to the character lol.

This seems common with VA, though.

wut. hayter is an absolute nobody without MGS. that's 99% of his fame. he knows that and is bitter that he was replaced, particularity considering when he's seen in public 99% of the time it's because of his role as solid snake. it sucks he had to go through that, and i feel for him. but he's way too salty about and has handled it poorly from the start

 

[SolidSnakex]

Like I said Hayter >>>>>>> Keifer any day of the week, what I'm saying is Kojima doesn't particular care and he never had a relationship with him to begin with, in short he had no love lost for Hayter. He wants those big Hollywood names is all I'm saying for better or worse.

So what if he does? It's his franchise.