MGS4 is for the fans, says Kojima

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima's given a gold-dust interview to IGN (watch it after the link), saying that Metal Gear Solid 4 has been made for those that have followed the series for the past decade, and admitting his relief that the game is about to launch.

"It's been ten years since Metal Gear Solid was released in the US for the first time," said the Japanese dev legend. "People who are experiencing Metal Gear Solid for the first time will enjoy it, but it also adds more enjoyment to the people who have followed MGS for ten years, because you can always look back and think about what you were doing ten years ago, or five years ago, and look back to your life, to yourself.

"I want people to play MGS4 and feel what they were doing ten years ago, or four years ago... I've chucked all those elements in there, so you could look back to your life, to yourself, so that you can absorb that and go beyond that in the future as well. That's the part where I emphasise it is for the users. It is for the people who love the Metal Gear series."

He added: "We finally finished creating the game, and also we got assurance that we can release the game simultaneously worldwide. That's why overall I said I'm relieved not. But also I'm kind of excited and nervous and how [the game will] be perceived."

Other topics covered in the chat are the inclusion of an iPod in the game, the Assassin's Creed costume and lessons learned from the MGO beta. Must-watch.