Neither Snake voice actor David Hayter nor Metal Gear series producer Noriaki Okamura see the upcoming Snake Eater remake as a replacement of the original.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a remake in the most literal sense of the word. Konami seemingly not keen on incurring the wrath of the series' fanbase after the past 10 years following the Kojima and Konami controversy has seemingly made the remake almost 1:1 with the 2004 original, to a standard the series' producer called "almost too faithful." Aside from some upgrades to graphical fidelity and controls, everything in the game remains as it was in Metal Gear Solid 3 (even down to the 2004 voice recordings being reused).
However, despite being made to be the original game but looking and playing better, neither Okamura or Hayter see it as an outright replacement.
Speaking to PC Gamer magazine (Issue 413), both Okamura and Hayter are asked whether they view Metal Gear Solid Delta as a compliment or replacement for the original Snake Eater. Okamura says he views it as both, which is why Konami re-released the original after the remake had already been announced as part of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection.
"For new users who are just getting started with the MGS series, MGS Delta may be more familiar. For long-time MGS series fans, the Master collection version may feel superior," he says. Okamura adds that as far as it being a replacement goes, "we would like to leave that decision up to the players themselves."
Hayter – who recorded some new lines for the remake for continuity with the new control scheme – on the other hand says, "I was literally playing the original Metal Gear Solid a couple days ago, and it's still a banger." He adds, "Will [Delta] replace [MGS3]? I don't know. I just think it's a different, upgraded version."
Personally, I think no matter how good Delta is, I can't see myself using it to replace what I think is the best game ever made. But the way Konami has gone about it and made the original version available to assure players can still experience it is a great move that I wish more remakes (like Konami's Silent Hill 2) did… even if it matters way less for Delta considering how similar it looks to be to the original.
