Xbox hosted the Xbox Partner Preview, showing off a long list of games including a first look at Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and the reveals of its graphics, gameplay, and new game engine.
In recent years, companies have chosen to host their own preview broadcasts. This decision comes as a response to the uncertainty surrounding events like E3. Alongside that has been steadily growing enthusiasm surrounding Nintendo’s “Direct” events that spotlight individual games as well as the future of the Nintendo Switch as a whole.
Xbox has been hosting a variety of these events of late, including the Xbox Partner Preview which highlights titles coming from third-party studios. The broadcast featured trailers and gameplay footage from titles including Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Alan Wake 2, and more. The thing that may have generated the most buzz was a first look at Metal Gear Solid Delta’s gameplay including a close look at the graphics.
What is Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater?
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a remake of classic PlayStation 2 game Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
“Delta” is a remake of 2004’s classic Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The story is set in 1964 and follows an operative named Naked Snake. The mission is to rescue a Russian rocket scientist but things go in a radically different direction when former mentor The Boss appears, beats him, and leaves him for dead. Naked Snake needs to recover from those injuries, complete the original mission, and unravel the mystery of why The Boss turned.
Konami announced the remake in May 2023. This is the first large-scale project by Konami in the franchise since 2018. The last release in the series, Metal Gear Survive, was a commercial flop that received generally negative response from fans and critics. It took the gameplay and engine of Metal Gear Solid 5, then turned the game into a co-op zombie apocalypse game with a live service model.
The studio has been re-releasing many of its classic games in the last year. The first three Metal Gear Solid games have been remastered on modern consoles, and Metal Gear Solid 4, 5, and Peace Walker could soon see the same treatment.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater will use Unreal Engine 5
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is powered by Unreal Engine 5 and not the Fox Engine used for Metal Gear Solid 5 and Metal Gear Survive.
Fox Engine was made by Kojima Productions, the studio named for Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima. Kojima and Konami had a public fallout after the release of Metal Gear Solid 5, with Kojima making his studio independent while the Fox Engine was left in Konami’s care. The Fox Engine being unused outside of Konami’s soccer games.
While Metal Gear fans have been disappointed with the Fox Engine possibly being sunsetted, reactions were positive to Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater in Unreal Engine 5. The trailer shows thick vegetation, and detailed textures, including mud and water. Snake can be seen crouch-walking with clumps of mud dripping off him and dust kicking up as he walks.
While these changes make the game feel like a completely different experience, not everything is new. The game is reusing the voice actors’ audio from the original release. This is an interesting choice in the current climate where video game performers are calling for more protection in the workplace, though original Snake voice actor David Hayter has appeared in promotional materials for the game.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater will be available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The release date hasn’t been announced yet.
