Hollywood talent bolsters Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Konami of Europe will release the eagerly awaited Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater for PlayStation 2 on March 4th, with the game further blurring the lines between video games and movies with its impressive musical score, vocal talents and production values.

Series creator and director Hideo Kojima enjoys a love of cinema that has influenced his body of work since his childhood, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater ranks as Kojima's most ambitious and polished release to date. Moving from the series' famed urban environments into a world of jungles, caves and swamps, the Cold War-set game sees its hero, Snake, embarking on a mission to rescue a defecting scientist from his captors. But, via a script that boasts a series of inventive twists and turns, Snake finds himself embroiled in crosses and double-crosses that are tightly linked to a character from his past.

During the production of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Kojima has again assembled a dream team of talent to ensure the series continues to evolve and mirror the production values of many of today's big screen epics. David Hayter, a renowned voice-over actor and himself a successful scriptwriter with the likes of 'X-Men', 'X-Men 2' and 'The Scorpion King' to his name, again provides Snake's voice. "Snake is one of the most dynamic characters in video game history," says Hayter. "I've always enjoyed developing characters and creatively exploring their personalities in my screenplays. Working with Kojima to bring this ultra-cool character to life has been a truly rewarding professional experience and certainly one of the top roles I have ever done."

Also returning to Snake Eater is musician Harry Gregson-Williams, who has provided the score for the jungle-based epic and has created scores for some of Hollywood's biggest films. Gregson-Williams' impressive CV includes the two 'Shrek' films and 'Enemy of the State', while his more recent credits include 'Team America: World Police', 'Man on Fire' and 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.' Kojima and Gregson-Williams first worked together for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty after the director heard Gregson-Williams' score for 'The Replacement Killers', and the musician has reveled in the new settings in Snake Eater.

"Instead of focusing on the time period in which the game takes place, I have created a soundtrack that is respectful of the pre-existing Metal Gear Solid taste," says Gregson-Williams. "The music enhances each of the various layers of the game and augments the overall storyline. It has been a pleasure working with Hideo Kojima as he truly understands the importance of music in setting the tone for any story."

In keeping with Kojima's cinematic vision for Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the game also boasts a stunning introductory sequence realised by renowned director/producer, Kyle Cooper. Cooper has produced intro sequences for over 150 features, including 'Seven', 'Spiderman', 'Mission: Impossible' and the 2004 'Dawn of the Dead' remake. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater marks something new for even Cooper, however, with the game's fully interactive title sequence giving the player control over what they see.

For Snake Eater, Cooper has paid homage to the spy movies of the 60s - the era the new game is set in. "Working with Kojima on Metal Gear Solid 3 has given me the rare opportunity to push the boundaries of the lead-ins I traditionally create for television and movies, resulting in a new style of visual story-telling that cannot be recreated on the silver screen," Cooper explains. "Unlike those for feature films or TV, the intro sequence for Metal Gear Solid 3 is fully interactive and allows players to be part of the experience, not just a spectator."

Released on March 4th exclusively for PlayStation 2, the European versions of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater also feature elements unseen in the existing Japanese and US version. A new 'Demo Theatre' further showcases the visual talent that recently saw Kojima-san awarded the prestigious Legend Award by the G4TV 24 hour video game TV network in the US, while an 'Extreme' difficulty mode and a challenge to defeat the game's many 'Boss' adversaries also premieres.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is released for PlayStation 2 on March 4th, 2005. For more information, please contact Steve Merrett at Voltage PR on 020 7903 5122 or email steve@voltagepr.com.