Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater has been out for almost a week, and while many players have been enjoying it, including our very own Editor-in-Chief, who gave it a perfect score, I’ve decided to hold off on playing it for now.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Konami, and they probably don’t care about my opinion either. It’s just that playing the remake of Snake Eater right now doesn’t feel right to me yet.
Before you grab your pitchforks and call me a Kojima purist, let me be clear: I’m not saying I’ll "never" play this game. But allow me to explain why I'm holding off for now.
It goes without saying that Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater is one of my favorite PlayStation 2 games of all time, right up there with Kingdom Hearts 2 and the original Persona 4. The pure awe I felt when I first booted it up still lingers in my mind years later. From facing The Cobra Unit, to watching Ocelot show off his revolver tricks, to uncovering all the hidden easter eggs Kojima scattered throughout the game (like spotting The Sorrow lurking in cutscenes), it was an unforgettable experience that deepened my appreciation for video games.
This sounds cheesy, but the original Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater showed me that games could be more than just interactive entertainment. They could be a canvas for someone like Hideo Kojima to go all out and create something truly bizarre and brilliant. Just look at Death Stranding as proof of that.
One of the main reasons I’m holding off on playing Metal Gear Solid Delta is that there’s nothing truly new for me here. Since the game is a faithful 1:1 remake with no major changes, there’s nothing pulling me back in aside from the updated visuals and quality-of-life improvements. Silent Hill 2 Remake is easier for me to justify because it adds fresh elements like improved dialogue, refined combat, and reworked encounters. With Snake Eater, though, I could just boot up the original on the Metal Gear Solid Vol. 1 Collection and get essentially the same experience, just with visuals that are a bit rough around the edges. And honestly, spending $70 for what feels like the same game with fancier graphics is a bit too expensive for me right now.
Of course, this isn’t to discourage anyone else from playing it, especially longtime fans who want to relive their favorite moments from the original. However, part of the appeal of this remake is to bring new players into the franchise, and in that sense, Konami made a smart move. The series needs to make a comeback, and it would be a complete waste to abandon such a money-making machine that Kojima created.
Still, having new players experience Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater for the first time without Kojima’s presence feels a little off. They don’t get the chance to share the experience with the man who brought this world to life, which, in a way, turns the franchise into a shell of its former self without its original creator.
That said, newcomers who want to see why Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid games are held in such high regard are welcome in this Remake. In terms of visuals and accessibility, this is the definitive version of Snake Eater. The game has been completely rebuilt with modern lighting and better overall polish while keeping all the iconic features intact, like its stealth mechanics, mini-games, Codec conversations, and so much more. The faithful 1:1 recreation also gives new fans a chance to truly feel the madness Kojima poured into this game.
I’d love to dive into it eventually, but for now, there are plenty of other games in my backlog calling for my attention. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater can wait, maybe until it goes on sale. I’m simply waiting until I’m in the right headspace to experience this remake again.
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