Metal Gear Solid Snake actor David Hayter didn't understand all of Hideo Kojima's story while recording, but says he didn't need to: "That's what makes Metal Gear, Metal Gear"

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Despite being the star of the series, Metal Gear Solid actor David Hayter says he doesn't fully understand the story of the series either.

Speaking to Fall Damage, Hayter is asked about the series' storyline, responding, "Do I understand the story of Metal Gear Solid? Uh, basically I do; Do I understand all of it? Absolutely not," adding, "I didn't understand all of it while we were recording it."

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"I'd be like, 'What does this mean?' and they'd say, 'just say it. And I'd be like, 'Okay.'" Hayter recalls. But he doesn't begrudge the series for it, as he adds, "again, that's what makes Metal Gear, Metal Gear." Hayter explains, "There's more information. There's more character development. There's more detail to the story than you can ever possibly absorb, no matter how many times you play it." He adds, "that's what makes the world feel real and rich and lovable."

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Metal Gear is one of those series that gets hit with the 'nonsensical story' stick often, and while it does venture into some wild territory, the core storyline has always been pretty easy to follow. Not to mention it takes place across seven canon games, so we're hardly talking about Kingdom Hearts or Persona, where a golf spinoff would somehow be canon.

Although even the most hardcore of Metal Gear fans like myself will admit that it got a touch convoluted around Metal Gear Solid 4, with elements like a possessed character actually just brainwashing themselves to think they were possessed for two games, a character who was immune to the villain's greatest weapon because he has chronic IBS, and some frankly dumb retcons to tie things into other games.

Metal Gear Solid's Snake actor didn't want to sound like the character Hideo Kojima took so much inspiration from it reportedly nearly got him sued

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Scott McCraeContributor

Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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