Satoshi Tajiri was completely captivated. The more he played, the more he discovered the intricate details and deep narrative woven into the game.
When he finally reached the ending, watching the Metal Gear explode on screen and hearing Snake deliver his final radio report—"This is Snake. Mission N313 complete!"—Tajiri felt a sudden, profound sense of loss.
This isn't just a game, he thought.
It's a work of art!
It wasn't like Green Beret, where you just rampaged through enemies. This was a true stealth-action experience, where you had to carefully avoid detection. Within the tiny 256K cartridge, it packed a massive amount of plot—from infiltration and betrayal to assassination—all set across diverse environments like jungles, bases, and coastlines.
Tajiri even found himself feeling a strange sense of kinship with Hideo Kojima.
This guy is a true artist!
Tajiri ran his own gaming strategy magazine called Game Freak. While it wasn't hugely influential, it had a loyal readership. Later, when he created Pokémon, he would use the magazine's staff to form his company.
Now, Tajiri picked up his pen and began to write.
His writing, of course, lacked any real technical skill; it was simply a recount of his own experiences playing the game, interspersed with his personal impressions.
At the end, he even included a brief walkthrough.
It was a guide he had personally tested and refined multiple times, ensuring its viability.
After several revisions, Tajiri Satoshi finally nodded in satisfaction, ready to submit the piece for publication in the magazine.
Atlas has not fallen from grace! he thought. I will vindicate them!
Glancing at the golden statue displayed in his home, Tajiri felt a profound sense of duty: Reviewing games is a responsibility I must uphold!
Nintendo Offices
It was common knowledge that game developers must play games. After all, playing games was a primary source of inspiration.
Miyamoto Shigeru sat with a controller in his hands, lost in thought.
He had just completed Metal Gear. His first reaction to the game was one of utter bewilderment.
For one, the combat was sparse—practically non-existent. The protagonist, Snake, was exactly as Tanimura Masahito had described: lacking both cerebellum and cerebrum. Any random grunt could take him down in an instant.
And yet...
Despite this extreme vulnerability, the game's overall difficulty felt surprisingly low.
As long as the player doesn't act like a complete idiot and wander aimlessly in front of the enemies, they won't get killed. By sticking to the stealth mechanics, the game flows smoothly. The only real challenge is exploring the map.
"So you chose an open exploration map instead of a looping design like Final Fantasy," Miyamoto Shigeru pondered.
But that alone wasn't enough.
While playing, Miyamoto had another realization.
At its core, Metal Gear is a story about infiltrating an enemy camp to destroy a target.
This type of game wasn't rare on the market. Konami's own Green Beret was one such title, and it had sold quite well. Miyamoto had played Green Beret too.
But it didn't evoke this same feeling.
After thinking it over, Miyamoto finally grasped why.
The protagonist in Green Beret was a detached figure. He had a name and a design, but players knew nothing about him other than that he was a tough guy who could carve his way through a map with a knife.
The same applied to Konami's Contra series. They all shared this trait: they had a story, a plot, and characters, but none of it left a lasting impression because everything existed solely to serve the gameplay.
Yet, Metal Gear left Miyamoto Shigeru with a different impression. Through the game's radio conversations, he learned about the cunning Big Boss, the resilient and calm Snake, and the agile Gray Fox. He truly got to know these characters.
Compared to previous games, the character portrayals were far more three-dimensional.
"This is a game built for the long haul! Unlike Green Beret, where the first month's sales represent almost the entire lifetime total, this kind of game is destined to start slow. It's built for the long haul!"
It was just like Final Fantasy.
It needed time for the plot to unfold, for players to savor its unique flavor and immerse themselves in the world, before sales could gradually climb.
Simply put, it was a game that relied on word-of-mouth.
Of course, if Atlus failed to keep up the promotion, the game could still flop. But Atlus was unlikely to fall behind in its marketing.
Miyamoto knew that seemingly lazy young man all too well.
The guy was like a man from the future—a true master of promotion!
With this thought, Miyamoto stood up and began to write his article.
Since he predicted that the game's sales would gradually increase in the long run, he decided to go with the flow and do a favor, fulfilling Hiroshi Yamauchi's request and showing goodwill to Atlas, or rather, to Kobayashi Tetsu.
Metal Gear in My Opinion: A Game That Requires Careful Appreciation
At Konami, Kobayashi Tetsu himself bought some of the negative press releases for Metal Gear, but Konami also contributed a portion.
Competition between games has always been like this! You have to strike your opponent hard!
However, so far, the impact of the attack didn't seem to be very good. Although Hideo Kojima was being criticized everywhere, sales were still steadily rising.
"Ultimately, it's because the quality of the game itself is sufficient, so no matter how much we attack it through its difficulty, we can't hide the essence of the game. More importantly, the reason the game is difficult is that the gameplay is wrong; it's not meant for us to enter the enemy camp and slaughter everyone!"
"This producer named Hideo Kojima is a real character."
Comparing their own Green Beret, Contra, and this Metal Gear, Konami could keenly sense the similarities and differences.
Metal Gear wasn't exciting enough, wasn't fun enough, but that didn't mean the game was bad.
Stealth games themselves have certain strategic requirements.
In a short moment, Konami made a decision.
"Find a way to get someone to contact Hideo Kojima. Send him a letter and see if we can invite him to join Konami!"
You have to understand.
Back in the eighties, Konami was headquartered in Osaka and was the first gaming company in the city to go public. This gave Konami a significant advantage—one that Atlas simply didn't have.
A public company appeared far more professional and legitimate.
From what was known in the industry, Atlas was a very traditional company. It operated under a single-person shareholding system, making it essentially the private property of Kobayashi Tetsu.
Such companies were often family-run businesses, much like Tsuburaya and the old Nintendo.
The company would be passed down from father to son, then from son to grandson.
Generation after generation, no matter how well anyone else performed, they were just high-level employees.
However, after Hiroshi Yamauchi took over, he carried out sweeping reforms at Nintendo. Atlas, on the other hand, had yet to undergo such a transformation.
"Hideo Kojima graduated in Osaka, and Konami is an Osaka-based company. Find a way to send him a letter through the alumni association. Offer him the best terms possible and see if he's willing to join Konami!"
In the end, Konami came to this conclusion.
A high salary was no issue. Even if they poached Hideo Kojima only to fire him a year later, it would still be far more effective than leaving him at Atlas!
When it comes to crushing the competition, you have to stop at nothing!
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