For years, David Hayter provided Snake with his iconic gravelly voice. He has now stated that he has "forgiven" series creator Hideo Kojima for not casting him in 2015's Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain—after finally experiencing the "amazing" game for himself.
Back when he was replaced by Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland, Hayter admitted that playing the game at the time would have felt like "60 hours of humiliation." He had added, "I don't have any particular affection for Kojima. I don't feel the need to ever work with him again."
Now, with the benefit of time, Hayter told PC Gamer, "Well, I was reluctant. I didn't want to play the game because I thought it would upset me. But after a decade passed, I thought, 'Ah, forget my feelings. Why should I care?' [...] I'm a screenwriter; getting fired is part of the job. I inevitably get let go from every project, and I'm not a child."
"I told myself, 'Stop acting like a baby and just play the game.' So I did. And it's amazing."
Hayter also says he's "forgiven" Sutherland. After running into him at a bar in Dallas, Hayter and Sutherland "had several drinks together." "He's a great guy, you know? No hard feelings. All is forgiven," Hayter explained.
So why does Hayter hold Phantom Pain in such high regard?
"The fact that you can replay the same mission, with the enemy behaving the same way, but approach it from different angles or with entirely new tactics, makes it feel like time travel… That was really badass. So as far as I'm concerned, all is forgiven."
We also considered it a masterpiece, noting in IGN's 10/10 Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain review: "The Phantom Pain is the kind of game I never thought I'd see—one where every single gameplay detail serves a purpose. While its lighter emphasis on narrative may split longtime Metal Gear fans, the resulting focus on my own personal stories of espionage and action easily makes it my favorite entry in the series."
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