Metal Gear Solid’s E3 Reveal and Its Impact on Syphon Filter Team
Background: Metal Gear Solid, a PS1 masterpiece, made an unforgettable impression at its 1997 E3 reveal. Meanwhile, Syphon Filter was a rival title in the stealth action genre that faced significant competition from Kojima’s creation.
Key Points:
- Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid showcased its iconic trailer on a giant jumbotron screen, leading to intense viewing experiences at every hour of E3. It captivated large crowds with its cinematic gameplay and camera angles, setting it apart as an industry-level production.
Impact: The Syphon Filter team experienced a wave of despair after witnessing the trailer, recognizing that Metal Gear Solid was excelling in many areas they were focusing on. Richard Ham, now at Sony Bend (formerly Eidetic), acknowledged that Konami had executed elements such as cinematic gameplay and camera locks better than his team had achieved.
Outcome: Despite this challenge, Syphon Filter managed to perform well in the market and went on to release five sequels. This competition helped set a benchmark for action stealth games but didn’t overshadow its own unique qualities.
Do you think the Syphon Filter sequels would have been as good as they were if it hadn’t have been for this experience?
In the long run Metal Gear certainly outshined them, but I think the Syphon Filter games were ultimately very different and so it wasn’t like one was just a better execution and you had to ignore the other.
One of my favorite little bits of goofy trivia between both series though was the joke in the dialog of MGS 3 : Subsistence where Snake asks the Colonel why “Sam” (presumably Sam Fisher of the Splinter Cell series) or “Gabe” (presumably Syphon Filter’s protagonist) couldn’t do the Ape Escape side mission instead since Snake said it wasn’t really his “thing.”