The first game to feel truly cinematic is back - years after its creator left

Metal Gear is one of the best-selling video game series in history, shifting more than 60 million copies.

The series pioneered cinematics in gaming by blending cutting-edge cutscenes, voice acting and dynamic camera angles to create something that would have looked more at home on the big screen at the time.

Metal Gear tackled themes not commonly seen in games, such as nuclear disarmament and child soldiers, and posed philosophical questions while also leveraging offbeat humour.

The games would often break the fourth wall and ask players to find solutions to puzzles in unusual ways - such as looking on the back cover of the game's physical box.

The series' significant place in gaming history meant fans were stunned when its creator Hideo Kojima quit game publisher Konami in an acrimonious split in 2015.

One of gaming's biggest titles was left directionless - and there's been no game in the best-selling series since.

But now, a decade later, Konami has released a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3.

So what happened between Konami and Kojima, and how does the new game hold up without its original creator?

A few months later, Kojima was gone, and in the years that followed, his former studio pivoted.

"Konami shifted its strategy for a while, away from console games, and focused its efforts on the amusements markets, things like pachinko machines," Mr Dring said.

"They also focused increasingly on mobile."

It meant Konami's other classic franchises like Castlevania and Silent Hill also went without new games for a decade.

Meanwhile, Kojima's new studio signed a blockbuster deal with Sony to develop the monster hit Death Stranding for PlayStation, followed by a sequel this year.

Gaming has pivoted towards remakes in recent years.

High-profile games like Resident Evil 4, Final Fantasy VII and Demon's Souls, all classics in their day, have been remade with the benefits of modern graphics and game design to big fanfare - and strong sales figures.

"It's a hugely lucrative and growing sector," said Mr Dring.

"The industry is getting older, gamers are entering middle age and are nostalgic for classic titles.

Mr Dring points out that one of the best-selling games of the year so far is Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, a remake of a classic Role-Playing Game (RPG) from 2007, selling millions of copies since its release in April.

Konami has begun a return to publishing games by focusing in this area, with a Silent Hill remake coming last year and a new Survival Kids game released earlier in 2025.

So it is a potentially lucrative move - but is Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater the right game to remake?

The brothers said, as lifelong fans of the series, they were "incredibly excited" by the announcement.

The pair are currently playing the remake, and have been "very impressed" by its improved graphics and audio.

They described the game as a "truly a faithful recreation", adding that it improved "the essence of the original without changing its fundamental structure".

So far so good for Metal Gear Solid without Hideo Kojima - which Ras put down to the game being true to the original.

One example he highlights is that the voice performances have been kept the same, and players can choose whether to use the original control scheme or a more modern take.

"There's no doubt it is Kojima's directorial 'genes' that are being dominantly expressed here," he said.

"Kojima expressed a desire to move on from Metal Gear since as early as MGS2 and leave the series in the hands of others to continue.

"It may have taken him another 14 years and five director credits for that to happen, but it is now reality."

And however the remake fares with fans, one household won't be picking up a new copy - Kojima himself has laughed off the suggestion that he would play the new game.

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