Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-86.46.22.35-20130403153709/@comment-64.33.250.214-20150629165707

Weedle McHairybug wrote:

TheGentlemanGhost wrote: It doesn't make a lot of sense for Keifer to voice anyone that's not BB really at the moment. Him VAing a custom character isn't really as big of a deal compared to it being another main character. Even with it being Solidus, they never made the clones themselves share the same voice as BB anyway.

Why wouldn't it be a secret, esp if it's his idea of what could be done in games that can't be in done in movies that they blatantly kept secret. If Ishmael is ourself, he may actually play an important role in the story, I don't see what's so crazy about Kojima keeping it under wraps.

The beginning of the game apparently has multiple Moby Dick references. Ishmael is the narrator in Moby Dick, hence we see the story from his POV, we see BB being placed into a coma from a completely different character's POV. This First Person POV isn't exactly something MGS uses in cut scenes unless it's from our main character's POV, this is the only other reason I can see why it's used then, because it's us. When Kojima was asked about breaking the 3rd wall again in this game, that's when he went on about his idea of implimenting something that can only be done in games, Ishmael just might be it going of the hints and info thus far. Plus we know we can also play the game with our own DD soldiers other than BB and I doubt we have that awkward BB vs BB moment like we saw in the old MB influtration demo a while back. So that would also explain why the customization is when it's done. I don't know about Yong's explaination of it but I've read 2 other sources saying it was a full facial customization system but then removed that info from their articles online. Everything I've seen it mention from the previewers, they all seem to see it completely different and not really know what it's purpose was since it was a WIP.

There seems to definitely be more evidence pointing to Ishmael possibly being ourselves (customizable character) than anything. Technically, the only clone to not share Big Boss' voice is Liquid Snake. Solidus Snake, while not voiced by David Hayter in the English version, was voiced by Akio Otsuka in the Japanese version. And Big Boss himself obviously shared both voice actors to Snake until Peace Walker (barring Metal Gear Solid 4), and even then, MGSV still has him being voiced by Akio Otsuka. I think the only time Big Boss DIDN'T end up voiced by both of Solid Snake's voice actors in the Japanese and English versions is Metal Gear Solid 4, and in that case, that was deliberately done by Kojima as a means to thaw the ice between Akio and Chikao Otsuka (not to mention even there, Akio Otsuka did motion capture work for Big Boss). As Weedle pointed out, actors have been cast to play multiple roles in the franchise. Hayter voiced Solid and Big Boss, while Akio voiced Solidus, Solid, and Big Boss. The reason why Hayter and Akio didn't voice Liquid may be due to Kojima not having planned for a sequel, where he introduced another clone and decided to let the Japanese VA did both voiced. Or maybe Akio and Hayter weren't adept at English accents. I never much liked the idea of clones having the same voices, because voices aren't determined by genes alone, and it complicates things when actors are recast. But it was a stylized choice for themes Kojima was going for at the time.

Speaking of themes, if Ishmael was meant to be a customizable character, then what about the name? Ishmael's name is important because it references the character in Moby Dick. Normally customization would allow you to name your character. Having a customizable character whose name you can't change goes against the principle of customization. If you could change Ishmael's name, then it would ruin the whole Moby Dick parallel going on in the game.

We know that it does make sense for Keifer to play Solidus, or Ishmael whoever he is. Not only that, but there have also been reports that Akio will voice Ishmael as well. If this is true, then Keifer and Akio will be doing motion capture. Which means they'd have to model Ishmael's head to fit the actors. Completely altering the character's head would not make that a bit tricky. That's why I think the customization is for facial scars, and not to customize a different head.

Character customization has existed for a long time. It's nothing new to games. That's why it doesn't add up that Kojima would keep it totally secret until the game's release. The ability to play as DD characters is likely going to be used for side ops or multiplayer. Peace Walker also allowed multiple players to play as Big Boss, so I doubt BB vs BB is going to be removed.