I want to preface this by saying like most people, I was upset with the whole situation between Konami and Kojima. I was also let down when Hayter didn't return to voice Big Boss, although that one didn't take long for me to get over. I've played every game in the Metal Gear series, except for PO and the Acid series. With this post, I'm going to lay out why I think people shouldn't overreact just yet. I've seen comments where people are saying this doesn't look like a Metal Gear, or it seems like a simple cash grab. I will be using videos from the MGS series, along with videos from other game series as well. I'm also going to assume no one has seen any of the previous reveal trailers to the Metal Gear series or other titles I share.

So let's start with MGS2, here's the reveal trailer. In it, it looks like we have another adventure with Solid Snake, and it shows a Metal Gear in the trailer as well, seems pretty straightforward. But we know better now don't we, with Raiden actually taking Snake's place as the main character, and with a very confusing plot. Many people were upset at this bait and switch, and so many outright refused to play this game. Now it's often regarded as the best Metal Gear game by fans. One thing you'll notice is missing from this reveal trailer though is that it doesn't show any of the supernatural elements that were present in the game, such as with Vamp and Fortune. in fact, change some names and it could have been an entirely different game.

Next, here's the reveal trailer to Metal Gear Solid 3. Now what in that trailer made it look like a Metal Gear game? By now, fans may have been skeptical with the series, not wanting to be tricked again like with MGS2. But this game went back in time to show us a character that's only been mentioned thus far in the Solid series, Big Boss. It was a prequel, and many fans were upset as they wanted a sequel to whatever it was that happened in the previous game. The trailer made zero mention to any metal gears, and also didn't show any of the antagonists, which all had powers. In my personal opinion, this game strayed furthest from realism, with the sequence with The Sorrow, Volgan, and the other antagonists.

The reveal trailer to MGS 4 isn't too important for this post, but here it is if people want to see it. it sort of falls in with a mix of points from earlier with MGS2 and MGS3, showing a metal gear but not showing any of the supernatural elements of the series, as it's something people probably expected. I will however point out that MGS3 was meant to end the series as explained here, but due to fan demand and wanting answers to the plot points of MGS2, Kojima made MGS4.

When MGS:V was announced, the marketing actually tried to pass itself off as a new IP, created by the fictional studio Moby Dick Studios. Eagle eyed fans however uncovered that it was actually a MGS game.

So now we find ourselves out of the main series of games, and onto the spinoffs, which i won't hang onto too much. Portable Ops had the same gameplay from the other games, nothing major. Peace Walker introduced co op, even though this is a stealth series. I point that out because, at least to me, when I think stealth, I don't want other people to hold me back. But either way I had a blast with Peace Walker, and it's co-op. Now, Metal Gear Acid was a major departure from the series' core gameplay. It was a tactical RPG, using cards. I haven't played it so I can't say too much on it's gameplay besides from videos, but it's a major departure from the Metal Gear we've come to know, but many fans would like a third entry to the series, or a re-release of the previous two. The reveal trailer to Metal Gear Revengeance kicked off with Raiden and some gameplay, and we knew this was going to be another spinoff. It's had a pretty mixed reception, with some even refusing to believe it's canon to the Metal Gear Universe. Gameplay wise though, it was pretty solid, and with a name change it may have even been more successful. It was however was always meant to be a Metal Gear title, so it wasn't just some attempt at a "cash in."

Taking a look at some other games, Halo Reach was the final video game in the series by Bungie, the original developers of the game. Bungie split off from Microsoft, leaving Microsoft with the rights to the series. Now when Halo 4 was announced, people were upset. It wasn't being made by the original creators. In fact, members from as many as 25 different studios worked on this game. Many people thought, and continue to think, that 343 was made up of former Bungie employees, which isn't true. Besides a few key people like Frank O'Connor, who states that at 1:57 of this video that besides a few people, 343 is almost an entirely new team. Halo 4, in my opinion along with a few others, was a misstep. However, Halo 5 was a pretty big success for the company in terms of making a game more in line with the previous games in the series.

One more series I'd like to quickly mention is the Sonic The Hedgehog series. This series has been made by a few different developers. Big Red Button worked on the Sonic Boom game for Wii U, and that game was very poorly received. Sonic Team, the original developers of the series, have also made some stinkers in their own series, such as with Sonic Unleashed and the Wii Sonic games. Many people agreed however that Sonic generations was a good move on their part, returning to form. Now with the new currently untitled Sonic game to be released next year, people were very critical, despite the trailer showing zero gameplay. The trailer however shows both the modern and classic Sonics from their game Sonic Generations, which means perhaps this game will have similar gameplay to that. Nevertheless, people are very critical of it despite seeing and knowing nothing about it.

My main point in all of this it to try to show people that games within the Metal Gear series and other series have had missteps whether they've been made by the same person or company. With Metal Gear Survive, it seems to be more of a spin off, which is not new to this series, rather than a whole new game. With the short trailer we've been given, it seems like they tried to show off the more weird stuff right away, although that could just be because that's essentially all the game is. We don't yet know if this will be an add on to MGS:V, or a standalone purchase. It does however seem to be in similar vein to Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare. Just a fun co op game to enjoy, with characters and gameplay that you've come to know. I feel if Konami were looking for a cash in, they'd have made MGS6 as soon as possible, but maybe this is just to gauge interest in the series' future. Now this game could be fun or the worst game ever, but I feel we should have an open mind. Let's wait to see what the game really is before we bash it.

TL;DR: There have been spin offs in the series before, and there have been game series who've lost their original creators. We've seen that sometimes this could work, and sometimes it's better to let series die, only time will tell. Let's wait to see more before we hate it.