Kojima talks Metal Gear 4

Hideo Kojima has revealed some more details of the fourth instalment in the Metal Gear Solid series, including news that Revolver Ocelot will be back and ready to take on Snake once again.

Speaking to Hyper PlayStation magazine, Kojima explained that although Snake appears very old in the MGS4 trailer, this doesn't mean the game is set decades after MGS2. It's simply that as Big Boss's clone, Snake ages extra quickly - hence he's all grey and wrinkly long before his time. That's not to say that the other characters haven't aged at all though - Otacon, for example, does have a few more years on him, though he's still looking young and sprightly next to Snake.

One of the game's main themes is "No place to hide," and Kojima explains that there is more than one meaning implied by this. First off, MGS4 sees Snake in the heart of an enemy base during a war where buildings are continually being damaged and obliterated - so very often, he'll find that there is literally no place to hide.

Also, Snake can make alliances with difference countries for protection - so if he wants to infiltrate a particular country, he might kill one of their enemies and thus win their favour. In this instance, there's no need to hide, do you see? Hmm.

Kojima also talked about the psychological warfare element of MGS4, admitting that enemies tended to behave unrealistically in previous games, acting simply as cold-blooded killers who knew no fear. But now you can psyche them out a bit - for example, by making a noise which freaks them and puts them on edge, leaving them unprepared for battle.

It's not yet known just how important this element will be to the game, but Kojima is working on it and has hired Mori Motosada - a military advisor who also worked on the previous MGS games - to help him out.

You can read more about Metal Gear Solid 4 in our recent preview.