Kojima's blog now in English

Hideo Kojima's Japanese blog is being translated into English - giving us a chance to quote direct from the Metal Gear Solid creator's online musings rather than relying on unofficial translations.

Although the official version is a bit behind current updates - currently just a week from September 24th to 29th - it's already an interesting read, touching on various post-TGS subjects including press reaction to Metal Gear Solid 4 and ongoing development of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence.

The earliest entry touches on a variety of subjects, revealing how Starsailor wound up on the MGS3 soundtrack entirely by accident, talking about the camera's role in Subsistence - Kojima-san says he still hasn't decided about doing two camera types in MGS4 - and touching on the use of elevators in the series, originally inspired, he says, by their use in Dawn of the Dead.

The tone is universally reflective. "If our children today don't have any dreams, we creators are guilty for not giving them dreams. We are culpable. We must create a dream to leave behind for the sake of our children," he writes. The Anglicised blog also includes his previously translated entry about transferring the will of MGS onto new generation of gamers and his staff, summing up why he returned to production on MGS. "I enjoy creating games. I want to hang on to the creative experience. I only have to prove that I have the willpower to do so. The image of Grandpa Snake is a reflection of the determination of this middle-aged man."

It's an interesting read throughout, and well worth checking out.