Konami Magazine Volume 4: Metal Gear Solid preview and Policenauts The Best reissue (September 1997)
Metal Gear & Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
AWACS(早期警戒管制機)E-3A内に仮設された臨時指揮所で、国防省長官ジム・ハウスマンは額の汗をぬぐった。閉所恐怖症の傾向がある彼は、この空間効率だけを追求した狭苦しい指揮所が未だに好きになれずにいた。高度9000メートルを時速約450キロメートルで巡航する機の振動を感じながら、彼の机上の砂色と黒色の二冊のファイルに目をうつした。双方とも表紙には，「Top Secret」 「Eyes Only」 「MSX2」の赤字を躍っている。ハウスマンは心中の焦燥と不安から目をそらすように、砂色のファイルを開いた。
それは1995年、OUTER HEAVEN蜂起について記したファイルだった。南アフリカ奥地に突如出現した武装要塞国家アウターヘブン。そこで核搭載型二足歩行戦車メタルギアが開発されていることを掴んだ西側はFOX HOUNDに潜入工作を要請した。先に潜入したGREY FOXは敵の捕虜となるも、新入部員のSOLID SNAKEが開発途中にあったメタルギアを破戒、OUTER HEAVENを陥落させた。尚、OUTER HEAVENの実際は南アフリカに拠点を置く傭兵派遣会社に類する組織であり、その指揮官はFOX HOUND総司令官BIG BOSSその人であったことを未確認情報としてファイルは付記していた。ハウスマンは砂色のファイルを置き、続けて黒いファイルを開いた。ザンジバーランド騒乱。それがそのファイルのタイトルだった。
1999年、石油を精製する微生物OILIXを開発したキオ・マルフ博士が拉致された。中央アジアの少数民族自治区を占拠、主権を宣言している独立武装勢力ザンジバ ーランドが 、OILIX を手に入れることでエネ ルギー危機にあえぐ世界に対し軍事 的政治的優位を確立せんと図ったのだ 。当時のFOX HOUND司令官ロイ・キャンベルは退役していたSOLID SNAKEを呼び戻し、ザンジバーランドへの潜入、マルフ博士の奪還を依頼した。鉄壁の防御をかいくぐり、ザンジバーランド奧深くへ潜入を果たしたSNAKEは、OUTER HEAVENから移管されたこの地で完成していたメタルギアを破戒、傭兵部隊を束ねるかつてのFOX HOUNDの先輩GREY FOXとの死闘を制して、OILIXの精製法を奪還することに成功した。また、ザンジバーランドを影で率いていたのが、かのBIG BOSSであったという噂もあるが、唯一真実を知るSNAKEが固く口を閉ざしているため、その真嘘は不明である…。
The U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Houseman was in a temporary command post set provisionally inside an AWACS E-3A plane, as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. Houseman, who suffers from claustrophobic tendencies, could never get used to such a cramped control room designed solely with spatial efficiency in mind. As he sensed the vibration of the plane, which was flying at an altitude of 9000 meters above the ground and a speed of 450 kilometers per hour, he glanced at the two files on his desk, one sand-colored and the other one black. Both files had words such as "Top Secret", "Eyes Only" and "MSX2" stamped in red on their covers. Hoping to distract himself from his own impatience and anxiety, Houseman opened the sand-colored file.
The file described the details of the Outer Heaven uprising that occurred in 1995. Outer Heaven, an armed fortress nation that suddenly appeared deep within South Africa. Having learned that they were developing Metal Gear, a nuclear-equipped bipedal walking tank, the West gave orders to FOX HOUND to infiltrate. An operative named Gray Fox was sent first, but he captured by the enemy. A newly enlisted member named Solid Snake was later deployed and he managed to destroy Metal Gear before it was completed, bringing down Outer Heaven with it. The file also has unconfirmed reports that Outer Heaven was actually a sort-of mercenary dispatching company established in South Africa, led by none other than Big Boss, who was also the commander-in-chief of FOX HOUND. Houseman closed the sand-colored file and moved on to the black file. The Zanzibarland Disturbance. That was its title.
In 1999, Dr. Kio Marv was abducted after discovering OILIX, an oil-refining microorganism. Zanzibarland, an armed separatist group that claimed sovereignty by occupying a minority-ruled region in Central Asia, conspired to use OILIX in order to establish military and political superiority over other nations during a period of energy crisis. Under orders from Roy Campbell, the commander of FOX HOUND at the time, Solid Snake was brought back out of retirement to infiltrate Zanzibarland and extract Dr. Kio Marv. Having slipped by their defenses, Snake managed to infiltrate into the depths of Zanzibarland, where he destroyed Metal Gear, which had been completed after it was transferred over from Outer Heaven, and successfully fought against Gray Fox, his former senior and now leader of the enemy mercenary forces, in a battle to the death, allowing Snake to reclaim the OILIX refining formula. There were rumors that it was Big Boss himself who was leading Zanzibarland from the shadows, but the only person who can ascertain the veracity of such information, Solid Snake himself, has remained tight-lipped...
ハウスマンはファイルを閉じた 。確かに素晴しい戦績といえる 。 しかし、 それを何度確認しても 、たった 一人の工作員に世界の命運を委ねることへの不安を拭いさる事は出来なかった 。だが、 それでも彼に賭けるしかない 。他にこの緊急事態を収拾しうる選択肢がハウスマンには残されていないのだ 。
状況はまさに危機的だった 。本日未明 、アラスカ 、フォックス諸島沖の孤島、シャ ドー・モセス島の米軍核兵器保存庫がテロリストによって占拠された。 テロリストはハイテク不正規戦部隊FOX HOUNDの精鋭6人と彼等が率いる宇宙SEALS。宇宙SEALSは 、遺伝子治療によって兵士に必要な肉体的資質を全て与えられ 、最新の装備と訓練を施された次世代特殊部隊だ 。テロリスト達は核兵器保存庫占拠成功と同時にある要求を突きつけてきた 。現政権の根幹を揺るがす恐るべきその要求にホワイトハウスは震撼し、大統領は即座に武力によるテロリストの排除を決定した 。しかしテロリスト達は、24時間以内に要求が受け入れられなければ 、核を発射する事を合わせて通告してきている 。果たして彼等の核発射能力は事実か否か。 それによっては政府存続措置 (COG)の発令すら検討されなればならない 。正確な情報の入手が急務だった 。だが相手は現代最高の傭兵達に指揮された次世代特殊部隊だ。デルタフォースも潜入できまい。さらにあそこには…。
作戦総指揮を任されたハウスマンは決断した 。最高機密体制コード ・ホワイトをしいた上での特殊工作員による単独極秘潜入 。現状で内部の情報を得にはそれ以外に方法はない。工作員の人選に迷う事はなかった 。全米にこ任務を果たしうる能力を有する 者は一人しか該当しなかったからだ 。元FOX HOUND隊員 、SOLID SNAKE。 例のファイルの男だ 。既にオハイオ級原子力潜水艦が彼を回収し、現地に到着しているはずだ 。
机上のデジタルクロックが電子アラームを鳴らしハウスマンの注意を促す。シャドー・モセス島はちょうど日没を迎えたはずだ。作戦開始の時刻だった。
Houseman closed the file. It was certainly an impressive resume. But no matter how many times he looked at it, he still felt uneasy about leaving the fate of the world to a single soldier. But there was no other choice. Snake was his only bet during this moment of crisis.
The situation was critical. A U.S. nuclear weapons storage facility in Shadow Moses island, an island in the Fox archipelago of Alaska, was seized by terrorists on that very morning. The terrorists were the Space Seals, led by six members of the high-tech unconventional special forces group FOX HOUND. The Space Seals are the next-generation special forces who have received all the physical qualities a soldier requires through gene therapy and were provided the latest in equipment and training. The terrorists were successfully seized the nuclear weapons storage facility and were now making demands. Their demands frightened the White House, shaking the very foundation of the current administration, causing the President to order the immediate neutralization of the terrorists by force. However, the terrorists warned that if their demands were not met within 24 hours, they would launch a nuclear strike. The question of whether they were capable or not was crucial. A COG (continuity of government) order was being considered depending on the answer. Verifying such information was vital. But the enemies were the Next-Generation Special Forces under the command of our generation's greatest mercenaries. Delta Forces wouldn't be able to infiltrate them. Moreover, there was something else awaiting there too...
Houseman, who was given complete command of the operation, had made his decision. He decided to have a single agent infiltrate the facility covertly under the top secret system "Code White". There was no other way to obtain information within the current circumstances. There was no doubt over the choice of candidate. There was only one person within the United States who was capable of accomplishing such a mission. Former FOX HOUND operative SOLID SNAKE. The man from the dossier. He should've already been retrieved by an Ohio-class nuclear submarine by now and should've been on his way to the island.
The digital clock on Houseman's desk alerted him with its alarm. It was exactly sunset at Shadow Moses island. The mission has begun.
An unprecedented sense of realism! Menacing 3DCG Performances!
人物、背景、武器、アイテム…。METAL GEAR SOLIDでは全ての表示物がリアルタイムフルポリゴンで表現される。巧致な3DCGで描き込まれた戦場がフルポリゴンならではの自在なカメラワークで演出され、潜入任務の緊張感が極限までリアルに描き出される。そのかってない臨場感は、正に3D CG BAND-DE SSINEE (劇画)だ。
Characters, scenery, weapons, items... Everything in Metal Gear Solid is rendered in full real-time polygon. The exquisite 3D CGI battlefield is directed by a free-moving camera that only full polygons can provide and the tension of an infiltration is depicted in its utmost realism. Such unprecedented sense of realism truly makes a 3D GCI Bande Dessinee (graphic novel).
FIM-92Aスティンガー対空ミサイル - 携帯地対空ミサイル。有効射程4200メートル、有効高度3800メートル。携行火器でありながら戦闘機や戦闘ヘリに十分対抗しうる性能を持つ。 低空侵入する敵機に対し師団用防空システムを補完する目的で運用される。
FIM-92A Stinger Missile - A portable anti-air missile. It has an effective range of 4200 meters and an altitude of 3800 meters. It has a destructive power capable of taking tanks and attack helicopters while being a portable firearms. Its intended use is to support a divisional anti-air system against enemy vehicles infiltrating from low-altitude.
C4プラスチック爆弾 - 扱いやすぐ強力な爆発力を誇るプラティック爆弾 。点火装置を使わない限り火の中にいれても爆発しない高い安定性を持ち、壁、床等あらゆる場所に設置出来る。無線式点火装置で任意のタイミングによる遠隔爆破が可能 。
C4 - A plastic explosive that boasts impressive explosive power that is easy to use. It possesses a high stability that doesn't explode even when put in fire, as long as the ignition device is not used, and can be placed in various places such as walls and floors. It can be detonated remotely at any time through a radio detonator.
リモコンミサイル(偵察用爆薬) - 通称ニキータミサイル。有線誘導式で発射後、自由に進行方向の制御が可能。弾頭に搭載されたCCDカメラからの映像を見ながら自分は物陰に隠れたままで、敵陣奥深くを偵察・攻撃することができる。
Remote Control Missile - Nicknamed the "Nikita". After being launched with a cable guided system, its direction can be controlled freely. It can be used to scout and destroy the depths of the enemy's frontlines, while hiding from plain sight, by viewing the image transmitted from a CCD camera equipped onto the warhead.
双眼鏡 - SOLID SNAKEが使用する軍用双眼鏡。赤外線オートフォーカスシステム装備。高倍率のガラス製のため衝撃にも強い。遠距離からの敵地偵察には欠かせない基本装備。
Binoculars - A pair of military binoculars used by Solid Snake. Equipped with an infrared auto-focus system. It's resistant against impact thanks to its high magnification glass. A basic equipment that is essential for scouting enemy territory from a long distance.
六月下旬 、 小島監督をはじめとする開発主力スタッフはアメリカに渡り、E3でのMETAL GEAR海外版の発表 、開発資料取材を敢行した。その模様を報告しよう 。
In late June, the main members of the development team, including the director Mr. Kojima, went to the United States to announce the western version of Metal Gear Solid at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, as well as gather research data.
E3(Electronic Entertainment Expo) 取材報告
6 月20日-21日 。 世界最大と言われるゲームショーE3。そのコナミブースで「メタルギアSOLID」のゲーム画面を編集したプロモーションビデオが上映された 。ディスプレイが吊られた柱の周りは人の山 。ブースに収まりきらずに柵の外側にまで人が群がるほどの大盛況だった 。ディスプレイに集中する多数の視線 。息を飲む観客達 。そしてビデオの終了と共にブースは盛大な拍手と歓声で溢れた 。その様子はさながら映画の試写会やコンサート会場のようでもあり、我々はこの反響からユーザの期待の大きさを肌で実感することが出来た 。その後、小島監督を中心に質疑応答を行ったが、来場したプレスからはこれまでの小島監督作品をよくふまえた上での質問が数多くなされ 、小島監督作品が日本だけではなく世界中で評価されているのだと感じることができた 。
June 20-21. The Electronic Entertainment Expo could be considered the biggest game show in the world. A promotional video for Metal Gear Solid consisting of edited screen captures was shown there at the Konami booth. Surrounding the pillar where the screen was suspended was a huge crowd. The booth was so packed, that it became so overcrowded to the point that some of the people had to watch it from outside the fence. Audiences had their eyes fixed on the screen. They were completely were breath-taken. The booth was filled with overwhelming applause and cheers once the video ended. It felt like an advanced movie screening or a live concert. We could truly sense the anticipation that players had in person by such a reaction. We then held a Q&A session hosted by Mr. Kojima and many members of the press asked questions about his previous games. We truly felt that Kojima's games were well-received, not just in Japan, but around the world as well.
6月17日 、ロスに到着した我々はその足でハリウッドへと向かった 。目指すは「STEMBRIDGE GUN RENTALS INC.」。ほとんど全てのハリウッド映画に銃火器を提供 している銃器レンタル会社だ。建物の中には壁一面に多量の銃が並べられている。その質感・重量感を、我々は自分の手にとって確かめた。
そして6月18日、夕刻よりリトルトウキョウ近くの射撃ブースで実弾の射撃を行った。同行して頂いた軍事コンサルタント、毛利元貞氏から射撃指導を受け 、 銃の握り方 、立ち方 、腕の伸ばし具合等、すべてがちゃんとした理由と意味を持っているということを理解した。この取材によってMETAL GEAR SOLIDの射撃シーンの迫力は従来のゲー ムとは明らかに一線を画すものとなるはずだ 。
6月23日、ロスとラスベガスのほぼ中間のモハベ砂漠に位置するIRWIN基地で我々は戦闘車輌の取材を行った。 我々は通常では立ち入ることのできない戦車部隊エリアの見学を許可された。数百台の戦車が整然と並ぶそのエリアで、我々はM2ブラッドレー歩兵戦闘車両の操縦室に入ることが出来た 。M2の操縦室はかなり狭く、思うように身動きをとることもできない 。資料で事前に知ってはいたものの、身をもって体験する兵器の居住性の低さは 、 想像以上のものだった 。次に見学したのは、M1エイブラムス主力戦車だ。残念ながら操縦室に入ることは出来なかったが 、特例として小島監督が戦車の天井に上がることが許された 。 また 、M 1 戦車の整備場にも入る事が出来た 。様々な方向に砲塔を向けたM1戦車を見ることがかなった上に、整備場自体も大いに美術的な参考となった 。 基地内の無造作に置かれた戦闘車輌群に対し、我々はあらゆる角度からビデオを回し、ひたすらシッターを切った。テクスシャーやモデリングのための資料は多いにこしたことはない。 だが、何よりも本物の戦闘車較の匂いや複合装甲の肌触りを確かめることが出来たのは 、何にも代え難い経験だ。これを最大限に生かし、我々はゲーム内に最高の臨場感を実現してみせる。
June 17th. As soon as we arrived at Los Angeles, we immediately headed towards Hollywood. Our destination was Stembridge Gun Rentals Inc. It's a company that provides firearms to practically every movie in Hollywood. Inside the building there were many guns lined up on a single wall. We could truly sense their weight and texture with our very own hands.
June 18. After the evening we went to a shooting booth near Little Tokyo and practiced with live ammo. We received firearm training from Mr. Motosada Mori, the military consultant who accompanied us. We learned that the way we carry a gun, stand, aim and so on, all have their meaning and purpose. With such research, the shooting scenes in Metal Gear Solid will surely be more impactful than those from conventional video games.
June 23. We went to the IRWIN base located in the Mojave Desert, which is located somewhere between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, to research combat vehicles. We were allowed to inspect the tank area, which is normally off-limits. Among all the tanks that were stationed there in an orderly matter in that area, we were able to access the control room of an M2 Bradley tank. The control room was considerably cramped and we couldn't move as comfortably as we wanted to. While we knew this from prior research, experiencing it in person firsthand was more uncomfortable than we expected. The next tank we've inspected was an M1 Abrams. Unfortunately we weren't allowed access to the control room this time, but they made an exception to Mr. Kojima, who was able to climb atop the tank. He was even allowed to enter the M1's maintenance area. Not only did we get to see the tank pointing its turret in various directions, the maintenance area itself served as a huge artistic reference for us. We took footage of all the haphazardly placed tanks in the base and kept clicking on the shutter. There's nothing more suitable when it comes to having lots of references for modelling and texturing. But more importantly, it was an irreplaceable experience to able to smell a tank or touch its composite armor. We will put this experience to good use when it comes to achieving highest sense of realism with our game.
6月18日、ディズニーランドのすぐ側にあるホテルの廃虚。我々は朝早くがからホテルの裏で待機していた。待つことしばし 。やがて白塗りのバン数合を連ねて 、彼らは現われた 。HUNTINGTON BEACH警察SWAT隊 。彼等が月に1度行っている定例訓練の見学を、我々は特別に許されたのだ 。
最初に行われたのは、7/4独立記念日にむけての暴動鎮圧の屋外訓練だった。1列横隊で前進しながら、暴徒に見立てたドラム告へ模擬催涙弾 、ゴム弾等の射撃訓練が行われる。間欠的に発砲を繰り返しつつ、横一列でゆっくりと進んで 行く彼らの後ろ姿は静かなる威圧感に満ちていた 。白昼の銃声 、硝煙の匂い …。 日本では体験できない世界がそこにある 。その雰囲気を肌で感じとり、その感覚を覚えて帰ろうと我々は皆 、神経を極限まで集中した。
ホテル屋内ではドア破壊、強行突入訓練などの後 、 制圧訓練が行われた。ホテルの室内を容疑者の家と仮定、容疑者は銃を所持しているかもしれないという設定で突入を行う訓練だど。ペイント弾を使用するため、隊員は皆、首、腕、フルフェイスの完全防備で訓練に望む 。我々にもフルフェイスのガード装着が義務づけられた。まるでアクション映画のワンシーンのような突入が終わると、その場で教官と隊員全員が輪になって突入パターンを振り返り討議を始める。様々な意見、提案等が繰り返し検討され、納得が行くまで訓練が行われるのだ。何度も状況を変え、突入メンバーを交代させて繰り返される突入訓練に我々は見入った 。 隊員達の呼吸のとり方、瞬間の足の運び、目線の動き…。まさに本物ならでは、と喰らせる新鮮な発見が彼等の動作の一つーつにある。METAL GEAR SOLIDの大きな魅力のーつは「潜入の緊迫感」の体感だ。この時撮影したビデオ、そして何よりもその場を体験した我々の記憶は、必ずやMETAL GEAR SOLIDに今までのゲームの次元を越えたたリアリティーと緊迫感を与えることができるはずだ。そう我々は確信した。
June 18. We immediately went to an abandoned hotel building located nearby Disneyland and waited on the back of the building during the early morning. We waited for a while. Eventually they appeared driving a swarm of white-painted vans. The Huntington Beach SWAT Team. We were given the special privilege of observing one of their monthly scheduled drills.
The first thing they did was an outdoor riot control drill in preparations for the Independence Day celebrations on July 4th. While moving in single file, they threw mock tear gas and shot rubber bullets at drum cans representing rioters as part of their training. Their backs as they move slowly in a single line while firing intermittently gave away a calming sense of intimidation. The sound of gunfire in the middle of the day and the stench of gunpowder smoke... It's a world that cannot be experienced in Japan. We all concentrated our sensitivity to their utmost limit in order to understand such an atmosphere from experience and bring back home that feeling.
After the door-breaking and forced entry drills, a control drill was conducted within the hotel. The raiding drill was conducted with the assumption that an apartment room within the hotel contained a suspect who might be armed. Since the squad members were armed with paint bullets, they wore protective gear that covered their whole faces, necks and arms. We were also asked to wear full protective gear on our faces. Following the raid, which seemed like a scene straight out of an action movie, the squad leader and the rest of the team gathered in a circle and began reflecting on the raiding pattern they could've used. Various opinions and suggestions were repeatedly exchanged and the drill was conducted until they were satisfied. We observed as they repeatedly changed the situation and rearranged members for the raiding drill. The way the guards breathe, the pace in which they moved their legs, and their gaze... One of the major attractions of Metal Gear Solid is experiencing the tension of infiltration. The footage we shot, but more importantly the memories of our experience in that place, will give Metal Gear Solid a a sense of realism and tension that goes beyond the dimensions of games up to this point. That's our conviction!
Source: Konami Magazine Volume 4 - September 1997
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