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Metal Gear Solid fans are incredibly angry at this pachinko machine

Metal Gear Solid fans are incredibly angry at this pachinko machine

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Watch this ad for a Metal Gear Solid 3-themed pachinko machine (a sort of Japanese pinball / slot machine hybrid), and you'd be forgiven for thinking it was just a weird gambling machine with some oddly excellent MGS cinematics thrown in. There's an over-the-top soundtrack and voiceover, and also this one particular bit where Snake's character wins a cardboard boxes in a row, a tree-frog, a half-watermelon, three snakes, and then things go absolutely crazy.

However, look at the video on YouTube and there's something surprising: a hell of a lot of downvotes.

And why? Because pachinko machines like this seem to be the future for MGS publisher Konami’s much-loved video game franchise. You might remember that Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima left Konami last year, and since then there have been rumors that the company is ceasing development of all PC and console games. Konami says this isn't the case, but the fact that people were willing to believe it shows how low the company's reputation has sunk.

Then, for the publisher to use its adored Metal Gear Solid IP for a pachinko machine rather than a full-fledged video game... well, you can see why fans are annoyed. (Although that doesn't excuse the death threats / racism in the YouTube comments.) Some have even speculated that the video proves Konami is working on an MGS3 remake — others say it's the opposite, and it's possible they were working on one and scrapped it after Kojima's departure. Either way, it's impossible to watch this video and not feel a little wistful for the old Metal Gear Solid and the old Konami.