Hideo Kojima, the mastermind behind the Metal Gear Solid series, is known for his amazing story telling abilities. We all know how epic Metal Gear Solid 4 was and although it was like playing an interactive film, the depth and themes presented are on a whole other level.

The Japanese retailer, Tsutaya, has kicked off an campaign celebrating MGS4 and Kojima by listing his fifteen most influential films for the Metal Gear Solid saga. Dying to find out what films made his list? Read on for the juicy details.

There are some rather obvious choices along with a few that I had no idea about. The list is as follows, in no particular order:

 

According to the site,

He says that the 007 series had the most influence on Metal Gear’s birth. Black Hawk Down was used as a reference for the lighting, color and atmosphere in the opening Middle Eastern section of MGS4. Regarding 2001, he notes that Snake and Otacon’s real names, David and HAL, come from the Kurbick classic. Die Hard offered hints for the conversion to 3D with the original Metal Gear Solid. Regarding The Deer Hunter, he says that while many believe Snake’s bandana comes from Rambo, it’s actually from Robert De Niro’s character in this movie.

Having seen most of these films myself, I can definitely see the relation to the MGS series. Although, I would like to know where the zombies and giant talking apes are. Anyone find them yet? If you want to read more about the campaign and Kojima, head on over to the official site. Let’s hope you can read Japanese though.

[source]