+- Metal Gear Forums (https://metalgearforums.com)
+-- Forum: Tactical Socialising Action (https://metalgearforums.com/Forum-Tactical-Socialising-Action)
+--- Forum: Organization Chat (https://metalgearforums.com/Forum-Organization-Chat)
+--- Thread: After 25+ years, I finally did it (/Thread-After-25-years-I-finally-did-it)
Pages:
1
2
After 25+ years, I finally did it - NateDog - 25-09-2025
I've taken a while to post this as it actually happened a few weeks back but things have been a bit busy and I was still irritated at how heavy I look in the picture as I've been gaining weight given my back issues in the last year have stopped me from exercising much.
Anyway, I've been with this series from a very early point in my life. I had a PlayStation 1 which I got with Crash Bandicoot after having had a Sega Master System 2 and I played so much stuff with my cousin that I lived with over the years on it. I distinctly remember us renting and then buying Battle Arena Toshinden 3 and him staying up 2 nights in a row to unlock as much of the huge roster as possible for us to play as. One thing we often got was the Official PlayStation Magazine. Back then those magazines often came with demo discs, but as far as I can remember these ones had some great games on them, stuff like Tomb Raider, Dino Crisis, Cool Boarders.
One issue we got came with a demo which had this game called Metal Gear Solid on it. I watched my cousin play through it first and thought it looked amazing. I was pretty young (must have been 7?) and gave it a try but I was dreadful at it. I eventually managed to get into the Hangar but that was all I could muster up. But we both enjoyed it so much that my cousin bought the game and I watched him play through it and was mesmerised by the whole experience. The voice acting, music, cutscenes, action (and avoidance of action), everything was incredible. I gave it a try but could still hardly get past the Hangar and then gave up. But my cousin gave me that copy which I still have to this day (one of the few ties to my family that I still have), and I tried again a year or so later and finally managed to beat it on my own. Haven't really looked back since. I haven't beaten any other game more than I've beaten Metal Gear Solid and nothing has ever toppled it as my favourite game or series of all time.
So many characters in the series have impacted me but something about Snake has always felt so relatable. But especially after all the hubbub with the change to Kiefer Sutherland with V and then finding out that Kojima had been trying to get rid of Hayter for years before that, my understanding and appreciation of what David Hayter gave to the series has grown so much. I replayed MGS4 recently and don't think I fully understood in 2008 just how much of an effort he put into that performance and the fact that it seems like it did some real damage to his capabilities long-term but he still did it. He hated what happened because the man loved Snake and being Snake and gave his all to portray him as genuinely as he could. David Hayter, to me at least, has always been Snake and always will.
So after all these years of waiting, I finally had the chance to meet the man himself and despite a few hiccups, about 4 hours of extremely painful waiting while standing and a 6 hour round trip, I wasn't going to let anything get in the way.
![[Image: 20250906-205120.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/xqmn310p/20250906-205120.jpg)
They say don't meet your heroes, but he's no hero, never was, never will be he was genuinely lovely. The queue to see him ended up being probably the longest in the whole arena. His manager came around a few times and said Hayter himself was stunned by it and couldn't understand it. The queue was so big that it actually started to block off areas so people had to keep trying to walk through it.
He spent so long with every person that the staff had to try to push him to rush along a bit after a period and he still wouldn't. That same manager kept telling us they had to push him to take a break and get some lunch and he didn't budge. He then had to go for a period because he had a panel on with Quinton Flynn, which I was really looking forward to seeing but couldn't get to because I had been in the queue for hours and couldn't manage joining the end again as I knew it'd be an extra hour or two again the way it was going. But while I saw loads of other guests just get up and go, he came out to us at the front of the queue and apologised for leaving and said "I'm really sorry to... keep you waiting". He was so friendly, I was nervy so I didn't say much but I mentioned to him how long ago I played that demo and he said "ah yes I remember that one". Then as I left I thanked him and walked away and he shouted "Hey!" at me and I figured I left something at the table, and I turned around and he says "you're pretty good!" and I giggled like a schoolgirl. I had seen he had said it to some others but not in that manner.
I also met Quinton Flynn! I didn't get a picture but he and Hayter both signed my copy of Substance which has my favourite art of Snake and Raiden. For some reason I asked him to quote the one thing that always comes into my head when I think of Raiden. Completely unserious quote but perhaps that suits Raiden. Hayter laughed at what I picked, "ah, and I did keep you waiting" which was the only reason I went with it.
![[Image: 20250906-205157.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/qL6gTr7s/20250906-205157.jpg)
RE: After 25+ years, I finally did it - black king - 26-09-2025
That's so incredibly cool! I'd love to meet the voice actors someday. I'm jealous, Nate.
RE: After 25+ years, I finally did it - BULUPTAX - 26-09-2025
Man this is so sick! He came to Sydney a few years back but I didn't go because the con tickets were hella expensive. I've regretted that decision ever since.
I DID however get a photo and autograph from Kojima in 2017 when he came to RTX Sydney. I bet you felt the same way I did that day!
RE: After 25+ years, I finally did it - Null - 26-09-2025
This is cool as fuck
RE: After 25+ years, I finally did it - Blueblob - 27-09-2025
That’s awesome man, I remember back when Twitter dm’ing was more accessible years and years ago I used to have some sporadic on and off convos with him, hands down the best celebrity interactions I’ve had
RE: After 25+ years, I finally did it - Aragorn - 28-09-2025
he's a cool dude, everyone that has ever spoken about him has said as much and he seems very down to earth - and he has passion for the role and the franchise despite being treated as a nuisance by Kojima ever since MGS2. Super glad you got to have that experience!
I got to see Ocelot (Troy Baker) this weekend - just gotta get Hayter and Kiefer somehow now (even though I know Kiefer probably doesn't even remember wtf this game even was)
RE: After 25+ years, I finally did it - NateDog - 28-09-2025
(28-09-2025, 08:09 AM)Aragorn Wrote: he's a cool dude, everyone that has ever spoken about him has said as much and he seems very down to earth - and he has passion for the role and the franchise despite being treated as a nuisance by Kojima ever since MGS2. Super glad you got to have that experience!
I got to see Ocelot (Troy Baker) this weekend - just gotta get Hayter and Kiefer somehow now (even though I know Kiefer probably doesn't even remember wtf this game even was)
Troy Baker seems lovely too, I'd love to meet him too but more because he was in one of my favourite JRPGs before he started appearing in everything than for MGSV.
RE: After 25+ years, I finally did it - Jassassino - 28-09-2025
Really very cool you got to meet Hayter, Nate. It's refreshing to hear that someone like him is down to Earth as well. Next time you see him though, make sure to ask about his work on X-Men and his cameo in the first film!
RE: After 25+ years, I finally did it - NateDog - 28-09-2025
(28-09-2025, 10:44 AM)Jassassino Wrote: Really very cool you got to meet Hayter, Nate. It's refreshing to hear that someone like him is down to Earth as well. Next time you see him though, make sure to ask about his work on X-Men and his cameo in the first film!
He puts up bits and pieces about his time with that on his socials every now and again! A couple of guys in front of me in the queue at one stage must have seen someone with something from X-Men and turned and said "did you know he worked on X-Men??".
RE: After 25+ years, I finally did it - Dirty Duck - 30-09-2025
This is so sick Nate. Glad it was such a pleasant experience for you.
(Also I know self-image is never simple but there’s nothing wrong with the photo!)