From Calorie Mate snacks to hidden Kerotan frog statues, 2004’s Metal Gear Solid 3 was packed with varied real-life Easter eggs, even if they contradicted the game’s 1960s setting. One memorable gimmick for eagle-eyed players to spot in the indoor areas of MGS3 (and MGS2) was the posters of current Japanese gravure idols — female models who pose in revealing outfits.
These sexy posters make a return in the remake Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater — with an added twist. If you play on Legacy Style mode, the posters are as they were in the original. But if you are playing using the New Style mode, with its modern over-the-shoulder camera angle, you’ll notice that although the models are the same, the photos have been swapped out for recent shots of what they look like now, two decades on.
In a recent interview with Famitsu (and previously reported on by Automaton), the developers at Konami revealed how this change came about. They say that their aim with Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater was to evolve the game while staying true to the core essence of the original MGS3, and recreate its jungle setting so that it looked extremely realistic. However, they also ended up making small, unexpected tweaks to the content of the original, with the gravure posters being one such tweak.
Apparently, the initial plan for the model posters was to use higher resolutions of the images used in MGS3. However, once the team had decided to implement a Legacy Mode and a New Mode, they hit upon the idea of changing up the gravure posters to reflect the 21 years that have passed since MGS3’s initial release.
Delta’s creative producer Yuji Korekado (who also worked on the original MGS3) explained that for New Style mode, the team decided to reach out to the models that featured in MGS3 and ask them to send in new, recent photos. This does not mean that all the models are decked out in bikinis, though. Rather, the team asked them to simply send in pictures of how they look now. According to Korekado, every single model from the original sent in photos that span the gauntlet from sexy swimsuit shots to family snaps. “We would like players to seek out and find all the different types of photos,” said Korekado, with series producer Noriaki Okamoto adding that “if you are familiar with the original graphics, seeing the current photos really packs an emotional punch.”
MGS3 also featured issues of real-life video game and glamour magazines that you could amusingly use to distract guards (the magazines featured differed depending on the region). However, Korekado said that the decision was made not to update these magazine covers, as many of the publications that popped up as items in MGS3 have since ceased publication. So, the real-life mags that you could find in MGS3 remain the same in both versions of Metal Gear Solid: Delta Snake Eater.
Korekado also expresses gratitude towards all the people that returned to work on the remake. He explained that the team was able to get Cythia Harrel to re-record the game’s Bond-esque opening theme ‘Snake Eater,’ as well as Kyle Cooper, who designed the intro movie.
In related news, Lori Alan, who has reprised her role voicing Snake’s mentor The Boss in the game’s English language version, stunned fans yesterday by posting a seemingly recent picture of herself cosplaying as her character:
Choose your fate, finish the mission! Can’t wait for you all to experience Delta tomorrow!
You’re going to have your mind blown!
“I hold the legacy—but the battle has only just begun. Choose your fate in MGSΔ” 🤔#TheBoss #MGSDelta #YouveWaitedLongEnough@Konami pic.twitter.com/NS0HInAMnF— Lori Alan (@LoriAlan1) August 28, 2025
We’ve got plenty more Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater news, including very early mods (one of which lets you play as Hideo Kojima!), and patch notes for the first post-launch update. IGN’s Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater review returned an 8/10. We said: “Between its old-school stealth-action gameplay and engaging spy-thriller story, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater largely succeeds as a faithful, visually impressive remake of the 2004 classic.”
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
