Kiefer Sutherland is the actor chosen to take on one of gaming's biggest characters in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The star of TV series 24 and numerous movies including The Lost Boys, Flatliners and - Pocket-lint's personal fave - Young Guns II: Blaze of Glory, has replaced David Hayter, the actor/writer who had played Solid Snake since the first PlayStation Metal Gear game in 1998.

Hayter was also the voice of Captain America in the 90s' Spider-Man animated series for TV and screenplay writer of Watchmen and the first two X-Men movies. When he was told earlier this year that he would not be reprising the role Snake, his response was that the new addition to the franchise would be to Konami what launching new Coke was to Coca Cola back in the 80s.

kiefer sutherland replaces captain america as voice of snake in metal gear solid v image 2

But hiring Sutherland could be a masterstroke by the software publisher and developer. His stock is about to rise again, with 24 returning to TV screens with a brand new series in summer 2014, and if there's anyone who can play grizzled counter-espionage agents in their forties, it's him.

"It's an honour to be able to play this character," Sutherland said. "This character has an unbelievable legacy. There's a real personal quality to the character that I've connected to. I'm not a gamer, and I even knew about this game. I was certainly keenly aware of the legacy of these games; the unbelievable success of these games."