Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is the first part of a two-game “Metal Gear Solid V experience” that begins in 2014. We can’t help but feel, however, that it’s more like Hideo Kojima is selling us a tutorial mode — not a prologue to a new story.
Publisher Konami revealed today that it will debut Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes in spring for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The title will go on sale at retail for $30. Konami will also sell the game digitally. On PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, gamers can download the title for $20, but the publisher is charging the full $30 for gamers that download the game for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Ground Zeroes is a prologue to the events in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. It follows Metal Gear hero Big Boss as he sneaks his way into a Cuban prison camp on a rescue mission. Things go wrong, and Big Boss is quickly cut off behind enemy lines.
The Phantom Pain then picks up where Ground Zeroes leaves off.
“The advanced capabilities of the FOX Engine are allowing me to express the story of Metal Gear Solid in a new way,” Metal Gear Solid executive producer Hideo Kojima said in a statement. “There will be a significant difference in what Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain brings to the series, so we want to ease players into the new open world environment and its potential, allowing them to fully benefit from all that the new game offers. As such, Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes has been designed to introduce key elements, while setting up the events of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.”
That kinda makes it sound like Kojima is selling gamers The Phantom Pain’s tutorial mode.
Konami didn’t specify a release date for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. We’ve reached out to the company for more information, and we’ll update this post when we have it.