The Metal Gear Solid series has always been known for its insane storylines, and more recently, its lengthy narrative sequences, but fans will get none of that in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. The game features the return of Snake aka Big Boss on a mission to infiltrate a Cuban military base known as Camp Omega to find and rescue a couple of captured high value targets. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes seems to feature a much darker tone than previous Metal Gear Solid releases with a storyline that almost feels believable. Whether Kojima will keep this realism and serious tone moving forward in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain remains to be seen though. There isn't a whole lot of story featured in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, with most of the two hours players will spend with the title being spent sneaking around the ocean locked complex rather than watching extended cut scenes.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is still very much about stealth action gameplay. Players will have access to classic moves and weapons including choke holds, tranquilizer guns and other stealth weapons, and it's still important to remain undetected for as long as possible. Once spotted, players will experience a quick pause in the action that gives just enough time to plan and execute a counterattack on an enemy, though Snake is not even close to being invulnerable. Players receive lettered ranks at the end of each mission based on their performance that includes measurements of time, how many times Snake was spotted and how many enemies were killed during the mission. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes allows players to experience the game in any way they choose, but for the best ranks, players will want to stick to the shadows and avoid confrontation as much as possible.
The seven missions included in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes make the game a short one to be sure, but there is a decent variety of mission types. Most missions are the classic infiltrate a building and extract a particular item or break into a heavily watched building to rescue a prisoner, but there are others included in the Side Ops section of the game that include more action oriented content such as one particular mission that focuses on a shoot out with enemies from the heavy gun of a helicopter. One other cool feature included in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and said to be part of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain as well is non-linear gameplay that allows many missions to be accessed in the order players choose in order to progress through the game. It's a nice touch that helps give Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes a bit of replay value despite its short length.
Depending on the system players pick up Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, there are console specific missions available as unlockable content in the game as well. These are unlocked through finding the hidden XOF patches hidden around Camp Omega to add a bit more length onto the game. Even when searching for every hidden item and playing through every mission multiple times, most players will still see all the game has to offer in just a few short hours. This hardly makes Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes worth a purchase at full retail price, but it's worth checking out at a discount or with a rental.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a fantastic looking game across all platforms. We thought the game looked especially impressive on next generation consoles with great lighting that makes Camp Omega look drastically different between night and daytime based missions, while spotlights cast lens flares that help players remain hidden and simply look pretty awesome too. Character models are also highly detailed, and the game seems to run at a smooth frame rate across both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Voice acting is another strong feature of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes with actor Keifer Sutherland providing the voice of Snake. Controls in the game are also easy to grasp, which is lucky, considering gamers won't have too much time to pick them up before the game comes to an abrupt end.
It's easy to see the biggest problem with Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is its inexcusable campaign length. Gamers could easily pick up one or two fantastic games in a sale that released within the last year for the same price as what Konami is asking for Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Many fans have already voiced their displeasure with the price range of the game, while many others will most likely avoid the new game altogether without a second glance. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes isn't a bad game, but it's too short and too expensive to be an easy game to recommend. Pick up a copy of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes if you just can't wait for the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain in 2015.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is now available from all major retailers for the MSRP of $29.99 and can be purchased for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One & Xbox 360. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is rated M by the ESRB. For more information on the game, check out the official Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes website.
Game Features:
- Single Player
- Prologue for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
- 7 Missions in Total
- Non-Linear Gameplay
- Trophy/Achievement Support
Game Information:
Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (reviewed), PlayStation 3, Xbox One & Xbox 360
Release Date: March 18, 2014
