Kojima Productions is about to unleash a new beast on the gaming world with it’s latest MGS title, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. From the opening sequence of the trailer you can see that it’s going to be brutal, in a similar way to how Tomb Raider 2013 reinvented Lara Croft in a whole new fearsomely detailed and gruesome way.
The cut scene movie-like videos are even more impressive than has previously been the case, with super crisp graphics and facial animation that looks unparalleled. However, it’s quite possible that these are the PS3 and Xbox 360 version graphics, in which case the PS4 & Xbox ONE version could be even sharper and more in depth.
Instead of the more attack based sequences of previous games, like Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater, the emphasis looks much more in tune with a survival concept like Zombi U. There will still be the action stealth game play, but there will be much more of a focus on just making it out alive throughout the beginning of the game.
Following a brutal injury during the events of prologue game, Ground Zeroes, which is now going to be a part of The Phantom Pain, an aging Snake wakes up from a nine year coma and has to deal with a whole world of trouble almost as soon as his eyes flicker open. He’s also got to come to terms with the fact that he’s now got a hook in place of his left hand, so things aren’t easy right from the outset.
The same fantastical blend of real life combat mixed with magical forces combines once again in Metal Gear Solid 5, with more than a few super powered bad guys to take down from their monstrous rage. While there’s a flaming whale hallucination in the trailer, Hideo Kojima confirmed at the Game Developers Conference 2013 that the game will have much more grounding in reality.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is set for release on both the PS4 and the Xbox ONE, as well as on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. While there’s no word of a Nintendo Wii U release as of yet, there’s still hope for a last minute announcement after the port of Snake Eater on the Nintendo 3DS last year.
It’s likely that MGS V will hit the shelves in the first quarter of 2014, with the launch dates for the PS4 & Xbox ONE looking likely for late November 2013. We’ll undoubtedly know more after E3 has been and gone next month.
