Shopping Guide
Konami will release its PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 game Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (MGSV: GZ) on March 20 (The release date of the Xbox One version is still undecided.). The game is a prologue to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. It will be comprised of a main mission set in 1975 several months after the events of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and five types of sub-missions.
Recently, a demo event for members of the media called “Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Boot Camp 2014” was held at the Konami offices in Roppongi Midtown. I had considerable time with the PS4 version, so I’ll be reporting my impressions of this version.
A Fusion of Metal Gear and Open-World Freedom
Many people may already know of this due to the previously released videos, but the main mission in MGSV: GZ has snake infiltrating an American army base in southern Cuba lone gunman style to free two prisoners named Chico and Paz. The two have endured brutal torture, and both their minds and bodies are in tragic states. Seeing such a completely different look to these two vitally important characters from MGS: PW, my hands, gripping the controller, acted on their own accord.
One of the game’s big draws is its adoption of the open world style. The games in the series thus far were restricted in terms of the route players needed to take in order to infiltrate an area and clear a mission. However, there now being an infinite number of ways in which this can be done is an extremely fun point. Actually, even in the demo, everyone used different routes in order to clear the mission, which shows just how high the level of freedom is.
Whether you want to aim for no alerts and thoroughly search for areas with few enemies or you want to take enemies head on and fight your way through, it’s all good. In the game, players correspond with Deputy Commander Kazuhira Miller who gives hints, but even if you don’t follow these, you can find a way to clear the mission.
Having a short temper, I ignored Miller’s persistent “Your task is to sneak in unseen” comments, which developed into a firefight with enemy soldiers. Thinking, “Since I don’t know where to go, I might as well look all around the base,” I stole a tank and a car and rampaged through the base. After blowing up the base’s anti-aircraft artillery with explosives swiped from the armory, I was finally able to rescue Chico and Paz using a full-out search and destroy method. I may be scolded by people who say, “You’re supposed to sneak in!” but I’m a coward, so killing the enemies outright instead of knocking them out or tranquilizing them put me at ease more.
Another point worthy of special mention is yet another component new to the series: the ability to call in a helicopter for backup whenever you want. The helicopter is used to provide cover during firefights, to pick up the prisoners, and for extraction once the mission is complete. It is because of the open world system, which is a first for the Metal Gear series, that such a mechanic is possible.
Regarding this, what I’d like to mention is the difference in “danger risks” for calling in the helicopter. Taking a short route and calling the helicopter to land on the base’s helipad for Snake’s extraction has a high danger risk due to the likelihood that it will be shot down by anti-aircraft artillery or rockets. On the other hand, having the helicopter land in an area outside the base will be a much safer option since there are far less enemies in the area, but on top of the trouble of having to get Snake to that point, there is a high chance of being spotted by an enemy en route. Both options clearly have their pluses and minuses, and the high level of strategy that comes with being able to judge the best option for the situation is another highlight.
In this way, there are a vast number of options that can be made by the player. Playing the same mission over and choosing different options will result in a wholly different experience.
Also, don’t make light of the side missions in thinking that I’m inflating their volume. Each one changes dramatically depending on how you play it, and from the completion of parts not depicted in the main mission to parts high in fan service, there is a ton of variety. At this time, I can’t go into detail about this, but I can say that it is an enjoyable experience that I can confidently recommend.
Furthermore, take note that one of the five sub-missions differs between the PS versions and the Xbox versions. The PS4 and PS3 versions contain a mission called “Déjà Vu Mission” that harkens back to Metal Gear Solid on the PlayStation, and the Xbox One and Xbox 360 versions contains the mission “Jamais Vu Mission” in which Raiden from Metal Gear Rising Revengeance fights against a mysterious intelligence organization called Snatcher. It would be a good idea to check out both of these before deciding which version of the game to get. By the way, I cleared both of these missions in my demo, but I would be hard pressed to say which one is better. I think buying either one would be fine.
On another note, the game will be able to be played on the PlayStation Vita via Remote Play, and there will be a companion app for iOS and Android worth checking out that launches on the same day as the game: March 20.
Playing the game via Remote Play means you’ll have to get used to several differences in the controls since playing on the PS Vita makes full use of the touchpad, but I was pleasantly surprised because the controls were much more responsive than I had anticipated. Not just the beautiful graphics, but also the ability to play*MGSV: GZ* on a handheld device via Remote Play will likely be a highlight of the PS4 version.
With the companion app, players will be able to check the map and mission information as well as call in the helicopter all without having to stop the game and open the on-screen menus. Getting good at using this will likely be dramatically convenient in that you don’t have to pause the action.
There you have it, my gameplay impressions. Though, for various reasons, there are many things I couldn’t talk about, I tried to cover many tantalizing aspects…
As the prologue to MGSV, there are many concerns regarding its length, but my frank impression after playing it is that you can replay it countless times. When you take into consideration the moderate price, the package version of the game costs ￥2,980 and the download version ￥2,480 (both prices include tax), you get a lot of bang for your buck. Personally, I began to enjoy it more the longer I played it. I feel that it’s a game that gets better and better each time you play it. As such, I can say with confidence that Metal Gear fans should definitely look forward to this.
© Konami Digital Entertainment
Source: 4Gamer
