Konami seems to be the center of consistent controversy in the gaming world over the last few years. Fans were shocked when the news broke all the way back in 2013 of the creative decision to pick Keifer Sutherland as the new voice of Big Boss over the classic Snake/Big Boss actor since the debut of the Solid series, David Hayter. Along with the announcement and whirlwind cancellation of the highly anticipated Silent Hills coupled with Hideo Kojima’s abrupt release from the production company, hardcore fans’ confidence on the future of their beloved Konami franchises have been shaken. What does the future hold for the beloved franchise with creator Hideo Kojima off of future projects? Well, we didn’t get a hands on at the show with what seems to be his final game with Konami, but from what we saw of the live gameplay demo, things are actually looking pretty “solid.”
If you weren’t a big fan of Ground Zeroes, you are in for some disappointment, unfortunately. Even the presenter during the live demo confirmed it will be much of the same. There is a main base referred to as the ACC, or Arial Command Center, where you prepare for a number of different assignments. From here, you can customize your weapons to a minute amount of detail with “practically limitless” possibilities. You can also look at pictures of your teammate, Quiet, (among other things), which are pinned to the wall, or look through your missions and collected arsenal. The game is an open world map with mission-based objectives which can be completed in any order. One new feature of the game is to bring along a side-kick character. We were introduced to D-Horse and D-Dog which could be taken onto the field to assist Boss with completing his mission objectives. You also have the choice of a vehicle to bring with you. We were shown a tank and a jeep, the latter of which was ultimately chosen alongside the D-dog and a morning drop.
Speaking of, when you set off for a mission, you will have the option of a drop time. You can choose to be dropped right that moment in in-game time, a morning drop, or a night drop, which will ultimately affect your mission. While you are out on the field, realistic weather conditions, including sandstorms, can limit visibility while altering the way you will play at random and in real-time.
When Boss was shown driving in the jeep, it was seamless and smooth. The landscape had gorgeous detail and you could really feel the heat of the desert area where the player was dropped. Once the mission target was reached, there was some dialogue that occurred on how to best complete the mission objective for that location. Verbal cues would trigger when objectives were met and advice was given from your base as the mission progressed. D-Dog had the ability to locate enemies from a distance and attack and stun enemies without alerting them to Boss’ presence. Combining this with the extremely dynamic combat, the audio and visual qualities and the return of the classic “CQC” take-down ability makes defeating enemies a truly satisfying experience.
The Fulton Device originally introduced in MGS: Peace Walker also makes a return. In the demo that was shown, the player was tasked with capturing a Russian interpreter to be taken back to base and tasked with translation of enemy conversations. Mission objectives and targets of interest will be mapped and marked by your HUD as they are discovered. Occasionally, you might come across a friendly in peril, and you have the option to rescue them and Fulton them out of harms way and back to base.
One feature includes collectible music recordings that you may find throughout the open world. During the demo, one such cassette was found after using a stealth take down on an enemy soldier and nabbing it from his radio. A la GTA, you can play the tunes you discover at will during your mission. From what we have been shown, they include a few fairly well-known songs.
The wait is almost over, Metal Gear fans. The game will be available for retail release worldwide on September 1st, 2015. Likely being the last “true” Metal Gear game, it’s one that fans won’t want to miss out on.