''Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes'' is a 2014
action-adventure
The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres.
Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a storyli ...
stealth video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by
Kojima Productions
Kojima Productions Co., Ltd. is a Japanese Video game developer, video game development studio founded in 2015 by video game designer Hideo Kojima, creator of the ''Metal Gear'' series. It is the spiritual successor to a production team inside K ...
and published by
Konami
, is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
. It is the eighth game in the ''
Metal Gear
is a series of techno-thriller stealth games created by Hideo Kojima. Developed and published by Konami, the first game, ''Metal Gear'', was released in 1987 for MSX home computers. The player often takes control of a special forces operativ ...
'' series directed, written and designed by
Hideo Kojima
is a Japanese video game designer, director, producer and writer. He is regarded as an auteur of video games. He developed a strong passion for action/adventure cinema and literature during his childhood and adolescence. In 1986, he was hired ...
, and serves as a prologue to ''
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain'', released the following year. Set in 1975, a few months after the events of ''
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker'', the story follows
Snake
Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
as he infiltrates an American
black site
In military terminology, a black site is a location at which an unacknowledged black operation or black project is conducted. According to the Associated Press, "Black sites are clandestine jails where prisoners generally are not charged with a ...
in Cuba called Camp Omega, attempting to rescue Cipher agent
Paz Ortega Andrade and former
Sandinista
The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a Socialism, socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after ...
child soldier
Ricardo "Chico" Valenciano Libre.
''Ground Zeroes'' offers players new sneaking and traversal methods compared to its predecessors, as well as the choice in what order the story events take place by selecting missions in any order they chose. The game was originally developed as a mission for ''The Phantom Pain'' but an extended development time resulted in Kojima splitting the specific portion of the game as a stand-alone product so that players could get early access to ''Metal Gear Solid V''.
''Ground Zeroes'' was released for
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
,
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
,
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
and
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
in March 2014, and for
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
in December 2014. Critical reception was generally positive, with praise for its mechanics and graphics, while the majority of the criticism concerned its short length. The game was met with some controversy for its handling of themes of sexual violence. It shipped 1 million units by April 2014.
''Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience'', a bundle that includes both ''Ground Zeroes'' and ''The Phantom Pain'', along with all additional content for both games, was released in October 2016.
Gameplay
Players control Snake through the game map and attempt to complete missions while avoiding being spotted by the enemy. The threat detection system is revamped, with the removal of the onscreen meter or gauge to indicate the player that they are in the 'alert/evasion/caution' state as in previous games, which have instead been replaced by visual and audio representations. Snake's binoculars have been revamped; instead of selecting the binoculars as an item, the binoculars are hot keyed to a button. The player is able to mark enemies and be aware of their locations in the iDroid's holographic display. There are directional cues to help players when an enemy sees them from a distance and gets closer to them. A new "Reflex Mode" is activated when an enemy finds Snake and the player only has a short window of time to take out the enemy before they fully sound the alarm. Lights can be shot out to further aid the player's stealth efforts.
[Roberts, Samuel. (September 22, 2014)]
"What to expect from Ground Zeroes, Metal Gear Solid 5's "
''PC Gamer''. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
''Ground Zeroes'' features seven missions in total, locked at individual levels. After completing the main mission the player unlocks four subsequent missions (referred to as "Side Ops") set at different points in the day, all set in Camp Omega. These missions involve specific tasks, such as eliminating certain targets or obtaining classified information. After achieving a certain objective in the main mission, the player may unlock two additional "Extra Op" missions.
As the game is introductory in nature, being a prologue, the core story mission can be completed in a very short time frame. However, the game has many additional challenges, missions and alternative methods of play. A
companion app for
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
or
Android was made to help players access the in-game map and other iDroid functions on their smartphones. Console versions of the game have community features that allows a player to look at other players' performance in the game, showing where they were killed on the map.
Atmospheric weather and lighting in ''Ground Zeroes'' is mission-proprietary, meaning that the setting of the game depends on the individual mission being played. A
real-time
Real-time or real time describes various operations in computing or other processes that must guarantee response times within a specified time (deadline), usually a relatively short time. A real-time process is generally one that happens in defined ...
day and night cycle was originally planned for the game, but left out in favor of fully utilizing it in ''The Phantom Pain''.
Kojima has spoken about the restrictive nature of previous ''Metal Gear'' titles, saying that they "set
he player
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
on one rail to get from point A to point B, with a certain amount of freedom between". In contrast, Kojima's team instead offered the player new ways of traversal and sneaking methods, such as taking a
jeep
Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Moto ...
, a car, or a helicopter around the mission area. This was in order for Kojima to accomplish a "true open world experience" with ''Ground Zeroes''.
Synopsis
Setting
Set in March 1975, a few months after the events of ''Peace Walker'', players control returning protagonist
Snake
Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
,
also known as Big Boss (
Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer William Sutherland (born 21 December 1966) is a British-Canadian actor and musician. He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox drama series '' 24'' (2001–2010, 2014), for which he won an Emmy Award, a Golden Glo ...
/
Akio Ōtsuka
is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from the Tokyo Metropolitan area. He is attached to Mausu Promotion.
The astringent and calm quality of his deep voice has landed him many roles in films, dubbing, animation, and video games. He is ...
), as he works with
Militaires Sans Frontières (MSF) to infiltrate an American
black site
In military terminology, a black site is a location at which an unacknowledged black operation or black project is conducted. According to the Associated Press, "Black sites are clandestine jails where prisoners generally are not charged with a ...
on Cuban soil called Camp Omega. Once used as a refugee camp for people fleeing Cuba and Haiti, Camp Omega is home to an old prison that is being used for
extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition is a euphemism for state-sponsored Kidnapping, forcible abduction in another jurisdiction and transfer to a third state. The phrase usually refers to a United States-led program used during the War on Terror, which had t ...
as it has no legal recognition under the United States Constitution. Snake's main objectives are the extraction of
Paz Ortega Andrade (
Tara Strong
Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as ''The New Batman Adventures ...
/
Nana Mizuki
is a Japanese voice actress, singer and narrator from Niihama, Ehime. She is represented by the agency StarCrew. Mizuki was trained as an enka singer, releasing one single under her birth name, Nana Kondō, in 1993 and made her debut as a voice ...
), who has information regarding the whereabouts of the person or persons known as Cipher; and
Ricardo "Chico" Valenciano Libre (Antony Del Rio/
Kikuko Inoue
is a Japanese voice actress, singer and narrator. She has been part of the singing groups DoCo and Goddess Family Club. She is the founder and manager of her voice-acting company, Office Anemone. Inoue tends to play the " perfect girlfriend" o ...
), a
Sandinista
The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a Socialism, socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after ...
and former
child soldier
Children (defined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child as people under the age of 18) have been recruited for participation in military operations and campaigns throughout history and in many cultures.
Children in the military, includ ...
who was captured by
Skull Face (
James Horan James Horan may refer to:
* James Horan (actor) (born 1954), American character actor
* James Horan (cricketer) (1880–1945), Australian cricketer
* James Horan (Gaelic footballer)
James Horan (born 1972) is a Gaelic football manager and f ...
/
Takaya Hashi
Sharp Takaya Electronics Industry Co. Ltd. is a computer equipment manufacturer mostly owned by Sharp Corporation.
Description
Some products have been sold directly to original equipment manufacturers under the Takaya brand. One of the many tes ...
), the commander of paramilitary force
XOF, who are in control of Camp Omega. Snake's mission is supported by
Kazuhira "Kaz" Miller (
Robin Atkin Downes
Robin Atkin Downes is an English actor known for his work in animation and video games.
Early life
Downes was born in London. He earned an MFA from Temple University in Philadelphia.
Career
Downes has voiced characters in animated films s ...
/
Tomokazu Sugita
is a Japanese voice actor and author. He mainly plays young men and is characterized by his "deep bass voice," and he often performs ad-libs and imitations.
He is best known for his roles as Gintoki Sakata in ''Gintama'', Tadaomi Karasuma in ' ...
) and
Dr. "Huey" Emmerich (
Christopher Randolph
Christopher Randolph (born 1959 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American actor known for providing the English voice for Hal "Otacon" Emmerich and Dr. "Huey" Emmerich in the ''Metal Gear Solid'' series. Prior to landing his role as Otacon, he ...
/
Hideyuki Tanaka
is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo who is attached to Aoni Production. He is a graduate of the Toho Gakuen School of Music. He is most known for his roles in ''One Piece'' (as Donquixote Doflamingo), '' Dokaben'' (as Tarou Y ...
) from MSF's Mother Base.
Plot
In the aftermath of the ''Peace Walker'' incident, Paz Ortega Andrade is missing and presumed dead. Under the direction of Kazuhira Miller and Huey Emmerich, Militaires Sans Frontières (MSF) prepare for an upcoming inspection by the UN, amid suspicions that they possess a nuclear weapon; MSF suspects this to be an attempt by Cipher to stifle them. Their preparations are interrupted when MSF agents in Cuba investigate reports that Paz survived and has been detained at Camp Omega. To complicate matters, Ricardo "Chico" Valenciano Libre's attempts to rescue her has resulted in his capture. Believing that both of them could compromise MSF, Snake is sent to infiltrate Camp Omega to extract them if they are alive, and confirm what they revealed to their captors. Snake believes rescuing Paz will convince Cipher to stand down, and that she will be willing to discuss Cipher's activities with MSF.
Snake infiltrates Camp Omega as a mysterious Special Forces unit known as XOF departs it. He locates and extracts Chico, who claims Paz is dead. Using a recording from Chico, Snake and Miller deduce that Paz is alive, and was moved deeper into the camp. Snake locates and rescues Paz, with the group escaping via an MSF helicopter designated Morpho One. On the way to Mother Base, Chico discovers that Paz was surgically implanted with a bomb, prompting Snake and an MSF medic to remove it by hand. They arrive at Mother Base to see it in flames as XOF forces attack. Morpho One lands long enough for Snake to rescue a few members of staff, including Miller, who claims that the UN inspection was nothing but a ruse for the XOF ambush, as it destroys Mother Base. As they attempt to escape XOF, Paz regains consciousness and warns them that there is a second bomb inside her. Knowing that she is about to die, she jumps out to throw herself clear of the helicopter. The resulting explosion causes Morpho to spiral out of control and collide with a pursuing XOF helicopter.
The epilogue reveals that the United States government downplayed MSF's destruction and attempted to cover up their dealings with the organization, as do many of MSF's clients. There are no known survivors of the assault, apart from Snake, Miller, and Huey. In a post-credits scene, set prior to Snake's arrival at Camp Omega, Paz is interrogated by Skull Face, the commander of XOF, who demands the whereabouts of
Cipher / Zero, as Paz had met Zero in person. Paz eventually gives in and agrees to tell him Zero's location.
Collectible audio logs reveal that Huey arranged for the United Nations to come to Mother Base against both Snake's and Miller's objections, prompting them to hide the nuclear-equipped Metal Gear ZEKE underwater. At Camp Omega, Paz and Chico are tortured, physically and psychologically, for information about the MSF base. Chico tells Skull Face the location of the base and what defenses there are. Paz berates Chico for giving up the information, but later records herself saying she forgives him and would not have made it through the torture without him.
''Side Ops''
''Ground Zeroes'' contains four additional missions, known as Side Ops, that take place in the weeks before the events of the main storyline. In the game's universe, they are labelled "pseudo-historical recreations". In the first mission, Snake is sent to a U.S. naval prison facility in Cuba to eliminate or extract a Marine Corps sniper team hiding at the facility to avoid extradition to
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
, where they stand accused of war crimes. Suspicious about the facility's purpose, MSF stations a spy—revealed to be the series' creator,
Hideo Kojima
is a Japanese video game designer, director, producer and writer. He is regarded as an auteur of video games. He developed a strong passion for action/adventure cinema and literature during his childhood and adolescence. In 1986, he was hired ...
, reprising a similar cameo in ''
Peace Walker''—in the camp, who requests an emergency evacuation. Snake provides support from the air long enough for him to escape. Unable to plant another agent of their own, MSF send Snake in to make contact with an undercover informant posing as a guard. He discovers that the informant has set a trap for him, but is able to secure a recording made by the guard. With evidence that the base is an illegal black site, Snake returns in advance of an airborne assault to sabotage the facility's anti-aircraft defences. Although he is successful, the promised assault is replaced by an airstrike, leaving him stranded in the middle of the base with fighter jets inbound. After escaping, he and Kaz Miller speculate that the entire affair—from the camp's conversion to a black site to the aborted assault—were a series of plots orchestrated by Cipher, first to establish a compound outside any legal jurisdiction and later to disrupt Militaires Sans Frontières' operations.
Development
In February 2012, a site named "Development Without Borders" owned by Konami was uploaded promoting development for a new ''Metal Gear'' title, which was titled "The 'next' MGS". The site was recruiting staff for the 2012
GDC pavilion in March, and requested applications for several positions for the latest ''Metal Gear Solid'' targeted for "high-end consoles and PC" and "next-gen Fox engine". As the year went on, screenshots and videos of the newly announced
Fox Engine were unveiled by the team. This media demonstrated a range of settings and characters, none explicitly related to the ''Metal Gear'' series. Certain screenshots, however, were noted to feature a character who resembled the Big Boss character of ''Metal Gear'', walking up to a
Stryker
The Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in London, Ontario. It ...
AFV, previously seen in ''Metal Gear Solid 4''.
The game was announced on August 30, 2012, originally under the name of ''Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes''. It was revealed at a private function celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ''Metal Gear'' series, and made its public debut two days later at the 2012
Penny Arcade Expo
PAX (originally known as Penny Arcade Expo) is a series of gaming culture festivals involving tabletop, arcade, and video gaming. PAX is held annually in Seattle, Boston and Philadelphia in the United States; and Melbourne in Australia. PAX w ...
.
Director
Hideo Kojima
is a Japanese video game designer, director, producer and writer. He is regarded as an auteur of video games. He developed a strong passion for action/adventure cinema and literature during his childhood and adolescence. In 1986, he was hired ...
confirmed that
Big Boss would return as the game's protagonist, and that the story would serve as a prologue to another game in the series,
later revealed as ''Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain''.
It was the second game to utilize the Fox Engine, after ''
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014
''Pro Evolution Soccer 2014'' (officially abbreviated as ''PES 2014'', also known in Asia as ''World Soccer: Winning Eleven 2014'' and ''World Soccer: Winning Eleven 2014 - Aoki Samurai no Chousen'' in Japan only) is an association football video ...
'' the year before.
The Japanese version of the game features an English text option, rendering in-game menus and subtitled dialogue in full English. This makes it possible to play the game with the Japanese voice cast accompanied by English text. ''Ground Zeroes'' is the first title in the series subtitled in
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
, a feature the team had originally planned for previous games. In addition, he confirmed that the length of the cutscenes would be reduced, as he believes that long cutscenes have become outdated.
According to ''
Famitsu
formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...
'', real dogs were used for motion capture during the development of the game's opening scenes, in addition to Konami confirming that part of Kojima's direction was influenced by
AKB48
AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with it ...
music videos, most notably the usage of sideways lens flares.
''Ground Zeroes'' and ''The Phantom Pain'' were originally supposed to be released together, but ''The Phantom Pain''s long development time resulted in Kojima splitting the project into two parts to allow players to experience the gameplay of ''Metal Gear Solid V'' prior to the full game's release.
Kojima compared ''Ground Zeroes'' with the pre-title sequence in a Hollywood movie due to how it will build up the plot from ''The Phantom Pain''.
Kojima claimed that his aim was to target taboos and mature themes, which he considered to be "quite risky", adding that his roles as creator and producer were in conflict with one another; as creator, Kojima wanted to take the risk of exploring themes that might alienate audiences, but as producer, he had to be able to tone down the content in order to sell as many copies of the game as possible. Ultimately, the role of creator won out, and Kojima described his approach as "prioritising creativity over sales". Kojima has described the connections and differences between ''Ground Zeroes'' and ''The Phantom Pain'', stating that "the advanced capabilities of the Fox Engine have allowed me to tell the new story in a new way", and that "there will be a significant difference in what ''The Phantom Pain'' brings to the series, so we want to ease players into the new open world environment and its potential", hoping to achieve that with ''Ground Zeroes''. The game breaks away from the franchise's tradition of using licensed firearms and other military technology; instead, players use fictional weapons that bear little resemblance to real-life counterparts, such as the Marines' Type 69 rifle being reminiscent of the
M-16
The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-roun ...
.
Release
Originally it was announced that ''Ground Zeroes'' would be released digital only on the
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
and
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
, while the
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
and
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
would be receiving the title in both, physical and digital formats.
This later changed when physical versions for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were announced on December 10, 2013.
The cover artwork would be changed between regional releases. Whereas the Japanese cover artwork depicts Snake and Miller, the western versions only feature Snake. Kojima explained that the decision to change the cover art for the western versions came from Konami's foreign marketing department, as they felt that consumers would not recognize Miller due to the underwhelming sales of ''Peace Walker'' on the
PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...
in the west.
As part of a dual-exclusivity deal, the initial release of the two Extra Ops were locked between the PlayStation and Xbox platforms. The PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 versions featured the "Deja Vu" mission, in which the player must recreate scenes or events from the original ''
Metal Gear Solid
is a series of techno-thriller stealth games created by Hideo Kojima. Developed and published by Konami, the first game, ''Metal Gear'', was released in 1987 for MSX home computers. The player often takes control of a special forces operat ...
'', while the Xbox One and Xbox 360 versions featured the "Jamais Vu" mission, in which player controls the cyborg version of
Raiden from ''
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance'', as he is tasked with eliminating a group of bioroids who have infiltrated the base disguised as human soldiers (a homage to Kojima's earlier game ''
Snatcher'').
Both Extra Ops were made available on all four platforms as a part of the Version 1.02 update patch on May 1, 2014.
''Ground Zeroes'' was released in Japan for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 20, 2014. Because of the late launch of the Xbox One in Japan, its version was released several months later on September 4 in digital format only. As with previous ''Metal Gear Solid'' installments, a limited "Premium Package" edition was produced and sold by
Amazon Japan. This edition was sold in a box featuring hand-drawn artwork by
Yoji Shinkawa
is a Japanese artist. He is best known as the lead character and mecha designer for the ''Metal Gear'' franchise. He has collaborated with Hideo Kojima on each of his games.
Biography
Shinkawa was born in Hiroshima on 25 December 1971. He bega ...
, which contained the game itself, a
Revoltech Yamaguchi action figure of Snake in his ''Ground Zeroes'' garb, and a special edition of the ''Peace Walker'' novelization written by Hitori Nojima featuring exclusive artwork not in the stand-alone edition. The Australian and New Zealand release of ''Ground Zeroes'' was delayed to March 27. It was reported that various New Zealand retailers had delayed their release dates and contacted Konami, who confirmed the situation.
On August 13, 2014, Konami announced that ''Ground Zeroes'', along with ''The Phantom Pain'', would be released for Windows via
Steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
. ''Ground Zeroes'' was released on December 18, 2014, while ''The Phantom Pain'' was released on Steam on September 1, 2015.
''Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience'', a complete edition that includes ''Ground Zeroes'' and ''The Phantom Pain'' in one bundle, was released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows (via Steam) in 2016. It includes both Extra Ops on all three platforms, as well as the option to immediately start ''The Phantom Pain'' after completing the main mission.
Reception
Critical reception
''Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes'' received "generally favorable" reviews from critics on all platforms except on PlayStation 3 which received "mixed or average" reviews, according to
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
.
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
felt that the new stealth mechanics in ''Ground Zeroes'', such as the replacement of the radar and other indicators with binoculars and radio communication, made its overall gameplay more "immersive" than previous installments, noting that "nothing is simply handed to you, and ''Ground Zeroes'' is a far more tense and rewarding experience for it". Its open world format and side missions were also praised for adding a large amount of flexibility and replay value to the game, concluding that "though it's unusual for everything to take place in a single location, there's so much to do and see, and whether you take a stealthy or head-on approach, infiltrating Camp Omega is a thrilling experience that shouldn't be missed".
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
shared similar praise, describing it as a "stripped down" game which "avoids lengthy cutscenes, climactic boss fights, and the usual frayed and tangled plot strands in favour of smart, tactical gameplay". The length of the main campaign was noted as being short, but it was acknowledged that while the array of side missions and bonus objectives may only appeal to "score-chasers", "there's certainly plenty of content here to satisfy".
Robert Rath, a columnist at ''
The Escapist'', praised the emphasis on collecting information over gunfights and combat, saying "''Ground Zeroes'' is the first ''MGS'' game to live up to its subtitle and actually allow you to conduct tactical espionage operations." Jim Sterling of ''
The Escapist'' praised the gameplay and expressed anticipation for ''Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain'', but was highly critical of its length, describing it as a game demo and expressing shock that Konami had seen fit to sell.
Polygon
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
was more critical, considering it "staggeringly short and unsatisfying, feeling more like a cash grab than an honest-to-goodness installment in a beloved franchise". Although praising its overall audiovisual design and attention to detail, ''Ground Zeroes'' was criticized for the changes made to its stealth mechanics, its "half-baked" action sequences, and the extremely short length of the game's main campaign, which was further criticized for being "dull" and "underwhelming".
While giving the game a high score in her review for
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
, Lucy O'Brien was highly critical of the use of sexual violence as a plot device. Collectible tapes in the game describe how Paz is sexually assaulted and tortured, including the insertion of a second bomb into her vagina or anus, and how underage boy Chico is forced to have sex with her. O'Brien described how the introduction of this part of the plot through collectibles effectively made them a reward for players. Several other writers criticized the use of sexual violence, describing it as a failure to portray rape in a meaningful way, as an example of acceptance of sexualized violence in video games, or as a reinforcement of
rape culture
Rape culture is a setting, studied by several sociological theories, in which rape is pervasive and normalized due to societal attitudes about gender and sexuality. Behaviors commonly associated with rape culture include victim blaming, slut-s ...
.
Sales
During the first week of release in Japan, the PlayStation 3 version of the game sold 119,615 physical retail copies, ranking third place amongst all Japanese software sales within that week, whilst the PlayStation 4 version sold 91,903 physical retail copies. On 25 April 2014, Konami announced that the game shipped one million copies worldwide. The PlayStation 4 version has sold three times more than the Xbox One version. No official numbers were given on the sales of the Steam version; however, Konami has stated that sales of ''Ground Zeroes'' were "solid" on the PC platform.
Notes
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