Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes is an interesting game. Sold as a prologue to what will eventually be a full-sized Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, its $39.99 price tag has already been questioned by many, and reasonably so.
Game Informer had the opportunity to play through the entirety of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes‘ campaign, and noted that it took four hours to complete. They posted:
We had four hours of exclusive hands-on time with Ground Zeroes, which we used to play through the main mission and experiment with extra modes.
It’s important to keep in mind that there will be content that extends the play value of the title, but what that entails hasn’t been made clear. A choice of difficulty modes and presumably in-game collectibles are a safe bet. However, those are elements that are typically only relevant to those who want to play through a game multiple times. How Ground Zeroes delivers its minute-by-minute experience is what will really dictate whether or not it’s accepted as a justifyable release.
Many of the Nintendo 3DS’ games retail for $39.99, and include much more value. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, for example, is around 12 hours of length and makes good use of every minute. Ground Zeroes seems priced improperly in comparison.
This is beginning to look like an experiment by Konami. If the game sells incredibly well, and odds are that it will, there’s a good chance we’ll be seeing similar release structures in the future.
