Kojima says it would have been better if his team had released both Metal Gear games at the same time

The most massive Metal Gear game to date, and well.....it's going to take quite some time to finish. The Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes are part of the same storyline, with GZ being the prologue, but bringing out both titles together, it's just not happening. Hideo Kojima recently sat down with Famitsu in an interview talking about the need to split them up into two games. The Phantom Pain is 200 times bigger, and aside from that, the PS4 will have to become more adapted with the gaming audience before bringing it out is even practical. That brought the need for bringing out the smaller and more "ready" Ground Zeroes title.

"It would've actually been better to release it all at once, but by the way things are going, it appears likely that Phantom Pain will be coming out around the time the PlayStation 4 becomes more spread out. That means we would've had to make people wait a while longer."

 "Prior to the announcement of Metal Gear Solid V, last year, we showed a Fox Engine implementation video. Then, we also showed the Fox Engine in a presentation video at GDC 2013. Since we revealed information on a regular basis, there were many who believed that Metal Gear Solid V was already complete, and there were many voices from fans saying 'we want to play it soon."

"However, The Phantom Pain has enormous volume, so it will require much more time. So, together with the marketing staff, we consulted 'what ifs' and such, and came to the decision of allowing fans to at least play the prologue, ahead of time. We want to offer it for as cheap as possible, so at first we thought about making it as a download only; however, after thinking about people around the world, and how some places don't have the best connectivity, we're preparing a physical version."

Kojima went on to suggest that those who have save game data from Ground Zeroes will be able to make use of it with The Phantom Pain. Sounds like a carry over for some extra content. Seeing as how The Phantom Pain will be an enormous open world setting, you likely shouldn't expect it to see the light of day until sometime in 2015. This is why Ground Zeroes is being released this coming Spring time. You have to give the players something to chew on until then right? Right.

Via Siliconera
Original Famitsu

More check ups with Ground Zeroes as you can listen to your favorite tunes while Solid Snake carries his walkman everywhere he goes

Ahh......., the good old days of cassette tapes and record players. Combine that with a Ford Mustang and a pretty woman and you're good to go. Solid Snake can take advantage of that option minus the car and woman, as he will have the ability to carry a Walkman tape player with him everywhere he goes. This also includes on the helicopter. What does it mean for you, the player?, why it means you can listen to any song you want where ever you want, as much as you want. Imagine listening to the theme song to a James Bond movie as Snake sneaks into the enemy base. Of course the setting doesn't actually have to fit the song. You could listen to Beethoven while you drive around in your Jeep. It's all based on your preferences.

Hideo Kojima tweeted some photos and statements about the check ups he was doing with Ground Zeroes, which show a bit more information on how the options screen is set up. Let's take a good look.

“Snake in GZ always carries “Walkman”. You can listen to any song you like with it during the mission or even on the helicopter. I think 007 ‘s theme of Bond (arranged by MOBY) & “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” theme fit well when sneaking in. I unexpectedly cried over Adel’s “Skyfall” when rescuing.”

Track

Play All
Jame's Bond Theme (Moby's Re-version)
SkyFall [From SkyFall]
Theme
Thunderball
You Know My Name

“Checking & adjusting English version today."

Hideo Kojima continued the check ups with the English version of Ground Zeroes, followed by what appears to be a snake sitting on his desk. Looks a bit tasty!

Both versions (Xbox and Playstation) of Ground Zeroes were checked, judging by the controllers in the photos above, and the anticipation just keeps getting bigger as we draw ever so closer to the launch time of next Spring. Might I suggest you start gathering some of your favorite songs so you can be ready when you sneak up on that unsuspecting enemy soldier?

The classic side scrolling shooter Contra 3: The Alien Wars is now available on the Wii-U Virtual Console

It seems the more complicated games get, the more some of us want to regress back to a time when games were little more than side scrolling platformers where you simply shoot and kill everything around you. One such game that fits that particular bill was Contra 3: The Alien Wars, also known as Super Probotector in the PAL region of the world. Contra III gave a new life to the series thanks to the mode 7 and special effects of the Super Nintendo/Famicom, not to mention the wild and rocking soundtrack that went along with it.

Now you can relive that action once again with your Nintendo Wii-U, as Contra 3 is now available for download on the Wii-U Virtual Console. Like the original game, and Super-C that followed it, you can team up with a partner to traverse through an alien infested world, collecting power-ups, and killing every alien species you encounter. A total of six stages await you with a challenge that guaranteed to kill you at least once before end, unless your an ultimate game master. The official site currently has Contra III listed for $7.99, a modest price for such a classic gem.

 

So where does Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain fit into the Metal Gear timeline for Solid Snake?

When you create the egg, then create the chicken, what happens in between? That's a tough scenario that Hideo Kojima is having to face with his latest brainchild Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain. Having taken place a few years after Peace Walker, but before Guns of the Patriots, just after the Vietnam war ended one can understand how it can be hard to fill in the blanks for a game that takes place "in between Metal Gear stories". Kojima made a few statements in recent interviews about explaining how evolving the Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain has been for him and his team.

"When you try to write something that was supposed to be in the middle there will be some inconsistencies when you go into very small details. "The most important part is writing something that is fun, something that is impressive, something that is better than it was before. So sometimes in the interest of doing this, of having a better experience, we sacrifice some consistencies in the story."

Also, in case you've been out of the loop for a while, both PS4 and Xbox One versions will be getting exclusive content for Ground Zeroes. Classic Solid Snake from the first Metal Gear Solid for PS1 will be a playable character, a low polygon style with a low polygon playing area. Kind of takes you back to a golden year doesn't it?

The Xbox One version exclusive content will be there, but it's not known right now as to what that will be. More classic content?, who is to say. As far as a release date for Phantom Pain, Kojima wants to wait until the PS4 has taken a much better foothold in the gaming community before releasing it. Not to mention the time needed to finish developing a game that is 200 times the size of Ground Zeroes. That should explain why GZ is being released so much earlier, since the prologue is necessary to get fans into the act of learning the mechanics and storyline for TPP. Fans also want a taste right now of the new Metal Gear game, so it only makes sense.

Ground Zeroes will be releasing in Spring time next year on the Xbox One, PS4, PS3, and Xbox 360 respectively. Next generation consoles will see a higher resolution than current ones, according to Kojima. Can't wait to get a taste of that Solid Snake action in a few months myself.

Gradius games have set the standard for many shooters, and are an inspiration to titles like Resogun

Going back a bit, oh about 26 years sounds about right, Gradius made its debut on not only the arcade format, but on the NES 8-bit console as well. Since then Konami has produced some similar spin off titles that took Gradius and used it as a catalyst for their own design. Even games like Twinbee and Parodius took some inspiration from a game that was deemed not only quite a challenge, but one that was fun to play, and some not without the famous Konami code for power ups.

Since then a number of game companies have used Gradius as a platform themselves for inspiration to producer their own shooters. Resogun is one that will remind you a bit of it. A launch Playstation Plus+ title that released along side the PS4, Resogun combines it with something unique called "voxel-filled" game play mechanics. After watching the video below you can see how beautiful this shooter is for those of you looking for something new to play in the shooter department. Adam Sessler accompanies Housemarque to demonstrate how the game looks and plays, while discussing some of the key elements they used to produce such unique style graphics.

 

When the Playstation 4 is adapted on a wide basis, then The Phantom Pain will make its release date

Famitsu seems to get more answers recently from Hideo Kojima than most other publications. The most anticipated answer everyone is seeking is when the heck is The Phantom Pain going to be released? Kojima did give an answer to that almighty question........well, sort of. Here is the bulk of his answer to what he told Famitsu recently. When asked why he wanted to separate Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain into two different releases at two different times, Kojima responded that releasing Ground Zeroes before Phantom Pain will give players a chance to get used to how the new Metal Gear game plays. Since TPP is 200 times bigger than GZ, it will also give his team a chance to fine tune it. Releasing the prologue first will also hold them with something to do until TPP can get completed.

So when will The Phantom Pain be released?, here is a rather loose time frame, and no where near as specific as you might have hoped.

"It looks like we'll be able to release The Phantom Pain around the time that the PlayStation 4 becomes widely adapted."

Widely adapted. That should take quite a while, since brand new systems take a good deal of time to get integrated into the market, at least on a world wide bases. Where does that leave TPP? Likely somewhere in the vicinity of 2015 it seems. Even though both titles were made to run on Xbox 360 and PS3 hardware, their PS4 and Xbox One counterparts, which by the way will be a higher resolution version, will take the slow train to the homes of a large number of people.

Welcome to Silent Mushroom, a T-Shirt that blends Super Mario Bros. with Pyramid Head and Silent Hill nurses

What in the world does Super Mario Bros. have to do with Silent Hill? Well, somehow they managed to get together just long enough to pose for some cool looking art. Mike Handy is a guy who literally is handy at making game worlds collide when it comes to artistry. He took both games, blending them together in not just the form of a T-Shirt, but whatever else you can think of. IPad and iPhone cases, throw pillows, laptop cases, tote bags, and even a coffee mug! Yes, you can have your cup of wake up juice in the morning while thinking of Super Mario and Silent Hill.

Mike Handy Art is his site, and he is known for art based on both games and movies. These shirt are called "Welcome to Silent Mushroom" since it blends Mario with characters like the Nurses and Pyramid Head from Silent Hill. An interesting concept indeed. Also for you ladies, don't worry, there are tank tops for you too. Many sizes and colors for you to choose from will allow you to have one or more of these gems for yourself, while your friends will be stricken with envy.

Simply head over to the official site called Society6, where you can shop around right now on Black Friday. Now is the time because Mike his offering customers free shipping on their goods until Monday. So if you're thinking about what to get him or her or whoever this year, consider this. You won't regret it.