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.