Metal Gear Solid 5 • Eurogamer.net

David Hayter reprises Snake in this Metal Gear Solid tribute video

Kept you waiting, huh?

Metal Gear alumni David Hayter has reprised his role as Solid Snake for a brief teaser that serves as both a celebration of the game's 31st anniversary, and an update about the Metal Gear movie from filmmaker Jordan Vogt-Roberts.

Surprise Metal Gear Solid 5 update lets you play as Quiet

Keep it on the down-load.

Metal Gear Solid 5 has a new update - its first in nearly a year - that lets you play as Quiet.

Quiet is the scantily-clad assassin from the main Phantom Pain game. She's scantily-clad because she breathes through her skin. Yes, really.

Now, you can play as Quiet to infiltrate FOBs. You can't change her uniform or head options (because she'd suffocate, right?), but she is great with a sniper rifle. She's proper fast and can jump over high steps you'd normally need a ladder for. She also has a special dash, and staying still for a bit makes her stealthy.

Plus Streets of Rage and more.

Microsoft has unveiled its Xbox Games with Gold line-up for May, and it's a good 'un, headlined by Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, and Platinum's stupendous Vanquish.

Konami says it has no idea why Metal Gear Solid 5's nuclear disarmament event just unlocked

Trigger happy.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain's nuclear disarmament cutscene was suddenly unlocked over the weekend on PC - and publisher Konami says it has no idea why.

Digital FoundryWhat does the Metal Gear Solid 5 PS4 Pro patch actually do?

A barebones upgrade.

Well, that came out of nowhere! On Monday afternoon, the official Metal Gear Solid Twitter feed revealed that a PlayStation 4 Pro patch for MGS5 was imminent, the upgrade landing in the early hours of Tuesday morning. As huge fans of the title, we were excited to see what kind of upgrades Sony's higher-spec PlayStation 4 could deliver. The end result is somewhat lacking in ambition, but it's better than nothing and at the very least, it's a good opportunity to revisit what remains an excellent title.

Konami promised performance upgrades only in its initial tweet - which is kind of curious bearing in mind that the game mostly locks to 60 frames per second anyway - but later comms talked about an upgraded resolution. For the record, our measurements have the patch delivering a 2560x1440 resolution. Yes, it's yet another PlayStation 4 Pro upgrade that delivers 1440p, with little else added to the mix. Stress test scenarios in certain cut-scenes do see performance improvements, though it's not a completely clean bill of health. That said, we're already looking at a highly optimal game, and drops from the target frame-rate are definitely edge cases. With the patch in place, expect gameplay to be as good as it ever was, if not slightly better.

In terms of upgrades beyond resolution and performance, it's slim to non-existent pickings here. The Fox Engine is capable of more - much more - as we saw in the PC version of The Phantom Pain, which allowed for super-high resolutions, massively improved shadows and big boosts to draw distance, delivering a much richer open world. In short, MGS5 clearly has scalability beyond resolution and none of these elements have made their way to the PlayStation Pro upgrade. And with no checkerboard or similar smart upscaling solution in place, this patch does feel like a barebones release. After all, as we established a long time back when we built a PC to the Pro's GPU spec, 1440p does seem to be the best natural fit for a straight, no-frills upscale to an existing PS4 engine.

Amnesia: Collection! Hustle Kings! More!

Sony's announced the PlayStation Plus games for October and the list includes a whopper: Metal Gear Solid 5.

Metal Gear Solid 5 update adds playable Ocelot to FOB missions

Plus swimsuits.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain may be nearly two years old at this point, but Konami is still supporting Hideo Kojima's essential swan song to his storied series by adding a new playable character to its FOB (Forward Operating Base) missions: Revolver Ocelot.

Due in a patch on 1st August, Ocelot, true to his nickname, can draw and reload his weapon faster than other characters. He can also dual-wield a couple of Tornado-6 revolvers that ricochet bullets onto marked foes. It's a cool party trick.

While Ocelot's clothing options cannot be altered, he does have a slightly increased camouflage value.

Watch the first Metal Gear Survive gameplay

"It's like a nightmare that you can't wake up from!"

Konami revealed the first gameplay footage of Metal Gear Survive today at Tokyo Game Show.

As you can see in the following footage, this four-player co-op spin-off looks a lot like Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. The graphics and setting appear almost identical, only now there's co-op and zombies.

There's still a fair bit of stealth though as players can slither through the grass and use fulton balloons on wildlife to bait the undead. Sometimes things get more action-focused, such as a section where the players set up a beacon and have to defend it from an onslaught of zombies.

UPDATE: Confirmed, due 13th October.

UPDATE 30/8/16 10.45am Konami has now officially confirmed the previously-spotted Metal Gear Solid 5 Definitive Edition.

BBC documentary on disabled gamer's Metal Gear Solid limb is worth a watch

Sometimes uncomfortable, ultimately uplifting.

Last year, Metal Gear Solid publisher Konami said it would help fund a new prosthetic limb for a double amputee gamer.

David Hayter reprises Metal Gear Solid role in Ford commercials

"Snake is back. And he's driving a Ford."

Solid Snake voice actor David Hayter may have been replaced by Kiefer Sutherland, but the classic Metal Gear Solid actor is sure getting a lot of mileage out of the role as he just reprised his most well known character in a Ford commercial.

Solid Snake voice actor David Hayter to star in MGS fan tribute project

From the ashes of Shadow Moses.

Last month the Metal Gear Solid fan remake, Shadow Moses Project, was unceremoniously shut down, ostensibly due to legal pressure from Konami. But now the folks behind that, the Fan Legacy Team, have started a new MGS-related project with another person spurned by Konami: the original Solid Snake voice actor David Hayter.

Solid Snake voice actor David Hayter throws shade at Hideo Kojima

Calls The Phantom Pain "60 hours of humiliation".

Hideo Kojima surprised many when he announced that he'd recast the voice of Metal Gear Solid protagonist Snake with Kiefer Sutherland in MGS5 after nearly two decades of David Hayter providing the role.

Hideo Kojima stars at DICE, chats about "edgy" new game

"I feel extremely free right now."

Freedom fighter Hideo Kojima's star turn at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas yesterday brought with it a few choice comments about the Metal Gear creator's current Konami-less situation - and his plan for the future.

Metal Gear Online will add playable Quiet in March

UPDATE: Release date and Survival mode detailed.

UPDATE 1/03/2015 10.05am: Metal Gear Online's Silence DLC will arrive for purchase on 15th March, Konami has confirmed.

Metal Gear Solid 5 has shipped 6m units

Konami's Pachinko revenue declines, despite Silent Hill and Castlevania cabinets.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain has shipped 6m units between retail and digital as of 31st December 2015, Konami revealed in its latest earnings report.

Metal Gear Online PC emerges from beta to full launch

Offers free 3000 Gear points if you play this week.

Metal Gear Online, the competitive online component of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, has officially launched on PC, Konami has confirmed.

Previously it was available in beta form.

"We took in a lot of feedback and made a few key adjustments. After some initial hiccups we're going forward guns at the ready," the publisher stated in a Steam update. "However that doesn't mean we've stopped development, quite the contrary. Just like the previously released console versions of MGO, we'll be integrating new updates to the game to improve the experience and add content."

Konami is hiring for a "New Metal Gear"

Franchise publisher has a lot Raiden on this.

Konami is now recruiting "New Metal Gear" development staff.

Kojima: "My role in this world is to keep on making big games for as long as I can"

And he can do it quicker independently, he says.

Hideo Kojima was apparently considering a tranquil year on a deserted island following his recent departure from Konami (and completion of Metal Gear Solid 5) - until a pep talk by a Hollywood friend changed his mind. Keep it up, the friend urged, you owe your talent that much. "Hearing that affirmed to me that my role in this world is to keep on making big games for as long as I can," Kojima told Simon Parkin for the New Yorker. "That is the mission I've been given in life." And that, I expect, will be a relief for his fans to hear.

FeatureEurogamer's Games of 2015 no. 2: Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

Grinding gears.

Metal Gear Solid games have often had a tension running through them - between the player and their purpose in the sublime Sons of Liberty, or between the mechanics and the cinematic pretensions in the ridiculous Guns of the Patriots. Phantom Pain, which still stands with the benefit of a few month's hindsight as the greatest Metal Gear Solid of them all, is riddled with a different kind of tension. It may well be a tension that's existed in the series' past, but it's the first time it's made itself known so explicitly in-game.

Report: Kojima starting up new studio, in talks with Sony

UPDATE: New Kojima Productions title coming to PS4, planned for PC later.

UPDATE #2: In a since deleted Q&A session on Medium, PlayStation EU's community manager confirmed that Kojima Productions' upcoming title is "planned to become available on PC (after PS4)."

Konami blocked Hideo Kojima from attending The Game Awards

Kiefer Sutherland had to accept an award on his behalf.

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima was contractually unable to attend The Game Awards due to his employment contract with publisher Konami.

Metal Gear Solid 5 half-price as another PlayStation Store sale begins

Good start for the 12 Deals of Christmas.

A Christmas PlayStation Store sale begins with a bang today by offering Metal Gear Solid 5 half-price, which means Ł30 on PS4, Ł20 on PS3 - markedly cheaper than in most shops. Catch is, the deal only lasts until tomorrow (Wednesday 2nd) at midnight, as it's the first of 12 Deals of Christmas.

Metal Gear Solid 5 community responds to nuclear disarmament call

Trigger theory.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain owners have responded to a call to disarm all nuclear weapons.

Metal Gear Solid 5's latest update brings new tools and tricks to FOBs

And a Quiet little surprise in the story, too.

Metal Gear Solid 5's latest update, which has just gone live, introduces a set of sweeping changes to its online FOB missions, as well as a surprise tweak to the story mode that's been quickly uncovered.

The bulk of November's update to Konami's game, which released back in September, is centred on the online FOB missions in which players can build their own bases while invading others. There are new security devices, such as gun cameras, the ability to now invest in 'Anti-Reflex research' which will narrow the amount of time an invader's Reflex Mode is active and a better integration of 'Stealth Mode' within the game. An option to build a third Forward Operating Base has also been added - the perfect way to spend all those Mother Base coins that you can handily buy for real cash.

Aside from all the FOB stuff are some minor tweaks to the story mode. Firstly, it's now easier to obtain and equip the 'Chicken Hat' and 'Lil' Chick Hat' that grant invisibility from the enemy - a shortcut to a quick and easy base infiltration - while industrious players have unearthed another secret that's not featured in the official patch notes. If you're still ploughing through the story, it's worth noting that what follows contains some significant spoilers.

Solid.

Metal Gear Solid 5 publisher Konami is helping to make a prosthetic limb for a double amputee gamer.

Konami closes LA studio responsible for Metal Gear Online

UPDATE: Konami confirms closure, says Metal Gear Online will still hit PC.

UPDATE 4th November 2015: Konami has confirmed it's closed its LA studio responsible for Metal Gear Online.

Konami shifts 5m copies of Metal Gear Solid 5

!

Konami has shipped 5m copies of Metal Gear Solid 5.

Escape From New York IP-holder wanted to sue Metal Gear Solid

John Carpenter said not to, because Kojima is "a nice guy".

It's no secret that Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima is a fan of John Carpenter's 1981 Kurt Russell vehicle Escape From New York. I mean, the main character in his beloved stealth series is even named after New York's gruff anti-hero and they even share the same mullet, eyepatch, five o'clock shadow and gruff voice. There's yet another reference to Kurt Russell's character in Metal Gear Solid 2 wherein Snake goes by the alias "Iroquois Plissken". The similarities were so close that the company who owns the rights to the film, CanalPlus, wanted to sue Kojima over it.

Does Metal Gear Solid 5's Eva costume DLC really have a "tactical advantage?"

UPDATE: Konami updates descriptive text on DLC item.

UPDATE: Konami has updated the descriptive text on Eva's DLC outfit, removing the previous mention of it offering a tactical advantage. On the PlayStation Store it now reads that the item can be unzipped as 'a bold fashion statement'. The description of the item in the game itself remains the same, however.

Hideo Kojima left Konami earlier this month - report

UPDATE: Konami sounds confused, reckon Kojima's just on holiday.

UPDATE 20/10/2015: Konami has issued a statement to Tokyo Sports (translated by Kotaku), denying Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima has left the company.

FeatureWhere can Metal Gear go from here?

Who's the Boss?

After 28 years Metal Gear Solid is finished. Or at least that's what the internet would have you believe. After all, the mastermind behind the series, Hideo Kojima, has unceremoniously parted ways with Konami, the publisher who owns the IP. Konami has been wishy-washy in its future plans since then; the publisher stated in March that it would continue to develop Metal Gear games after MGS5: The Phantom Pain, but then the company's worldwide technology director Julien Merceron left last month and reports indicated it was because Konami would be moving away from console games completely outside of its football series PES.

Konami apologises for Metal Gear Online's poor launch stability

Rewards players with extra XP and GP.

Metal Gear Online, the competitive online component of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, had something of a troubled launch last week.

This really soured Aoife's opinion of Kojima Production's PvP game, but Konami has assured us that a fix has been issued with further improvements to follow.

"We hereby apologise sincerely for the connection, as well as matching stability issues recurring since the MGO service started, that may have caused inconveniences," the publisher stated on its Japanese site before noting that "the service is currently stable."

Despite bugs, there's fun to be had, but will Konami stick with it?

By many accounts, Metal Gear Solid 5 is unfinished. A final mission that actually brought closure to the game's convoluted plot was left on the cutting room floor, and many players felt that the entirety of chapter two, when compared to the confident execution of chapter one, seemed like a rush job. Metal Gear Online feels a bit like that too.

MGS fan is remaking the first Metal Gear in Unreal Engine 4

All Diamond Dogs go to Outer Heaven.

A diehard Metal Gear Solid fan is remaking the original 1987 Metal Gear in Unreal Engine 4.

Metal Gear Solid 5 just got one of the craziest microtransactions yet

"Your FOBs are always at risk of coming under attack. Now, you can rest easy with FOB insurance (paid service)."

Konami has updated Metal Gear Solid 5 ahead of today's launch of Metal Gear Online, and in the process added a microtransaction that has already sparked vociferous debate among players.

FeatureThe wolf in Snake's clothing: Metal Gear's twisted hero

Is Kojima's stealth series gaming's Fight Club?

There's a lot of reasons to be disappointed in Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain's conclusion. In many ways, the game feels blatantly unfinished with plenty of plot threads left dangling and a twist that's haphazardly introduced when the game's final mission seemingly arbitrarily gets added to your docket. But one reason lots of fans are crying foul of Konami is because The Phantom Pain doesn't concretely complete Snake/Big Boss's arch into infamy.

In Metal Gear Solid 5, stealth doesn't always mean silent

You remind me of my Jeep.

Careful, measured footsteps, sticking to the shadows and keeping a watchful eye out for guard patrols - that's one method for stealth. In Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, there's also another that's not quite so subtle.

Konami ceases triple-A console production on all but PES - report

Worldwide technology director Julien Merceron also reportedly departs.

Konami has ceased all triple-A console game production on everything but Pro Evolution Soccer and there are currently no plans for a big new Metal Gear game, while worldwide technology director Julien Merceron has left the company. That's according to a pair of reports on French site Gameblog. Eurogamer understands both reports to be true.

Metal Gear Solid 5 will have horse armour DLC

UPDATE: And the horse armour costs 79p. Live now exclusively on Xbox platforms.

UPDATE 6th October 2015: Metal Gear Solid 5's costume DLC is live now. [Editor's note: It appears that this is only on Xbox One and Xbox 360. The PlayStation and PC versions have yet to arrive, but an alleged screencap of a since-removed listing on the PlayStation Store suggests a 20th October release.]

FeatureMetal Gear Solid 5: The unfinished swan song

Wow them in the end. Or don't.

"Wow them in the end" was screenwriting guru Robert McKee's mantra in Charlie Kaufmann's meta-masterpiece Adaptation. In real life, McKee's received as much criticism as he has acclaim, but I've always found that particular piece of advice his most sound. After all, how many movies have been acclaimed due to their final moments? From Citizen Kane to The Usual Suspects, that final shot can be what makes an incredible film.

VideoVideo: Ian plays Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

Live snake punishing from 5pm BST.

Hello! I know we've kept you waiting (huh?) for a Metal Gear Solid 5 stream but, now Aoife is off at Tokyo Game Show, I've finally been able to steal back the review copy she's been hogging. This of course means I've only just started playing the game; I'm up to chapter 3 to be precise, so don't expect to witness any S rankings - I'm still very much learning the ropes.

UK chart: Super Mario Maker 2nd, Tearaway Unfolded 33rd

MGS5 still Big Boss.

The lovely Super Mario Maker enters second in the UK top 40 chart today, recording the fourth highest first-week sales for any Wii U game. (Mario Kart 8 is strongest, then Super Smash Bros. and Nintendo Land.) "An elegant level editor that offers real insight into three decades of platforming brilliance," we said in our review.

MGS5 Quiet save data issue fixed on PC and PS4

All other platforms waiting for now.

Konami has fixed the Metal Gear Solid 5 saved-game corruption bug that occurs when taking buddy Quiet on missions 29 and 42.

FeatureAll about that base: Metal Gear Solid 5's FOBs are glorious

And the microtransactions aren't an issue, yet.

Metal Gear Solid 5 has a dedicated online component that is yet to launch, Metal Gear Online, but multiplayer is already worked through the campaign's fabric in the form of Forward Operating Bases. Every player gets one FOB that exists as part of their main save, which can be customised and is basically another Mother Base. This can be invaded by others - and so too can you shoot for theirs.

VideoVideo: Is MGS5 still good if you're rubbish at stealth?

Hush puppy.

I have always been perfectly awful at stealth games. Even as a child playing hide and seek, in fact; I was the kid who instantly needed a wee as soon as they found their hiding spot. Now that I'm a grown man, little has changed - except maybe my bladder capacity. I'm not sure. It's been a while since I last played hide and seek.

How to avoid Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain's save-corruption bug

No spoilers.

Konami has issued an urgent warning to Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain players after the discovery of a bug that is corrupting save files.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is series' biggest UK launch

But sells less than Batman: Arkham Knight and Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain has launched to higher UK sales than any other game in the series so far.

Hideo Kojima's final installment beat the opening week sales of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty by around 37 per cent.

But The Phantom Pain's sales were not enough to beat either Batman: Arkham Knight or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, making Metal Gear Solid the third largest launch of the year.

How The Phantom Pain on PC improves over console - and the hardware you'll need for the best experience.

Completing the quintet, Kojima Productions ensures a feature-rich PC version of Metal Gear Solid 5 launches on cue - taking pride of place next to well-optimised PlayStation 4 and Xbox One editions. The Fox Engine is let loose here, with PC opening the gates to a very high preset in the graphics menu, while adding 'support' for 4K gameplay. But what tangible benefit do these enhancements bring over console, and what hardware do you need to get the best out of them?

VideoVideo: Mad Max, Metal Gear week and Press X to Not Die

In this week's Eurogamer Show.

If you're reading this then you're probably not playing Metal Gear Solid 5 right now, which honestly feels like quite an achievement this week. Snake's swan song seems to be absolutely everywhere, so we appreciate you giving us your time and attention.

VideoVideo: You sure do pass out a lot in video games

Faint outline.

Passing out isn't something people are meant to do very often - or at all, in fact - not that you'd know it from video games. Game protagonists, seemingly, like nothing more than sparking out for a while and then coming to later. I've been rendered unconscious twice in my life and I can't say either was a particularly fun experience, but that's certainly not stopping the games industry - Metal Gear Solid 5 made the latest contribution to the proud tradition just this week, in fact.

Right now, you're better off playing Metal Gear Solid 5 offline

Server issues still plague Konami's game two days after release.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is a phenomenal game - worthy of all the praise heaped on it in Rich Stanton's review and then some. There are some parts, though, that are a little less praiseworthy.

Metal Gear Solid 5's bonkers birthday surprise

If I knew you were coming...

THERE MAY BE SPOILERS AHEAD.

Hideo Kojima's heartfelt goodbye to Metal Gear

"Sorry it took so long."

Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima has waved goodbye to the Metal Gear series in a heartfelt video in which he visits the family of a fan who recently passed away.

EssentialMetal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain review

Living the dream.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is a dream game. It's the kind of game that, in 1987, the young designer of the 8-bit Metal Gear may have dreamed would one day be possible. It's the kind of game that players like me dream of: an enormous and deep and seemingly endless experience that's worth the investment and then some. It's the kind of game where every hand-polished element slots together into a head-spinningly ambitious structure and they combine into something you can only call visionary.

Metal Gear Solid 5 transplants the stealth core of the series from linear environments into large open worlds, banking everything on great enemy AI and numerous moving parts that allow players freedom of approach in any given situation. The idea is not a completely new one to Metal Gear Solid. Since Metal Gear Solid 3, Kojima Productions has been designing environments around open principles, and in The Phantom Pain the enormous increase in scale comes with a smart caveat: you deploy to main missions by helicopter, and to a more limited zone of operations, which allows for custom layouts.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

Created and directed by...

Konami has removed superstar game designer Hideo Kojima from the cover of Metal Gear Solid 5 and the Metal Gear Solid website, but his name is plastered all over the game where it matters most.

Digital FoundryFace-Off: Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

Kept you waiting, huh?

Kojima Productions may be no more, but it ends its tenure under Hideo Kojima's watch with characteristic ambition. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain takes Peace Walker's mission-based structure, and propels itself onto current-gen with an open world setting, materials-based lighting and a suite of superb post effects. Both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (and indeed the two last-gen editions) benefit from the adaptability of the Fox Engine too - but as the series' final narrative link is put into place, does any one console give us the definitive experience?

Up front, it's worth stating that all console versions offer up the same core feature-set, and a practically identical world design. However, it's the delivery in resolution and frame-rate that really divides PS4 and Xbox from their last-gen counterparts. The Phantom Pain strikes an unusual middle ground in this sense; factoring in the ageing PS3 and Xbox 360 hardware, the game's visuals on newer consoles may not necessarily bring us to the cutting-edge here - but it does qualify PS4 and Xbox One for a rare combination of open-world, 60fps gameplay.

And on PS4 - as covered in our hands-on - this is rounded off with a native 1920x1080 resolution. The key divide here between this and Xbox One's 1600x900 delivery is in some pixel shimmer on sharp edges. For example, an escape from the hospital ward early on shows us some harsh lighting on window blinds on Xbox One, with the upscaled resolution producing more visual noise overall. And likewise, long views of Mother Base's rigid structure as we approach by helicopter produces more shimmering - though outside of these cases, the FXAA post-process pass on each clears up most jagged edges, and the results are surprisingly close in play.

Digital Foundry on the highs and lows of MGS5 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Does the arrival of Metal Gear Solid 5 finally close out the cross-gen era of console gaming? While the pre-launch focus on the game has centred almost exclusively on PlayStation 4, Hideo Kojima's swan-song launches this week on four console platforms, including the stalwart PS3 and Xbox 360 - a development and publishing choice made years ago, based on genuine fears that gamers would not upgrade to the latest generation of hardware. Cross-gen production was commonplace as we transitioned across to PS4 and Xbox One, and for good reason - game-makers needed to hedge their bets financially when tens of millions of dollars were sunk into individual titles.

VideoVideo: Metal Gear Solid 5 and Mega Man Legacy Collection - The Eurogamer Show

Also, grown adults fighting.

The week preceding the August bank holiday always feels like a long one but, with Metal Gear Solid 5 so tantalisingly close, it's never dragged on quite as arduously as this week has. For some of us, that is - Aoife happens to have been playing MGS5 for a couple of days now, meaning she's poised to tell you all about it in this week's Eurogamer show.

Digital FoundryDigital Foundry: Hands-on with Metal Gear Solid 5

Can Xbox One's 900p upgrade sustain 60fps? And how does it compare with PS4?

If you're still on the fence, it's fair to say Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is a worthwhile purchase on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. In particular, the Xbox One version is much improved over last year's Ground Zeroes - this time offering a native 1600x900 resolution that gives the console a huge leap over the last game's disappointing 720p setup. But how well does this measure up to PS4's full 1080p - and indeed, does the resolution boost take its toll in terms of raw performance?

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain already being streamed on Twitch

UPDATE: And it's gone.

UPDATE 25/08/2015 5.26pm: It looks like all the Phantom Pain streams have been removed, likely due to Konami shutting them down.

The final Metal Gear Solid trailer from Hideo Kojima

Featuring The Phantom Pain, and all of the series so far.

Hideo Kojima has revealed his final trailer for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, and therefore his final trailer for the series in total.

Kojima is clearly in a nostalgic mood as the trailer's first half is spent looking at some of the key moments from the Metal Gear Solid series so far.

The footage concludes with a look at the upcoming Phantom Pain, due to launch worldwide on 1st September.

FOBs! Paywalls! MB Coins! More!

Konami has moved to clarify how microtransactions in Metal Gear Solid 5 work after reports indicated the FOB online multiplayer mode was locked behind a paywall.

FeatureThe Phantom Pain is unlike other Metal Gear games

And unlike other open world games, too. Our early impressions ahead of review.

Editor's note: This is an early impressions piece of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, based on a recent review event. Our full review from final retail code will be live in the near future.

Sony announces a Ł729 Metal Gear Solid 5-branded walkman

Only in Japan.

Sony has revealed a line-up of Metal Gear Solid 5-branded gadgets in Japan. These range from smartphones to tablets to a Ł729 walkman.

Revealed on Sony's Japanese store (via Siliconera), the most luxurious item is the ZX series NW-ZX2 Walkman, which goes for Ą140k. That's roughly Ł729 or $1145.

So what does this outlandishly expensive gadget include, you ask? Well, aside from having an Outer Heaven logo engraved into its back, this walkman is a 128GB model that comes bundled with an Outer Heaven leather case, 10 songs from MGS5, the exclamation point sound effect from the games, and four wallpapers.

This just Pliskin.

I love the Metal Gear games, but their central story thread is damn hard to follow. Psychics, vampires, robots and highly poisonous Zanzibar hamsters I can deal with, but how can anyone possibly keep up with what side Ocelot or his arm's on, what a Philosopher's Legacy is and who or what The Patriots are?

Metal Gear Solid's 90s radio drama gets an English fan dubbing

"Snake, answer me. Snake? Snaaaaaaaake!"

Back in 1998 Konami broadcast a 12-part radio drama spin-off of Metal Gear Solid. Directed by Shuyo Murata - who would later go on to co-direct MGS4 - and written by the series' military adviser Motosada Mori, the series was never released in the west. Today Metal Gear fan Josh Griffiths released an English remake of that drama on YouTube and Soundcloud.

MGS5: The Phantom Pain gets multiplatform image comparisons

A finer look at Snake's resolution.

Konami has released a series of images comparing the graphics quality of the various version of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

Everything you need to know about Metal Gear Solid 5's Mother Base

In one 30 minute video.

Konami has released a 30 minute video that dives deep into Metal Gear Solid 5's Mother Base.

Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain shows Snake turning into a devil

Oh, hell.

Think you've seen all Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain has to offer? The latest gameplay trailer is here to tell you that no, you have not.

MGS5: The Phantom Pain bumps PC release forward to match consoles

UPDATE: PC system requirements detailed.

UPDATE 4/8/15 10.30am: Konami has now detailed the PC specifications that you'll need to play Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

New article on Konami paints a bleak picture

Nikkei dishes dirt on Metal Gear company.

Respected Japanese financial newspaper Nikkei has published an article that paints a bleak picture of embattled game company Konami.

VideoVideo: The most Kojima moments in Metal Gear Solid 5

Plus more from Outside Xbox.

Greetings Eurogamers and welcome to another Outside Xbox dispatch. Much like Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain hero Big Boss, we kept you waiting. Another week. For some videos.

Puma is making official Metal Gear Solid 5 sneaking boots

Final limited edition poster is bloody awesome.

Clothing line Puma is making official Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain branded sneaking boots.

MGS5: The Phantom Pain gets half an hour of new gameplay footage

Rocket arms, cardboard box-sledding and sneaky sabotaging.

Half an hour of new Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain footage has been unveiled and it shows off a host of nifty tricks we've not seen before.

One such maneuver is the ability to detach your bionic arm and control it like a guided missile. The robotic arm has a couple of other unique uses too. It's equipped with a sonar detector, so you can punch the ground to reveal the locations of nearby enemies, and you can use its jet propulsion motor to knock out a foe's lights in one hit.

The series' iconic Cardboard Box disguise has also been retrofitted with some new perks as well, like the ability to slide down hills in it like a bobsled.

Contains optional micro-transactions, but everything is unlockable for free.

You can now watch a whopping 40 minutes of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain gameplay, via a new E3 video by IGN.

Metal Gear Solid 5's new E3 trailer is so Kojima

"Directed and edited by Hideo Kojima."

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain has a new trailer for E3 2015, this time "directed and edited by Hideo Kojima".

As such, it's appropriately bonkers. A horned Big Boss/Snake stalks the bloody corridors of a hospital as Skullface offers a cryptic exposition dump about his past in that peculiar, drawn-out rhythm that's so unique to Kojima's work.

Set to New Order's 1985 opus Elegia, this is perhaps the talkiest of MGS5's trailers, but it's still plenty exciting with lots of striking imagery as Snake runs from giant robots and evidently hobnobs with Skullface. This is chronologically the latest game in the Big Boss saga, so we can likely expect to see him finish his transition from hero to villain.

Inspired by Snake's bionic arm.

Konami is bringing the limited edition Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain PlayStation 4 to Europe.

FeatureMetal Gear Solid 5: A phantom battle waged by the vanished

A brave new world.

Hideo Kojima's name may not be on Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain's marketing, but it's all over the game. Every mission opens with a credits sequence overlaying its intro with Kojima's name popping up at least once once each time. Perhaps it's a jab at Konami, though maybe it's the sort of ego-stroking flourish his employers grew weary of. Regardless of your take on the corporate domestic dispute, the message is clear: with The Phantom Pain we're clearly back in Kojima town.

FeatureRich Stanton on: The Koj delusion

Is Metal Gear Solid provocative or just perverse?

Editor's note: this article contains strong references to child abuse which some readers may find distressing.

Metal Gear Solid clothes

Chin up Kojima, Goat Simulator's got your baaaaack

"You're always welcome to work with us…"

As Konami continues its attempt to erase Hideo Kojima from history, one developer has stepped into the breach.

Metal Gear stylin': Konami is launching an MGS clothing line

UPDATE: And here it is, in pictures.

UPDATE 08/05/2015: Konami has unveiled its Metal Gear Solid 1984 collection of clothes via the Insert Coin website.

There are a raft of Ł22 T-shirts and Ł40 jumpers and other bits and bobs based on the Metal Gear Solid franchise and, specifically, the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 5. There's a lot of Shadow Moses, Foxhound and Snake gubbins going. The Ł55 Diamond Dogs 84 jacket, right, looks nice.

Here's a gallery of images. Tempted?

And 12 on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Metal Gear Online, the multiplayer component of the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, will support up to 16 players on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Sony hires unknown British writer for Metal Gear Solid movie

Box office hit?

Despite recent drama behind the scenes of Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid game series, Sony Pictures is pushing ahead with its big screen version of the franchise.

Konami announces plan for brand new Metal Gear series

UPDATE: Kojima issues statement, says he'll continue working on MGS5. But then?

UPDATE 2: Hideo Kojima has issued a joint statement with Konami following recent rumours about his status within the Japanese game company.

"I want to reassure fans that I am 100 per cent involved and will continue working on Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain," he said.

"I'm determined to make it the greatest game I've directed to date. Don't miss it!"

Amid restructure, Konami takes control. What next for Kojima?

Hideo Kojima's name has been removed from Metal Gear Solid 5 branding.

Metal Gear Solid 5 hits Steam two weeks after console

Ł100 Collector's Edition includes half scale replica of Snake's bionic arm.

Metal Gear Solid 5 launches on Steam two weeks after console, Konami has revealed.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain release date revealed

UPDATE: confirmed 1st Sep on console, 15th Sep on PC.

UPDATE 04/03/2015: Konami has confirmed a 1st September 2015 release date for Metal Gear Solid 5 on console, but the PC version launches later. Head to our latest Metal Gear Solid 5 news story for more.

ORIGINAL STORY 03/03/2015: Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain launches worldwide on 1st September 2015, it's been revealed.

Publisher Konami had planned an official announcement tomorrow (there's even a countdown on the Metal Gear Solid website pointing to 2pm UK time on 4th March). But an eagle-eyed NeoGAF user found a couple of video interviews with series creator Hideo Kojima on website IGN's server, and they reveal the release date. (They've now been pulled.)

Skip tough sections, but look like a cock.

Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain includes a chicken hat item that will let you skip sections of the game that you find too tricky.

FeatureWhen the new becomes old - why 2015 should be a stellar year

Reasons to be cheerful.

At the start of the new year, we once used to run a series looking at the trends we think will emerge over the next 12 months - the ideas and technologies that will go on to shape and define the games we play and how we play them. This year, it didn't seem a particularly fitting way to tackle what lies ahead: not because there won't be grand themes emerging, and not because there won't be new approaches that will dazzle and confound us, but rather because it seems pointless pointing out what's becoming patently obvious.

Metal Gear Solid 5 includes Metal Gear Online

Plus, have eagle-eyed fans worked out its release date?

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain includes the recently-revealed Metal Gear Online, Konami has confirmed.

Metal Gear Online revealed

Toy dogs of war.

Kojima Productions has revealed the first footage of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain's online mode, entitled Metal Gear Online.

New Metal Gear Online set for reveal next week

Kojima to appear at The Game Awards.

A new Metal Gear Online experience will be revealed at The Game Awards next week.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain reveals adorable pet dog

UPDATE: All the TGS trailers are now available in English.

UPDATE 26/09/2014 2.48am: All of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain's Tokyo Games Show trailers are now available in English.

FeatureJapan's slumbering giants awake at Tokyo Game Show

Metal Gear and Final Fantasy prove there's still plenty to get excited about from gaming's spiritual home.

Stop me if you've think that you've heard this one before. Japan's best years in the games industry are behind it, the Tokyo Game Show is an irrelevance to western audiences and consoles are all but done for in the land that was once their spiritual home. It's bunk, mostly, and this week's show has been a sweet, sharp reminder that Japan remains the source of some of the grandest in the world of video games, as well as the best barometer of its future.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain Snake and Quiet gameplay revealed

UPDATE: New video shows off Tokyo Game Show demo.

UPDATE: We now have a video of the gameplay demo delivered at Tokyo Game Show today. Watch Snake and sniper Quiet sneak through a jungle below.

ORIGINAL STORY: Konami has unveiled new footage of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain featuring Snake and his new sniper pal Quiet, while Metal Gear Solid boss Hideo Kojima has just finished demoing a section of gameplay featuring the two live at Tokyo Games Show.

During the demo, Kojima also confirmed that the game would be released in 2015.

Infiltrate other players' bases.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain will have a multiplayer mode in which players can invade each others' home bases.

Canned Metal Gear fan remake reveals David Hayter involvement

Trailer reveals work-in-progress visuals, classic Snake voice.

A fan project to remake the original Metal Gear will no longer go ahead following discussions with franchise publisher Konami.

FeatureSnake moves with the times, Lara doesn't

The Tomb Raider deal dominated headlines, but Metal Gear's move onto Steam is the true harbinger.

Lara Croft and Solid (or Naked, or whatever) Snake: you can't rival these two rock stars of gaming for their iconic power. And though Snake's roots go back a little further, they both have a deep, emblematic connection with the fifth generation of game consoles, the so-called PlayStation generation - those heady days of the late 90s when gaming burst out of teen bedrooms, into 3D and into a cinematic world of high adventure and sexy intrigue.

Watch 17 minutes of MGS5: The Phantom Pain

Has a dedicated pooping command for your horse.

Hideo Kojima has debuted a 17 minute developer walkthrough of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain at Konami's latest Gamescom press event.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is coming to Steam

As is Ground Zeroes.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes are coming to Steam.

Konami's Metal Gear Solid 5 preview event

Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes headed to PC, and a new look at MGS5.

It's my Snake in a box.

Since the Metal Gear series' genesis in 1987 protagonist Solid Snake has frequently avoided detection by cleverly utilising the simplest of tools: the cardboard box. But there was one problem: this left him vulnerable to detection if anyone so much as suspected that they saw the box move, even a little. But now, in 2014 (or 1984 when the game is set), this curious piece of Snake's equipment just got a whole lot more crafty.

News channel uses Metal Gear Solid 5 screenshot in child soldiers report

What a misnake.

Russia Today has been spotted using a screenshot from Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain in a political commentary report on African child soldiers.

Digital FoundryLife after Ground Zeroes - what's new with MGS5: The Phantom Pain?

Digital Foundry explores the 30-minute E3 demo.

Earlier this year we were given a taste of Metal Gear Solid 5 with the release of Ground Zeroes across four different console platforms. It was an impressive game with a robust graphics engine, but it only represented a small chunk of what will ultimately become Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, due next year. However, the release of a 1080p60 video of the 30-minute E3 demo (at 50mbps h.264 no less) allows us to post an update to some of the visible changes observed in this demo version of The Phantom Pain versus what we experienced earlier with Ground Zeroes.

Watch the full Metal Gear Solid 5 E3 demo right here

UPDATE: We're live!

You've read what I thought about the Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain E3 gameplay demo - now it's time to check it out for yourself.

FeatureManaging Mother Base in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

Big Snake, little Snake inside an upgraded cardboard box.

Snake is undoubtedly the star of the Metal Gear show, but in The Phantom Pain, Mother Base runs him a close second.

Digital FoundryWatch the latest Metal Gear Solid 5 trailer at 60fps

The full monty.

Hideo Kojima's exacting standards for Metal Gear Solid 5 are plain to see. Few developers target 60fps, and fewer still actually achieve a completely locked, flawlessly smooth experience. Kojima Productions achieved just that with Ground Zeroes, and the brand new E3 2014 trailer gives us the chance to see whether the technology can achieve the same trick with a more demanding range of characters, actions and locales.

The new trailer initially leaked before its intended debut at the Sony press conference, but between YouTube's frame-rate limits and the immense quality hit of the typical live stream, it's safe to say that the majority of people have still yet to experience Kojima's latest offering in all of its intended glory.

While we're limited to 720p playback we can at least spend a little time on the encoding to get the best possible streaming quality, and of course you get the full temporal resolution of the original video. On top of that, we've also generated a 720p60 video download you can playback on your computer or (last-gen) console.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain E3 trailer releases early

Konami uploads then pulls it, still online elsewhere for now.

A little earlier than planned, here's the E3 trailer for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

Konami uploaded this five-and-a-half minute video to its YouTube account this morning - apparently in error, as it was pulled offline quickly afterward.

But other versions still exist online - such as the one below. Be sure to crank it up to HD and watch in fullscreen for the full effect.

After years of Quiet.

Sony has begun discussions with director Jordan Vogt-Roberts to helm its Metal Gear Solid movie, a new report suggests.

YouTuber recreates The Phantom Pain's nine minute trailer in GTA5

"Kojima is god!"

Japanese YouTuber EV niconico has used Grand Theft Auto 5 to remake Hideo Kojima's stunning nine minute red band E3 trailer for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

The results are simultaneously epic and hilarious. Some parts match up with the original trailer quite well - like the torture scene - while others take certain creative liberties with the content. There's no way to produce medics removing a body bomb, for example, so instead an alien autopsy easter egg is used. It's goofy as all hell, but still syncs with the music surprisingly well.

It's a shame that the English translation isn't better with the word "stelth" rearing its ugly head on more than one occasion, but all is forgiven for the amazing caption card that reads "Kojima is god!" Now if only the actual Phantom Pain trailer boasted the same claim.

Moby, maybe not.

The identity of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain's mysterious character Ishmael - who has so far only appeared with his face covered in bandages - has been hinted at by an eagle-eyed fan.

FeatureStealth vs stealth

One is making Metal Gear Solid 5, another Volume. Both discuss the current state of stealth.

Jordan Amaro is a designer at Kojima Productions working on Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. Mike Bithell is a designer working at home on Volume. Both are making stealth games, but both are taking radically different approaches.

Kojima: The Phantom Pain "over 200 times bigger than Ground Zeroes"

But Ground Zeroes is not a 200th of the price.

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima said that Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain will be "over 200 times bigger than Ground Zeroes" in a recent group interview attended by Eurogamer in Japan.

FeatureDevelopers' Most Anticipated Games of 2014

Titanfall! Destiny! The Witcher 3! The Last Guardian (hopefully)!

2014 is upon us, and it promises riches and glory unlike any year before it. With their launches under their belts, the next generation of consoles will, hopefully, show us what they're made of. Virtual reality headsets may make their mark on the mainstream. And with a raft of crowdfunded games due out over the next 12 months, 2014 should tell us whether all that money we pumped into promising projects on Kickstarter was worth it.

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes screenshots

Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes due spring 2014

Current and next-gen boxed and digital editions priced.

Ground Zeroes, the prologue to Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, will launch for PlayStations 3 and 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One in spring 2014.

FeatureThe strange evolutions of Metal Gear Solid 5

Ground Zeroes introduces the cornerstone of a new type of Metal Gear - but are the foundations solid?

For a series once so keen on long-winded exposition, it's amazing that the reveal of a new Metal Gear Solid still manages to maintain so much enigma. The extended unfurling of Metal Gear Solid 5 has has been a masterpiece of misdirection and drawn-out teases, with a fictional Swede thrown in for good measure. It's been a campaign that's born the mark of Kojima Production's own love of twists, turns and deft wrong-footing of its audience, but it feels like one of the final, biggest shocks was saved for last. Sitting down to watch a demo within Konami's Tokyo headquarters, it's soon clear that this isn't the Metal Gear Solid you've become familiar with over the past 15 years: this feels like something that shares the shadows with Ubisoft's Splinter Cell and Assassin's Creed games.

Ex-Square Enix tech chief Julien Merceron joins Konami

Will work on Kojima's FOX Engine for Metal Gear Solid.

Former Square Enix technology chief Julien Merceron has joined Konami as worldwide technology director.

Hear more Kiefer Sutherland as Snake in Ground Zeroes video

The English version of one you've already seen.

"THERE ISN'T TIME, NINA!"

Watch a daytime Metal Gear Solid 5 mission

Snakey Snakey.

We've seen Snake sneaking at night, and now - as another beefy Metal Gear Solid 5 video tumbles out of Japan - we can see Snake sneaking during the day.

Metal Gear Solid 5's torture scene will be non-playable

"I didn't want to go as far as that," says Kojima.

In the wake of the controversy around Grand Theft Auto 5's unskippable and playable torture scene, Hideo Kojima has said the torture scene glimpsed in Metal Gear Solid 5 trailers will be kept to a cutscene.

Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes 60 fps on PS4 and Xbox One

"Maybe with other games created exclusively for next-gen it might look a little behind," says Kojima.

Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, the open world prologue to Metal Gear Solid 5 that's headed to both current generation machinery and the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, is shooting for 60 frames per second on next-gen.

12 minutes of Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes gameplay fresh from Tokyo Game Show

Kojima demos his next title.

Hideo Kojima presented a 12 minute live gameplay demo of Metal Gear Solid 5 at Tokyo Game Show today.

The video, below, is lifted from the Ground Zeroes prologue portion of Metal Gear Solid 5, and features Snake (or is it Big Boss?) doing his thing under cover of night in the pouring rain.

We see the special operative sneak about a military base, taking out guards, driving a truck before eventually flying off in a helicopter. Be warned, Kojima and co do a lot of talking in Japanese over the game audio.

He actually meant more "sexy".

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has commented on a series of messages posted to his Twitter account this week where he described asking for a female MGS5 character to be made "more erotic".

FeatureThe next-generation will be open-world

Ubisoft and more on connected freedom.

The bombastic E3 show floor was packed with open-world games.

Digital FoundryMetal Gear Solid 5 at 720p60

A full frame-rate version of the Microsoft E3 2013 trailer. We recommend Google Chrome for watching this video on PC.

Digital FoundryMetal Gear Solid 5 at 60fps

A full frame-rate version of the Microsoft E3 2013 trailer. We recommend Google Chrome for watching this video on PC.

Extended Metal Gear Solid 5 trailer contains some serious torture

Reservoir Diamond Dogs.

An extended version of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain's trailer from Microsoft's press conference has been released.

At a whopping 9:15, it adds an extra couple of minutes, mostly devoted to people getting tortured.

It's pretty brutal, but unlike last year's Splinter Cell Blacklist footage, you're not the one doing the torturing. Except for that bit where Snake and company grab what appears to be a bomb out of some kid's guts.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain reveals open world gameplay

Snake now has a ponytail... and a pony, for that matter.

Kojima productions revealed its first look at Metal Gear Solid 5's gameplay to kick off Microsoft's E3 press conference today.

The big change this time around is that the game is open world. At least partially set in Afghanistan, we get a glimpse of Snake riding a horse while hanging on to its side to avoid detection. That's right, it combines horse riding and hiding behind cover in one fluid action. That's what we call innovation!

Alternatively, you can hop onto a truck and hide behind its cargo.

UPDATE: He will also be in Ground Zeroes.

Update: Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima confirmed that Sutherland will be in Ground Zeroes as well as Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

Digital FoundryTech Analysis: Metal Gear Solid 5's FOX Engine

Kojima's quest for photo-realism.

At last week's GDC, Kojima Productions revealed its fifth entry in the Metal Gear Solid series, The Phantom Pain, also incorporating the previously announced MGS title Ground Zeroes. Precisely how the two fit together is currently uncertain, although Hideo Kojima himself has suggested on Twitter that Ground Zeroes acts as a prologue to The Phantom Pain and that the two are bridged by a period where the game's protagonist is left in a coma. Then again, Kojima is a master of misdirection, so who knows? The one link between the two we are sure on, however, is that they are both running on the ambitious new FOX Engine, initially unveiled with Ground Zeroes last year, and that the game is set to feature a radical overhaul of the traditional MGS gameplay set-up: Snake's new adventures take place in an ambitious series of open-world environments.

David Hayter, the voice of Solid Snake, waves goodbye to Metal Gear

"I drove home through Laurel Canyon, bummed, and thinking about Snake."

David Hayter, the voice of Solid Snake for the last 15 years, has waved an emotional goodbye to the Metal Gear series.

Still shots from the Metal Gear Solid 5 GDC trailer

Hideo Kojima announces Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain are the same game: MGS5. Watch the GDC trailer inside.

Update #4: Hideo Kojima just tweeted that Ground Zeroes is the prologue section in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain:

"'Ground Zeroes' is a prologue of 'MGSV'," he explained. "9 years after that event will be 'The Phantom Pain'. MGSV is constructed w/ prologue and main game 'TPP'. The game play demo I presented today is the opening of 'TPP' which is tutorial that starts from crawling."

Update #3: Regular Snake voice actor David Hayter has said on Twitter that he's not involved. "Well look," he tweeted. "At least I had a good run." When asked by a fan whether he was asked to be involved at all, he replied, "Nope."

"Use pilot episodes to test the waters."

Legendary developer Hideo Kojima has come up with an interesting idea for combating rising video game production costs: the video game pilot.

Kojima says MGS: Ground Zeroes may be too risky to publish, sell

It's "going to be targeting a lot of taboos."

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima thinks that his upcoming entry in the solid stealth series may be too taboo-heavy to be published in its current form. And even if it does see the light of day, he's unsure if it will sell given its grim subject matter.

Hideo Kojima doesn't like being thought of as "the Metal Gear guy"

"I haven't really shown the world what else I might be capable of yet."

Game developer legend Hideo Kojima doesn't like being thought of as “the Metal Gear guy”.

Square Enix reckons Japanese game industry is "gradually pushing back", hails Kojima's Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes

"Honestly, I thought it was amazing."

Square Enix reckons the Japanese game industry is “gradually pushing back”.

VideoWatch the full Hideo Kojima Q&A session from the Eurogamer Expo

Legendary game designer answered your questions on-stage.

It was by far the most popular developer session at this year's Eurogamer Expo - to the extent that we sadly had to turn a lot of people away - so ever since the show ended we've been talking to Konami and Kojima Productions about whether we could somehow present Hideo Kojima's appearance to you guys despite the original stipulation that we couldn't broadcast it.

EGXPolicenauts, Silent Hill and a Metal Gear JRPG - an audience with Kojima

"The president of Konami rung me up and said he'd like me to make the next Silent Hill."

Hideo Kojima is open to reviving Policenauts and Snatcher as well as lending a hand to a new Silent Hill game - though it's unlikely he'd be able to take a direct role in any of the projects himself.

EGXMetal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes to feature base-building, will support multiple devices

New details emerge for Kojima's open world game.

Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes will see the base-building and development from PSP outing Peace Walker return - and it'll be a feature that will likely be accessible from smart phones and other devices.

EGXSubmit your questions for Hideo Kojima's Eurogamer Expo session

BUMP! Get your questions in before Monday.

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who's submitted a question so far! We'll be accepting them until Monday morning, so if you haven't already then make sure to get yours in below.

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes open world will have loading screens

And a day and night cycle to offer replayability.

Stealth adventure Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes will include loading screens as players sneak about its open world map.

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes screenshots

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes shown off at PAX

See the first 11 minutes of Snake's next adventure.

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima showed off the first gameplay footage of his latest in the stealth-action series Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes earlier today at PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington.