Hideo Kojima's fifth Metal Gear Solid game has been in the works for such a long time that it earned a prequel of sorts, in the form of Ground Zeroes, but we're rapidly approaching the real deal. The Phantom Pain is nearing a full release, and with Gamescom giving us another look at the game in action, we've scoured the web for all the information, trailers and news we can find to save you the hassle.
If you're desperate to find out what happens to Big Boss following the Camp Omega mission, we've got all the facts right here.
MGS5: The Phantom Pain plot
Originally teased simply as The Phantom Pain by the fictitious Moby Dick Studio, Metal Gear Solid 5 has had an interesting gestation period:. The initial reveal trailer made no mention of Metal Gear at all, but eagle-eyed gamers spotted the resemblance to Big Boss and the dots were soon joined.
Having developed an entirely new game engine, Kojima and his team at Konami needed more time to get The Phantom Pain finished, which is why the opening few hours were spun off into their own game as Ground Zeroes. Focusing on Big Boss' attempts to liberate two child prisoners from a US Blacksite on Cuban soil, Ground Zeroes introduced many of the gameplay elements and plot points that would go on to spawn the Phantom Pain.
Following the events of Ground Zeroes, where the X.O.F essentially destroyed Big Boss' Militaires San Frontieres guerilla army, The Phantom Pain will pick up the story nine years later. Having been in a coma for nine years and lost his arm in the X.O.F. assault, Big Boss takes up the codename Venom Snake and forms a new mercenary group, the Diamond Dogs. He then travels to Afghanistan, at the height of the Soviet War, to track down the men responsible.
Along the way fans of the series can expect to meet up with familiar faces including Ocelot and "Kaz" Miller, as destroying a threat bigger than any Metal Gear becomes Big Boss' sole aim. Based purely on the original E3 trailer seen above, The Phantom Pain looks set to be darker, more mature and more visceral than any of the previous games in the series, with a cracking soundtrack to boot.
MGS5: The Phantom Pain gameplay
Unlike previous entries in the Metal Gear saga, The Phantom Pain will focus on massive open-world environments rather than a tightly scripted campaign. Players will be able to explore each one at their own pace, with the time of day, weather and previous actions all affecting the number and placement of enemy soldiers. You'll have to adapt to changing situations, as if you use too many headshots in one mission the enemies could all be wearing helmets in the next, and if you get spotted a call for backup could mean a battalion of tanks or helicopter gunship chasing you down.
Combat and aiming uses a new third person camera that should make lining up those crucial headshots, or fighting your way out of a corner when you get spotted much easier. You'll be able to get around quickly on your horse, which has a few sneaky tricks of its own for (literally) making enemy guards slip up.
Thankfully the series' trademark humour appears to be alive and well, as seen in the Gamescom reveal trailer that explains a few of Snake's more devious sneaking tactics with a cardboard box. Now, rather than just hiding in the box for cover, you'll be able to pop out of it, gun drawn, to land a surprise tranquilliser shot on an unsuspecting enemy, dive out the side when no-one is watching for a swift exit, or slap a sticker of a saluting soldier or bikini model on the side to distract or lure in guards.
You'll also be able to use the Fulton air recovery system to send captured soldiers back to your base, which comically straps a hot air balloon to any unsuspecting enemies. As your army grows, Mother Base will get larger and you'll be able to enter each mission with more weapons or better intelligence about enemy forces.
MGS5: The Phantom Pain PC version
Before Gamescom, it was believed that The Phantom Pain would only be arriving on the Xbox One and PS4 next-gen consoles, and Xbox 360 and PS3 previous-gen machines, but following a Q&A session at the Gamescom show series creator Hideo Kojima confirmed that it would also be arriving on the PC through Valve's Steam service. Metal Gear fans that want the full MGS5 story will be pleased to hear that Ground Zeroes will also be making its way to the PC, although neither title has a confirmed release date yet.
Previous games in the series, including the original Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty eventually made their way to the PC several years after their first appearance on consoles, but Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots were exclusive to Sony consoles.
MGS5: The Phantom Pain release date
Metal Gear Fans shouldn't have too long to wait to finally get back in control of Big Boss - The Phantom Pain is due to launch on all consoles in Q1 2015. That means it should be available no later than April next year, although of course we're hoping for that to be a little sooner. As soon as Konami confirms a final release date we'll be sure to update this article.
