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Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

|Japan|Shooter, Adventure

8.3 /10

Aww Great!

Hot

18.6k ratings
Time to beat
Main
2h
Main + extras
3.1h
Complete
28h
Trailers & screenshots
Why play it

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a 2014 Shooter, Adventure, Tactical game rated 8.3/10 from 18.6k ratings, with a main story of about 2h, available on PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a prologue to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. It offers players new sneaking and traversal methods compared to its predecessors, as well as the choice in what order the story events take place by selecting missions by advance. The most important change for this title is the shift to an open world design with a real-time day and night cycle doing away with the linear mission approach of previous games. The game was originally developed as a mission for The Phantom Pain, but an extended development time resulted in director Hideo Kojima splitting the specific portion of the game as a stand-alone product so that players could get early access to Metal Gear Solid V.

Story and worldbuilding

The year is 1975, the age of détente. The Vietnam conflict is drawing to a close and the world is thawing in the wake of the Cold War. However, as tension among the world's giant superpowers eased, a tiny military force quietly took root in the Caribbean. A new type of military - an army without a nation, or any land to call home. Lead by an enigmatic man known as "Snake," the clandestine group operated in the shadows as elite guns-for-hire, servicing various governments around the world. As their reputation grew, so did their funding and military might. Eventually, rumors began to spread that the group had attained nuclear weapons capability. The alarming prospect of a nuclear-equipped military force existing beyond the confines of the NPT (Nuclear Proliferation Treaty), and without any formal government, prompted demands for immediate nuclear inspection by the IAEA. At that same time, Snake also received word that "Paz," a female spy who had once infiltrated his army's "Mother Base" was alive and being interrogated at a US Naval base on the southern tip of Cuba. The base housed a prison facility - a black-site that could operate outside the laws of both Cuba and the United States, where extreme forms of interrogation were sanctioned. Upon learning of the situation, Chico, a young volunteer in Snake's army with feelings for Paz, took it upon himself to rescue her. It wasn't long before Snake received a distress call from Chico revealing that he had also been captured. With few options left, Snake embarks on a covert mission to reclaim both Paz and Chico from Cuba while Mother Base prepares to welcome its nuclear inspection. Little did Snake know that this decision would set in motion a series of tragic events that would forever change his fate.

Game highlights
Rating momentum

Aww Great!: 8.3/10 across 18.6k ratings. Word of mouth is strong — if you like the genre, go for it.

Play style

This is a Standalone expansion leaning into Shooter, Adventure, Tactical, with a main story around 2h. Check form, fantasy, and time commitment.

Reviews

20 media reviews

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Media

Member

IGNLucy O'Brien · 18 Mar, 2014
8/10

While short, a Metal Gear game has never looked or played as good as Ground Zeroes. Bring on The Phantom Pain.

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GameSpotPeter Brown · 17 Mar, 2014
8/10

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes has a brief narrative, but its short length is bolstered by flexible side missions and exceptional replayability.

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EurogamerMartin Robinson · 17 Mar, 2014
9/10

Welcome back, Snake. You've been missed.

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PC GamerAndy Kelly · 17 Dec, 2014
8.7/10

A deep, entertaining stealth sandbox with endless scope for mastery. You kept us waiting, Kojima, but it was worth it.

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PolygonRuss Frushtick · 17 Mar, 2014
5.5/10

Ground Zeroes feels more like a cash grab than a real follow-up

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GamesRadar+Henry Gilbert · 18 Mar, 2014
7/10

Adding phenomenal, modernized improvements to the Metal Gear franchise, Ground Zeroes is effective at getting you hyped for the future of the series. Still, it feels like an expensive tease that only gives you a taste of what's to come.

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Game InformerJoe Juba · 18 Mar, 2014
7/10

The content is too thin to be satisfying. It moves the Metal Gear plot forward so little that even hardcore fans could justify taking a pass

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GuardianRich Stanton · 19 Mar, 2014
10/10

It is surprising, and not a little depressing, that all people want to talk about with this game is the running time.

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Rock, Paper, ShotgunRich Stanton · 17 Dec, 2014

[I]f you like games about getting better, where you're mastering deep systems and having your skills progressively tested, then Ground Zeroes is the best 50-hour demo you'll ever play.

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DestructoidChris Carter · 18 Mar, 2014
8/10

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is not for everyone. I can't stress how underwhelming the game will be if you aren't a huge fan of the series, or you can't see yourself playing in the same sandbox enough to really get your money's worth. But for everyone else that can't wait to get even a taste of Phantom Pain, it's worth the budget price of entry -- especially on a current-gen console.

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