Looking at: Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zero

Tech Demo

Skull Face, the mysterious villain haunting Snake

It's somewhat unfair to call MGS:GZ a full game, since it really isn't. No, I'm not saying it's along the line of Gone Home or Dear Esther, where it's not a game. It's full of gameplay, which is a little strange considering the MGS series is famous for having way to many cutscenes. No, MGS:GZ isn't a full game because it's clearly just a tech demo for the upcoming MGS:V, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Despite this, MGS:GZ does still offer a lot to do for what it is. In fairness, I only paid $13 for it, whereas it launched on consoles at a full $60. I can't say I'd pay that much for this product, but one of the advantages of doing so much of my gaming on PC is that I rarely have to.

Speaking of PC, this is actually a return to the platform for MGS, since the last several entries have been console releases only. How does it hold as a port, and more importantly, is it worth even playing?

Peaceful Walker

Side missions take place during the day, allowing you to see the camp a little better.

Being a short game, GZ has a shockingly normal story for the series. The setup takes place directly after Peace Walker and you once again play as Naked Snake, AKA Big Boss. Boss also showed up in my favorite MGS game (and the only one I've beaten so far) MGS 3: Snake Eater.

Being a sequel to these two games, GZ once again takes place in the past, specifically 1975. It's not quite as low-fi as Peace Walker or Snake Eater, but there's still no radar system and most of the technology you use is somewhat antiquted, from the older weapons to first gen night vision.

The whole game takes place in a secret US black-site operation on the tip of Cuba. Two characters from Peace Walker have been kidnapped and are being held for interrogation and Boss has decided to rescue them himself. All of this is happening during a UN inspection of Mother Base's recently acquired nuclear stockpile, lending an urgency to the mission.

Despite it's length, GZ does still allow for plenty of exposition, tying some loose ends from Peace Walker and setting up perfectly for MGS:V. It's not a big game, but it is important, and the story it tells has the telltale cinematic flair we've come to love and appreciate from Hideo Kojima.

Kept You Waiting

The entire camp is open for exploration, and offers plenty of places to hide.

Gameplay is the standard stealth action affair, emphasizing avoidance over direct confrontation. Your opponents this time are all US soldiers, and while Boss doesn't technically have a home, it does offer a grounded reason to resort to non-lethal combat.

I haven't played MGS:4, so I don't know how similar the gameplay is, but I have played Peace Walker and Snake Eater, and I can say that the controls and stealth in GZ is a step up from both. You can once again crouch and move, and even move slower to reduce noise completely. Camera control is once again completely free, with fixed cameras no where in sight, allowing you to look around as you move forward.

Stealth in particular is much easier to execute, and I found it very simple, at least on the easier difficulty, to avoid detection as I used a combination of distractions and well timed ducking to stay out of sight. If you do get spotted there's a new reaction feature, giving you a few seconds of slowed down time to decide what to do, either shoot your detector, or deal with them another way. This can make the game feel to easy, and it's a dangerous crutch, but turning it off felt equally masochistic, and considering the otherwise difficulty of sneaking around, I found it to be a great addition.

Overall, the game just plays great. There's still the psychotic level of detail and re-activity, allowing you to start toying with the game as you discover new ways to break it. Most importantly, it plays like a modern stealth game should, and it makes it easy to jump into.

Rain Slicked Eve

Despite his age, Snake proves more then capable.

Graphically GZ continues the MGS standard of pushing graphical boundaries, and it's a great looking game. It's likely in direct competition with GTA V for the best looking PS3/360 game, and even on next gen consoles or a decent PC it looks amazing. The lighting is top notch, and the water effects on everything give the game a great slick look. Even in the day the Prison yard looks great, with small trees and bushes blowing in the wind, and insane amounts of details put into every texture.

Similarly, the character models of everyone look awesome. I can't confirm it, but it really felt like there were individual character textures for each enemy in the game, almost like I really was dealing with individuals. Snake, despite his age, looks great too, with loads of gear and a slew of animations that make him feel alive. I was disappointed that character mouths don't always move when talking, but it's a minor issue.

There's only a little bit of music in the game, but it sounds great, be it classic 70's music piping from a cassette, or the in-game music that plays during heightened moments. It all fits great and sounds even better, setting a mood perfectly.

Similarly voice acting is amazing, once again in line with the series as a whole. There's only a few characters, but their voice work is decent across the board. It's worth noting that Snake himself is no longer voiced by series veteran David Hayter, rather 24 star Keifer Sutherland fills the iconic role. I don't know if Hayer would have been better, but for making Snake sound older and gruffer, Sutherland does a great job. Snake doesn't speak all that much in GZ, so we'll need to wait until MGS:V proper to see if Sutherland is up to the gig.

The Boss

moving between cover can occasional expose you, and you'll need patience to move forward.

Overall, despite it's position as an extended tech demo, GZ is a pretty great game. The main mission won't take long to complete, but, at least on PC, there's four side missions that all rival it in length. There's collectibles to find, and each mission has an easy and a hard mode, as well as a grading system for real completionists. If you're a fan of the series, there's plenty to do and see in GZ.

As an hors d'oeuvre for this September's MGS:V, GZ does an excellent job, since when I finished it I was legitimately excited for that release. It shows off that the MGS games can work in an open-world environment, and that everything great about the series has been preserved perfectly. The PC version looks and runs great, and I have high hopes for the full game later this year. If it's just an extended commercial, then it's a damn fine one.