In response to the recent controversy surrounding Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes barely stretching past a two-hour story according to several sources, it appears that Konami has capitulated to fan pressure on at least one demand. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes will now be released for $29.99 instead of the original $39.99 price that was planned for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions at retail.
While it’s nice to see Konami making some effort to listen to fan feedback on the planned price point of what is apparently a very short game, it’s only the next-gen retail prices that have been reduced unfortunately. Digital copies of the game for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will still be set at $29.99, which will be the retail price of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 builds of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Buying a digital copy of the game on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 is the most budget-friendly option, since these are priced at a lesser $19.99.
Fortunately, Konami went a bit further to try to coax back fans who are put off by the word of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes presenting a rather small play package. It’s recently been confirmed that players who invest in the prequel will receive a limited edition DLC pack that will give them more resources for their mother base hub in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Even in the case of the digital copies, this mystery DLC is only being offered for a limited time too, across all four platforms!
Konami also clarified that certain prisoners and VIP’s that you rescue and recruit in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes will be part of your mother base and give you a further starting advantage when you play Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. This will likely give players more incentive to play the side missions in Ground Zeroes, and not just play the game’s supposedly brief story and be done with it.
Finally, Konami also revealed that a free companion app called,”iDROID” will be released alongside Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes on the App Store and Google Play Store. Xbox 360 and Xbox One players can also use the app with Xbox SmartGlass. It can call up maps, play intel tapes and even call in air support during your missions.
What do you think? Are these incentives making you more inclined to purchase the modestly-sized prequel game? Feel free to leave your comments below.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes will launch on March 18th both at retail and digitally, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A limited edition Metal Gear Solid V-themed PlayStation 4 bundle will be released alongside the prequel offering on that date as well.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain however may not release until towards the end of 2015, or perhaps even later, according to developer, Kojima Productions.
Keep sneaking to Eggplante for updates on the Metal Gear Solid series, as we can capture them!