440°

Kaz Might Disappear from Western Metal Gear Solid V: GZ’s Cover due to Peace Walker’s Poor Sales

The beautiful Japanese cover art of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (that you can see in its entirety at the bottom of the post) features Snake and Kazuhira "Kaz" Miller, but the western version of the artwork could see Kaz removed, as Director Hideo Kojima said himself.

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dualshockers.com
LaFleur3806d ago

Oh man! That art cover is awesome.

Abriael3806d ago

Yeah, IMHO it'd be a pity to see Kaz go.

LaFleur3806d ago

I thought he was a pretty cool character in Peace Walker.. He look's even more badass in the Phantom Pain trailer.

PSjesus3806d ago

Peace Walker didn't sell well because of piracy on PSP not because it was a bad game in fact it's my 2nd top MGS after snake eater

Eamon3806d ago (Edited 3806d ago )

It didn't sell well because it was on psp period like most other psp games regardless of piracy.

It would have sold much better if it was a console game. And both Wii/360/PS3 have piracy too.

nidhogg3806d ago

@Eamon

I see you are ignorant of a wider perspective. Peacewalker did not sell just because of piracy NOT because it was on the PSP. As such, it would have sold well had not those damn homebrews existed. PSP hardware sells, softwares did not. Open your coconut and don't be narrow minded.

Eamon3806d ago (Edited 3806d ago )

It's easy to call others narrow minded and ignorant whilst providing no factual evidence that piracy is the sole reason.

If console sales are higher than software sales, that doesn't mean everyone is pirating. It simply means that consumer interest in PSP titles have dropped. Whether it's due to lack of interesting titles or just down to the price.

I have a PSP and I've hardly bought any games for it. And I have many friends who are just the same. We also spend much more on console games.

There is more piracy on smartphones than on portable consoles yet apps and games are selling like hotcakes on those devices. Because they are cheaper and digital.

Also, I shall repeat, Wii/PS3/360 have a lot of piracy too and it doesn't effect game sales. Numerous studies have shown that piracy has little to no effect on sales. It's a myth created by the media industry and their paid lobbyists.

What does have a significant effect is used games. The amount of people who pirate is only a fraction compared to those who buy second-hand copies.

dcj05243806d ago

Yeah. I hope this doesn't stop them from making MGS. On VITA. Guys come back! Please! We got rid of the Pirates!

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3806d ago
Timesplitter143806d ago

Personally, I very much prefer the stylized illustrated MGS box arts

http://upload.wikimedia.org...
http://image.jeuxvideo.com/...

Eamon3806d ago

Yeah definitely agree. Really love Yoji Shinkawa's drawings.

DarkLordMalik3806d ago (Edited 3806d ago )

The boxart doesn't look good to me. I prefer the old school artistic MGS boxarts.

For example:
MGS 2
http://image.gamespotcdn.ne...

MGS 3
http://www.examiner.com/ima...

MGS 4
http://upload.wikimedia.org...

TheOneWhoIsTornApart3806d ago

The collectors edition of MGSGZ has a Yoji Shinkawa art cover on it. I bet The Phantom Pain will have a cover made by him on the regular version of that since it's the main game.

DCfan3806d ago

Ikr?? I forgot the artist's name, he always drew beautiful MGS artwork

admiralvic3806d ago

His name is yoji shinkawa. He also does other things, like the Pacific Rim movie poster.

N7KIRK3806d ago

Perhaps it is Kojima's way of making his games feel more in sync with a movie. It looks like a movie poster. People who were curious enough to follow Kojima knows he's wanted to direct movies his whole life. I think it also attributes to the success of MGS. He works on his games like he's a director of a film, and his games do turn out to feel like an awesome action film. As convoluted and complex his plots can get, it never ceases to be believable. We'll just pretend Raiden didn't throw a metal gear rex in the air and jump half a mile to slice it. Revengeance just did not feel like Metal Gear.

admiralvic3806d ago

I also like the older ones, but this is still better than some things like Metal Gear Solid collection on the Vita ( http://www.armature.com/wp-... ) or Legacy ( http://ecx.images-amazon.co... )

Blacktric3806d ago (Edited 3806d ago )

Covers with Shinkawa's artwork are always the best. Definitely better than the generic look this boxart has for sure. I really have no idea why they'd change it from what we've got with MGS 1-2-3 and EU/JP 4 cover arts.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3806d ago
Gamesgbkiller3806d ago

I understand that.

PW was my best MGS game in my opinion.

Can't wait.

3806d ago
Soldierone3806d ago

This should only be for Xbox.....

Peace Walker sold well on PSP, thats why it got an HD release, and its poor sales could be related to the fact it was pretty much bundled unless you wanted it digital....

HammadTheBeast3806d ago

Not really.....

It had poor sales because 70% of people who played PSP at it's release were by then pirating every game they got.

I'm not going to lie, I did too, but I bought the good ones in the late cycle of the PSP.

admiralvic3806d ago (Edited 3806d ago )

@ Soldierone

According to VGchartz it did okay, though Japan still outsold NA and EU combined, with enough remaining sales to match about half of the NA or EU total sales. So while it might have "sold well", it didn't sell well in NA or EU, which is the key thing here.

@ HammadTheBeast

While piracy probably played a small role in this, I would suspect this had a lot to do with lack of a second thumbstick. It made games like Monster Hunter a lot worse and resulted in people calling the set up "The Claw". If it had released on the PlayStation Vita as an exclusive (even with the same level of piracy), I strongly suspect it would have sold a lot better.

Lets also not forget that Metal Gear Solid Collection was announced a little under a year of Peace Walker releasing. So while someone might have been thinking about getting a PSP for it or was waiting for it to drop, this news probably killed a lot of the remaining interest in it. Not to mention, the Vita version not getting Peace Walker.

Eamon3806d ago

No the biggest reason why sales for almost all psp games were bad was because of the price.

PSP game prices were generally higher than most, if not all DS games. And people do not want to fork out that much cash for a portable game.

TheFirstClassic3806d ago (Edited 3806d ago )

@Eamon uh, don't know where you live, but here in the U.S psp and ds games are released at the same price, and psp games drop in price much faster than ds games.

TheFirstClassic3806d ago

It sold well in Japan but nowhere else. Shame really, I loved it.

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140°

The Metal Gear series has sold over 59.8 million copies

300,000 Metal Gear games were sold during the first quarter of 2023, Konami has announced, bringing the total number to 59.8 million.

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metalgearinformer.com
FallenAngel1984336d ago

Still waiting on Konami to put the MGS Collection back on digital stores

Nyxus336d ago

I know right? And rerelease the games for current gen systems while they're at it.

just_looken335d ago

Do not worry they will give use those pichincko remakes for top dollar soon.

Metal gear solid 3 in the fox engine looked/ran amazing but was sealed away :(

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Sarcasm336d ago

I know re-makes and stuff have been played to death this generation.

But damn I wouldn't mind an MGS4 remake

gold_drake335d ago

i played it quite recently and it holds up very well

CantThinkOfAUsername335d ago

It does, but a remake will be available on platforms other than PS3.

itsmebryan336d ago

I thought the series would have sold more over all these years and different releases.

Ready4nxtgen336d ago

Yeah I would have thought over 150 Mil. Something.missing here

Nyxus336d ago

Metal Gear isn't that big, and there hasn't been a new release in years. Also MGS2 and 3 are still missing from digital storefronts.

shinoff2183336d ago

5 mgs games in total if I'm not mistaken. 59 60 million seems about right. Mgs is dope to some of us but it would be hard for a lot of regulars to understand

ChasterMies336d ago

I would love to buy MGS4 but it’s still a PS3 exclusive.

JEECE336d ago

Although there are notable exceptions (GTA, certain first-party Nintendo games, Gran Turismo), as a rule games didn't sell as much in earlier generations as they have in the past few generations. So a lot of PS1-PS2 era titles that are viewed as seminal games didn't actually sell all that much by today's standards (yes, despite the large install bases of those systems lol). I remember a similar surprised reaction happening a few months ago when Square announced the total overall sales of Final Fantasy VII.

Deathdeliverer336d ago

Some of the best fun you can have online was the first metal gear online and to a lesser, but still fun to an extent, MGO2. The magazine, CQC, stealth, and tactical play Vs real players is just a blast. Not to mention playing Snake vs everyone? Amazing. The game will never be the same without Hideo, but Konami can definitely update what’s already there and take my money.

ceyoga335d ago

You wouldn't be talking about the OG MGO that was included with MGS3:S would you? It's rare running into another former player. Those were some of the best memories of any online game I had.

Deathdeliverer335d ago

Yes my man!! That seems like the BEST game that nobody played! Tranquilizer pistol, drag the body to a corner and lay a girly mag right by their head so they wake up and instantly get caught by the mag. You could get real toxic if you wanted at that point, but man that game was incredible! The only thing annoying was that damn Konami ID

P_Bomb336d ago

Did my part!

“You’re pretty good” 🫡

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220°

Kojima looks back on Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes on its 9th anniversary

Hideo Kojima: "After the launch, many people seemed to expect GZ to be a full game."

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metalgearinformer.com
-Foxtrot394d ago

People would have gotten “your intention” if you stated it from the beginning but people didn’t want smaller episode like MGS games.

He should have just focused on MGSV and work Ground Zeroes into that game instead

I_am_Batman394d ago

I don't remember there being confusion over Ground Zeroes being a full game. But then again I was just starting to catch up on the MGS series as a whole at that point so I might've not paid enough attention or simply have forgotten that there was confusion about it. I bet the whole Moby Dick Studios thing didn't help the casual observer understand what the hell was going on though.

I only got both MGSV games when Phantom Pain was already out and I kinda agree that it probably would've sucked if I had to wait one and a half years to pay The Phantom Pain after Ground Zeroes.

jambola394d ago

I'm sorry what now?
Who expected that?
If it was meant to be episodic or an experiment for that, the price should / would have reflected that

MadLad394d ago (Edited 394d ago )

To be fair, there really wasn't enough content to actually justify even the smaller price tag. It was still half the cost of a full game, yet a 20th of the content.

I can't stand these paid glorified demos.

CrimsonWing69394d ago

Honestly, it was basically similar to the FF15 Duscae demo. My theory is he was taking too damn long to make a game and Konami was like, “Sell what you got!” It just has kind of a scummy corporate “let’s sell this demo for half the price of a full game,” feel to it.

That’s just my take on it. I love Kojima and I love the MGS series, but this and 5 were the biggest let downs, ever. Clearly unfinished work forced out because, in Konami’s defense, Kojima was going over budget and taking forever on the project.

MIDGETonSTILTS17394d ago

Lol, I loved Ground Zeroes, but releasing that level at $40 during a dryspell for games at the onset of the new gen was an obvious cash grab.

I handed over my money happily, but plenty of non-diehard fans were understandably letdown by the scale of what $40 bought them.

Chocoburger393d ago

The price was originally $40 for the physical PS4 and XBO versions, but due to controversy it dropped down to $30 before launch. And as much as I love GZ, and even bought it twice, I do agree that $30 was too much. It should have launched at $20.

https://kotaku.com/konami-c...

staticall394d ago

I don't know how about anyone else. But i've bought it for $20 1 week after release (or $15, don't remember the exact exchange rate) and spent 24 hours beating every mission and getting all the steam achievements. I was 100% aware what the game was about beforehand though and i did enjoy every second of it. I knew it was a work in progress and it was probably the best and less restrictive game i've played in a long time (and controls were just perfect).

Even previous MGS games didn't gave me that much freedom as Ground Zeroes did.
Love stealth? Got you covered.
Want to speedrun? Here's the timer.
Wanna kill everyone? No problem, grab that AK then and let's party.
Wanna cause chaos? Just tell Pequod where to land.
Love to drive? Then go ahead.
Miss Raiden? Then play as him.

I wish they would continue MGSV, finish remaining chapters and add more missions as DLCs, there was SO many options... A poor man still can dream...

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370°

Metal Gear Solid V Is The Greatest Stealth Game Ever Made

Hideo Kojima was dealing with a hostile publisher who was pulling his team’s game apart at the seams in order to launch in some form of finished state, and it’s still downright masterful. Everything about it is mechanically focused and aesthetically nuanced, and not a single thing feels out of place or without purpose. Big Boss moves about each environment with a pace that provides the perfect cadence to use all manner of gadgets in whatever ways you like.

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thegamer.com
Mobis-New-Nest566d ago

You are incorrect and I will be taking this time to correct you. The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker Forsaken Fortress is stealth that no game has yet to match. Having Link, crawl, sneak and hide under a barrel is innovative stealth that Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell, Thief and Tenchu wish they had achieved. I rest my case.

ChubbyBlade566d ago

Cardboard box beats barrel

566d ago
got_dam566d ago

Lol I see what you did there.

fr0sty566d ago

So tired of opinion pieces... I come here for hot news, not hot takes.

-Foxtrot565d ago

Shit Metal Gear Solid game though

It's boring, empty, repetitive

Great mechanics and gameplay but it's just so dull....

566d ago
Chard566d ago

I played it long after the hype had settled, and I had a blast with it. Strip away the disappointment over what it could have been, and you're still left with a great game

porkChop566d ago

The gameplay loop was phenomenal, no question. From a gameplay standpoint it's an incredible stealth game.

porkChop566d ago

"Hideo Kojima was dealing with a hostile publisher who was pulling his team’s game apart at the seams in order to launch in some form of finished state, and it’s still downright masterful."

Let's not pretend Kojima was entirely innocent there. The game was 5+ years into development, way over budget, and wasn't even halfway done. That's why Chapter 2 is so unfinished and Chapter 3 was scrapped entirely. He was wasting time micromanaging and second-guessing everything his team was doing, and little to no progress was being made. The same thing happened with MGS: Rising. That's why the game got rebooted as MGR: Revengeance and was handed off to Platinum. That's the only way the game was going to get finished. And yet after wasting millions on a scrapped game, MGR only went on to sell a little over 1 million units. It was a failure no matter how you look at it.

That's why Kojima was "locked away" in his office for the final 6 months of development of MGSV. So the team could actually piece together and finish the game. Was Konami just supposed to let Kojima spend more than a decade with infinite funds to make one game? Kojima isn't Rockstar, his games don't sell 170+ million units. At some point the game has to come out.

I get that Konami are a garbage company but they aren't solely responsible for what happened with Kojima. As much as I love his games and will always be a fan, MGSV was almost entirely Kojima's fault and I'm tired of people pretending that it wasn't.

MIDGETonSTILTS17566d ago

Sounds like mismanagement by Konami.

generic-user-name566d ago

Can you prove any of what you're claiming? Because I've seen Kojima build a studio and release a AAA game in 3 years with Death Stranding. All I'm seeing here are the same conspiracy theories that people like to believe to confirm their biases towards certain people, same with Neil Druckmann. For instance, MGSV may have been in development for a while but you leave out that he was also having the FOX Engine developed alongside it, an engine so good that MGSV ran at 60fps on a PS4.

He's gone on record disputing that he ever goes over budget on very rarely has to delay his titles.

"He was wasting time micromanaging and second-guessing everything his team was doing, and little to no progress was being made."

Where did you get this from?

565d ago
Workshyskiver566d ago

Best gameplay of the series hand down, its not even close. Worst story in the series hand down, its not even close.

Ezio2048566d ago

But that ending though with amazing music. The Man who sold the world.

1Victor566d ago

I can’t say it’s the best or the worse to me I stopped playing metal gear at the end of 4 the official end of the snakes saga and the best in my book was 3 snake eater excellent gameplay and excellent story telling giving us the reason for big boss to go and create his own country before the metal gear saga on the 4-8 bits consoles.

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