[Update] Series creator Hideo Kojima has responded to the recent report regarding Ground Zeroes' incredibly short length. He posted the following message on Twitter:
MGSV Ground Zeros includes the main mission alongside 5 Side Ops. All missions include elements such as ‘Trial Records,' where players can compete against each other online. This is not a linear game like in the past. GZ offers freedom of approach and play style, which we hope players will enjoy over and over without boring. I believe people will be studied with the ‘Play Time' of GZ and will not stress the ‘Clear Time,' which is a standard for linear games.
Are you concerned about the game's length? Is $39.99 too much to ask?
[Original] Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, the upcoming prologue to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, can apparently be completed within a four-hour time frame.
According to Game Informer, who had hands-on time with Kojima Productions' latest, they were able to play through the entire campaign as well as poke around in some other modes all within a few hours. "We had four hours of exclusive hands-on time with Ground Zeroes, which we used to play through the main mission and experiment with extra modes."
This is incredibly short, especially when considering Konami is charging $39.99 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions. Here's to hoping its replay value makes it worth the steep price of entry.