Developing games these days are similar to developing movies says Metal Gear Solid 5 director Hideo Kojima recently

By now you have a pretty good idea of what the Fox Engine is capable of, what with its photo realistic imaging and all. We were stunned and both shocked at the unbelievable detail that Ground Zeroes showed us last year at the PAX Prime show. The detail, the texture, color and whatever else you can imagine were pretty much in the realm of Solid Snakes eyes, including Solid Snake himself. So how do we get photo realistic imaging? For starters, we use real live people, just like in the movies? Sure, why not? In the movies, you do your shooting process of the actors and their movements, and then the process afterwards is the editing and post-production. A very similar process is taking place with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Konami and the team have hired a diversification of actors from various parts of the world to perform different roles. Their movements are motion captured, and the imaging and rendering is done before the editing takes place. Hideo Kojima says they still have a long way to go in a recent comment by him he stated.

"If it were movie creation, post-production and editing will follow after shooting, plus adding audio but since it is game we have a lot to go. But still I feel content as this is the 1st end of phases. This time it took over a year including auditioning, 3D capturing, military training, reading, rehearsing and shooting."

Currently there is no set release date for The Phantom Pain, only that it will land on current generation systems, with a port of it likely to hit the PS4 soon after. To understand some of the photo realism concept being used, take a look at some images of Solid Snake and other background rendering technology.

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Motion capture details have been revealed by Hideo Kojima in regards to the next Metal Gear game currently in development

The development for the next Metal Gear Solid game is starting to get really intense. One of the biggest key items for it is the whole motion capture process being done for it. Many people are wondering just how it works and what sort of people are involved with it. The Fox Engine rendering of actual real live people is nothing new, but the implementation of it and who's involved is another matter. Recently Hideo Kojima made another statement on his Twitter account about how he and Konami are currently addressing the development of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain in terms of the motion capture issue.

"We have been doing Mo-Cap for over 14 years ago but every time we'd done a new challenge. This time we hired foreign actors except stuntmen. They were wide variety of actors from America, UK, France, Holland, Hungary etc. We used neutral language to communicate but the emotion was tightened as one."

Sounds awesome to me. Using a variety of actors for the motion capture process in MGS5 is going to prove to be interesting to say the least. Also, let's not forget that the whole thing takes place in an open world environment. Some to the effect of SkyRim and FarCry 3. This is the first time in Metal Gear history that has been done. Imagine sneaking into a persons office or home and searching through all of their belongings, only to make it your own. That's a Solid Snake reality I'd like to wake up to one morning. Meanwhile, drool over some pictures below and if you have yet to see the trailer for The Phantom Pain, you can do that below too.

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New wallpaper images emerge for past Metal Gear games as Hideo Kojima says the development of The Phantom Pain still needs more time

Ever since our first official encounter confirmation last month of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, the fans out there have been ever so eager to get their hands on some fresh new images showcasing the game's development and how it's coming along lately. So far there hasn't been any new photos other than the ones floating around out there, but there have been some new wallpaper type images that have surfaced. These new wallpaper images are somewhat of a reflection of  "past" Metal Gear games, going all the way back to the very first one that was released back in 1987 on the NES 8-bit system. I guess you could call these a part of the 25 years and birthday homage photos of Metal Gear games. You can check them all out below and decide which one would look good on your desktop! Each version has a different age Solid Snake based on the particular timeline for that game.

On another matter, Hideo Kojima has recently stated that almost all of the motion capture work for Metal Gear Solid V has been completed, but there is more development work left that has to be taken care of for it. The entire statement he made on the matter can be found below.

"Such a large-scale Mo-cap is all done, but the game itself needs more time to be completed. We still need to shoot game motion, in addition to voice recording, facial capturing. And moreover implementing those tremendous volumes of data takes tremendous amount of time and effort."

Currently there is no set release date for either Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain, but there will be a PS4 port of it that's been confirmed. No word as of yet if that also includes a possible release on the next Xbox console. The game is specifically designed for current generation consoles using the Fox Engine. By the way, after checking out the new wallpaper images below, test your Metal Gear knowledge and see if you can guess which game goes with which wallpaper.

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What are some necessary features that The Phantom Pain must have to make it big with the fans?

Stumbling around today, I found an interesting article that discusses some key features that Metal Gear Solid 5 The Phantom Pain should have to make it great for the fan base. One thing is for sure, Metal Gear and I go back, way back to the late 80s when it was just called Metal Gear and nothing else. All we had was Solid Snake, some rations, whatever weapons we could find to protect and defend our beloved character, and a bit of stealth to boot. Over the years MG has changed bit by bit, but the game play mechanics still remained the same. It's always been Solid Snake/Big Boss, and there has always been some stealth involved. So far it's been almost 5 years since our last encounter with Metal Gear Solid, for the console systems that is and not including Peace Walker. So everyone is wondering since The Phantom Pain is lurking around the corner, and has had a complete face lift in terms of the Fox Engine being added to it, what should we expect from it?

The Phantom Pain will supposedly have a vast, open world environment. Hideo Kojima once said that ever since he laid eyes on Grand Theft Auto 3, he wanted to make a game that conformed to such a large world. He and Konami are now doing that very thing with Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain, and one person has stepped up to the plate to determine what key features it should have in it and for what reasons. I found almost everyone of them myself to be in total agreement with and think nearly all of them should be implemented. Except for the first one about Big Boss having multiple arm attachments, that's a little odd. But I invite you to check it out and see what you think about his cool ideas and feel free to comment here on what features you think it should have. The very thought of sneaking into large towns and breaking into peoples houses to rob them is a nice touch. Sounds like something out of Skyrim. His fine article can be found by visiting this link.

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A video of David Hayter explaning why he will not be doing the voice of Solid Snake in the new Metal Gear game

I know there is still an uproar taking place out there about this, and many fans still haven't laid this one to rest. Believe me I understand your grief about it. David Hayter is a well known name. We've been listening to him in the role of Solid Snake and Big Boss for about 15 long years now. The decision to not use him once again in the new Metal Gear game has caused a lot of the fan base to hit the ceiling in the worst way. Some long time fans are even saying that they will not buy The Phantom Pain no matter how good it is, just because of the lack of Hayter's voice in it. My question is this, who will be doing the voice, and will it even be half as good as David's voice was?

Hideo Kojima explained recently that the reasoning behind this decision was to "take the series in a new direction". So far I'm not sure exactly what that means. Solid Snake is still Solid Snake right? Anyway, to better put this into perspective, here is a video below with an interview of David Hayter, and he himself explains to the world why the decision was made, and the fact that he too was surprised and hit by the decision not to use him. It should help clarify things for you in case you're still upset by the demise of Solid Snake's longtime voice we've all come to know and love. Also, note that Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain are two separate games, but the storyline for both tie into each other. Someone spliced together the trailers to each of them and made a single video of it that you can check out below. It kind of helps shed some light on the issue.

                             David Hayter explains about the issue with Solid Snake

                           The Phantom Pain gets a deep analysis from some experts

                           From Ground Zeroes to The Phantom Pain storyline tie in

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Is this motion capture image of a death scene from Metal Gear Solid 5 real or just another passing rumor?

Any new information about this eagerly awaited new Metal Gear Solid game is always welcome. However, this one could be a rumor, as neither Hideo Kojima or Konami have spoken out on whether or not the darn thing is real. It very well could be though. The Fox Engine is proving over and over how unbelievably dramatic and lifelike its rendering capabilities are. We've already witnessed the conference room and Solid Snake images, which by themselves were already breathtaking. But if this new image below that's been floating around is the real deal, The Phantom Pain is going to be one heck of a Metal Gear game.

The biggest wonder is the fact that even though you could see a Playstation 4 port of Metal Gear Solid 5, the game itself was specifically designed for the current generation consoles Xbox360 and PS3. What your seeing below is likely a scene taking place in a motion capture type studio. It'll be interesting to say the least if it gets confirmed that this is going to be a part of The Phantom Pain.

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The Playstation 4 could very well see a release of The Phantom Pain as well as current generation consoles

Since the introduction of the PS4 on February 20, people have been wondering what kind of games are going to be released for it. After all, it has always been about the games and almost never the console system. Well, one title you just might be looking forward to seeing on the PS4, is a genuine port of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Yes, it has been hinted so far that there will be a port of this highly anticipated new Metal Gear title, although some new questions have also surfaced about it. The first and foremost question is whether the quality of MGS5 will be the same as that on the consoles, or if some graphic compromises have to take place with it. I believe the answer to that is no, since Konami clarified that The Phantom Pain will be designed for current generation consoles.

The second question is will we also see a PC port of it after its release. So far Konami has not mentioned a PC version of it, only Xbox360, PS3, and now a PS4 version. I sincerely hope MGS5 will keep most or all of its graphic detail when it comes to the Fox Engine. We are talking about an open world environment similar to that of SkyRim. You want to see every crevice in every stone, and every variation of leaves upon each tree. Technology has gotten to this point to where we now expect this kind of game play environment. When Hideo Kojima was at the Game Developers Conference recently, he demonstrated what the Fox Engine can really do and a good dose of what we can expect when The Phantom Pain makes its debut in the future. You can see below some of what it's capable of, and I really hope that aspect carries over onto all platforms, not just one or two. There were a number of programming methods that had to take place due to the limitations of current gen systems.

As of yet, no word has been mentioned as to when The Phantom Pain will release on any platform, but I will post about it here as soon as I catch word of it. So if you haven't seen some of the fascinating images, including the hospital video and the other battle scene with Solid Snake, you can do so right now below. This has got to be the most eagerly awaited Metal Gear Solid game ever produced, and judging from what we've seen so far, it's no wonder.

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Some confusing issues regarding Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain being separate or the same game need to be answered

I just thought I would clarify something that seems to be going around lately regarding Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain. Some people think they are the same game, and some have been told that they are two separate games. Konami is saying they are separate, while Hideo Kojima is saying they are the same game. So what is someone to believe, when two entities from the same company are saying two different things? As it stands right now from what I've seen, here is your answer. They are both right. But how can that be? Well let's start from scratch shall we? Remember last year at the PAX prime show Ground Zeroes was shown, basically showcasing what the Fox Engine can do and so on? Yes, it seems from that video game play footage it was at the very beginning of the game.

Here is how it ties in with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Ground Zeroes is the "prologue" to The Phantom Pain, and here is how that is supposed to work. You have Militairs Sans Frontiers from the Ground Zeroes storyline, which is the location of the headquarters in Ground Zeroes. There will be an all out attack at that location, in which as a result of that attack, Solid Snake ends up in a coma. You can tell below from a couple of images that Solid Snake is a bit bloodied up from a battle. Also check some of the game play footage if you haven't already showing some more proof. Now after Snake lands in a coma from the battle, he ends up staying that way for a total of 9 years, until he finally comes out of it. This marks the beginning of The Phantom Pain story, and once again, check the images and some video footage below to confirm this. So as you can see, they are the same game, as in they will be a part of the same plot.

Now the still unanswered questions that people want to know. Will this be a single game release, or two separate releases, each one being sold apart? Or will they come as some sort of a package deal? As it stands right now you and I are at a dead end road with that one because Konami hasn't stated anything further about that particular matter. Rest assured as soon as they do I'll post about it here. This has got to be a very unique situation, as I can't recall any game in the past being presented in this manner. It's all pretty darn mysterious. As soon as something changes with this, I'll put a link to a more updated post here later on.

 

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After some long controversy, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain has finally been confirmed by Konami with some incredible new images and game play footage

I'm glad we can finally lie this one to rest. People have been wondering about this for months on end, and Hideo Kojima announced recently at the Game Developers Conference giving credence to the fact that yes, The Phantom Pain is indeed Metal Gear Solid 5. In fact, Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain are the same game. Oh where to begin on all of this. Let me start right here, Solid Snake wakes up in a hospital, and discovers that he has been in a terrible coma for 9 long years. A friend of his named Ishmael decides to help Solid Snake escape from the hospital, which is where the story line begins, actually that's the beginning of the main part of the game, as Ground Zeroes is actually the beginning and prologue of the The Phantom Pain, as was tweeted by Hideo Kojima recently. So that was the confusing part for some people, Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain are one and the same.

Now for a dose of bad news. David Hayter will NOT be doing the voice acting for Solid Snake this time around. Yeah, I know what you're thinking right now, "how in the world can that be?". David Hayter has performed the voice of Snake in every single Metal Gear Solid game from the first one way back on the PS1, all the way to Peace Walker that was released back in 2010. In fact, Hayter himself tweeted about the matter stating that at least he had a good run. He was also asked by someone if they even bother to ask him about the voice acting role, in which he simply responded "Nope". This has to be a bit of a let down for us MGS fans, but after 12 years of service, I guess nothing lasts forever. You and I are a little too busy right now drooling over this new video trailer and images that was just released, and still more is yet to come.

In the meantime you have a lot of stuff to go over, so let's take a look at some nice and sweet images and two trailers for you to watch. The first is the Game Developers Conference trailer, while the second shows some actual game play footage. That one of course is actually a crippled Solid Snake crawling around on the floor trying to escape after being unconscious for 9 years. It's also been said that the voice of Ishmael is none other than actor Kiefer Sutherland, but that hasn't been officially confirmed as far as I know. Now what are you waiting for? You're eyes are going to pop out of your head when you see how beautiful this incredible new footage is. Oh and did I mention MGS5 will have an open world environment? Let me put that into perspective, Metal Gear Solid and Skyrim join forces using the Fox Engine and what do you get?, something you can't wait to hit the store shelves right?

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