Hideo Kojima Defends Ground Zeroes Graphics, Length

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes has gone from being a must-buy title to something that’s massively controversial. So negative has recent reaction been that series creator and director Hideo Kojima has commented, trying to calm angry fans ahead of the release date next month.

Via Twitter:

Ground Zeroes is open world, and since it’s not a linear game, graphics don’t look as good. I want you to experience moving of comfortably and smoothly anywhere with a good degree of freedom. Once upon a time, when you first tried games, the purpose wasn’t just to finish them, but also the feeling to play them over and over.

With the FOX Engine it’s possible to create linear games with great graphics, but I think without the open world Metal Gear Solid V would be a different game. With FOX Engine we created open world games, linear games and even sport games. We’re have made the most difficult kind.

There’s not a huge amount to complain about with the visuals – it’s a cross-gen game after all, and it stills looks pretty – but length is a little worrying. Replayability is all good and well, and I can’t wait to see if it manages to be as “all that” as Konami employees keep saying it will be, but, at the end of the day, content trumps leaderboards and hidden Easter eggs every time.