Metal Gear Solid V will be releasing in two different installments, with the first due out this spring. Ground Zeroes will put players in the combat boots of Big Boss.

Interestingly, the press release from Konami refers to Big Boss as “the series’ hero.” The idea behind releasing Ground Zeroes as a standalone prequel is to ease players into the new control scheme and gameplay mechanics.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes will be priced at $29.99 retail and $19.99 digital for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions will be available digitally for $29.99.

Our Take
I’m still confused about the positioning of Metal Gear Solid V, especially now that Konami is suggesting that Big Boss is “the series’ hero.” Certainly he has been a protagonist in some of the titles, but most fans would consider Solid Snake the hero of the tale. I think there are more surprises coming, and that a lot of what we know is going to turn out to be misdirection seeded by series creator Hideo Kojima.