Xboxist

Is there a Metal Gear Solid 5 on the Horizon?

Rumour has it that the magical team of oompah-loompahs at Konami are working on a fifth installment to our favorite series - Metal Gear Solid. Teaser images have been seen featuring a grassy horizon with the number 5 (or an S) in the air. When I say grassy horizon think Street Fighter Alpha's Venezuela Stage with around 16.00hrs in the afternoon. If you look in the sky you can also barely make out the image of Snake, too.

Hideo Kojima has previously mentioned that Guns of the Patriots was his last outing with his old friend - but he did say that any further MGS escapades would go in a new direction and most probably with a new lead character, keeping the same team. I think that there are areas of the MGS time line that I would love to play through, and since the last game tied up all the loose ends and answered all questions that one could possibly have, a new lead character would be my first guess at this stage. Here's hoping that what ever it is, the project is completed relatively soon and doesn't drag in development like MGS4 did. I am still really looking forward to seeing his new project which seems to be a closely guarded secret at the moment.

Konami's website is currently teasing something, could it be Metal Gear Solid 5?

The potential significance of the Five/S is somewhat ambiguous -- think trying to build a house with a kettle and a ruler and you get some idea of how difficult it tends to be when trying the fathom what the MGS Team is planning. Nevertheless, since speculation is my middle name, I'll take a stab at some possibilities anyway:

Remember Substance and Subsistence - maybe we have a Metal Gear Solid 4 : Solace on the horizon, perhaps with an announcement to be made at E3.

Metal Gear Solid 5 - maybe our beloved Raiden is back to take the mantel - how good
would playing the new Raiden in a full campaign be - think Grey Fox MGS1 antics DLC seem to be very fashionable now - could be a downloadable chapter showing us how Raiden became a legend.

Should the mysterious character actually be an 'S' could it be a chapter in which we get to rescue Sunny? Sons of Liberty in 1080p anyone?

The letter 'S' could be a nod at Snake - maybe we will play his first missions in a regenerated HD Form - cracking games which i played on the ps2 - strange looking back as you could see his vision as early as then!

Should this be something that Sony is ready to announce at the E3 it would be
another feather in the company's already stacked hat - what with God of War 3, Heavy Rain, Uncharted 2 coming along nicely I think this could be something that Sony could be
keeping up their sleeve as a failsafe (not to mention a release date for Gran Turismo 5) but hey, that's another story.

The flip side of this would the idea of this installment being something that is
unveiled on the 360 or Wii - exclusivity would be the royal factor here as the game
as a massive following with every gamer knowing who Snake the strong but silent
type is.

Whatever the team are working on you can be sure that it will be as surprising and
awe inspiring as Psycho Mantis was when he told everyone in the room you had been
playing 'Bust a Groove' followed by strong denials and attempts to hide your head
band and leg warmers.

This is something that I am massively interested in - so much so that I am currently living in the bushes outside Konami HQ with a deerstalker, tweed jacket and magnifying glass in tow - more news as we make new discoveries, peeps!