The MGS series has been one of my all time favorites but I've been selfishly glad about the end of the Kojima/MGS era. In the business, popular franchises are milked to death long after their prime. As much as fans hoped for another Z.O.E., we knew if things had stayed the course, Metal Gear would've face the same fate as every viable ip. How many times does a series go out on top? It sucks that Kojima and Konami ended their relationship in such an ugly way but sadly it's one of the very few ways the legacy of a great franchise could stay in tact. Is it just me that want the things I love to quit while they're ahead?

Are you happy about the end of an era or sadden by it? What do you think about the end of Kojima/MGS?

Whatathrillll

Talk to me after V!

Personally I'm pretty over things get tarnished. Like if they make other MGS games after Kojima and they suck I won't care. I don't care that they made a shitty Total Recall movie, the original is still there. I don't care that they made a terrible Max Payne movie or now three I believe shitty looking Hitman movies.

Taking the whole series in pre V, fresh of Metal Gear Scanlon, I just really appreciate there is a gaming series that could build on itself so much. Through the plot directly, toying with peoples expectations, continuing and altering mechanics. That is stuff we have taken for granted really with MGS but it's pretty unique right now.

I'm perfectly fine with it ending. It's been great but there have been a bunch of MGS games and I would like to see Kojima work on new things in a different environment. Obviously Konami gave him resources and everything, but I think another company, like say Microsoft, would really let him do his thing and give him a blank check without any fighting against his Kojima-ness. I would be really interested to see him work with a Western company.

I feel like MGS is already over, all the big boss stuff should be called something else as solid snake's story is over. I am glad that it seems a MGS game will get the gameplay it deserves.

With darkness and silence through the night...

I'm excited to see what he does next.

Metal Gear Solid has already been milked to death long after its prime. That said, I am hopeful that this game will be better than the last couple.

It's sad, I love MGS. But I felt that every one since 2 was the "last one." So the only difference is we know for sure that this is the last one (but you never know....)

I'm mostly bummed that ZOE 3 by Kojima isn't gonna be a real thing, but then again I felt that ZOE 2 had a fine ending.

Metal gear solid is my favourite series ever and I think TPP looks like the greatest game ever made. It does feel like the end of an era and it does make me sad. Having said that, I feel like Kojima has taken the series to it's logical conclusion and I'm excited to see what he does next. I'll bet he's glad to be unchained from his desk!

I would love to have Kojima continue the legacy, maybe with others co-directing, co-writing etc. Just to keep things fresh. Too bad Konami will NEVER give up Metal Gear. I wonder what Kojima will think of next, and if it will be as crazy and oddly addictive like Metal Gear is.

Metal Gear is dead.

Long live Metal Gear.

I don't think any other series quite has the impact of Metal Gear. I grew up with it, and honestly didn't think i'd see the end of it. After MGS 5, that's it for me. Unless it's MGS Rising. That game was dope.

It's been a crazy ride. Thank you Kojima!

I'm glad it's going out on this entry, since I felt 4 had a lot of problems, both from a story and gameplay perspective. Plus it's more fitting to close it out on the events leading up to the first Metal Gear, as the series has always been heavy on reflecting on the past.

I kinda fall into the range Jeff did. I played 1, 2 and 4..I skipped 3 except just enough to get the beats in 4. 5 is the follow up to 3..which is a story about a character I do not, really, care about.

That said, the game looks really good and I am sure its likely going to be fun enough to play, even if its Snake I care about, and the boss/big boss story-line is something I really don't give a crap about.

Aside from better gameplay though the difference between now and when I decided to skip 3 is simple. I got the conclusion to the story I cared about. This isn't "Instead of the sequel you wanted, here is a prequel you don't care about". The trailers are exciting, the reviews are great, and hey I'm finally gonna play through ground zeros over the weekend (cause I promised myself I'd wait until I could jump right into the full game about the time I finished ground zeros 10$ worth of content)

As to the end of an era? No, no. That was MG4. That's the wrap up, the end of the story, the end of an era. Everything gets wrapped up with a neat little bow, the ending little conversation at the very end isn't set-up for more plot, its a farewell to the fans. I can not imagine this game wraps up with all plot-threads resolved and no questions left dangling. That its going to be the last Metal gear, I suspect, is not reflected in the final product.

I.E. Please be prepared for this game to set up a Metal Gear Solid 6 that, while it may well happen, absolutely no one will consider canon since Kojima won't be a part of it. Its then End of an Era..but not because of the game's story. And while that's a very sad thing, at least MGS4 exists to give us an wrapped up end to the time line.

I have been playing Metal Gear since 1987, long time coming to get here. First NES game I bought with my birthday money. I played the shit out of that. I will play this the same. And Mad Max.

@bladededge: Kojima is Metal Gear. The end of Kojima's involvement with the series is the end of an era. I understand you don't like the Big Boss stuff but it's an important part of the MGS mythology and a lot of people do care about it. It doesn't matter what's next for MG, this is it for MG as we know it.

@liquiddragon: Ok so the question is what do I think of the ending of the era Re:Kojima. That would be differnt then what I think of ending of an era Re:metal gear.

It sucks to see Kojima go out like this, and especially in a game where, as I said, I doubt the wrap up will treat it as Kojima's final game.

As for the Metal gear solid series itself, again my statements regard my own view, and not 'the one true way'. I think the metal gear era, as it pertains to the story told in the games, ended well with 4. 5 is essentially adding and expanding that universe, not ending it. We have the ending, this is to fill in backstory. From that angle, yah, this isn't the end of an era.

From the 'The company is forcing Kojima out" angle? Yup, end of an era with him. And an end of an era for the series as a like, property, as a entity, outside of the narrative or characters, just as a 'thing that will continue to exist and be created in the future?" Yah..it sucks.

Hopefully, however, this is not Kojima's end, as far as game development goes. I know I, and many others I think, will follow him to his next project. In that sense, maybe this being the end of Kojima's era on metal gear is a good thing, if it lets him tell new stories we'd never had otherwise gotten. And if not..well, as a final game in the seires, as his Magnum Opus..MG5 seems like the quality and game play are the best that have ever existed. We have the normal 8-12 hours worth of cut-scenes and story..but in a 50 hour open world framework. Seems perfect to me.

MGS is much more likely to get milked now that Kojima is out. Who knows what Konami will churn out now.

Worst case scenario they sell the ip to Activision.

For me, the end of the era was when MGS4 came out. I just consider MGS5 a nice extra.

Yeah, Big Boss at this point is just as much of a main character as Solid Snake. Even when he's not part of a game's narrative directly, his actions in previous titles still have a huge influence.

Ok that I completely disagree with, if you take the 'Solid' series into account. Metal Gear Solid is, and always will be, Snakes story. Solid snake. He is the main character. Big Boss is a central character, yes, but of all the games made in this series, Solid or originals, he is playable in exactly 1 (.2), soon to be 2 yes but..just as much a main character? Really?

He isn't even in 85% of the 4 main games up until this point except as a magufin. Sure you could say he is as much a central character as Liquid or Ocelot, but the main character? The main protagonist? No, no not at all.

But really, truly, why are we arguing this? This is a long ago brought up and settled debate, from way back when 3 was announced to be what it was. Some of us don't care about the Big Boss side of the story. You do, good for you. Doesn't make my opinion invalid, as mine doesn't invalidate your own.

4, actually. Ground Zeroes/The Phantom Pain, Snake Eater, Portable Ops, and Peace Walker are all canon to the central series and include the title "Metal Gear Solid." Two of those only lack numeration. Snake is playable in MGS1, Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear 1, and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. He is briefly playable in Sons of Liberty, barely edging out Big Boss in terms of leading appearances should you count that.

edit: Personally I'd say Ground Zeroes and the start of MGS2 are a draw since they're just as lengthy and are only intros to a larger game but hey, whatever.

I shall withdraw further comment. I had similar arguments years ago, and as then, they are pointless. I got the game I wanted in MGS4. I hope the rest of you get the same kind of closure with MGS5.

I'll be playing it cause its a cool action game with great reviews with character I happen to remember from another story I liked, in a style and by a production team whose work I like..not cause its the closure to a story I have yet to receive. I got that with 4, and in that Solid Snake was the main character. It was his story that got the conclusion.

So whatever. I agree with Jeff, I think, in this. Go figure, people find such an opinion controversial.

MGS4 felt like the end of an era, in terms of closure to Solid Snake's story and wrapping up a million nonsensical plot threads from MGS2 (and also following up on a bunch of stuff from MGS3).

Peace Walker and what I'm hearing about the story in MGS5 just seem kind of needless. One prequel (MGS3) was enough.

I mean, I'm not really arguing, I'm just stating that the series is fairly well split between them, and isn't exclusive to either at this point. If you don't like Big Boss that's fine, there's nothing wrong with disliking a character, and likewise I'm glad you found the conclusion you were looking for in MGS4.

The era ended after MGS4.

It's going to be weird not looking forward to Kojima's next big "thing." Metal Gear or otherwise. He's been a part of my idea of gaming for so long the thought of him being out of the industry is...unsettling. I hope he does well with whatever he intends to do next, be it movies, games, or retirement entirely.

At least it seems he's going to go out with a bang.

As mentioned above, I feel like I've been through this before with 4 which was in many ways the close of the saga. 3 was fairly special as it revealed how interlinked the patriots/philosophers where with Snakes story, but otherwise I feel like Peace Walker and presumably this entry are doing more traditional prequel stuff in filling in gaps of story that is for the most part expected in terms of the beats it follows with just the details being new. Nevertheless I am a massive fan of the series, it's up there as one of my favourites of all time and has a significance in my personal gaming history and based off ground zeros this is definitely going to be the pinnacle of MGS as a game. I hope Kojima stays in games I can't really imagine not looking forward to his next project.

Here's to you MGS!

I'm looking forward to what Kojima does next, if anything. My worry is that without Konami's resources he'll struggle to get a project off the ground.

It's kinda sad, there will never be another MGS game to look forward to and speculate what the hell is going on. I don't care if Konami even bothers to make another one (which I doubt will happen), Metal Gear Solid is over. While MGS4 seemed like the proper end at the time I really have loved the exploration of Big Boss's character and he's become my favorite in the series. It's sad that no one else with a budget this high and a game of such scale will be doing the bizarre, strongly thematic and subverting expectations that Kojima does. Everyone else plays things so safe. I look forward to whatever Kojima goes on to do next, I'd be super down with a horror game.

I really love the MGS series. The games aren't perfect and they have various issues(from gameplay, imbalance of cutscenes, really weird treatment of women, etc), but I can't help but love them all. There is seriously nothing else like it. Even MGSV, which plays it probably the most "serious" and modern of any MGS game, is completely above and beyond what anyone else is doing.

Kojima is such a great director; If I had to pick, I would want him to continue directing games more than designing them. His art direction makes the experiences much more of an impact than other games. The antithesis of his art direction is the direction of GTAV; it's just feels like such a synthetic experience. Sure there's a lot of fluff in the MGS games that doesn't need to be there, but I'm referring more to the choices in the shots and how the scenes play out.