We know that Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is just a prelude. We know the full experience won’t drop until The Phantom Pain arrives.
But isn’t two hours just a tad short, even for a prelude?
According to Game Informer (as cited by Kotaku), Ground Zeroes is actually only about two hours long.
“Judged just by the core story mission, Ground Zeroes is short. We completed it in just less than two hours.”
They do say that the demo could feasibly last four hours, provided you play through the entire main mission and sample the extra modes. Furthermore, some players may require more time than others. It’s also important to note that a critic’s estimate of length isn’t always realistic for normal, everyday gamers.
The game won’t retail for the full $60, either. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Ground Zeroes will cost $40 at retail ($30 for digital download), and the PS3 and Xbox 360 iterations will go for $30 at retail and $20 for the digital copy. However, even that might be too pricey for a mere two hours.
If it’s great, length doesn’t really matter, does it?
I always say that length is almost irrelevant. If you finish the game and you feel satisfied; if you enjoyed yourself and the developers told the story they wished to tell, or delivered the full experience they wanted to deliver, then who cares? Not everybody has a ton of spare hours, after all.
