A new Metal Gear announcement coming at E3?

Metal Gear Solid 4 was a masterpiece, enough said. Everything from storyline, characters, gameplay, and graphics, all the way to sound was pure genius. It is still one of the best games on the PS3 and will be for a while yet. Kojima created Metal Gear and watched it blossom to what it is today. The last chapter in this ever engaging saga concluded the long feud between Solid and Liquid Snake, ending in an epic battle to the death. Kojima has stated multiple times that MGS4 would be his last game in the series and the last that would include Metal Gear Solid hero Solid Snake, but that doesn’t mean it would be the last Metal Gear Solid  game from Konami. Far from it, in fact; we could very well be seeing an announcement very soon regarding the future of the franchise.

According the latest issue of Official PlayStation magazine, Metal Gear Solid 5 will be announced sometime between April and May. Speculation around this title suggests that this could very well be a prequel to MGS4 and would include Raiden and how he became that Cyborg Ninja and rescued Sunny from the Patriots. Sounds plausible, but so does this next concept that’s floating around the internet. The game could very well end up being a squad-based game featuring the FOXHOUND unit from MGS4, which includes very well-known character Meryl. Both sound like they could be true and both would be enjoyable games to play. It would be very interesting to find out how Raiden got to be how he was, but on the other hand it would be exciting to be able to play like a squad with the abilities of FOXHOUND... with other human players maybe? Online four-way co-op? Yes please. They also go on state that the game may not be directed by Kojima himself, like I spoke of earlier, but he may still be involved in the project somehow.

One thing that doesn’t sound right to me and also pointed at over with our friends at playstationlifestyle.net is the fact that this announcement is supposed to come between April and May. There are no big conferences around that time and for this to have the impact Konami would  want, a more suitable time and place, where the gaming world is paying close attention, would be better suited for such an announcement, a la E3. Where better to announce Metal Gear Solid 5 than E3 in Sony’s press conference? Or even announce it during Microsoft’s press conference? The internet would melt down if an event ever occurred. The Metal Gear franchise is too big of a cash cow for Konami just to sit on, and rumors of another possible installment is no surprise. But would it again be exclusive to the PS3 now that Kojima is not as heavily involved as usual? Either way, one thing is certain: the world would welcome another Metal Gear Solid game.

TGR Rating: Highly Likely