"I'm talking to you"

There was a huge kerfuffle recently when Game Informer revealed in a preview that upcoming stealth game Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes only took its staff around two hours to complete. Everyone was just a little bit miffed, and understandably so, as the purportedly paltry prologue to next year's Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain will cost you almost as much as a full release.

However, series big boss Hideo Kojima was quick to remind us that clear time isn't necessarily the same thing as play time. "Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes includes the main mission alongside five Side Ops. All missions include elements such as 'Trial Records', where players can compete against each other online," the auteur stated on Twitter. "This is not a linear game like the past. Ground Zeroes offers freedom of approach and play style, which we hope players will enjoy over and over again without boring [them]."

In other words, the famed director has planned a game that can only be fully appreciated with multiple playthroughs. It's an admirable goal to be sure, but we doubt that these comments will do much to convince those looking for something a little bit beefier in length. What do you make of the luminary's statements? Do you think that they sound like a stealthy cover-up? Press the action button in the comments section below.

[source twitter.com, via eurogamer.net]