Yesterday, the release date for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain got leaked ahead of a pre-scheduled announcement publisher Konami was supposed to make. But the gun was jumped, and "gear"-heads waiting for the highly anticipated sequel rejoiced upon hearing that Sept. 1, 2015 will be the day they can finally get their hands on Snake's latest, and possibly last, adventure.
It will be available on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 systems worldwide. Steam users, however, will have to suffer an agonizing wait. The PC version of the game debuts Sept. 15, meaning prospective keyboard-and-mouse warriors will have to keep their eyes and ears closed from spoilers for a full two weeks. That translates to roughly 500 years in Internet time -- the pain, the sorrow.
The joy, however, is the fact that the multiplayer Metal Gear Online will come out the same time as the single-player Phantom Pain, and there will be a Collector's Edition and a Day One Edition that comes with packed-in digital and physical goodies.
The physical items of the Collector's Edition include a half-scale replica of Snake's red-tinged bionic arm, a collectible SteelBook case, a Blu-ray disc with behind-the-scenes documentaries and trailers, a map and exclusive packaging.
The digital items of the Collector's Edition include a Weapon and Shield Pack (Windurger S333 Comba Special Weapon, Adam-ska Special Weapon, Maschinen aktische Pistole 5 Weiss Special Weapon, Rasp Short-Barreled Shotgun Gold Special Weapon, and a Personal Ballistic Shield in Olive Drab, Silver, White, and Gold); Rocky Terrain, All-Purpose Dryland, and Wetland versions of the series' iconic Cardboard Box; Fatigues in Black Ocelot, Gray Urban, Blue Urban, and All-Purpose Dryland costumes for Snake; a "Venom Snake" Emblem; an experience points boost for Metal Gear Online; and Metal Gear Online items including a Metal Gear Rex helmet (!), Golden AM MRS-4, and Golden WU S.PISTOL.
The Collector's Edition will retail for $99.99.
The Day One edition, available for $49.99 on last-gen consoles and $59.99 for current-gen and PC, includes the physical map and the following digital content: Adam-Ska Special Weapon, Personal Ballistic Shield (Silver), Cardboard Box (Wetland), Fatigues (Blue Urban Snake Costume) and the Metal Gear Online XP Boost.
Players who kept their Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes save data will be happy to know their Mother Base staff will carry over into The Phantom Pain, along with Snake's Ground Zeroes-specific sneaking uniform.
If all of this sounds confusing, Konami has a handy chart available to see which version includes what items.
And lastly, here is the original Metal Gear Online trailer with a new developer's commentary and artwork:
