With a release date officially announced, gamers know just how long they’ll have to wait to get their hands on “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.” However, knowing doesn’t help ease the burning desire to play, and game director Hideo Kojima has been busy tweeting a set of new images to whet appetites further. Meanwhile, the former voice of Snake, David Hayter, has stated he won’t be playing through the new game and hinted at the return of a fan favourite.

Taking a break from posting images of cosplay, fan art and stills from movies, Kojima tweeted a series of images showing the development progress of “MGS5.” The first image shows Snake about to leave Mother Base aboard a chopper as he heads off on a mission, equipped with what appears to be a surface-to-air rocket launcher.

Kojima has said in the past that Snake will be able to procure items, weapons and even allies in the field, bring them back to Mother Base and use them in future missions. As noted by Metal Gear Informer, the highly customisable Mother Base has been painted white, a departure from the pink Kojima has used previously.

A second image shows a battle-worn Snake receiving treatment inside the helicopter, though it’s unclear whether or not this is simply part of a cutscene. A green drip can be seen over Snake’s left shoulder, with the IV seemingly hooked up to his Bionic Arm, and the words “I’m exhausted,” added by Kojima. As previously reported, the bionic arm itself is available as part of a $250 Japan-only premium package. Konami has recently released a video showing it off in all its glory.

Speaking to Fraggeded Nation, David Hayter, the former voice of “Metal Gear Solid” protagonist, Solid Snake, has said he won’t be playing through the new game. Hayter has apparently been replaced by “24” actor Kiefer Sutherland in “MGS5” and says that playing through the game would simply be too painful an experience.

“No, It’s too painful, I mean my friend Otacon is doing it, and the Colonel and all these people, so no, I think it will be too painful. It looks beautiful and they have this big, epic world but I have got many other things to do than torture myself by playing some other Metal Gear game,” he explained.

As noted by GamingBolt, this is the first time the character of Colonel Roy Campbell has been mentioned in relation to “Metal Gear Solid V,” although it’s unclear whether Hayter simply misspoke. Should Campbell return, however, he would likely be played by a much younger voice actor given the game’s timeframe. Hayter goes on to state that he’s enjoyed his time on the series immensely and that he’s honoured to be replaced by an actor of Sutherland’s stature.

“Metal Gear Solid V” will be released on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One on September 1. A PC release will follow two weeks later, on September 15.

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(Credit: YouTube/IGN)

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