Metal Gear Squalid: has Kojima gone too bloody far this time?

A new poster for Metal Gear Solid V makes the game look like a snuff movie. But is it just a distraction from an uncertain future for the classic series?

I've always denied that video games have anything to do with my near-constant violent urges, but Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has now forced a reassessment of just how desensitised one can become to gore and nudity. Earlier this week my partner was using the PC to book some train tickets and the next thing I know, she's joking about having finally caught me looking at porn. Which of course would never happen. "What the hell is this?" she exclaimed, pointing to an image on my desktop.

"It's okay," I replied, "it's just a new poster for the game Metal Gear Solid V." And then I realised halfway through the sentence that what we were both looking at was a semi-naked woman whose large breasts are dripping in blood. The game's male lead Big Boss is on there too, but of course, his body is not on show - just his head and shoulders, which are similarly splattered with gore.