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Konami's prologue chapter (Ground Zeroes) to the next major installment in the Metal Gear Solid franchise may have been met with mixed reviews when it dropped in March, but don't let that fool you into thinking the video game community isn't still eagerly awaiting more information on the main attraction, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. We had no doubt that director Hideo Kojima's upcoming game would make an appearance at E3 2014, but it seems like the big plans for the Metal Gear Solid presentation may have been spoiled by an early morning leak.

The above trailer was released via Konami's official YouTube channel, but was quickly removed. It seems probable that the admins on the YouTube account either confused the embargo times with later this evening (posted at 4am, instead of 4pm) or that they forgot to check the 'Unpublished' option in the YouTube video manager page when uploading the content to get it in place for tonight or later this week. Luckily for fans who don't want to wait a few more hours, the quick team at Gamekult was able to save a copy before the video disappeared for good.

The trailer arrived in true Metal Gear fashion, clocking in at five and half minutes long and showcasing chaos, character work, creepy funerals, and lots of blood. The new trailer is likely a bit more confusing than last year's gameplay footage, which offered a bit more narration and context for gamers who might not be familiar with the franchise's iconic characters and organizations. The voiceover from Kiefer Sutherland doesn't arrive until the final moments, after over five minutes of mostly unnarrated cinematics.

"We'll make diamonds from their ashes, take them into battle with us.. A shining light to our brothers in arms, even in death. We are Diamond Dogs."

The footage opens with the aftermath of what appears to have been a brutal battle or attack that resulted in the burning down of an entire village. After watching Snake stalk through the remains of the village, we cut to a burial at sea for the fallen Diamond Dogs soldiers. The protagonist decides a burial at sea isn't good enough for the fallen brothers and instead decides to smear their ashes on as war paint and seek retribution.

From there the trailer explodes into an intense series of torture scenes and espionage action. We see a bit more of the desert where the first gameplay footage took place and lots of focus on hand-to-hand combat and knife fighting. If you're more of a fan of firearms, don't worry. There are some brutal headshots, as well.

Although it's a shame the footage hit the web early and may have spoiled part of the excitement of Konami's presentation, starting off E3 week with a Metal Gear Solid 5 trailer seems very appropriate. Hopefully the creators still have some other details and surprises in store for fans later this week. Maybe even a release date?

Update: We'll update article with high-res official version when it's released.

What do you think of the new trailer? Were you turned off by the Ground Zeroes experience or are you still excited for The Phantom Pain? Let us know in the comments.

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Follow Denny on Twitter @The_DFC.

Source: Gamekult