Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)

After playing this game you will fill the phantom pain. Unfortunately it's inevitable, but throw it, this modern art piece shows its greatness.

In its basic form it's a stealth game with story elements places in between. From the mechanical point of view, it's a great game. Every thing about it fill polished and carefully planned.

The more interesting and fabulous part lies in the story of it and the philosophical questions its ask throw it. Topics such as redemption, individual consciousness and phantom pain are nicely given to you, but not always upfront.

OPEN-WORLD STEALTH-ACTION - After the destruction of MSF, Venom Snake seeks to hunt down the man responsible for it all.

PROS:

++ Perfect stealth-action gameplay that gives players unparalleled freedom. Even with all the qualms and problems I had with the game's story and structure, I still think this game is AMAZING. And it's because of one thing: they PERFECTED stealth-action gameplay. Stealth and stealth-action are not the same. In stealth games, I don't expect to engage in combat so I don't expect anything from the combat system, but in stealth-action, I expect both the stealth and combat mechanics to be viable. And in MGSV, both aspects have been perfected. This is BY FAR the best and most exhaustive stealth-action game I've ever played. There are a TON of weapons, tools, and gadgets at your disposal which honestly makes the game infinitely replayable and always fresh. You have the absolute FREEDOM to tackle most situations in whatever way you like. You can go full-stealth, or you can go full-Rambo, or you can be a hybrid of both, or whatever else! The more you play around, and the more you experiment with different approaches, the more you'll realize how INCREDIBLE the gameplay is. It may not be a good Metal Gear Solid game, but it IS an amazing stealth-action game. I can go on and on about the gameplay, but for the sake of time, I'll leave it at this. If the other MGS games had the gameplay of 5, they would all be better than 5. But because 5 is the only entry with this level of gameplay, it safely rises above the rest for me.

++ Gorgeous landscapes. Both the desert landscape of Afghanistan, and the jungles of Africa were a visual treat.

++ Solid characterization. Though I'm not the biggest fan of the story, I loved the characterization that Venom Snake, Revolver Ocelot, Kaz Miller, and Huey Emmerich received.

++ Fascinating prologue. Even though the prologue was slow, it was interesting and was a great way to start the game.

++ Episode 43. One of the most heart-breaking and gut-wrenching moments in gaming for me. If the entire game had more moments like this, I would easily give this game a 10/10. But unfortunately, this was one of the only moments the game emotionally hooked me.

++ Improved base building & management. Seeing the Mother Base visually grow and expand felt incredibly satisfying. It truly felt like you were growing as an organization.

++ The Buddy system. Any game that allows me to have my own pet dog (wolf) jumps to the top of my list. But Quiet and D-Walker were also great buddies to have. And D-Horse was always reliable.

CONS:

-- Worst MGS story. The story was spread out too thinly, the plot felt unfocused, the main antagonist (Skull-Face) was uninteresting and boring, and some characters had so much potential but nothing was done with them.

-- Needlessly slow mission loop. Players always had to return to the ACC (helicopter), pick a mission, and then deploy. This whole process took 30-45 seconds each time and it quickly adds up. I just wanted to get right into the action and not have to watch a cinematic of the helicopter leaving/landing.

-- Main Ops lacked variety and memorability. I wish more love was given to the Main Ops (story missions). Obviously, there were some standouts, but a majority of them just felt like more extensive Side Ops. I would have preferred less story missions in exchange for each being more carefully and uniquely crafted.

-- Unable to swap between buddies seamlessly. I loved the Buddy System, but it would have been better if switching between them was quick and seamless.

-- Audio Tapes. They replaced the CODEC calls with Audio Tapes and it just isn't the same. CODEC calls are significantly better to listen to than Tapes. And even though the dialogue in these tapes were good, I think too much of the story was placed in them rather than cutscenes.

-- Quiet and Eli. Both characters had great potential, but it was squandered. Quiet's provocative outfit was unnecessary and her character arc wasn't done well. And Eli (young Liquid Snake) just disappears when I feel he should've been a greater focus in the narrative.

-- Forgettable boss fights. Sahelanthropus was too easy for a final boss, Quiet was not as fun as The End or Crying Wolf, Man on Fire was too easy, and the Skull Soldiers were too tanky.

-- Poor timing on the plot twist. The big reveal should have been done much earlier, rather than being revealed at the very last cutscene. I think it would have made a greater impact. (We weren't playing AS Big Boss, but as a BODY DOUBLE that was psychologically convinced that he was the real Big Boss.)

I loved the gameplay of this game and it could have totally worked without the Metal Gear Solid brand. To me it felt like a great action based game with the Metal Gear Solid name slapped over the top of it. It just did not feel like an MGS game. The fact the story did not play out like a typical MGS game, cutscenes could be several missions apart making keeping me engaged with the story hard. I don't like how Ocelot looks and sounds different in every MGS game. The fact they got Kiefer Sutherland to replace David Hayter as Big Boss but he barely speaks anyway.

What i'm still frustrated to hell about is much this game overstayed it's welcome, yeah make it a long game with all the extras for those who want to stay late at the party but I got really frustrated when it gave the "End of Chapter 1" cutscene after 30+ hours in. To get the "True" ending and to complete Chapter 2 you need to repeat missions on a higher difficulty including the slow as hell first mission. This felt like the game was only going to let the player experience the whole game if they proved themselves worthy of it which I think is a massive insult for gamers like me who like to experience the game and not have to master it.

3/5

Played on PS5.

Great gameplay. Probably the pinnacle of stealth action gameplay design and mechanics. The Big Boss is a cool character to play as. Mission design is not very interesting, and gets samey rather quick. The open world is boring and not worth exploring. The story is utter nonsense in premise, delivery and writing. I would love for this game's gameplay to be attached to a better story, with more varied and curated mission design.

Completed Chapter 1 only. Haven't played any other MG games.

The core mission engine is great - visuals and audio are fantastic, enemy AI is pretty good overall, weapon and equipment options are extensive and impactful on play. ​Missions can be very tense indeed.

Unfortunately, for me, the game became old fast. Missions were pretty repetitive, often using the same locations for widely different missions . There was no real sense of an "open world" - the base/mission transition was in many ways similar to XCOM2 and mountains were used extensively to channel the player's movement in the world.

Having not played previous MG games, the story was pretty meaningless to me and I felt that the big boss battle at the end of Chapter 1 was a mistake given that the game is about honing your stealth combat skills and equipment rather than fighting bosses. A more challenging and immersive stealth mission would have been better as a finale to Chapter 1.

Base management I pretty much ignored to no real detriment and I felt that the weapon/equipment trees were to big to be enjoyable. I settled on some choices early on, upgraded when possible and that was it. Once I had a suppressed sniper rifle missions became, in general, pretty trivial.

I can see the greatness in this game, for sure, but it was just too limited for me.

Edit: Also the gratuitous fan-service of Quiet posing in the ACC was ridiculous and embarrassing.

3.5/5

The apparent, definitive end of the Metal Gear saga (no, Survive doesn't count), MGSV fall squarely in the middle of the timeline and tells a story that, for the first time in series history, feels sort of... nonessential. It does answer one big question that closes the loop on a plot hole from the original game and absolutely features some outstanding dramatic moments that have stuck with me long after completing the (lengthy) campaign, but it's just not quite the same level of gripping storytelling found in MGS 1-4. Maybe it's due to the fact that we know where the story is going already or that the storied feuds with Konami lead to a serious case of senioritis, but Kojima treats the story as almost an incomplete after-though, more content to just explore raw, juicy gameplay mechanics. And in that department, MGSV is a goddamn home-run.

Easily one of the most complex, well made stealth games of all time, MGSV features mechanics that make you wish you could replay the entire series over again in the Fox Engine. There's just so much freedom to how you approach situations and everything feels tight, responsive and intuitive. As opposed to previous MGS games where big set-piece moments were relegated to cutscenes and semi-interactive cinematics, The Phantom Pain has the technical prowess to pull these things off in real time, leading to some truly awe-inspiring moments.

It's a game I definitely have gripes with. The end is a weird trailing question mark that doesn't really know how to wrap up properly. Mother base is a vast hub that really doesn't serve enough of a purpose gameplay-wise. I miss David Hayter's performance as Snake. You can tell that the wheels of inspiration are starting to fall off of Metal Gear. It's a frustrating and brilliant game from a frustrating and brilliant auteur and I'm glad that Kojima is now free to work on other projects. But even though MGSV may be imperfect, it's a masterpiece in its own right, managing to both capture the magic of the previous classic games and chart its own path into the stealth-action genre that none have managed to match since. It's a final farewell to an amazing series that changed video games forever.

The open world of Metal Gear Solid V is rivaled only by the cities of the Grand Theft Auto series. This is open-world done right. Better than Far Cry. Better than Skyrim. As a fan of the series, I could not have been more pleased with this installment. I've played 111 hours so far and feel like there is still more fun to be had.

Some may find the gameplay a bit repetitive. Personally, I don't think I'll ever get tired of sneaking up on baddies and snappin' their necks, or setting off alarms at a distance just to watch everyone scramble around like ants in a kicked mound.

Master. Piece.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain presents one of the greatest instances of stealth-based gameplays. AI responses are very well-developed. Difficulty is not set a priori, but the game responds to the player’s most employed strategies. In this regard, although repetitive, this game is a masterpiece.

However, even though the story addresses social issues such as the harms imperialism and globalization cause to minorities, it does not hesitate in representing women's bodies simply as objects of men's desire. One may argue that the game offers an explanation for this poor representation choice, but that is just an attempt to hide the real reasons behind. Also, in some scenes, black children are portrayed as being completely submissive to a white child. There is no historical background whatsoever to support those kinds of depiction. The motivation is plain simple, although few are willing to address it.

Kojima is a great video game designer. But the time is ripe for us to demand a health attitude towards minorities. Video games are art, and as such, convey ideas and emotions. Therefore, game’s content must always be questioned and reviewed. Just then will we be able to achieve a respectful and inclusive gaming community.

Spoilers.

The story, the characters, the big reveal at the end - all completely inconsequential to the series. This is Kojima’s 3rd attempt at telling us the story of Big Boss. The ending of MGS3 explained why Big Boss turned to being a mercenary - his own country sacrificed his mentor - the Boss - under the guise of stopping a nuclear threat while the real reason was way less noble. Now he will only fight for himself, for what he believes in. Enter Outer Heaven, the country of mercenaries.

But before that there was Peace Walker, the Motherbase, Chico, Paz, singing robots, etc. Done. Now, finally enter Outer Heav... Wait, no, we have one more to go. Motherbase is destroyed so Snake has to build a new one and have his revenge.

So this was pretty disappointing, but this time gameplay is the main focus and that’s very good.

The mechanics are stellar, the AI is fun to play with and the gunplay is satisfying. No markers and no reflex result in a game of high tension and it’s some of the best stealth gameplay out there even 5 years later.

But it’s an open world game so progression is tied to finding new recruits, collecting currency and materials to build newer and more powerful weapons and equipment. The grind is honestly the worst thing in the game, it’s mobile game tier, minus the ads and the ability to buy currency for real money. That’s the payoff for having the game be open world, even though not all open world games have that much grind.

So that’s a bummer, the story is whatever, don’t care, but! The first half of the game is magical. It all clicks, infiltrating compounds and assassinating officers, stealing intel, rescuing prisoners, it’s engaging, it’s as open ended as possible: total assault or ghosting, the game allows everything. Then later some missions are recycled but it’s no big deal. As I said the core gameplay is fun enough to replay the levels but on a higher difficulty level this time.

For my second play through I just downloaded a mod to unlock all weapons, selected the optimal loadout and enjoyed myself.

To conclude: surely more development time would result in a more narratively coherent game but this has been in development for 5 years so I understand the decision to cut the unfinished parts and release it already.

It good, not great but good.

Metal Gear Solid 5 is pot pie.

Thats a strange analogy, but let me explain. I love pot pie, its one of my favorite foods. I like the flaky crust, the hot chicken melting in your mouth mixing with the carrots and peas. I eat it a lot. But i dont eat it every week, and i dont eat it every day.

Metal gear solid 5 is feeding you pot pie every day.

This game is quite possibly the most fun game i have ever played- with no hyperbole- but its just the SAME SHIT. over and over and over and over and over... in comparison to MGS4, which couldnt shut the fuck up even if it wanted to, here Kojima folded his hands and blushing like an anime girl said "FINE! YOU DONT LIKE PLOT? THEN YOU DONT GET ANY!" This game has naught but the ribcage of an existing story, tied along on a streak by cutscenes that are admittedly fantastic- still gorgeous today (in 2020) and directed with such a fervor and passion that was completely absent in 4. There is intrigue in this game- in the story, in the characters, the gameplay for sure, and the world. Each is done exceptionally well, yet each is somehow nearly completely blown and wasted in their own ways. The story is barebones and inconclusive, unsatisfying, the characters are all boring and act like they dont want to be here besides Kazuya (what the hell did they do to Revolver??? Hes so boring now!), the gameplay is so much fun, oh my god so much fun, but mindnumingly repetetive, and the world is open, vast, and creative, but we stay in there too long and even the most fun rollercoaster in the world gets boring after a while. This is a good game stuffed into the body of a fantastic game, and i wish it was as good as it seemed.

It's taken me a few weeks after beating Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain to collect my thoughts. It's been a roller coaster, but one that has (thankfully) come to a stop. Here is how I feel about Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain: It's a pretty descent open-world stealth action game, but a poor Metal Gear game.

From a gameplay perspective we've got a good game, here. Soliton radar from previous games hasn't been invented yet, but we've gotten an upgrade from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. You need to ”sight” enemies with binoculars before entering a situation. This places a little triangle above their heads permanently and allows you to track their movement. You have “buddies” that follow you around (like a dog who spots enemies for you, or a robot that you can ride in and mow down fools) making some of the nuances of breaking in to a facility or outpost somewhat trivialized. Once you upgrade your guns and accessories those looking for a bloodbath can have some fun. I'm no good at stealth, so I call in a helicopter to mow down the enemies (it almost always gets shot down, but kills many guards) and then I go in and clean up the trash. “Sniping” guys with an RPG is fun, too.

Konami has shoehorned in yet another mobile game style “recruit followers and build a base” that we've seen in Dragon Age: Inquisition, and World of Warcraft: Warlord of Draenor among other recent games. Here it makes a little more sense, as you're building your own PMC which is something that has been established in the series, but from a gameplay perspective it's just another “collect guys, send on missions, get more stuff” mechanic. Unlike some other games, though, the Mother Base and her recruits only function in in-game time. You can't turn the game off and come back later. I'm guilty of leaving the game on while cooking dinner to progress my Mother Base missions.

The game is pretty easy, if you were wondering. There's no more difficulty setting (sorry, “European Hardcore” players), but in order to get the “real” ending the game forces you to play certain missions over again on a preset harder difficulty. For example, a boss fight with a troop known as “The Skulls” is done a second time (and it suuuuuuuuucks).

“Missions?” you ask? Yes, MGSV operates on a mission basis. No longer will you be traversing a few sets in a linear fashion. There are two zones in the game: Africa and Afghanistan. Each has a series of bases and facilities that you'll be deploying to via helicopter. If you want you can just touch down without a mission and explore. There are some “side-ops” that yield fun results, but very few of the 150+ are that interesting. After completing missions you'll be heading back to a base (either Mother Base, or a helicopter that serves as a base) and choosing missions that way. The missions range from “go extract this guy” to “go extract that guy.” I'm kidding, but only slightly. Much of the game has you extracting prisoners, blowing up targets, or other odd-jobs that have no direct link to the story at hand.

And here we go. You got me started. Look, I enjoyed the two-hour-long cutscenes of Metal Gear Solid 4. Metal Gear Solid games have become part game part information dump. The games bombard you with information, very little of which you are understanding. Secret societies mixed with real history mixed with fake history mixed with United States government organization names. All of it is mental overload, but Hideo Kojima's information-ejaculation style has a purpose, even if he doesn't realize it: While playing a Metal Gear Solid game you believe that the story makes sense. Upon further examination of any game in the series you'll think otherwise, but these games are great at tricking you into thinking that their huge soap opera stories have a deeper meaning. All that being said, Metal Gear Solid V does not have this. There is barely any story. Sure, people say things to you, but very little of it has any bearing on what you're doing. Gone are the codec messages, in are cassette tapes that you unlock while playing. You can listen to these at your own leisure, either at a base or during gameplay. That's not a bad idea, but there's only enough cassette tape data to fill maybe ¼ of a normal Metal Gear Solid game. Again, those codec messages constantly interrupting your game served that information bombardment purpose I mentioned earlier. They kept you in the story. They reminded you that things were happening around you. Here, you go out on a mission, you save some nameless guy, and go back to base. Kaz Miller (I guess they changed his name? It used to be Macdonald Miller, and nobody has an answer as to why it changed) will say “great job, that guy was tied to an African organization dealing with oil production.” Well, OK, but what does that have to do with anything? And I hope you weren't looking forward to some light shedding on subjects in other games. MGSV exists seemingly in a vacuum. There's all this talk of oil when you reach the African area and my first thought was”Oilix! From Metal Gear 2 on NES! They're going to set it up!” NNNNNNOPE. Oh wait, didn't Gray Fox (then Frank Jager) meet Big Boss in Africa around the same time? Apparently not, because he never shows up. The story is a shame. There's nothing there. There's a little story about vocal cord parasites that is unimaginably stupid. They explain the magic powers of the bosses from MGS3 with parasites, too.

One last gripe about the story. They treat Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker like a real entry to the series. They reference scenes and characters assuming you've played it. I sure as Hell didn't. Go ahead and read up on Peace Walker, or watch “Peace Walker The Movie” on YouTube. It'll help.

I do have to add that after the “first” ending some more missions open up and you can get another true ending. What happens in this ending is actually kind of interesting, and has come cool implications for the series. Maybe. I don't know, because it was revealed and then never expounded upon. I don't want to spoil it, but it was the only part of the whole game that I felt was distinctly “Metal Gear.” It's crazy. The twist is kind of big, implausible, and kind of fundamentally stupid but simultaneously cool. This is the foundation Metal Gear as a series is built upon. Fundamentally stupid but kind of cool.

If this game necessary for fans of the series? Sure, I guess so. It might even be more enjoyable for those who are new to the series. Without the expectations that other Metal Gear Solid games have set, perhaps Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain would have been more fulfilling.

Oh and I have nothing to say about the online gameplay or FOBs (Forward Opertating Bases). I beat the game on PS4 before the online servers were fixed. This also means I wasn't able to import my Ground Zeroes data, so I don't know what that does. I never once had a chance to go online, and I don't plan to now.