VideoGame The Phantom Pain: Flawed, but great
MGSV is a weird game. And no, I don't mean in the techno-ninja zombie sense. I mean in the sense that it's hard to say whether or not I think this game succeeds or fails in it's objectives. Everything in TPP is either great or terrible, and the jarring shock between the two can be strange. How can one game get so much right and then fail so hard at other times? In fact, in order to even talk about this, I have to split it up into the good and the bad.
The good:
- Presentation is really damn good. Environments are kinda meh and draw distance is abysmal, but lightning, animations, models, facial animation, design, effects, everything to do with the way TPP is presented it well done. Special note given to the cut scenes, which have a lot more restraint and finesse then seen before in the series. The game truly looks great. The game also sounds amazing- every sound effect is pitch perfect and works wonderfully, and guns in particular sound good.
- Gameplay is utterly fantastic. It's basically PW 2.0, but it goes much deeper than that. Gunplay, movement, options, tactics, enemy a.i, buddies, everything feels great. The game rewards you a little bit at a time by promising new goodies for leveling up your base. The buddy system is fantastic and all of them are useful as hell, though Quiet can get on your nerves if she isn't equipped with a suppressed rifle. Mission structure is sound as well, always doing something new or going somewhere new. Coming home to MB and interacting with your soldiers is sparse, but comfy. Possibly the best Metal Gear to play.
The bad:
- The story is a fucking mess. Seriously, it's worse than 4, which I didn't even think was possible. The new characters suck, not enough exposition, the story never goes anywhere interesting (Snake never really does anything super evil and is more moral than skull face), the twist is obvious, the new nanomachines are literally magic, etc. It's incredibly poor. The games open world is pretty barren, and Chapter 2 is a mess of rushed missions and cut content.
How much you enjoy MGSV is proportionate to what you like about the franchise: the gameplay, or the story. No happy mediums like 2 or 3.
MGSV is probably going to be the most polarizing game in the franchise, and while it isn't bad at all, it certainly isn't the best MGS, not by a long shot.
9/10 Played on PC
VideoGame Ground Zeroes: The greatest "demo" ever made
The first concern about a game like Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is its length, and a legitimate point of concern it is. The average gamer will likely complete the story-related portion within the span of two hours. You will, probably, as I did, feel a little "Huh, that's it?" when it's all said and done. But then as you attempt the various side ops you will probably come to the realization that the story isn't what the game's about. In fact, that's always been MGS's strongest quality; no matter how sprawling and dramatic a game's storyline (the quality of which varies heavily by game), in the end the gameplay is where the power lies, brother.
The gameplay has been streamlined... stuff like the binoculars, that I personally never really used before at all, becomes an invaluable tool available at the touch of a button rather than a seldom-used tool equipped by meandering through various menus. There is an large amount of tactical freedom which, though very much wasted on a stealthy pacifist type player like myself, is above and beyond MGS's already high standards. It doesn't quite reach the versatility of say, MGS3, but is more fitting to the more focused gameplay it presents. If soldiers find you, they will freaking END you.
The first few side op attempts will likely be filled with blunders and boners (in The Joker's sense of the word), but as you retry them and get a little better for every time, you start to feel more like a soldier put through skill-honing training, very much like the Boss Man himself. When you see that shiny gold S on the results screen, you really feel as though you've earned it, without the missions ever being too unforgiving. Hell, just completing a side op regardless of rank feels like an achievement, because unlike Peace Walker there's actually some storyline depth to be found (and no half-hour long mech battles, thank the makers).
It's easy to write off MGSV:GZ as an overpriced demo, but that's unfair both to your own instincts as a gamer, and to the high quality workmanship inherent in the game. You have to give it some time and effort, but in the end it pays off more than handsomely. The more concentrated narrative makes it one of the more affecting emotional moments of the series, achieving in "two hours or less" what MGS2 failed to achieve in twenty.
VideoGame Ground Zeroes: A lesson in tolerance
One map.
No bosses.
4 cutscenes all under 10 minutes.
Final Destination.
Ground Zeroes has a decent amount of content for its price if you get it cheap. Sure, the main mission is 2 hours tops and completing all the side ops takes about as long, but that's only for one playthrough. The game's clearly meant for multiple playthroughs given the ranking system and all the unlockables one may acquire. But the problem is the above; it's all crammed into one map. That's far more problematic for me than the game's length because it doesn't allow for much variety. It's one of the biggest Metal Gear maps ever, to be sure, and there's a good number of ways you can interact with it, but that only goes so far. You will almost certainly get bored of it after awhile.
I can't say I care for the darker tone the game's taking either. Given what Metal Gear's always been about, going in the direction has potential, but what I saw in Ground Zeroes seems... gratuitous. It's almost like Kojima was trying to see what elements of exploitation films he could fit into Metal Gear. The only scene that really worked for me was the very last one. Here's hoping Phantom Pain is a bit more tasteful.
But as for the gameplay itself? I like the loadout limitations. I like the new guard AI being frustratingly brilliant. I like being able to hold up guys from farther away. I like dashing. I like that interrogating people is almost always useful. I love being able to carry prisoners back to my helicopter and hearing their words of thanks and relief. I love the rail shooting side-op. I like not even needing a special item to play music. I like marking guards and actually having a game map I can place markers on. I like driving vehicles. I like everything, basically, with the exception of the CODEC from Peace Walker returning. Full thing, please.
Let's just say that despite the problems, I'm now more pumped than ever for the full game.
VideoGame Ground Zeroes - A Taste for What's to Come
Platform Reviewed: Xbox 360
One of the most anticipated games of 2015 is undeniably MGS V: The Phantom Pain. With an open-world setting, a new graphics engine, and a story that will tie up Big Boss' storyline, it is not difficult to see why many can't wait for its release. Until then, Hideo Kojima has decided to give us a small sample of what the next installment has to offer with Ground Zeroes. Judging from this expanded demo, I am more excited than ever to play the final product.
The glaring issue going into Ground Zeroes, of course, is its length. I cleared the main story in just over 2 hours, though some can clear it in much less time. While the game has 5 side-ops, those also take no more than another two hours to complete, meaning that you'll spend no more than 4 or 5 hours before you see everything this game has to offer.
Other than that, I have no complaints. The visuals, for one, are some of the best I've ever seen in any game. Even on my Xbox 360, one can see how much time and effort Kojima put into getting the lighting and the weather effects absolutely right. The framerate is buttery smooth and the textures of the environment and Snake's clothing are crisp. Moreover, the AI is incredibly intelligent and complex, as guards will suppress fire and keep a vigilant eye on their surroundings. This was on Normal; I can only imagine how much more Artificial Brilliance awaits those who try the game on Hard.
Without spoilers, the story is brilliant, if incredibly dark and depressing. While the game primarily focuses on the gameplay, I appreciate how much more depth and focus Chico and Paz received in these two hours plus the cassettes than they did throughout Peace Walker. While not the same as David Hayter, Kiefer Sutherland does a damn good job as Big Boss. One can tell how much chemistry and care Boss has for his compatriots, and Sutherland shows it through his portrayal of the iconic Fallen Hero.
I also enjoyed finding the surprisingly large amount of collectables found in the game. In addition to cassettes that reveal the story of the game, there are also patches one can find that will unlock a mission featuring Raiden on the Xbox consoles.
Overall, $30 might be a bit expensive, but you owe it to yourself to give Ground Zeroes a shot.
VideoGame The Phantom Pain: A flawed diamond
Sure, it had a lot to live up to after The Greatest Video Game Trailer Ever Made™
, but even judged outside the context of its series' illustrious history, The Phantom Pain is a heavily flawed, even disappointing, game at times. And I can't think of any bigger a culprit in all this than Konami themselves. It's obvious they're leaving behind what made their company great to begin with—console gaming—for unfortunately far more lucrative iOS casual gaming markets. Selling their souls, basically. They cut ties with Hideo Kojima and rushed a blatantly unfinished product out the door, like every other major game company seems to do these days.
Now, as a pure game, The Phantom Pain is nothing short of terrific. The stealth mechanics have been fine-tuned yet again, and there's a myriad of choices regarding infiltration method and equipment. It's also thankfully not as hard on you as Ground Zeroes if you want to just let loose and Rambo a mission every now and then. You can almost literally never play exactly the same mission twice. As game mechanics go, it's far and away the greatest thrill in the Metal Gear series, and it bests any action title release in the decade thus far. Nothing to scoff at here, except maybe a few repetitious missions and suches.
...But, Metal Gear is supposed to be something more! I, as much as anyone, appreciated that Kojima would dial things down from its excessive numbered series predecessor, but he seems to have done his job too well. Not only is the story somewhat meandering and bland, but it's barely existent! All too much of it is relegated to tapes and static post-mission summaries. It's supposed to be the Metal Gear saga's final installment, damnit! Whenever a plot thread seems to get some legs, they cut them off an leave 'em dead in the water. Some post-completion tapes are the closest thing in this game to the kind of series-finale closure worthy of the series' legacy (and granted, they are some of the best story moments in the entire series).
The Phantom Pain coulda-shoulda-woulda been an all-time classic if the proverbial carbon had been left to pressurize just a while longer. It's as big a tragedy as you're liable to find in gaming. Here's to fucking you, Konami...