Metal Gear Solid V:
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8/10
Chris Sowry @CJSowry |
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Before we start, I have not played any Metal Gear Solid game before. I have completed the Ground Zeros, demo/prequel whatever you want to call it. But as this ties in with the main game and introduces the new mechanics it’s all part of the same package as far as I’m concerned likewise the words Konami and Kodjima are lost on me, so let’s begin.
While playing the prequel Ground Zeros is not required, it is well worth a few quid to introduce the story of The Phantom Pain. Big Boss the legendary soldier has been in a coma for nine years since the helicopter crash at the end of Ground Zeroes and awakens with everyone trying to kill him. While the reasons are unclear at the time, the following opening is perfectly paced and introduces several strange characters that are the norm for the franchise. Yes, prepare for mutants, cloning and advanced robotics set in the 1980’s. ‘Its a Metal gear game, accept it’. After a few jaw dropping moments and cut scenes you are placing in the Afghan desert with a trusted stead and set to rescue a fallen comrade. This opening mission sets the tone for the rest of the game. New to the franchise is the vast open world on offer, with the option to do as little or as much as you want. Taking several minutes to reach objectives means you have plenty of time to get distracted along the way. The developers want this to happen as just doing story mission after story mission will bypass a lot of what this game has on offer.
Objectives are always placed inside towns, outposts or bases. Everything else is there to distract you or is just filler between the towns, outposts and bases. Given such a vast open world, the Afghan area in particular is restricted by huge maintains forcing you a lot of the time to take the roads where you stubble on patrolling enemy soldiers and guard posts. Slowing you down so each mission seems longer than it actually is and it’s a sneaky way of doing things. There is no mini map but by using the binoculars, you can mark soldiers and they stay marked being able to see them though walls. This makes sneaking a doddle, you will only get spotted by enemies you didn’t mark or by just being reckless. If and when you do get spotted, the game enters reflex mode that slows time and allows you to get rid of the guard before he can alert others, this a great addition for new players like myself. Once you have the target, you need to escape the ‘hot zone’ without being perused
While playing the prequel Ground Zeros is not required, it is well worth a few quid to introduce the story of The Phantom Pain. Big Boss the legendary soldier has been in a coma for nine years since the helicopter crash at the end of Ground Zeroes and awakens with everyone trying to kill him. While the reasons are unclear at the time, the following opening is perfectly paced and introduces several strange characters that are the norm for the franchise. Yes, prepare for mutants, cloning and advanced robotics set in the 1980’s. ‘Its a Metal gear game, accept it’. After a few jaw dropping moments and cut scenes you are placing in the Afghan desert with a trusted stead and set to rescue a fallen comrade. This opening mission sets the tone for the rest of the game. New to the franchise is the vast open world on offer, with the option to do as little or as much as you want. Taking several minutes to reach objectives means you have plenty of time to get distracted along the way. The developers want this to happen as just doing story mission after story mission will bypass a lot of what this game has on offer.
Objectives are always placed inside towns, outposts or bases. Everything else is there to distract you or is just filler between the towns, outposts and bases. Given such a vast open world, the Afghan area in particular is restricted by huge maintains forcing you a lot of the time to take the roads where you stubble on patrolling enemy soldiers and guard posts. Slowing you down so each mission seems longer than it actually is and it’s a sneaky way of doing things. There is no mini map but by using the binoculars, you can mark soldiers and they stay marked being able to see them though walls. This makes sneaking a doddle, you will only get spotted by enemies you didn’t mark or by just being reckless. If and when you do get spotted, the game enters reflex mode that slows time and allows you to get rid of the guard before he can alert others, this a great addition for new players like myself. Once you have the target, you need to escape the ‘hot zone’ without being perused
There are guns, so there is also shooting.
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Mother Base, why cant my holidays be as clear skies as this?
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What I like about MGS5, is not only the sneaking part, but if you can grab unsuspecting guards and interrogate them. This opens up other aspects and highlights the many collectables, specialist guards worth kidnapping or even prisoners you knew nothing about, then kill or Fulton them out of the way. Fulton extracting you may or may not be aware, is a method used during the 80’s by attaching balloons to usually military equipment, (but people where used as well) and sending the attached object into the sky to be picked up later by a passing aircraft. It’s a great fun feature that isn’t just there to have some fun with. Most things can be Fultoned, Soldiers, jeeps, gun emplacements, containers and tanks. They are all shipped back to your mother base, Jeeps and tanks can then be used in later missions, containers will contain valuable resources used by your base. Solders will be added to the staff roster and become working members of your base. Managing your mother base has its pros and cons, you can easily forget about it and it will function perfectly well or you can spend time investing and researching new equipment. You will reap the benefits, like better guns, more powerful rocket launchers and superior equipment, but none of it is critical to the game itself. As you add staff more functions unlock and the more mother base becomes alive. After several missions you will automatically go there to move the story moves forward. However, after that, there is not much reason to stay as there is little on offer expect beating up a few guards and finding extra diamonds hidden over the place. Everything can be commanded from the ACC (Aerial Control Center) the helicopter that transports you from the back and to the operating areas and Mother Base.
Incase you didn’t have the advantage with seeing enemies though walls, you can bring along a buddy on missions too. You start with a trusted steed in D-Horse able to transport you across the world faster than running but as the game progresses another three become available, each offer their own advantages and style of play. D-Walker is the brute force mini walking mech with rockets and gatling guns. D-Dog is your faithful canine companion able to smell and mark nearby enemies for you. The last is a sniper knows as Quiet. She is the one causing a lot of the press for the game as she wonders around in a bikini the whole time. She is rather unique that there is a rather emotional sub story that revolves around her and later becomes a critical part of the main plot.
Much of the game is traveling from one marker to the next, scouting areas and being sneaky. When all hell does break lose, thankfully the game is a solid shooter too. While no Michael Bay effect here, it offers a much more refined and thought out experience. However, much of the game will soon become repetitive; a few missions will break the common formula but it is a stealth game at heart. Gadgets on offer all have their uses but with all so many to choose from in the weapon select, quite often you will pick the wrong one annoying when under fire. You can be creative as you want, plant C4 to trucks, use decoys or just go in guns blazing; they all work and well if properly used. The AI guards are a mixed bag, stupidly aggressive or just plain stupid. But credit to the devs, the game learns from your tactics, good with headshots and the guards will appear wearing helmets or enjoy using the cover of night and they will employ night vision goggles. The game adapts, a great addition encouraging you to mix it up.
Incase you didn’t have the advantage with seeing enemies though walls, you can bring along a buddy on missions too. You start with a trusted steed in D-Horse able to transport you across the world faster than running but as the game progresses another three become available, each offer their own advantages and style of play. D-Walker is the brute force mini walking mech with rockets and gatling guns. D-Dog is your faithful canine companion able to smell and mark nearby enemies for you. The last is a sniper knows as Quiet. She is the one causing a lot of the press for the game as she wonders around in a bikini the whole time. She is rather unique that there is a rather emotional sub story that revolves around her and later becomes a critical part of the main plot.
Much of the game is traveling from one marker to the next, scouting areas and being sneaky. When all hell does break lose, thankfully the game is a solid shooter too. While no Michael Bay effect here, it offers a much more refined and thought out experience. However, much of the game will soon become repetitive; a few missions will break the common formula but it is a stealth game at heart. Gadgets on offer all have their uses but with all so many to choose from in the weapon select, quite often you will pick the wrong one annoying when under fire. You can be creative as you want, plant C4 to trucks, use decoys or just go in guns blazing; they all work and well if properly used. The AI guards are a mixed bag, stupidly aggressive or just plain stupid. But credit to the devs, the game learns from your tactics, good with headshots and the guards will appear wearing helmets or enjoy using the cover of night and they will employ night vision goggles. The game adapts, a great addition encouraging you to mix it up.
Sneak, look, scout and repeat.
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Interrogate, knock out or kill, the choice is yours?
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Graphically wise, the game doesn’t look as good as Ground Zeroes. But to be fair, there is so much more going on in The Phantom pain, something had to give. Sandstorms and heavy rain influence the game massively by reducing sight and allowing you to be sneakier, but a pain when you just want to get to point C when you can’t see two meters in front of you. Sound is nothing special but does the job; one thing the game lacks is atmosphere. All emotion is saved for the fantastic cut-scenes, it’s a shame but it’s so obvious the gameplay almost suffers because of it. But most missions are pretty generic anyway; they just seem to be fillers between the story in the next cut-scene.
This game is massive in terms of scope and playability but the basic story is over with the first chapter comprising 30 main missions. The following chapter two and other 20 main missions comprised of the truth behind the whole game and making hardcore MGS fans feel at home with dedicated total stealth and subsistence modes. These will force players into playing perfectly and will enrage newcomers while hardcore MGS fans will feel at home. The after game on this title is FOB’s (Forward Operation Bases) again while a novel idea with the likes on Watchdogs, invading other people’s game kidnapping staff and resources, offers little in actual rewards and becomes pointless. You feel bad, wasting 20 guards knowing that they belong to someone else and they may very well return the favor.
The Phantom Pain is good, very good in terms of open gameplay, freedom like nothing before. But the games story feels weak despite how well it has been told. It feels like it’s a part of something greater, the middle film of a trilogy. Much explained of what’s going on is left to tapes, easily missed and you begin just feel like you’re playing because some guy down a radio says so. The game ends but doesn’t, leaving more questions than answers. With plenty to keep dedicated fans playing with side ops and hidden objectives to each mission, new players will be begin to get bored once the they get past chapter one.
This game is massive in terms of scope and playability but the basic story is over with the first chapter comprising 30 main missions. The following chapter two and other 20 main missions comprised of the truth behind the whole game and making hardcore MGS fans feel at home with dedicated total stealth and subsistence modes. These will force players into playing perfectly and will enrage newcomers while hardcore MGS fans will feel at home. The after game on this title is FOB’s (Forward Operation Bases) again while a novel idea with the likes on Watchdogs, invading other people’s game kidnapping staff and resources, offers little in actual rewards and becomes pointless. You feel bad, wasting 20 guards knowing that they belong to someone else and they may very well return the favor.
The Phantom Pain is good, very good in terms of open gameplay, freedom like nothing before. But the games story feels weak despite how well it has been told. It feels like it’s a part of something greater, the middle film of a trilogy. Much explained of what’s going on is left to tapes, easily missed and you begin just feel like you’re playing because some guy down a radio says so. The game ends but doesn’t, leaving more questions than answers. With plenty to keep dedicated fans playing with side ops and hidden objectives to each mission, new players will be begin to get bored once the they get past chapter one.
+ Go where you want, tackle objectives how you see fit,
+ Cut-Scenes are fantastically made and edited,
+ Buddy for every occasion, intertwined with the story.
- No real ending,
- FOB's pointless and annoying,
- Repetitive.
+ Cut-Scenes are fantastically made and edited,
+ Buddy for every occasion, intertwined with the story.
- No real ending,
- FOB's pointless and annoying,
- Repetitive.
D-Horse, can also poop on roads to crash jeeps!
D-Dog, but its a Wolf... with an eye patch!
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D-Walker, when sneaking is no longer an option.
ah, Quiet, why you so.....Quiet!?!?
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