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| Kept you waiting, huh? |
GAMEPLAY- The Phantom Pain is best Metal Gear game in terms of gameplay. Let's talk about the size and mission approaches of the game first. From the moments you step foot onto the Afghanistan desert and Central Africa, you'll feel the large scope that Kojima Productions have been striving for years. Konami even stated that The Phantom Pain's is two-hundred times larger than Ground Zeroes, yeah, that's how big. How you tackle the mission is up to you.
This brings us to the game's day and night mechanic. When on the battlefield, Snake can smoke a cigar called the "Phantom Cigar", this will speed up his perception of time and allows you to choose the time of day. For example, there was a mission where I had to infiltrate a large compound to extract a prisoner. I chose to tackle it during nighttime and cut off the enemy's electric power, that way extracting the prisoner would be easy. Of course, my method is one of many and again it's up to you to choose how to approach missions.
The core gameplay itself is similar to that of Ground Zeroes. Compared to other games in the series, MGSV's controls are streamlined and simple to control, which isn't a bad thing. You'll be sneaking to your objective, avoiding enemy detection along the way. While the game has loads of lethal guns, it still encourages you to take a non-lethal approach.
Since the game world is huge, it's easy to get spotted by enemies you haven't tagged using your binoculars. To solve this issue "Reflex Mode" makes a welcome return. Upon enemy detection, Snake will enter a slow state, giving him time to neutralize the threat.
If you're a hardcore player, you can turn it off via options for a more challenging journey. Speaking of hardcore, if you you are a total newbie at stealth games, the "Chicken Hat" is here to help. Equipping this chicken-shaped hat will let Snake avoid enemy detection up to three times. Again, if you are not a fan of it, you can turn it off via options.
Compared to previous entries, the enemy A.I. is smarter than ever, though at times can be stupid. Basically, they're more aware this time around. An interesting mechanic is implemented when it comes to the enemy A.I. Shoot a lot of enemies in the head and they will start wearing helmets to protect themselves, perform too many night missions and they will equip night-vision goggles to see you. It's a neat dynamic that doesn't favor a single style of play.
The Phantom Pain features a "buddy" system in which you can choose a companion to join a mission with you. Buddies include: Quiet, a silent and deadly sniper; D-Horse, Snake's horse who can carry equipment; D-Dog, a trained wolf that will assist Snake; and D-Walker, an agile customize-able mech that provides heavy support. Personally, I've been using D-Dog and Quiet the most since they do a great job following orders and providing cover. This mechanic adds a sense of variety and is largely welcomed.
Returning from Peace Walker are the Fulton Recovery System and the base management mechanics. While exploring the game world, you'll come across highly skilled soldiers, vehicles, items, plants, and even wild animals. Some of them might sound important, so why not extract them via Fulton recovery? At first, you can only extract enemies and animals, but with the help of upgrades items such as large material containers and vehicles can be extracted. These resources are needed to expand and improve Mother Base. The base will start off relatively small, but as you collect more materials and staff, you'll be a force to be reckoned with.
The iDroid makes a return from Ground Zeroes. Old functions such as the map and helicopter pick-up are here and new ones such as Mother Base management is added. When you are on a mission and want to check on Mother Base, it's only a click a way. You can develop weapons and assign staff as if you are in MB. You can also call airstrikes and Air Support to help you out on issions. Also, if you're bored you can play music with it. Basically, it's an essential tool that's always with you.
Bosses have been a staple in the Metal Gear series and sadly The Phantom Pain disappoints. Bosses such as the Skulls unit are basically bullet-sponges that aren't stellar and you'll be fighting them the most. The sniper battle between Snake and Quiet is nice, but we already have seen that with The End in MGS3. However, the bipedal weapon of mass destruction, Sahelanthropus, is fun to battle, but once again we did that in previous Metal Gear games.
In terms of extras, the game features 157 Side-ops to complete. They are a good way to pass development time, earn money, and look for new recruits. However, they can be repetitive. For example, once you finish "Prisoner Extraction 01", another mission titled "Prisoner Extraction 02" will be unlocked. They're basically the same missions but in different locations, it would have been nice to see more variety.
A negative that is bothersome is the transportation via helicopter. For example, you're on one end of Africa and your destination is on the another end. You feel that driving will take too long and would be boring, so you think to yourself that the chopper is the best way of travel. Sadly, that option is not available, you'll have to go to the ACC (Ariel Command Center) and choose you're landing zone.
PRESENTATION- Simply put, production vales in The Phantom Pain are outstanding. The game looks stunning and runs at a smooth 60 frames on PS4. The character models and backgrounds look fantastic. The level of detail here is spot on, Afghanistan and Africa are filled with wildlife and items to collect. No two faces are the same, each enemies and prisoner are distinguishable from each other by how they look. Sound is where The Phantom Pain also excels. The soundtrack is spot on, with tacks such as "Sins of The Father" and "A Phantom Pain" showcasing the themes of the game. The voice work is also great. Kiefer Sutherland and James Horan both terrific jobs as Snake and Skull Face, respectively. Additionally, Troy Baker as Ocelot and Robin Atkin Downes as Kazuhira Miller are awesome.
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| Tackle your objectives however you like. |
The core gameplay itself is similar to that of Ground Zeroes. Compared to other games in the series, MGSV's controls are streamlined and simple to control, which isn't a bad thing. You'll be sneaking to your objective, avoiding enemy detection along the way. While the game has loads of lethal guns, it still encourages you to take a non-lethal approach.
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| The gameplay is streamlined yet deep. |
If you're a hardcore player, you can turn it off via options for a more challenging journey. Speaking of hardcore, if you you are a total newbie at stealth games, the "Chicken Hat" is here to help. Equipping this chicken-shaped hat will let Snake avoid enemy detection up to three times. Again, if you are not a fan of it, you can turn it off via options.
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| The game world is interactive compared to other entries. |
The Phantom Pain features a "buddy" system in which you can choose a companion to join a mission with you. Buddies include: Quiet, a silent and deadly sniper; D-Horse, Snake's horse who can carry equipment; D-Dog, a trained wolf that will assist Snake; and D-Walker, an agile customize-able mech that provides heavy support. Personally, I've been using D-Dog and Quiet the most since they do a great job following orders and providing cover. This mechanic adds a sense of variety and is largely welcomed.
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| Snake has some new buddies this time around. |
The iDroid makes a return from Ground Zeroes. Old functions such as the map and helicopter pick-up are here and new ones such as Mother Base management is added. When you are on a mission and want to check on Mother Base, it's only a click a way. You can develop weapons and assign staff as if you are in MB. You can also call airstrikes and Air Support to help you out on issions. Also, if you're bored you can play music with it. Basically, it's an essential tool that's always with you.
Bosses have been a staple in the Metal Gear series and sadly The Phantom Pain disappoints. Bosses such as the Skulls unit are basically bullet-sponges that aren't stellar and you'll be fighting them the most. The sniper battle between Snake and Quiet is nice, but we already have seen that with The End in MGS3. However, the bipedal weapon of mass destruction, Sahelanthropus, is fun to battle, but once again we did that in previous Metal Gear games.
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| Unfortunately, the bosses are disappointing. |
A negative that is bothersome is the transportation via helicopter. For example, you're on one end of Africa and your destination is on the another end. You feel that driving will take too long and would be boring, so you think to yourself that the chopper is the best way of travel. Sadly, that option is not available, you'll have to go to the ACC (Ariel Command Center) and choose you're landing zone.
PRESENTATION- Simply put, production vales in The Phantom Pain are outstanding. The game looks stunning and runs at a smooth 60 frames on PS4. The character models and backgrounds look fantastic. The level of detail here is spot on, Afghanistan and Africa are filled with wildlife and items to collect. No two faces are the same, each enemies and prisoner are distinguishable from each other by how they look. Sound is where The Phantom Pain also excels. The soundtrack is spot on, with tacks such as "Sins of The Father" and "A Phantom Pain" showcasing the themes of the game. The voice work is also great. Kiefer Sutherland and James Horan both terrific jobs as Snake and Skull Face, respectively. Additionally, Troy Baker as Ocelot and Robin Atkin Downes as Kazuhira Miller are awesome.
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| The presentation will please many fans. |
STORY- Now you may be wondering why I saved the story aspect for last, right? It's so I can talk about the game's weakest aspect. Nine years after the events of Ground Zeroes, Big Boss-- now Venom Snake or Punished Snake -- awakens from his coma and forms his new mercenary army, Diamond Dogs, and must take revenge on those who attacked him. The mature themes of race and revenge that Kojima have been working for are handled well.
So what's wrong with the story then? Well, a lot. To start off, the pacing-- especially in Chapter 2: Race --is painfully slow, even the missions take a repetitive style. Skull Face, the main antagonist, is cool and all, but he does not reach Volgin or Liquid Snake levels of villainy. Additionally, there is a plot-twist at the end of the game that many fans will either love or hate. I had mixed reception since I wasn't expecting it all of a sudden. I can see what Kojima was doing, but it wasn't necessary. Something to note that there is barely much cutscenes. Most of the narrative is told by cassette tapes via the iDroid, which isn't a good way to tell a story (in my opinion). And finally, the missing "Episode 51", which could have explained many aspects of the story. This episode was cut from the game for unknown reasons, but we may see it as DLC in the future.
So what's wrong with the story then? Well, a lot. To start off, the pacing-- especially in Chapter 2: Race --is painfully slow, even the missions take a repetitive style. Skull Face, the main antagonist, is cool and all, but he does not reach Volgin or Liquid Snake levels of villainy. Additionally, there is a plot-twist at the end of the game that many fans will either love or hate. I had mixed reception since I wasn't expecting it all of a sudden. I can see what Kojima was doing, but it wasn't necessary. Something to note that there is barely much cutscenes. Most of the narrative is told by cassette tapes via the iDroid, which isn't a good way to tell a story (in my opinion). And finally, the missing "Episode 51", which could have explained many aspects of the story. This episode was cut from the game for unknown reasons, but we may see it as DLC in the future.
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| The Phantom Pain's story is rather shallow. |
OVERALL- Despite some shortcomings, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has the best presentation and gameplay compared to previous entries. While not perfect, the gameplay is so outstanding I can overlook some of it's issues. Hideo Kojima truly outdid himself with The Phantom Pain. Additionally, it's one of the last neat games we'll get from Konami now that they're shifting to mobile gaming.
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
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