Well over a year after the release of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes, fans of the game series could finally stop holding their breath with the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain on September 1st 2015. After a few weeks of playing this game I can definitely say the MGS series has changed a lot from the beginning. Some aspects for the better and others for the worse.
The original underlying theme of stealth still exists in The Phantom Pain but is now becoming an after thought because of the focus on lethal as opposed to non-lethal loadouts you’re able to equip for each mission. Killing people used to be something of a last resort in Metal Gear but it’s now a way of blasting through missions without fear or worry of failing the mission completely. Some missions require the extraction of prisoners, equipment of vehicles but this isn’t always a challenge because of tranquilliser guns and Fulton Recovery.
Limited ammo is no longer a concern because you can get resupplies, providing you have sufficient GMP, making the game a lot easier than it used to be I think. If anything I’m sure the creators were trying to show a different side to Snake’s combat techniques but I think this is one of the ways the classic game series is losing touch with its hardcore gaming roots.
In terms of sound and graphics this game has taken quite a step forward since the beginning thanks to Fox Engine. Ground Zeroes acted as a tease to what Kojima and his team had to offer and I can honestly say I’m delighted to see time has been well spent making the game look and feel like a visual masterpiece. The free roam environment shows off all the aspects of detail including variations in weather, landscape and languages. Characters and weapons are more detailed through the close attention to light, shadows and textures. Definitely better than the more square looking characters in MGS: Twin Snakes.
The storyline of The Phantom Pain is a bit of a mixed bag and to avoid spoilers I won’t go through everything but familiar faces do turn up throughout as well as some new and interesting ones. Because the game continues after MGS: Peace Walker and Ground Zeroes rebuilding your team (Diamond Dogs) at Mother Base is an important part to progressing further in the game. ‘Fulton Extraction’ plays a big part in mission recovery. Other reviewers have said it’s gimmicky but I think it’s a way of making resource, troop and vehicle recovery less of a cumbersome afterthought in the player’s mind.
Snake also has ‘Buddies’ now which makes for even more interesting game play and a different angle to the once virtually solo Snake we saw in previous game titles. I think ‘Buddies’ are good for this game because it makes the player think about which one will give them the greatest tactical advantage without straying too far from the games core values of stealth and action.
Each buddy has a bond level that increases every time you complete a mission with them. The more you use them, the more they can do and the more equipment you can develop for them. At first you will only have D-Horse but the further into the game you get the more buddies you have. A not so good idea is allowing you to play as members of your Diamond Dogs team. Why would any fan of the MGS series want to play as anyone besides Snake? The only reason I did was to get a trophy. Other than this I don’t think they serve much more of a purpose than completing combat deployment missions on the side for extra GMP and resources.
Having an online mode is something I think the game could have lived without as it adds extra complication to a game known for its solid solo campaign games. Of course it lends the opportunity to gather even more resources and GMP at the expense of other people’s bases but it means making defending your own base a priority when trying to complete the main missions and side ops already.
Overall there’s no doubt this game excels in terms of aesthetics and value for money but could’ve done with more of an emphasis on weaponry that is suppressed and non – lethal instead of the multitude of lethal and unsuppressed weapons made available to Snake. The large amount of customisation is very impressive and well worth noting but isn’t much use when it puts Snake at risk of detection.
The storyline is very compelling and makes for an interesting journey while completing the missions but it’s broken up by side ops and base development making it more than the campaign alone which slows down total completion time. This can be seen as a pro or con depending on whether or not you like to complete games quickly or make it well worth your money.
Anyone wanting to buy Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain can do so via their website and other game retailers in your country.
If you have any thoughts about this game and want to share them then feel free to comment them below.
JordyJourno 