Episodes
Tuesday Sep 29, 2015
TNIAB Reviews - Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Tuesday Sep 29, 2015
Tuesday Sep 29, 2015
Review
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid V
for all intent and purposes is the final game in a long and storied franchise
known being a little bat shit crazy in terms of story and overall scope.
Fans argue endlessly about which games in the series are better than the other,
but that argument has forever been put to rest with Metal Gear Solid V. This
game has set the benchmark for any open world stealth game as it allows an
almost endless amount of options to tackle any situation, but also allowing for
any of those options to be fun and actually feasible. It even manages to be a
game great for people who have never experienced Metal Gear Solid before to
come into; but if you have been a fan for a while, it makes the experience just
that much better.
Storytelling has always been a huge part of Metal Gear, and depending on your fervor for the franchise, that could be for better or worse. Usually the series is known for long cutscenes and drawn out codec conversations. And just as you probably wouldn’t expect, MGSV throws those things out the window! Only in certain and very story important instances are you sitting and watching a long cutscene instead of playing. Also Codec calls are all handled in game, and go while you’re sneaking and doing you thing. It keeps you engaged and it is finally a game where Hideo Kojima feels like he actually wanted to make a videogame instead of a movie.
MGSV is also the first in the series to take place in an open world rather than linear levels that give the illusion of an open world. This allows for Metal Gear to take its stealthy infiltration gameplay to the next level. Each outpost within the game can be taken on from any direction, and with all the various weapons and items, lethally or non-lethally. Rarely will any player’s exact course of action be the same as yours. Even the environment you’re in will determine how to approach a situation. But the biggest part of deciding how you will infiltrate is the abilities of your buddies. Your “Buddy” is a NPC (non-player character) that you will bring into battle with you and drastically change the dynamic of a mission. With one buddy you will find it easier to sneak around while with other buddies running and gunning might be the best course of action. It’s almost magical how MGSV allows for any player choice not only to be fun, but also viable for completing missions.
Story missions have multiple entry points and are set up to encourage more traditional non-lethal/don’t kill anyone type of gameplay, as you get score bonuses for playing that way. But side-ops are the place where you’re able to test everything to your hearts content. You want to finish a “rescue the prisoner” mission with only rockets and grenades? Go for it! But enemies will adapt if you play one way for too long. Always go for missions during night, enemies might be equipped with night vision goggles next time. Trying to go for sweet 360 no scope headshots? Enemies will start wearing helmets to stop that. It pays to vary up your gameplay style, and actually makes the game more fun rather than feeling forced. This isn’t to say the open world is perfect though. Areas between outposts and mission objectives are barren to say the least. Sometimes the player will come across a small guard post or some wild animals but there is usually nothing to do between outposts.
Actually playing MGSV is less of a hassle than previous games, heck it’s even better than the previous “final game” Metal Gear Solid 4. Using CQC (Close Quarters Combat) is the most accessible it’s ever been as everything is tied to very simple button combinations. Even basic shooting mechanics now feel modern, instead of being stuck a generation behind. It makes getting caught in stealth games feel like your fault, as the game gives you all the tools to approach a situation and if something goes wrong, it’s most likely because you screwed up. The addition of Reflex Mode doesn’t hurt either. When you get seen by an enemy for the first time you go into a slow motion mode. If you’re able to kill or incapacitate the enemy before the Reflex Mode ends, you’re in the clear. And if you’re still not getting the hang of it, go practice by beating down some of your willing army cadets on Mother Base.
Mother Base is an expanded idea from the previous games in the series, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Portable Ops for the PSP (PlayStation Portable). When out in the field your enemies will have stats associated with different facilities in your base. It is your job to build that base… by kidnapping enemy soldiers and brainwashing them into working for you! Well it’s not explicitly that dark within the game, as their willingness to work for you is determined by a progress bar in a menu but, come on, you know what’s really happening. This solider kidnapping mechanic has a Pokémon/”gotta collect them” all feeling to it. You end up scanning every enemy hoping to find someone with a higher stat ranking that the soldiers you already have in your base, since each time your base facility goes up a level if unlocks a new ability or weapon for your use on the battlefield. And when you do, plans you had to skip a small group of soldiers suddenly becomes a mini mission to stealthily take down everyone, strap a balloon to the soldier and send him or her flying to Mother Base. It’s a simple mechanic that is deviously addicting, it keeps even someone like me, who has finished the game, coming back in hopes of finding that legendary S++ rank solider.
You are also able to deploy your Mother Base soldiers on side missions in the vain of Assassin’s Creed. These missions will gather you precious supplies and money, but also can disrupt enemy supplies. Remember when I mentioned your foes will start wearing night vision if you go one on night time ops all the time. Well you can send your crew to disrupt those night vision supply lines and your next mission will be easier for it.
There is also an online mode in Metal Gear Solid V. You are able to build Mother Base style bases online called FOB’s or Forward Operating Bases. These FOB’s serve as another avenue for you to gather materials, and store more soldiers for your army. Though the twist is that these bases are open to attack from rival players. This mode has sort of a risk reward system surrounding it. If you’re able to successfully infiltrate a player’s base and reach the goal line without dying you get a bunch of materials, and get to keep whatever soldiers you captured and add them to your base. But if you lose you get nothing, and either way the enemy you just invaded can see your base in a list and you can be counter-attacked by them. It’s a lot more fun in concept than it is in practice, since your stealth tactics will not be as effective on the base platforms like they are in single player. Platforms are very small and have a high density of enemies, so it’s nigh impossible to do a full stealth run, and most runs turn into a mad sprint with a shotgun blowing away anyone in your path. Needless to say it’s much easier to defend your base than to attack another one, but when you do pull off that attacking victory it’s oh so satisfying.
It is worthy to note though that this mode has some slight micro-transactions. The game gives you one FOB for free during a tutorial mission, but if you want to build a second or third base you’re going to have to cough up some cash money for in game currency to buy your bases. This in game currency can be earned through daily log in bonuses, but you’re not going to get enough to buy a second base in a timely manner this way. It sucks to see possible base upgrades gated off like that, but the game gives you enough resources and army space to comfortably get everything in the game.
If you haven’t
figured it out by now, Metal Gear Solid V is an amazing game, and one of the
best games I’ve played all year by a mile. Kojima Productions has made a game
where everything comes together seamlessly to create this amazing piece that
even after completing the story and having 70+ hours invested, I don’t want to
it put down. And while it may not be my favourite personal favourite, I can
easily say that Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain the best game in the
franchise.
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