GAME - Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Distributed and Produced by -KONAMI
The problems surrounding Hideo Kojima and Konami has shrouded Metal Gear Solid V in a nasty taste. We're all sure that this will be the veteran coder's final game in the series, but the big question is whether or not he can deliver the last killer blow or are we going to see a damp squib of a game that will only be worthy of the turmoil that has been covering the tail end of development?
The easiest thing to say about The Phantom Pain is that there are a load of changes outside of the standard gameplay. We now have an open world instead of generic missions covering a smaller area, which also opens up the usual sandbox elements of secret pickups, material grabs to help develop aids in your mission, Hayter being replaced by Sutherland and loads more crammed into a familiar system. The great thing is that you could sit and go over loads of changes, but it is best to concentrate on the major ones, which the next few delightful paragraphs will do in a little more detail.
Open world stealth makes perfect sense, and the hardware allows for a much more realised sense of scale in such an environment. Afghanistan and Zaire are the two huge areas of ground to cover and due to the type of game MGS is, you almost have an automatic implant in your head to avoid main roads and majorly open viewpoints so as to not be detected.
It can be overwhelming to start with, but within a few missions and adding some knowledge of the controls and iDroid system you begin to realise that things come together really nicely. The ease of getting round all of this terrain is a welcome relief as well. There are a few vehicles to choose from, should you be able to take out the drivers, but your main transportation will be the D-horse, a white equine buddy who will always find you, wherever you are, although I'm not too keen on the poor thing being taken back to Mother Base via a weather balloon pick up. Animal welfare will be checking in from time to time, I'm sure.
Then we have the choice of game styles. We all know that Metal Gear is all about stealth and that is how they've always been played, but we have a new found freedom in the combat as well as the world itself. As you unlock and grab more weaponry throughout your story then you begin to become almost Arnie like and you can just head in all guns blazing instead of taking your time, prepping your directions, targets and so on, but the best thing is that stealth still pays dividends. It is a fresh change to be able to choose how you tackle the missions though.
The biggest change to me though has to be the addition of Mother Base. Your Headquarters is an empty shell near the Seychelles that needs your much needed care, attention and a shed load of money and staff to get to the way you need to help through the game. Staff can be attained by picking them up on the weather balloon service and the materials and rare trinkets you can pick up in the open world can be used as a financial boost to help out. This feels a lot like the old X-Com games with the readiness required in your own back yard to help you out in the field.
The beauty of previous Metal Gears was that the stealth was seamless and that whatever new things were added to each game never really treaded on the core fundamentals and even with all of the extras thrust in your face this time round, that still remains true. Some games always have an "ain't broke" restriction in place and MGS is one of them. It shows how much quality is embedded into Konami's franchise and the fact they have fitted so much in is a revelation. In a day where there are so many games that require you to run deep into your pockets to pay for add ons, you certainly do not feel cheated with this. Main missions are also blended with side ops that can be done in the fly, as well as all the strategy elements contained in the Mother Base. It is a huge amount to take in, but you don't really feel out of your depth.
As for the story, it is your usual Kojima mix of gripping storyline mixed with really bonkers elements that are so off the wall that some of them could be close to punching through it. The intro has you trying to escape a hospital from a big fiery demon giant and a mask wearing puppet and as much as MGS can be a little on the unbelievable, you do think that this is a bit too far. To be honest though there is a hint of expectation that things will be a bit mad, based on previous games, so as much as the initial shock is big, you roll with it. The story element I do like a LOT however is that this feels like one of the darkest games I've played in a while, with a lot of death and gore before we even get to mission 1.
Simply put, MGS V: The Phantom Pain is a phenomenal piece of gaming and not only fills a stealth hole in everyone's gaming repertoire, but there is one thing that brings this particular version down a little. Based on how Ground Zeroes looked on the Xbox One and PS4, you know that the game is pushed to its technical limits on the older generation and as much as it looks nice and tries to maintain a pleasant experience, the frame rate can sometimes be off putting and the old girl does struggle to hit a constant 30 frames a second, which for a title involving precision and stealth can be an irritation.
Don't let it put you off if you don't have an Xbox One though. It is a great game whichever way you look at it and it can generate some self made epic moments that money cannot buy. It was mainly built for the current generation of consoles though, so as long as you bear that in mind then you'll be fine. A great achievement and a mighty fine game, but it does edge the 360 towards breaking point. At the end of the day though it is a game befitting the swansong of Hideo Kojima and if you're going to leave a franchise, you can't leave it any higher than this. Well done, Snake.
A huge thanks to the Xbox Community for letting us play the game.