Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

 PC
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2905 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,071 out of 2905
  2. Mixed: 461 out of 2905
  3. Negative: 373 out of 2905

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  1. crimecrime
    Jan 13, 2019
    10
    This is the best game I've ever played. Even rockstar games trail behind this masterpiece. I guess Kojima is a genius indeed.
  2. DanielCorfour
    Sep 14, 2015
    7
    Pros:
    -Best and most polished gameplay I've seen in a long time.
    -100+ hours worth of (mostly) worthwhile content. -Great Chapter I, story is mostly nice. -Excellent, meticulously crafted cut-scenes, even if the cinematographer at times tried too hard to make greatness and ended up botching some scenes. -Amazing graphics, great environments, and surprisingly good level design for an    Pros:
    -Best and most polished gameplay I've seen in a long time.
    -100+ hours worth of (mostly) worthwhile content.
    -Great Chapter I, story is mostly nice.
    -Excellent, meticulously crafted cut-scenes, even if the cinematographer at times tried too hard to make greatness and ended up botching some scenes.
    -Amazing graphics, great environments, and surprisingly good level design for an open-world game.

    Cons:
    -Missing a lot of story. Lots of plot holes, unfinished stuff. Half of chapter 2 and the entire chapter 3 missing from the game.
    -The story, even without the cuts, is often times contradictory and nonsensical. For a game that's supposed to explain the Big Boss's fall from grace, it does nothing of the sorts. Instead of acting as a bridge between Metal Gear and Peace Walker, it acts as the bomb that blew up the hypothetical bridge: it creates more plot holes than it solves... actually it doesn't solve any, it just creates new ones.
    -Some important story points are told trough audio logs. It's jarring. A cutscene would've been better.
    -Motherbase is gigantic and completely empty. Outside of some cutscenes, there's nothing going on there. There are only 2 indoors locations, and only one of them has anything interesting going on.
    -You build an awesome tank, and do nothing with it. Yeah, there was supposed to be something there, but it got cut from the game, like so many other things.
    -Controls are wonky at best. Shootings' fine, great even, but free-running, climbing, stances, cover are all horrible. Often times Snake gets up, instead of crawling, he goes out of cover, instead of moving a bit to the side. etc. There's also no mouse support in menus, which is a pain, and for some reason or the other, the button prompts are some time for the controller and some time for KBM. Oh and every single action in the game is bound to the "e" button. So a lot of times you'll struggle to get the guy to do what you want him to do.

    All in all, the game has a lot of problems. I could sit here all day listing them. But the short version of it all? I've had a tone of fun with it. It's dumb, and you'll get angry when you finish it, but the journey there might just be worth it.    … Expand
  3. TJohnston
    Sep 26, 2015
    9
    This is only the second game I have reviewed on Steam, the first one being GTA 5. I tend to only review games that I am deeply passionate about, and being that I have put in 20 hours and am only 15 percent completed into the game, I feel confident in reviewing it. I will preface this the fact that I have not played every metal gear game, but I have played MGS3, MGS:Peace Walker, GroundThis is only the second game I have reviewed on Steam, the first one being GTA 5. I tend to only review games that I am deeply passionate about, and being that I have put in 20 hours and am only 15 percent completed into the game, I feel confident in reviewing it. I will preface this the fact that I have not played every metal gear game, but I have played MGS3, MGS:Peace Walker, Ground Zeros and I read the story of Portable Ops, so in the MGS Timeline I know everything Leading up to The Phantom Pain, but nothing afterwards.

    Gameplay-
    The gameplay in TPP is nothing short of a masterpeice, Kojima gives you so many tools to use throughout the missions, tools that allow the player to approach a mission virtually anyway you like. In previous games there was a huge focus on stealth, which is still part of the game, but it now allows for more varied gameplay and does not punish you if you want to go in guns blazing. Another deviation from the original MGS games is the introduction of an Open-World game, where as the other games were linear in nature. The Base building aspect of the game is also welcomed, as it gives you a reason to use stealth in order to abduct soldiers to your base. I am really looking forward to the true Online portion of the game when it launches early 2016.

    Graphics/optimization-
    There isn't much to say in this section because the results are the same across the board, this game is absolutely beautiful. Just look at the screenshots and the videos! With great texture work for a third person open-world game and amazing draw distance with little pop in, it is definetly a welcome change from some of the other PC games that have launched this year. I have been running this game on a GTX 970 4gig, AMD FX 6300, and on a SSD and with this hardware I have been running the game on Maximum settings with no noticeable drops below 60 FPS. (Note:The Game has a frame cap of 60 fps). It is clear that a lot of work has gone into optimization of the FOX game engine for all computer set-ups.

    Settings-
    Generally the settings options are good, Graphical options are pretty good giving you the option to customize pretty much anything you want. Sound options are where the game starts to fault. The only controls you have is for Master Volume and Audio Guidance. It would be ideal to have separate sliders for dialogue, music, and sound effects.

    Story (No Spoilers)-
    This section is a mixed bag, most die hard fans may find the deviation from standard MGS formula unwelcomed. But I actually dont mind how they presented the story in TPP. In other MGS games you would be subject to extraordinarily long cutscenes with gameplay sprinkled in between where as TPP takes the opposite approach. This is not saying that there is no story, as you can get a lot from the Cassette tapes that you acquire. This approach makes the game more accessible to non-metal gear players and opens the game up to more players. As to the ending even though I have not reached it yet, I do know how it ends, and I really don't mind how the story ends, I kinda like the idea. (I am being vague to avoid spoilers).

    Controls-
    When it comes to controls there are both pros and cons. Generally the controls feel excellent. I have tested both Keyboard and Mouse And Controller. Both work very well, but of course keyboard and mouse allows for much faster and more accurate aiming. Although I would suggest rebinding controls to suite what you are used to as some of the default controls are counter-intuitive. I rebound most controls to my mouse for a more enjoyable experience. One major con in terms of controls is that during the tutorial and throughout the game, tool tips will show the controls for a controller even if you are playing with a keyboard and mouse. This seems like it could be fixed via a patch fairly easily but as of this review this has not happened. The last major con in terms of controls is that mouse support in menus is not supported, forcing you to use the keyboard to navigate, which is just awful especially considering the layout of the menus. This is also something that seems like it could be fixed easily but has not been addressed as of yet.

    TLDR- Get the game! It is a masterpeice in my own opinion.    … Expand
  4. Poringx
    Sep 11, 2015
    9
    Metal gear solid on the PC looks and feels spectacular! From the moment that I began in an action packed cinematic to doing missions the way I like. The graphics are just unbelievable (on max settings) and really does take you into its variety of different atmospheres. The gameplay is innovative and just right, the sound and music is perfect and the main story is captivating. This game isMetal gear solid on the PC looks and feels spectacular! From the moment that I began in an action packed cinematic to doing missions the way I like. The graphics are just unbelievable (on max settings) and really does take you into its variety of different atmospheres. The gameplay is innovative and just right, the sound and music is perfect and the main story is captivating. This game is a must buy for anyone that wants to experience a large and epic game!… Expand
  5. rosnk30
    Oct 5, 2015
    10
    First of all, this game is gorgeous (even alone) even being of a awesome franchise, and even being her (franchise) is more gorgeous either.

    This game has a lot of hours to expend, exploring, thinking (stealth mode way), exploding (attack mode way), enjoying, laughing and much more. "The Phantom Pain" is a pack of fun even for older gamers. The storytelling is more "real" and deeper    First of all, this game is gorgeous (even alone) even being of a awesome franchise, and even being her (franchise) is more gorgeous either.

    This game has a lot of hours to expend, exploring, thinking (stealth mode way), exploding (attack mode way), enjoying, laughing and much more.
    "The Phantom Pain" is a pack of fun even for older gamers. The storytelling is more "real" and deeper than others MGS.

    POS:
    - Huge maps
    - Best environment (two locations)
    - Awesome gameplay (has a new paradigm to beat)
    - Great storytelling, with a deeper story
    - A lot of equipaments, itens and possibilities
    - Great challenge missions
    - NO bugs, best graphics
    - Nice FOB Missions (Online mode wanna be)

    CONS:
    - Storytelling progress's sometimes is boring
    - Mother Base is huge with a nothing stuff to do. A big place for nothing.
    - Microtransactions

    And the final my friend, is impressive.    … Expand
  6. Dismortan
    Sep 16, 2015
    10
    I really like this game. Great combat, game play, missions aren’t boring. Graphically it's better than most and the gameplay is pretty good

    Kojima productions Masterpiece. A must play for any gamer out there. Regardless if you have played a Metal Gear before. Don't deprive yourself of this fantastic game. 10/10
  7. whatever523
    Oct 3, 2015
    8
    + Great open world.
    + Very complex base building system.
    + You can customize EVERYTHING. Even the type of laser and flashlight on your weapon. + Cool companion system. + Lots of choices how you can do the missions. + Good soundtrack and voice acting. + Nice graphics. + Good performance. + Overall almost perfect console port. + The game has action, stealth and sometimes even a few    + Great open world.
    + Very complex base building system.
    + You can customize EVERYTHING. Even the type of laser and flashlight on your weapon.
    + Cool companion system.
    + Lots of choices how you can do the missions.
    + Good soundtrack and voice acting.
    + Nice graphics.
    + Good performance.
    + Overall almost perfect console port.
    + The game has action, stealth and sometimes even a few horror elements.

    - The story is pretty bad, both the content and how it is delivered. Chapter two has some of the exact same missions as chapter one, without any story context whatsoever. The side story about Quiet was pretty cool, but that's about it.
    - Some badly placed savepoints, or lack thereof, which leads to frustrating missions (I'm looking at you, mission 45).
    - "Forward Operating Bases" are forcing multiplayer elements into the single player campaign. I don't want to lose the stuff I worked hard for to this crap and it can't be disabled. PF battles on the other hand are pretty cool, because your army battles against other players in a league system and you don't lose anything in the process. Should still be optional though.
    - Character often gets stuck on tiny bumps in the landscape.
    - The sound effects could be better, especially running and shooting.
    - When starting the game, you need to click through 10 (seriously) intro videos/news.
    - I never liked the comic relief in MGS games.

    Technically, the game is a 10, but unfortunately the story is pretty bad, some missions have bad savepoints and I don't like multiplayer elements being forced into the single player part of a game.    … Expand
  8. Edvaldo_Sbrissa
    Sep 13, 2015
    10
    MGSV:TPP is a great game, there's nno doubt about that. Its is perfect for those who wants to begin the serie, I mean, to be used to the gameplay itself. Furthermore it's such a pretty graphic with also a good audio effect. So it deserves 10 and probably it will be GOTY.
  9. lapiscoco
    Sep 14, 2015
    10
    Very long game-play and a lot to explore. It is a console port with some drawbacks from that, but overall the game is well polished. You slowly begin to connect the dots and the story-line is mesmerizing once you start to dig a little into the whole series. If you have a thirst for sniper warfare, this is an absolute hit. You can adjust your play-style in the settings menu if you are aVery long game-play and a lot to explore. It is a console port with some drawbacks from that, but overall the game is well polished. You slowly begin to connect the dots and the story-line is mesmerizing once you start to dig a little into the whole series. If you have a thirst for sniper warfare, this is an absolute hit. You can adjust your play-style in the settings menu if you are a serious FPS player or just want to enjoy more of the story and exploration. Auto-aim is by default "ON"... The graphics are not what a high-end PC player would call brilliance, but it is most of the time enough to satisfy. You can play day/night of each mission as you wish. This is actually my first Metal Gear game, so I did some digging to complete my story, it is fascinating to see a good game franchise first created in 1987 come this far!… Expand
  10. aidan0
    Sep 8, 2015
    9
    I really like this game. Great combat, game play, missions aren’t boring. Although I keep trying to go back and completing secondary objective, which aren’t too obvious. Which is a good thing. The mission aren’t like most game, go to this way point, do this. No, it go to this area and figure out your objective. It can be hard and time consuming sometimes.

    This game really has some humor    I really like this game. Great combat, game play, missions aren’t boring. Although I keep trying to go back and completing secondary objective, which aren’t too obvious. Which is a good thing. The mission aren’t like most game, go to this way point, do this. No, it go to this area and figure out your objective. It can be hard and time consuming sometimes.

    This game really has some humor too it. It should be called phantom kidnapper. Can’t wait to literally steal every piece of equipment in an enemy base. That’s a nice AAA turret you have, don’t mind it I airlift it back to my base. Oh, that’s some skilled personnel that you have, don’t mind it I take them too. Nice truck, you don’t need it right?

    I like putting people to sleep, but when you have to go loud it is equally as fun. There are a lot of ways to defeat group of enemy. Go in all sneaky, go in guns a blazing, kill them all predator style. Snipe them and have them rain mortars at you, unless you re position yourself. Misdirect them with C4.

    Mother base is awesome, the best part is leaving for a mission and seeing that great piece of steel construction out in the middle of the sea.

    I'm still on mission 7 and I'm already 18 hours in..

    Cons.
    I had to struggle past the prologue, to really get into the game.
    PC Controls could be better, so this is a 9 out of 10    … Expand
  11. Braquiador55
    May 15, 2016
    8
    Well guys, so this is the epic end of a 28 years old franchise, the great and epic end that this franchise deserve, or that is what the trailers said... I'm not going to lie, if you ask me if i recommend this game, **** YES, this game is great in all parts.

    PROS + It have great graphics + Good story (more less). + Incredible addictive open-world gameplay. + Good sound effects. +    Well guys, so this is the epic end of a 28 years old franchise, the great and epic end that this franchise deserve, or that is what the trailers said... I'm not going to lie, if you ask me if i recommend this game, **** YES, this game is great in all parts.

    PROS
    + It have great graphics
    + Good story (more less).
    + Incredible addictive open-world gameplay.
    + Good sound effects.
    + Exceptional soundtrack (but they don't use it, don't ask me why).
    + Have plenty of hours of play time.
    + The reasons behind the actions of each characters are well designed and well explained.
    + One of the best optimisations i've ever see.
    + The emptiness you feel when you end the game (i will explain that later)
    + Even if the game isn't as good as their predecessors, it have some "Kojima's momments" that are great and epic.

    That were the positive things, now let go to the negatives parts of the game:
    - Even if the story is good, it's not stand for a MGS story.
    - It have micro-transactions.
    - The side ops are repetitive and boring.
    - The tecnology that is used in the game (1984) is better than the one use in the first MGS (2005).
    - The characters are great, but they don't really progress in the game (except Big Boss)
    - It doesn't give a satisfactory end to this franchise.
    - The bosses are horribly bad (for a MGS game).
    - And the worst of all, IT IS **** INCOMPLETE. Almost all the second chapter missions are missions of the first chapter, but with more difficulty. There was suposse to be a 3rd chapter, but it just didn't happen, and so i can't pass the fact that this game is incomplete, even if it wasn't Kojima's intention.

    EXPLANATION (CONTAINS SPOILERS):
    By saying "The emptiness you feel when you finish the game" i wanted to say that it is as if everything had gone to hell. Even if you have the mother base, and everyone love you, in reality you've loose everything. You lost your identity and your best companion and at the same time your love. This leave me with an emptiness feeling, like if everything that i've achieved during the game was nothing, because, as i just said, it feels like if you've lost everything you care about. I think that this is the feeling Kojima want to transmit, The Phantom Pain of the ones that are no longer on your side. This is the first time in the whole game that i feel something similar to what others MGS games made me feel.
    It is great to know that Kojima is still the same as always.

    MARK: 82/100    … Expand
  12. ViewtifulCaptur
    Sep 9, 2015
    9
    Started the series last November on console, caught up by June. If it aids the review, my favorite entry was MGS3, where I went full stealth/tranq. After playing Peace Walker I was exceedingly excited for this entry in the series, and it did not disappoint. The FOX engine produces some of the best graphics i've ever seen. The gameplay took many notes from more open world-centric games suchStarted the series last November on console, caught up by June. If it aids the review, my favorite entry was MGS3, where I went full stealth/tranq. After playing Peace Walker I was exceedingly excited for this entry in the series, and it did not disappoint. The FOX engine produces some of the best graphics i've ever seen. The gameplay took many notes from more open world-centric games such as the Arkham series and Far Cry, while at the same time not abandoning the roots MGS has as a true stealth game. In the 60 hours I spent playing, I was constantly engaged by the challenges this game provides.

    My only gripe is with some of the plot elements of the game. As the last entry by Kojima in this series it attempted to connect all story lines, and get rid of any plotholes produced by previous entries in the series. It accomplished this, but the solution does leave a bit to be desired. Also, Quiet's entire storyline is ****

    Definite contender for Game of the Generation.    … Expand
  13. BEELZEBUB4
    Sep 18, 2015
    10
    This game is truly a AAA title. I'm to lazy to write a big review and argue with mgs haters, but imo, this game is a 9.8/10. Addictive, smart, rewarding and interesting. For me, it is the best game I've played since Psychonauts.
  14. Messerschmitt
    Sep 9, 2015
    9
    The best Metal Gear Solid in terms of gameplay. So far Ive played almost for 30 hours and must say that I love the freedom - there are a lot of things that you can do in many ways. Also the game respects player intelligence and doesn't hold your hand - and that's something I haven't seen for a while in aaa title (except for the souls series). What's most important sneaking mechanics areThe best Metal Gear Solid in terms of gameplay. So far Ive played almost for 30 hours and must say that I love the freedom - there are a lot of things that you can do in many ways. Also the game respects player intelligence and doesn't hold your hand - and that's something I haven't seen for a while in aaa title (except for the souls series). What's most important sneaking mechanics are very good and satisfying.

    To be honest I've never been a huge fun of Kojima overly dramatic and convoluted storytelling. I have played all games in the series besides psp titles and really liked mgs from 1998 (loved the game and the story) and mgs 3. At the same time I really disliked mgs 2 and mgs 4 (a huge letdown) for nonsensical plots. The Phantom Pain story however feels great for me. Kojima has found the right balance between gameplay and storytelling and made a fantastic sneaking game. Best Metal Gear Solid for the newcomers.

    + great sneaking mechanics
    + freedom
    + great audio
    + good and well optimized graphics
    + story - of course it's Kojima game so not everyone will like it
    + a lot of content
    + some great gameplay ideas
    - the world may seem empty    … Expand
  15. Biggjake93
    Sep 12, 2015
    10
    I have waited for this game expecting trash do to the change of voice actors and the whole Konami debacle. However by the blessing of Big Boss this game ROCKED. Even with some bugs this game did not fail to wow me by it's no stop action to the absolutely amazing graphics. It's honestly a shame that this will be Kojima' s last Metal Gear, hopefully with the success of this game the futureI have waited for this game expecting trash do to the change of voice actors and the whole Konami debacle. However by the blessing of Big Boss this game ROCKED. Even with some bugs this game did not fail to wow me by it's no stop action to the absolutely amazing graphics. It's honestly a shame that this will be Kojima' s last Metal Gear, hopefully with the success of this game the future will not be so bleak for us MGS fans.… Expand
  16. ADHGO
    Sep 11, 2015
    10
    1- positives: Tremendous opening that keeps you staring at the exciting story action to the end,
    the game Graphics are amazing,
    one of the best good looking game and running almost on steady 60 FPS all the time (wow), it is well optimized for PC, Game play is excellent 2- negatives: menu should support mouse but after while you will get used to it, when you call the hours it will    1- positives: Tremendous opening that keeps you staring at the exciting story action to the end,
    the game Graphics are amazing,
    one of the best good looking game and running almost on steady 60 FPS all the time (wow),
    it is well optimized for PC,
    Game play is excellent
    2- negatives: menu should support mouse but after while you will get used to it,
    when you call the hours it will remind you with witcher 3
    the hours while running looks like heavy and break the ground,    … Expand
  17. Cloud981
    Sep 14, 2015
    10
    + Emergent gameplay is so fun you could play for hours non stop
    + Great graphics,especially lightning
    + Controls are flawless when playing with XBox controller + Extremely well optimised + Content After dozens of hours of gameplay this game still surprises me from time to time and i'm not near of discovering all hidden stuff,like let's say mother base management,man i didn't even    + Emergent gameplay is so fun you could play for hours non stop
    + Great graphics,especially lightning
    + Controls are flawless when playing with XBox controller
    + Extremely well optimised
    + Content

    After dozens of hours of gameplay this game still surprises me from time to time and i'm not near of discovering all hidden stuff,like let's say mother base management,man i didn't even look on anything else,imagine my joy when i then discovered gunsmith and started to customize weapons. I would give only a minor flaws to story and pacing,but it's not the reason for score downgrade,after all this is one of the best games ever made and truly candidate for GOTY.    … Expand
  18. danstew
    Feb 15, 2016
    9
    This is the final edit of my review (the fifth). I stopped playing the game for a while, and just now returned to it to dabble around with it.

    So, in a nutshell: This game hit me by surprise, and is in my top 3 of the most enjoyable games I got and played in 2015. Before I go on: I was never deeply into the whole series. I did play one MGS on the PS1 like 15 years ago or so, and liked    This is the final edit of my review (the fifth). I stopped playing the game for a while, and just now returned to it to dabble around with it.

    So, in a nutshell: This game hit me by surprise, and is in my top 3 of the most enjoyable games I got and played in 2015.
    Before I go on: I was never deeply into the whole series. I did play one MGS on the PS1 like 15 years ago or so, and liked that, but I never played any of the others, and at first wasn't interested in this game. I bought it on impulse, and haven't regretted it at all.

    I wrote that so you'd know where I am coming from regarding the series. That's why I might not share the disappointment many of the fans of the series seem to feel, which is reflected in many of the negative reviews.

    Now, let's go through the categories:

    Graphics: They look great, and the game performed flawlessly on my system, first on a cheapo GT 730, then on a GTX 960 with 4 gigs of Ram (on an i7-4790, 16 gigs of Ram, W7). I am impressed by the optimization, really, especially compard to some of the other triple A-releases I tried this year, which had some big issues at first.

    Story: Yep, I was confused. I didn't know the backstory from the other games, and even though I did watch some explanation-vids on Youtube, I am sure I still don't know or understand half of the story. The story in this one is a bit convoluted, but that, for once, didn't bother me much. Don't get me wrong, I usually care quite a bit about the story in the games I play, yet in this one, I didn't mind the sometimes confusing twists or the fact I didn't know the background of a lot fo the characters.
    The "listen to tapes to get more background" was an unusual device, some call it lazy. I actually liked it, as it was different from watching a ton of cutscenes (and there are quite a few in this game as well!) or reading tons of text. I actually LIKED listening to those interrogations on tapes while being on missions

    Gameplay: FUN!! You can kinda decide on what style you prefer to play. Of course, highest ranks are given when you go mainly for stealth, and of course, to obtain more and better soldiers, you need to tranq them. But you can also try to go serial killer a lot of times.
    I went for mostly tranq weapons. I spent a lot for research, yet didn't unlock all of the improvements.

    Some of the missions were VERY challenging, VERY, as I was trying to get the best possible rank. If you don't have the patience, you can wing a mission and return later to retry and get a better rating.

    LEt me point this out: YES, in act 2, you get a lot of hard mode-versions of older missions. BUT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO THESE!! I didn't do ANY of them and still unlocked the whole story up to the very end. These, I think, are mainly for the extra challenge (going in without any gear, obtaining it in the field, total stealth etc) and possibly for more resources.

    Once you get Quiet, things get easier, as she can be very helpful, sometimes even IMBA, esp. if you hand her a tranq sniping gun.
    Yes, a lot of the missions were rather repetitive, but I didn't mind much. I did a story mission or two, then did a couple of quick side missions, rinse and repeat.
    Didn't bother with the FOB missions, and I don't think I will.

    I played the game with an Xbox controller for Windows, and the controls felt great, especially compared to some other new games (Witcher 3, FO4).

    Before I end this: Yes, apparently the game had issues. There was some drama with the studio and Kojima, and some parts seem unfinished or too rough.

    However, here is my point: I didn't expect to like this, or even buy it. I bought it on impulse, and am glad I did. It gave me more than 100 hrs of enjoyment, and that, to me, is what matters most. Are there things that could be improved? Sure, btu aren't there always?
    I enjoyed those 100+ hrs, and I wouldn't be surprised if I start over at some point.
    This, together with W3, is my favorite game released in 2015, and I am glad I made that spontaneous purchase =)    … Expand
  19. Plissken23
    Sep 12, 2015
    10
    Masterpiece!! PERIOD!! its the best Metal Gear Solid according playbility and graphics, story maybe is not the best, but stills being a solid game candidate for GOTY
  20. Slevin310
    Sep 12, 2015
    9
    (The actual game 9/10 but the PC version is a 7.5/10 due to graphic downgrades and wonky controls)
    28 years of Metal Gear... 28 years of Hideo Kojima. All that has come to close as Kojima has left Konami. He leaves his us, his fans, with Metal Gear Solid 5 The Phantom Pain. Regardless of our thoughts on the game, we should at least respect the work this man has put into his games. He    (The actual game 9/10 but the PC version is a 7.5/10 due to graphic downgrades and wonky controls)
    28 years of Metal Gear... 28 years of Hideo Kojima. All that has come to close as Kojima has left Konami. He leaves his us, his fans, with Metal Gear Solid 5 The Phantom Pain. Regardless of our thoughts on the game, we should at least respect the work this man has put into his games. He treats Metal Gear as his pride and joy. The effort is seen in the extensive stories and innovation that comes with Metal Gear games. Even today when games seem to enjoy rehashing items, textures, designs and mechanics, Phantom Pain introduces new ideas not seen in games before.

    Lets start off with the bad things. The open world aspects and your main base (Mother Base) seem to lack consistency. There's not much to do at Mother Base and the open world doesn't have much other than enemy bases. Side Missions can become repetitive and the story is not quite on par with the previous Metal Gear games. Snake barely talks and there's not as many cutscenes. This may not bother other players but fans of the Metal Gear franchise will definitely notice those differences. I also notice the PC version has very wonky controls... it's not at all like PS4. Even using a gamepad doesn't fix it. The controls just feel slow and delayed. Or they'll do something you didn't mean to.

    The gameplay is flawlessly created to provide you with nonstop entertainment. The stealth and enemy placement can be difficult, but to me that's a good thing. The game is challenging and requires you to use some tactical plans in order to get to your objectives. If you enjoy running down corridors shooting mindlessly at enemies, this isn't your game. If you expect to just crouch down in a shadow and expect enemies not to see you in other stealth games... this is not the game for you. You must be very careful around enemies.

    Enemies have been programmed with sufficient AI. They're smart during combat, observant during stealth and they'll mix up their path every so often. Luckily you have a massive list of different items, weapons, tools and support options to handle them. You have to develop your base in order to create better gear. Collecting resources and recruiting team members is vital to your progress. You have the option of being a blood thirsty killer or an honorable soldier who only resorts to killing as a last ditch effort. There are multiple ways to take down enemies without killing. Unlike other games this would usually be done with stealthfully choking out enemies or tranq darts, which can be kind of boring when you have so many badass guns. In Phantom Pain you can upgrade a lot of your favorite weapons to shoot rubber bullets that will stun enemies and still provide you the fun shoot outs.

    The open world is set in the deserts of Afghanistan, you get around by horse or vehicles. It almost feels like a western but with futuristic qualities. You can go it alone or have a support unit help out with missions. Could either be a specialist soldier or D-Dog (Wolf). Online features base fighting, you can assault online player's bases to steal their resources and players can also assault your base. You'll need to upgrade your bases defense and make sure your army is well equipped. Assaulting player's bases is a lot of fun, easily my favorite thing about this game.

    Right off the bat this game throws you into an extremely intense intro. This is one game that does NOT have a slow start. Although the game does have a lot of features that will be locked off till you progress far enough into the game, this actually makes the experience better. You're constantly being given new things to try out so there's never a dull moment. The graphics and music are breath taking. The game's presentation is incredible, cinema worthy experience.

    I know the issues fans have pointed out and I understand, as a hardcore fan myself, but look at the current state of games. New games like Resident Evil 5 and 6, Silent Hill Homecoming and Downpour, Battlefield 4 and Hardline, Elder Scrolls Online, Sonic and Sim City they have all circum to the changes in the mainstream gaming industry. Features and gameplay dwindle as games slowly become less and less challenging. Entire gameplay mechanics are stripped to provide more mass appeal. In this era I can only hope games try to do their best and improve as times go on. Yet they're all taking big steps back and now all we can hope is that a game will be worth their prices. It would have been so easy to take this franchise and turn it into yet another Call of Duty clone. But Kojima cares about his games and fans. He genuinely tries to make a video game masterpiece, he wouldn't sacrifice quality for money. While it might not be MGS, Snake Eater or Peace Walker... Phantom Pan is amazing in its own way. Definitely worth buying!

    Farewell Kojima, thanks for the awesome games!    … Expand
  21. Arkunsaas
    Sep 23, 2015
    7
    Positives:

    + Amazing new and fun gameplay features + Good graphics on 60fps + Buddy support system + Some serious issues touched upon in the story + New stealth mechanics with open world freedom + Awesome classic soundtracks + Day/night cycle + Dynamic weather Controversial elements: +/- Motherbase (for some it might be a distraction for other it might be a    Positives:

    + Amazing new and fun gameplay features

    + Good graphics on 60fps

    + Buddy support system

    + Some serious issues touched upon in the story

    + New stealth mechanics with open world freedom

    + Awesome classic soundtracks

    + Day/night cycle

    + Dynamic weather

    Controversial elements:

    +/- Motherbase (for some it might be a distraction for other it might be a cool new feature)

    Negatives:

    - No closure for MGS fans

    - Pacing sucks. The game revolves around gameplay only and the story has been sidelined to such an extent that it doesnt really matter how good the story line is. Cutscenes have been replaced by audio tapes that you listen to when you want. Do the first 20 missions and ask yourself how much has the actual story progressed and how it unfolded.

    - Forgettable villain

    - Repetitive main/side quests (Extract targets or Kill them thats pretty much the whole game). And sometimes you will find yourself doing similar missions at the exact same site. Whats up with this sh*t.

    - Lack of indoor stealth

    - Forgettable boss battles (Final boss is like a bad joke. Infact all the boss battles is this game are nothing compared to the battles from previous MGS games)

    - It is obviously a work in progress

    - Bland open world

    - First ever game i have played that asks you to replay the story missions on hard mode as a part of the main campaign

    - O and the "Boss" feels like he is Kaz's errand boy. All the high hopes of MGS fans to meet the legendary boss will be crushed to mush. His attitude shows that he really doesn't care about the story or the events of GZ because.....(the answer lies in mission 46).

    - The secret ending is a big Fu*k You to all the MGS fans. I am sorry but i cant see it any other way.

    This game doesn't deserve to be a part of the MGS series. One cannot just possibly praise this title as an MGS game simply because the gameplay is awesome while everything else great about the series is sacrificed.

    In short:
    Would i recommend this game: Yes (purely because its ultimately Kojima's MGS and the gameplay ofcourse)
    Is this game a disappointment: Yes (because of pretty much everything else)    … Expand
  22. TenchuuKhan
    Sep 15, 2015
    7
    Simply unfinished and unpolished game. What saves it is that it's super fun to play.
    I'd recommend the game to anyone but there's simply things that are so criminally bad and awkward in this game that one should know before purchasing it.
    Now, to begin with, what are you in for? Before you can do anything you are in for a ~90 minutes intro mission with various cutscenes and not much    Simply unfinished and unpolished game. What saves it is that it's super fun to play.
    I'd recommend the game to anyone but there's simply things that are so criminally bad and awkward in this game that one should know before purchasing it.

    Now, to begin with, what are you in for?
    Before you can do anything you are in for a ~90 minutes intro mission with various cutscenes and not much fun in terms of gameplay. Afterwards the real game starts.
    Basically you have an open world with various main and side missions that tell you to infiltrate some base, however you'd like to do that then, finish an objective, and get out again.
    In order to get in and out you can call in a heli that can pick you up and drop you off at various locations around the target - which is pretty atmospheric, even after doing it a hundred times.

    On top of that you have the opportunity to upgrade your mother base and compete with others online. You hire soldiers that defend your base, and you can attack other bases. Never tried that though.

    Now, if that sounds fun to you, and it is, here's the problems:
    Controls:
    The controls are basically good, the problem is more the reaction your controls have in the gameworld.
    For instance, if you push forward against a wall, like only 30% of the time he actually attaches to the wall. It doesn't work with all walls either. Some do, some don't... some sometimes do.

    The other issue is with climbing terrain. I'm not talking Skyrim laziness level: I'm trying to climb High Hrothgar from the Northeast in a straight line. I'm talking: there's a 20% angle upwards, you can't go... sometimes you can though. Also sometimes you can hit E to climb up a wall, sometimes you can't.

    Missions:
    If you thought Skyrim was lazy in terms of recycling locations you better fasten your seatbelt because this game brings a whole new quality to this.
    To begin with, yes - locations are recycled and used for various missions and side missions. No problem.

    But, even missions themselves are recycled. To be perfect, pretty much everything in the second chapter is doing chapter 1 missions (same cutscenes btw.) on ridiculously hard. Like: you can't get detected or, we just make that really hard bossfight a tick harder to make the game longer. Where we are at it...

    Bossfights:
    This is the number one atrocity in MGS5 Phantom Pain. I've never seen anything like it. The last MGS I played was the first MGS on the PSX. And those bossfights were hard, but original and had some tactic to them.

    Here though the tactic looks like this:
    Skulls: 4 guys jumping around that take ~30 Bazooka shots each that will grant you hours and hours of frustration. (On Extreme (Mission 42) - one mistake, you're dead... which sets you back around 30 minutes if you almost just made it)
    Quiet: That one was fun actually, basically it was a sniper duel in a valley. Even on Extreme I enjoyed it.
    Sniper Skulls: That one was okayish, basically you fight against 4 weaker versions of Quiet. Still not fun. Just aim at them, let them shoot, dock, then aim - take your shot. They'll run, and after a few seconds they go back to their old position. Rinse and repeat.
    Sahelanthropus: Yea, basically shoot your bazooka in his chest for 20 minutes... towards the end a single shot from him instakills you though.
    Eli: Since you're also in Africa there ought to be child soldiers... with a white kid commander that is a boss.... basically he jumps around, attacks you, quicktime... then he runs away again. Chase after him, rinse and repeat. Oh and hit him with your tranqus in between. (For whatever reason kids are almost immune to tranqus and take 3 headshots (regular kid soldiers, not this one))

    Story:
    The story is badly implemented into the game. The fact that there is a chapter 2 and that it sends you back to story missions from chapter 1 on hard should be proof enough for that.
    Still, whenever the story progresses, it's interesting.

    Quiet - yes she deserves her own section:
    Basically she's a a really likeable, but underdeveloped and hypersexualized character that deserved more. It feels more like after the sniper battle you tamed her.
    Having done her whole storyline it feels like this character was written this way solely for the purpose of trolling Anita Sarkeesian.

    Quiet is still a great buddy and I wished they did more with her.

    Small positive stuff:
    Soundtrack is great 80's music and you can collect tapes you can then listen to on your walkman.
    Extracting persons and animals is a fun, comical feature.
    AI will adapt to your tactics - in my case they now all wear helmets and there's heavy units all over the place.
    Game is 100% worth replaying and you can always just replay single missions.
    You find a stray pup at some point that then gets bigger and trained and he can accompany you at missions.

    Bottom line - buy it, play it - it's great. But oh so flawed.    … Expand
  23. 0235
    Sep 18, 2015
    7
    first off. i just cant give this game any higher than a 7. a game that fails to have a function save feature and will almost always throw you right back the the very start of hour+ long missions due to a tiny slip up, or poor planning from the start is not fun at all.
    Aside from that, the game is regularly boring, completely hollow, and a façade for what should have been a linear game.    first off. i just cant give this game any higher than a 7. a game that fails to have a function save feature and will almost always throw you right back the the very start of hour+ long missions due to a tiny slip up, or poor planning from the start is not fun at all.
    Aside from that, the game is regularly boring, completely hollow, and a façade for what should have been a linear game. mother base is but a tech tree you can walk around and get people to salute you, nothing more nothing less.
    the world just isn't real enough. they promised all sorts of different tactics, but nothing. there is no benefit to daytime attacks, AI can instantly report your location to every surrounding soldier, even if you shoot them before the radio reaches their mouth.
    the start was fantastic, then suddenly you are dumped into two boring maps with little going on. think farcry 2, and you will have pretty much nailed every element of MGSV: TPP, except MGS has more dart guns.    … Expand
  24. Lightning007
    Sep 19, 2015
    10
    Best Game of my Life
    it drove my Heart,soul and **** mind from top to bottom in all expects
    Well it waz hell a lot amazingly awesome Game
    loved d Romance ,****g asskicked Shooting , n every Tactical mess Fulton to Suppressed Launcher
    This is something u dont get in real myi **** so have it n feel it out urself
  25. CriticonRisueno
    Mar 4, 2016
    10
    Best Multiplayer since COD 4

    Best Multiplayer since COD 4Best Multiplayer since COD 4Best Multiplayer since COD 4Best Multiplayer since COD 4Best Multiplayer since COD 4Best Multiplayer since COD 4Best Multiplayer since COD 4Best Multiplayer since COD 4Best Multiplayer since COD 4Best Multiplayer since COD 4
  26. dduggan
    Nov 17, 2015
    6
    Disclaimer: I've never played a MGS game before, and I typically do not like stealth games. If you enjoy difficult stealth games then I expect you to have a significantly different experience than me.

    The graphics in this game were generally beautiful. The stealth mechanics were realistic, and somewhat fun. The game's interface was not great. The controls felt clunky and wrong in my    Disclaimer: I've never played a MGS game before, and I typically do not like stealth games. If you enjoy difficult stealth games then I expect you to have a significantly different experience than me.

    The graphics in this game were generally beautiful. The stealth mechanics were realistic, and somewhat fun. The game's interface was not great. The controls felt clunky and wrong in my hands. I couldn't figure out what the base building stuff meant.

    The open world was nice, but eventually got repetitive and difficult to get anywhere I wanted. Objectives weren't always clear.

    I really wanted to put in a chunk of time into this game, but I did not mesh with the system. I think it is a graphically great and well polished game, but it definitely appeals to a more hardcore niche. I am sure that for the people who like MGS and stealth games, it was all they dreamed. All in all, I may return to it eventually but it was not fun for me.    … Expand
  27. max999
    Sep 8, 2015
    10
    after 25 hours I'm only 10% done! Am loving everything about this game, awesome gameplay (although no matter how hard I try to not get seen it all goes to ratcrap at some point!) - Awesome graphics - upgrades - side quests - open world and a pet dog! It's metal gear at its finest. if you love MGS - get this game!
  28. HenTyH
    Sep 4, 2015
    10
    An off-line (on moment of writing xD) game that may fight vs great mmorpg's in field of exploration, completing side-ops (quests), upgrading your stuff and so forth. Not everyone will understand all features that this game provide and all aspects of storytelling. Absolutely perfect optimization for PC! And as a small conclusion I can say that is real Masterpiece! Thank you Hideo!
  29. Solid_Dustin
    Sep 12, 2015
    10
    Its not the best MGS in the Storyline or Bossfights. Bud that is the best MGS in gameplay.
    The Performance on Pc is very good. I have a lot of Fun with in. I have 70 h played and 45 % see of that game.
  30. Masterhummel
    Sep 18, 2015
    8
    MGSV:TPP is a pretty good game. The thing that keeps it from being stellar is the very same thing that makes it so good, the huge amount of polish. It's clear where Kojimas Team had to cut corners and it's visible in the story as well as the gameplay. A lot of the missions aren't very thought-trough or feature downright average design.

    Nonenthenless, with all its little errors and    MGSV:TPP is a pretty good game. The thing that keeps it from being stellar is the very same thing that makes it so good, the huge amount of polish. It's clear where Kojimas Team had to cut corners and it's visible in the story as well as the gameplay. A lot of the missions aren't very thought-trough or feature downright average design.

    Nonenthenless, with all its little errors and nitpicks, Metal Gear Solid V in its sum is still a lot of fun.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best PC Game of 2015
14
#14 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015
24
#24 Most Shared PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Riot Pixels
    Oct 8, 2015
    77
    Metal Gear Solid V is amazing at times, and I enjoyed playing it, but there are so many embarrassing blunders and contradictions. Rich tactical gameplay vs an almost dead world. Fun HQ management and interesting characters vs an unfinished narrative and boring side quests. In some regards, this is a huge step back from previous Metal Gear games.
    Read full review
  2. PC Gamer
    Oct 6, 2015
    93
    A generous stealth sandbox masterpiece that will delight both new and existing fans of the long-running series. [Dec 2015, p.50]
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Sep 30, 2015
    90
    It might not be the best Metal Gear Solid game ever released, but it's certainly the bravest and most interesting. [Oct 2015, p.53]
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