Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6369 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4,905 out of 6369
  2. Mixed: 824 out of 6369
  3. Negative: 640 out of 6369
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  1. Captiosus
    Sep 4, 2015
    7
    The game is structurally sound and plays as one would expect a modern Metal Gear Solid game to play. Graphically it's better than most and the gameplay is pretty good. I have a few quibbles about the play, such as Big Boss' movement - he feels sluggish, almost drunk - and some pretty unrefined gunplay, but these quibbles aren't really that big of a deal. The narration is ho-hum andThe game is structurally sound and plays as one would expect a modern Metal Gear Solid game to play. Graphically it's better than most and the gameplay is pretty good. I have a few quibbles about the play, such as Big Boss' movement - he feels sluggish, almost drunk - and some pretty unrefined gunplay, but these quibbles aren't really that big of a deal. The narration is ho-hum and sometimes absolutely annoying, especially when getting harassed a bunch at Mother Base. But I could list a dozen games that are infinitely worse in this aspect.

    The problem I'm having with the game is that I'm finding it all so dreadfully BORING. I've enjoyed every Metal Gear game since its inception back on the NES, including the movie-fest that was MGS4, but for some reason MGS5 just doesn't really make me want to keep playing. So far it's missing the "WOW! DID YOU SEE THAT!" factor. The game features large terrains but they're are mostly bereft of life outside of your side ops and main mission areas. 15 hours in and I'm already tired of the samey repetition of the game's mission designs.

    The open world design doesn't seem all that impressive because most of the time is spent just traversing to predetermined destinations. But it's sure beautiful to look at. Also, the microtransactions really grate my nerves. I don't understand how anyone can defend this behavior. I don't think this is a Kojima design - I'm almost certain this was forced into the game by Konami.

    (Sorry, posted this here when I meant to put it in the PC reviews.)    … Expand
  2. robinzvak
    Nov 13, 2015
    7
    Awesome game, but not for me. Game have a lot of options,but i think less is sometimes more. Gameplay is good, soundtrack epic, but any missing for me.
  3. ovoon7
    Sep 14, 2015
    7
    Metal Gear Solid V is a strange game to review. I love it so dearly, yet I am severely disappointed with it at the same time. It's one of the polarizing games I've ever played.

    At first I was in love with it, the story direction was a dark a unique twist for the series, and the gameplay is fantastic. So much mission variety, and the gameplay organically makes its own sense of creative    Metal Gear Solid V is a strange game to review. I love it so dearly, yet I am severely disappointed with it at the same time. It's one of the polarizing games I've ever played.

    At first I was in love with it, the story direction was a dark a unique twist for the series, and the gameplay is fantastic. So much mission variety, and the gameplay organically makes its own sense of creative fun. So many different ways to approach a scenario... that is for about 30-40 hours.

    The game offers 157 side missions and 50 main missions, which took me like 50+ hours just to get through most of. I still have another 40 side missions left to do. The grind gets insane. I feel like open world/sandbox games should be of a certain length, normally 28-32 hours is a good run for an open world game. This game takes 50+, and it overstays its welcome for me.

    I found the side missions to become a ridiculous chore, as they were cut/copy/paste 157 times over, meaning you go to every single outpost and camp to do a different goal. You get to know the 2 open worlds very well, because you will be grinding content in them for a long time. What's sad is when a side op takes you where the story will later go, so now you're familiar with all the hidden secrets, and the area doesn't feel new when the story goes to that place.

    The story is another matter. It is convoluted, yet barely even there. Big Boss rarely talks to give the "silent protagonist" feel, which was a horrible decision in my opinion, as he is already a developed and incredible character. The cutscenes were almost all shown off in the trailers for the game, and some of the really impressive and mysterious moments in the trailers were not as impressive in the context of the game.

    The story as a whole just feels cheap, and underwhelming. Without talking about spoilers, I will say that the ending is really poor. In fact, chapter 2 as a whole is just bad.

    Metal Gear Solid V is separated by two chapters, chapter 1 runs through mission 31, and I quite enjoyed that part of the game's story. The cutscene direction is really good, the only real problem I have is the pacing of the story is crazy slow. However, chapter 1 leads into a totally underwhelming "chapter 2" which contains only 3 or so unique story missions. And only 1 of those missions is remotely interesting (it's actually the most impactful mission in the game and I love it). The "ending" is cut off. The entire chapter 2 feels like Kojima directed some cutscenes, and was fired before finishing the second half of the game, so Konami dumped a bunch of padding in.

    In chapter 2, almost all of the main story missions are "challenge modes" of past missions, and they're so lazy that they even have you watch all of the old cutscenes as if they're happening for the first time. These missions are fine if they were optional, but they are required.

    In the end, the gameplay and story missions of MGS V are a mixed bag between masterful, tons of fun, and a total grind. If the story was planned better, and didn't fall apart in chapter 2, and if there wasn't LOADS of padding, I would give this game a 9 or 10 depending on how well it was handled. But I don't think this game needed to be the bloated mess that it turned out to be. All in all, I had a good time as far as my enjoyment for a videogame goes, but as a Metal Gear game... I wanted a lot to be different or better.

    My score varies during moments of the game, so it lands in a range of 6-8.5, so I'll just give it a 7.    … Expand
  4. Bitek
    Apr 20, 2018
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Metal Gear Solid 5 is a good but not great game in my opinion. There are some awesome moments in the game and the music is great too. it feels like big budget game but some things in the game are just weird. The game gets repetitive after a while, too many same environments (aka enemy bases) are used for different missions, some missions are repeated again as new mission with different difficulty. This is just strange. I feel that the developer was trying too hard to make this game too long. instead of 50 levels , there could have been 40 levels and the game would be much better. Overall it is a must play but i cannot give this game 10 out of 10.… Expand
  5. ket
    Jan 17, 2016
    7
    I've played MGS1,2,3,4, and now 5. TPP, unfortunately, is the worst of the lot. I have no problems with having to "level up" gear but the GMP cost for 99% of it is outrageous, which basically means you will never level up all of the gear unless you spend like 1000 hours on the game. I would of thought that if you find a weapon in the field and have it on you come the time you return toI've played MGS1,2,3,4, and now 5. TPP, unfortunately, is the worst of the lot. I have no problems with having to "level up" gear but the GMP cost for 99% of it is outrageous, which basically means you will never level up all of the gear unless you spend like 1000 hours on the game. I would of thought that if you find a weapon in the field and have it on you come the time you return to mother base you would at least unlock the first level of that weapon so you at least have some variety to choose from, but nope.

    MGS being open world has also resulted in a utter failure, not least because just by generally exploring you can bungle in to a story mission WAY before you have the gear unlocked to do it. Naturally, this can lead to gameplay problems and at the very least story continuity issues. For me MGS has always been about infiltration of a big base, things going south and dark ulterior motives coming to light. All something MGS1,2, and 3 did, departed from a bit for MGS4, but theres really nothing like that in MGS5 you might as well be running around playing one of those terrible COD or MW games.

    Lastly, I have to mention what a annoyance it is having to collect so many troops for mother base to "level up" that department never mind the fact theres really no visual way to tell what soldier is good at what you have to monotonously "scan" EVERY NPC to find out, its trite, repetitive, and dull.

    These are all big parts of the game so to see them so poorly executed is astonishing. A lot of it could be fixed with a patch, but will it? Of course not.

    That all said there are a lot of positives about the game, but it certainly doesn't deserve all the 9s and 10s its been getting. The game is good, with some glaring oversights and missteps, but a "masterpiece" or "perfect game" it is not.    … Expand
  6. Skarwind
    Sep 1, 2015
    7
    It's a AAA title that works, so +5 for that. For the people giving it a 10/10 I feel sorry for their quality in gameplay and game design as a whole. The game is just boring. It looks great, sounds great, is optimized very well, and has the production value of a high quality AAA movie, however, this game is bland and boring as any other standard Call of Duty game or Battlefield game at thisIt's a AAA title that works, so +5 for that. For the people giving it a 10/10 I feel sorry for their quality in gameplay and game design as a whole. The game is just boring. It looks great, sounds great, is optimized very well, and has the production value of a high quality AAA movie, however, this game is bland and boring as any other standard Call of Duty game or Battlefield game at this point.

    The AI is stupid. I can't express this enough, but the AI is a sham of what previous games were. You can stand in front of them and they won't notice you (WITHOUT THE CHICKEN HAT).

    Also, and this may be a small point to point out, Kojima made it a point to say, "screw you Konami," but I have to say I do NOT ENJOY SEEING HIS NAME AT THE END OF EVERY MISSION! We get it... you made the game, you emphasized that enough with your 2014 easter eggs of Ground Zeroes, but as human beings, your emphasis on stupid **** is pointless.

    Imagine seeing a movie where the credits rolled every 5 minutes. This would be outrageous. I personally do not enjoy this game but many others do, it is a good game overall but I can't vouch for it. I don't enjoy it and I don't like it. The graphics are amazing. The story is probably awesome but I'll never know. I spent about 20 hours in and I stopped playing. I hate it. I don't like what the modern age of gaming has done to people and the medium in general. This is my protest. This is my non 10/10 review and my non 0/10 review. I give this game, in my opinion a fair score, the mediocre 7/10 that I feel it deserves. Kojima could have done better for his final game for the company but instead he decided to troll the ever living dog **** out of it. there may be 400+ positive reviews for this game on metacritic. I honestly hope that I can convince at least one person to use an objective mind before purchasing this game, however.

    It's not fun, it looks great, but it is shallow. SHALLOW to the 10/10 extreme reviews that this game is getting.

    10/10 Kojima, **** YOU. After 20 years of loving your products and story, I have to say, I hate you now...

    Rant/Over. Metal Ger fo LIFE. (but not really)

    P.S. the most not realistic review I've ever made while still being serious.    … Expand
  7. JustinElliot
    Dec 2, 2015
    7
    i want to give this game a red review so bad because it let me down on so many levels. but i am trying to look at it as a separate game and not as a metal gear solid let down. as a game it is a 7. it's a fun concept building your base, but the missions are all repetitive. both the story and the side missions. as a metal gear solid game i give this a 4. what i expect from MGS is a story.i want to give this game a red review so bad because it let me down on so many levels. but i am trying to look at it as a separate game and not as a metal gear solid let down. as a game it is a 7. it's a fun concept building your base, but the missions are all repetitive. both the story and the side missions. as a metal gear solid game i give this a 4. what i expect from MGS is a story. not a game made to work with microtransactions. it taints the image of the GMS franchise. it is ok if MGS is a railroad shooter, leading you along the way. that's ok.. it's metal gear. But it was taken in withe the idea it had to be open world, it had to be more. but MGS was always enough. if it wasn't broke don't fix it... or should i say... if it was always good why the hell are you changing it now!… Expand
  8. carlingtat
    Sep 4, 2015
    7
    I own all the major Metal Gear Solid Releases(1-5 & Peace Walker) and consider myself a huge fan of the series and I eagerly awaited the finale of the series but now that I've played over 25 hours I cant help be disappointed by what is the last true Metal Gear Solid game and the fact its finished with a whimper.

    Pluses: +The stealth and gameplay are without doubt the best they've ever    I own all the major Metal Gear Solid Releases(1-5 & Peace Walker) and consider myself a huge fan of the series and I eagerly awaited the finale of the series but now that I've played over 25 hours I cant help be disappointed by what is the last true Metal Gear Solid game and the fact its finished with a whimper.

    Pluses:
    +The stealth and gameplay are without doubt the best they've ever been and I really enjoy trying to complete each mission and side op with the perfect stealth & no kills bonus.

    +The game looks great with the new Fox Engine and for such a big game there are little to no bugs with some great optimization.

    +Extra objectives in Missions and Side Ops give the player so much to do. I've played over 25 hours and still at only 20% complete

    +Characters and Cinematic scenes are, as always, top-notch work

    +Buddy system allows for backup on missions and side ops. Quiet is very handy to have as cover fire.

    Negatives:
    - Huge open worlds are pointless if theres barely anything in it. Both Africa and Afghanistan are huge in area but little in content. Small outposts and bases are spread wide leaving the map with about 70-80% wasteland.

    -Side ops and Mother Base staff management become crucial without the game notifying you. I spent a long time defeating a boss only to find that I needed a Transport Specialist staff member to complete the mission, a fact the game did not inform me of. Another frustrating hour of searching the internet and the maps for this specialist ensued.

    -Narrative is badly paced. After the prologue it was hours before I progressed the story in any way. Metal Gear Solid has always been excellent example in a narrative driven game but TPP doesnt seem to have much story left to tell and it seems like its a side story to the missions.

    -Hiding is just pointless in this game. Another key aspect of previous MGS games has vanished. Once you've been discovered the only way of dodging enemies is by fleeing mainly because there are very few places to hide.

    This is really a 7.5 but for a whole number rating.

    -Health and Supplies are a huge annoyance in this game. There aren't many supplies around when you need them and the guns cannot hold a lot of ammo meaning you need to constantly call for supply drops. Old system of being able to have all the weapons is gone and replaced by a loadout of 4 weapons max. Also have to hide for long periods to wait for your health to recover instead of using rations while annoying blood spatters on screen reducing your visibility.

    -Micro-transactions. All that needs to be said about this. Anyone defending micro-transactions in a £40/€60 game is an idiot.    … Expand
  9. MooseSpoon
    Sep 3, 2015
    7
    It's a nice game. The graphics are great. The game plays well. But in all honesty it loses some points in a few areas.

    1.) The credits for every episode are annoying. I mean did you know this game was made by Hideo Kojima? Yeah it's a thing that they took his name off the box, but I'm pretty sure I knew at the start of the game it was made by him. You don't have to remind me. 2.) It    It's a nice game. The graphics are great. The game plays well. But in all honesty it loses some points in a few areas.

    1.) The credits for every episode are annoying. I mean did you know this game was made by Hideo Kojima? Yeah it's a thing that they took his name off the box, but I'm pretty sure I knew at the start of the game it was made by him. You don't have to remind me.

    2.) It feels like Far Cry. Seriously. Gather some things, craft some things, do some open world missions. Maybe it should be called Far Cry Solid.

    3.) Micro transactions. Yes, you paid for a full game and you still get micro transactions. They're mostly for the online component, but it still seems a bit silly. If I wanted micro transactions, I can play a mobile game or something from EA.    … Expand
  10. OwtDaft
    May 10, 2018
    7
    + This game has some moments of greatness between long periods of tedious side quests.
    + Snake feels very good to control.
    + You have so many abilities. + It's a lot of fun planning how you will attack a camp and planning it out. + The base related stuff is something that helps make the tedious side mission go by a bit easier. + The graphics are pretty good. - Replacing Snake's voice    + This game has some moments of greatness between long periods of tedious side quests.
    + Snake feels very good to control.
    + You have so many abilities.
    + It's a lot of fun planning how you will attack a camp and planning it out.
    + The base related stuff is something that helps make the tedious side mission go by a bit easier.
    + The graphics are pretty good.
    - Replacing Snake's voice actor was a mistake.
    - Otherwise a short story diluted with lots of side missions.
    - I love story in the Metal Gear Solid series the most and this games story feels unfinished.
    - Much story is just given to you in cassette tapes with even less drama than the past games codecs.
    - The ending was so terrible, I didn't even notice I finished the game.
    - You love the boss fights of the past games? There gone..
    - Ultimately this game comes down to Quantity over Quality
    - The game is so heavily padded your given the missions to do again on a harder difficulty.
    - Most of the guns in this game you likely won't use as they are made redundant by better ones.    … Expand
  11. matdevine21
    Feb 23, 2016
    7
    I have played all the metal gears, hell even dragged myself through Metal Gear Ac!D which was a chore and a half but MGS V in terms of story is the least needed chapter in the MGS saga.

    The problem is that other games have told the story of big boss after he left the USA at the end of snake eater far better which leaves MGS V out in the cold. I though that this would be the story of    I have played all the metal gears, hell even dragged myself through Metal Gear Ac!D which was a chore and a half but MGS V in terms of story is the least needed chapter in the MGS saga.

    The problem is that other games have told the story of big boss after he left the USA at the end of snake eater far better which leaves MGS V out in the cold.
    I though that this would be the story of how Big Boss takes over Fox Hound and sets up the original metal gear game.
    I can see the story strands are sets up to answer some lingering plot threads but fails to deliver which leaves the player in a state of limbo with even more unanswered questions and an even murkier mess of MGS lore.

    Maybe it was Kojima being pushed out of the project but everything after the first 20 main missions feel like repeats of the the first 20 levels except on a higher difficulty, hell they even make you go back and replay the hospital stage from the beginning on higher difficulty.

    There are so many positives on this game in terms of variety to tackle a mission along with upgrades that are both military based and also a fair few that are based purely in the MGS universe.

    MGS V will always feel compromised by the internal politics of Konami and the removal of the father of the MGS universe, this should have been Kojima's MGS masterpiece but instead will live on as the last real MGS game that is half finished and a shadow of what it could have been.

    Story is important but in MGS it is vital but how the game finished left me wondering where the rest of the game is, why didn't Konami allow the half finished third chapter be created and let the game end as it should have been.

    Looking back at what this game is and what it could/should have been, I cannot give it a score above average as Konami have stolen from both Kojima and the fans what should have been the perfect end to the Kojima led series.    … Expand
  12. maceshatwell
    Sep 24, 2015
    7
    MGS 5 is an almost perfect game for the first half of it then the second chapter begins. Second chapter is a redo of most the first chapters missions but on increased difficulty. Examples include you have to Infiltrate an enemy outpost but only use what you gather while in field. Redo this mission without reflex or a buddy. I would have felt better if they just gave me the first half andMGS 5 is an almost perfect game for the first half of it then the second chapter begins. Second chapter is a redo of most the first chapters missions but on increased difficulty. Examples include you have to Infiltrate an enemy outpost but only use what you gather while in field. Redo this mission without reflex or a buddy. I would have felt better if they just gave me the first half and called it a day rather than cheapen my experience.

    FOB missions are OK but I would make it so you can only be invaded while actually online so you have an option to defend your resources. Once personnel and resources are gone you have to go to the person who invaded you to get them back. In my experience it seems I am being invaded by people who have way more equipped FOBs, talking more than double the security I have unlocked, which makes retaliation pretty hard. Meanwhile, most my resources end up on other bases before I can process them.

    When MGS online drops, if done properly as videos suggest, MGS 5 would get an upgrade to an 8 or 9.

    In closing, up to mission 30ish this game is near perfect. 30-50 is a rehash of previous missions but on harder difficulty. Personally I feel 30-50 is rehashed because it was rushed and I dislike they consider harder difficulty new content. FOB missions are OK but there should be better options to defend yourself by taking offline play out of the mix. Give me an option to defend!

    I would buy it again but as the case with most of the recent XB1 games I have bought it just feels incomplete.    … Expand
  13. dancingmind
    Nov 5, 2015
    7
    [+] Polished controls; Lots of extras to unlock; some cool sidekicks in Dhorse, Ddog, and Quiet, Great Soundtrack.

    [-] Unlocking starts to become a chore more than fun, certain missions present giant difficult spikes and can only be completed a certain way (omitting point of open world environment); Keifer's voice acting leaves a lot to be desired; Miller/Ocelot/Snake all sound similar    [+] Polished controls; Lots of extras to unlock; some cool sidekicks in Dhorse, Ddog, and Quiet, Great Soundtrack.

    [-] Unlocking starts to become a chore more than fun, certain missions present giant difficult spikes and can only be completed a certain way (omitting point of open world environment); Keifer's voice acting leaves a lot to be desired; Miller/Ocelot/Snake all sound similar in codec and lack the distinguished sounds of SolidSnake/Campbell/Miller/Otacon for example; becomes a grind to get anywhere; online mode is annoying; microtransactions, not as cinematic or epic moments as previous entries in series.

    This game was fun at first but I don't think it has the same impact or long lasting appeal as the older titles in the series. Moments have caused me to rage quit and hate gaming entirely. It's a miracle it turned out as well as it did with the turmoil of development, but in the end the game feels more like a job than fun.    … Expand
  14. Bertoflyingfox
    Sep 5, 2015
    7
    This game is a tour de force. I've always been a Metal Gear Solid fan (Snake Eater being my favorite) and being able to follow Big Boss again but in the 80s is a treat. An explosive beginning chapter leads to the most feature-packed stealth/action game I have ever played. While the initial setting does leave something to be desired (some folks can't stand the desert sandbox for too long)This game is a tour de force. I've always been a Metal Gear Solid fan (Snake Eater being my favorite) and being able to follow Big Boss again but in the 80s is a treat. An explosive beginning chapter leads to the most feature-packed stealth/action game I have ever played. While the initial setting does leave something to be desired (some folks can't stand the desert sandbox for too long) everything else makes up for it in spades.

    Having a base, collecting weapons/armor/soldiers/animals, developing things that'll help in future missions. This game has it all and has pretty much shot up to the top of my GOTY contenders. Bravo Kojima & Team, bravo.    … Expand
  15. SadoMiso
    Sep 11, 2015
    7
    The game is completelly unfinished. It has some good gameplay, but story is total mess. There is no whole chapter ot maybe a more. You need to repeat over and over same missions. Ending appear in the half of the game from nowhere, and it is disappointing. Where is Big Boss, where is his revenge, Where is outher Heaven, Where is FOX Hound. Why do we need over and over extract some people...The game is completelly unfinished. It has some good gameplay, but story is total mess. There is no whole chapter ot maybe a more. You need to repeat over and over same missions. Ending appear in the half of the game from nowhere, and it is disappointing. Where is Big Boss, where is his revenge, Where is outher Heaven, Where is FOX Hound. Why do we need over and over extract some people... Gameplays is fenomenal but it is not enough.… Expand
  16. Lupa999
    Feb 4, 2016
    7
    MGSV is a.... Decent game. It has great graphics and Audio, The 80s soundtrack fits the game so well and I feel like a badass infiltrating an enemy base while listening to " a phantom pain" or laughing a little when I snipe some Russians when " She blinded me with science" is playing. It has a great vibe to it as well, set in the 80's from Afghanistan to Africa, both Areas being vast openMGSV is a.... Decent game. It has great graphics and Audio, The 80s soundtrack fits the game so well and I feel like a badass infiltrating an enemy base while listening to " a phantom pain" or laughing a little when I snipe some Russians when " She blinded me with science" is playing. It has a great vibe to it as well, set in the 80's from Afghanistan to Africa, both Areas being vast open areas to explore. This game has a great sense of humor despite its grim and dark setting, From a wolf companion with an eye patch that wields a knife, to using fulton to extract soldiers, animals, gun emplacements and specials and brutally smashing my fellow soldiers in the face with a bionic fist only to have them thank me and have moral go up.

    Gameplay is great as well. Whenever you are spotted by an enemy, time slows down and gives a short period to react, like getting spotted by an enemy soldier and using this short period to get off a head shot before he or anyone else can react. This game is all about improvising and rolling with your mistakes, which means no manual save or load options to fall back on if you screw up stealth. You also have multiple "buddies" that help you if you want them to. each have different purposes that support different play styles. Weather and time of day also factor greatly in this game. You could be be trying to get into a enemy base and a sandstorm rolls in, reducing both your and the enemies visibility. Guards change depending on the time and depending on how bright it is during the day can affect how easily enemies can see you. even your clothes affect your stealth

    However I am surprised how much praise this game gets. This game feels empty. Afghanistan and other areas are huge with weather and day and night cycles, but apart form side ops, clearing enemy bases and hunting for herbs and animals there isnt really much else to do. Just going from point A to point B over long distances. These areas feel empty as well. there are no native populace, just animals and enemy soldiers.The game get stale after a dozen hours or so, with a lack of variety for missions.

    Also the game feels like it needs to be like a T.V series. For some reason every story missions is called an episode with its own pre and post credits. This is annoying for several reasons. One is that they give spoilers about who is in the mission. I want to be surprised when I fight the Skulls like the first time I met them, not have the game say " special guest starring: The skulls parasite unit." And for some god forsaken reason, Kojima puts his name IN EVERY MISSION. "Written by Hideo Kojima", " Directed by Hideo Kojima". We get it. And Motherbase feels empty. apart from smacking your own troops around and taking a shower or driving to other parts of the base there is nothing to do with mother base. You can build more bases sure, but for a small bonus. This was a missed opportunity to add more substance to the game with Mother base.

    Overall, great gameplay and audio, but lacks variety and feels like an empty sandbox with a few tacked on features like base building and a annoying mission " T.V episode " structure.    … Expand
  17. Mgsfreek97
    Sep 3, 2015
    7
    Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain may be Hideo Kojima's last masterpiece within the Metal Gear-franchise, and while the game feels like an ending, it also feels like a brand new imagining of the Metal Gear series. Everything from the make your own story trough gameplay, to the immersive Mother Base system where you build your own private army, the game delivers on every front. Loyal MGSMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain may be Hideo Kojima's last masterpiece within the Metal Gear-franchise, and while the game feels like an ending, it also feels like a brand new imagining of the Metal Gear series. Everything from the make your own story trough gameplay, to the immersive Mother Base system where you build your own private army, the game delivers on every front. Loyal MGS fans will be at home here, even if theres a lot of new content. The story is fantastic, even though there are fewer cutscenes than there was in the past, and therefore the cutscenes feel like a reward for the player, because they usually come after a hard boss battle or an one hour long mission, and the cutscenes are directed beautifully.

    Short summary - 11/10 go buy it, play it, feel the hype after mission 6, and then prepare for a wild ride.    … Expand
  18. Tylaris
    Sep 21, 2015
    7
    +Great performance and a very polished game...a lesson to almost ALL developers
    +Overall great visuals, animations, voice acting, music and sound design...very high production values
    +Excellent game play with amazing flexibility that allows you to tackle missions in a number of different ways...action stealth at it's FINEST +Intense intro and fantastic cinematics +"Thematically    +Great performance and a very polished game...a lesson to almost ALL developers
    +Overall great visuals, animations, voice acting, music and sound design...very high production values
    +Excellent game play with amazing flexibility that allows you to tackle missions in a number of different ways...action stealth at it's FINEST
    +Intense intro and fantastic cinematics
    +"Thematically strong", but only at certain( and very sparse) points within the game
    +Plenty of content, good replayability, interesting motherbase building concept
    -Convoluted, unfinished main story that fails to provide a sense of direction through majority of the game, plot holes, badly written dialogue at times, mute protagonist and little character development
    -Bland and unimpressive environmental design and world setting...game would hugely benefit from a change of scenery, especially later on in the game
    -Same applies to overall mission design, which can also get very tedious and repetitive
    -Typical MGS silliness that completely feels out of place with a more serious tone and setting of the game
    -Misc: Undeveloped motherbase, lot of unnecessary waiting periods, At times (Noticeable, but not frequent) buggy AI, "Kojima intrusion on the game"( you will know it when you see it, and you will...a LOT), credits rolling after each mission, at times glitchy controls, some minor graphical issues
    - In game Micro transactions, PC copies sold with nothing but a Steam installer on it, DRM...little respect for customers
    With finishing it, I can safely say that MGS V is a VERY polarizing title...if you are the sort of player who loves games that offer you amazing depth in game play mechanics and creating your own scenarios, then stop reading this and go buy this game...you're in for one hell of a ride.
    But if you're more interested about the story, characters, atmosphere, world or exploration...you won't regret passing on this one.
    Overall, don't listen to either "fanboys","haters" and ESPECIALLY to the majority of professional "journalists"...neither shows the full picture here. I recommend reading "yellow" reviews here and watching more detailed videos soon coming from independent and mature youtubers.    … Expand
  19. DonManias
    Oct 25, 2017
    7
    Highly overrated.
    Despite the game play mechanics and production values being sky high, like most Metal Gear games, the switch to an open world destroys the most important aspect of the Metal Gear series: the fantastic storytelling of its genius creator, who has managed to innovate gaming time and again.
    This time, however, the innovation is replaced by repetition. Multiple missions in    Highly overrated.
    Despite the game play mechanics and production values being sky high, like most Metal Gear games, the switch to an open world destroys the most important aspect of the Metal Gear series: the fantastic storytelling of its genius creator, who has managed to innovate gaming time and again.
    This time, however, the innovation is replaced by repetition.
    Multiple missions in the same location may be the idea of great fun of many people, but it sure isn't mine: I love open world games, but I also love straight stories, and Metal Gear games were their best version. Imagine a fantastic Grand Theft Auto that takes away open world roaming and replaces it with a straight story, moving you from one location to another once you complete a stage...
    All in all , the game does not lack in any aspect, with the notable exception of stealth, which at times looks quite laughable, with lots of noises and other impossible events that would wake up a person from a bloody coma.
    However, this is a game, so suspension of reality is something to be expected to a certain degree, although this is cutting it close.
    Stealth aside, it would be unfair to criticize anything else.
    However, switching to a sandbox world is pretty massive, and although I am more than certain that the majority of people will not mind this change, as far as my personal taste goes, this was a disappointing change of direction.
    Do give it a short, particularly if you love open world games. They have made one of the best ones out there.
    But, Metal Gear fans, this is what Dragon Age 2 was to Dragon Age Origins: better graphics, same locations all over, and that weird feeling of "what happened to the game I love? Why am I playing another GTA clone, dammit"?    … Expand
  20. fxa5209
    Sep 16, 2015
    7
    At one point, the game gets boring and repetitive. I dont like the open world approach taken by Kojima. Please take MGS to its old route if there will be a next MGS
  21. takoDGO
    Sep 21, 2015
    7
    este metal gear esta totalmente fuera de contexto.. y las misiones son aburridas en veces artantes la inteligencia artificial es muy predecible y lo peor es que no se puede mesclar un metal gear con un GTA
  22. Swandive
    Sep 30, 2015
    7
    I do love the systems in the game, the graphics are lovely, the progression is fun. I like the different aids you bring on missions, and the thought that has gone into the interactions between the soldiers and snake and the various items is great.

    THe game there is, with the below exceptions, is great. I didn't like: The overall plot- I've played all the Metal Gear games back to    I do love the systems in the game, the graphics are lovely, the progression is fun. I like the different aids you bring on missions, and the thought that has gone into the interactions between the soldiers and snake and the various items is great.

    THe game there is, with the below exceptions, is great.

    I didn't like:
    The overall plot- I've played all the Metal Gear games back to Solid. So not the ones for NES or whatever. But the plot makes no sense. There's no change there from the previous ones.
    Interminable voice recordings. It's the same problem as with Destiny, there's a bunch of stuff you can read or listen to, but it's not done 'in game'. It's fluff.
    The more offensive bits of the plot. I'm not a big fan of excessive cruelty or child abuse. And f there is something in media I'm consuming, I want it to have enough artistic merit to the point where I don't fee like the guy making it is a creep.
    The deleted scene on the bluray edition screams 'cut for time'. Don't do half a game.    … Expand
  23. Bollywongaloid
    Sep 9, 2015
    7
    Really difficult for me to put a score on this... Mechanically, the game is near perfect and is a joy to play for the most part. Controls are intuitive, graphics are great, performs at a constant 60 FPS etc. It's a fantastic game. But, for some reason, as a huge MGS fan who's played the series since the 80's, I'm disappointed too. I hate the episodic structure to the game, the motherReally difficult for me to put a score on this... Mechanically, the game is near perfect and is a joy to play for the most part. Controls are intuitive, graphics are great, performs at a constant 60 FPS etc. It's a fantastic game. But, for some reason, as a huge MGS fan who's played the series since the 80's, I'm disappointed too. I hate the episodic structure to the game, the mother base metagame belongs on an iPad and the story is so bare bones I sometimes had to remind myself I was playing a metal gear game (twists are predictable too).

    In short, it makes too many concessions to the modern gaming world. A real shame.    … Expand
  24. t0mmyg
    Feb 3, 2017
    7
    Metal gear solid 5 is a very tough game to review. On one hand you have solid graphics and animations, solid voice acting and solid gameplay. On the other you have bland endless nameless enemies and drab rocky desert base after drab rocky desert base. I had great fun using different weapons and gear to take enemies out however I had much less fun, researching them with the overblown menusMetal gear solid 5 is a very tough game to review. On one hand you have solid graphics and animations, solid voice acting and solid gameplay. On the other you have bland endless nameless enemies and drab rocky desert base after drab rocky desert base. I had great fun using different weapons and gear to take enemies out however I had much less fun, researching them with the overblown menus and convoluted mother base operations. Every moment of excitement I had planning an infiltration was met with a moment of mundane base management and research of weapons. The menus give very little incentive to be excited about researching anything and every time I booted up a new mission I couldn't help but be disappointed looking at another craggy desert waste filled with generic samey bunkers. All in all I had fun playing Metal Gear solid, but the presentation just left me less than pumped.… Expand
  25. OrionPax
    Nov 22, 2015
    7
    Everything is fine until to Chapter 2. After that you do the same missions over and over again. There's just 8 new missions in Chapter 2. But deep stealth gameplay, customization, expanding Mother Base and music's are very good.
  26. obligatory_user
    Oct 24, 2015
    7
    I’ve never been a fan of the Metal Gear franchise. I’ve attempted many times to get into the various titles after hearing for years what a classic the series is, but I’ve never lasted longer than an hour in any of them. The gameplay was either too dated or the writing astoundingly bad.

    All that said, I more or less enjoyed my time with this game (and Ground Zeroes). The gameplay was for    I’ve never been a fan of the Metal Gear franchise. I’ve attempted many times to get into the various titles after hearing for years what a classic the series is, but I’ve never lasted longer than an hour in any of them. The gameplay was either too dated or the writing astoundingly bad.

    All that said, I more or less enjoyed my time with this game (and Ground Zeroes). The gameplay was for the most part very well handled and implemented. The buddy system (especially Quiet) is a great addition and helps to add an extra dimension to the experience. The AI, while not without its problems, is among the best I’ve encountered and certainly added to my enjoyment. However, the repetitiveness of the mission styles did get old after awhile. Fifteen hours in and it was starting to feel like a chore. It got to the point where I didn’t even care about my score or fultoning out potential recruits. I just tried to get the mission over as soon as possible. Going open-world with this game was also a mistake. Nearly every base is identical, the areas in-between are cold and lifeless and the “man behind the curtain” feel of the design of the locations was very distracting and annoying. The size of the two maps felt like a waste of time. Most of my gameplay was probably spent getting from place-to-place (at least in the beginning) than on the actual missions. Mother Base is also another empty husk, with only a couple things of interest there to interact with (I’m not an online player). The Side Ops were standard open-world fetch quests, too; nothing new or interesting there.

    I’d also like to point out that while the graphics are good (especially facial animations), it is certainly not the best (or even among the best) of those out there right now.

    A key factor in my eventual dissatisfaction with this game was the story (or should I say the lack of one). Characters were endlessly lamenting their “phantom pain” and the constant harping on about revenge was tiresome. The problem was the plot never tried to delve any deeper and examine any of the issues that were brought up. Amputation, memory loss, PTSD are all ripe subjects that if properly handled could make for a very compelling story. But Kojima seems satisfied to merely pay lip-service to these themes, and instead is more fascinated with lingering camera shots on Quiet’s exposed cleavage, ludicrous supernatural elements and the numerous tongue-in-cheek easter eggs than telling any kind of coherent or plausible story. The absurd plot of the villain and the “twist” at the end undermined a lot of the gravitas the plot was trying to achieve. The tendency of the characters to constantly rehash and over-explain events that had just occurred was poorly handled, as well.

    It also didn’t help that many of the characters just flat-out annoyed me. Miller, Emmerich, Eli & Skullface were absolutely atrociously written & acted and some of the most aggravating in video game history. I’ve never been one to skip cutscenes, but I almost came close to doing it whenever these people were onscreen.

    A pet-peeve of mine in games is the silent protagonist, especially where a lack of dialogue in a conversation is particularly noticeable and awkward. Taking orders from a subordinate because your character doesn’t talk is just lazy and dumb.

    The only reason why I play any game is for the story. I need a motivation and reason for the dozens of hours I put into gameplay, otherwise it’s all just shallow, forgettable busy work. I’m sorry to say that most of this game lacks any clear story reason to continue, and the only thing that kept me going was the blind hope that there would be something at the end that would reward my perseverance.

    What saved the game for me and actually made my time with it worthwhile was Quiet. If you look past her ridiculous costume, she’s the best thing about MGSV. When she was first introduced, the fact that she doesn’t say a word (and that the game never explains how to utilize her as a buddy) left me feeling indifferent to her. It was only towards the end of the game that I came to honestly care for her. The dancing in the rain scene combined with Mission 45 (not the gameplay but the cutscenes) are some of the most beautiful and touching I’ve ever seen in a game.

    I only wish the exemplary moments in this game were free of the truly dreadful ones that accompany them. Quiet and her story arc is the only reason why this game is not the forgettable & awful entry its story destined it to be.

    This game (along with Ground Zeroes) is worth playing, even for newcomers to MGS, but only if you can rent it, buy for $30 or less or are a massive fan of the franchise.

    PROS:

    Gameplay
    Graphics
    Quiet

    CONS:

    Story/Dialogue
    Voice acting
    Repetitive missions
    Empty open world
    Grinding fetch quests    … Expand
  27. 3Potatoteers
    Oct 21, 2015
    7
    Skip all the 10 scores and read the yellow ones, they are really helpful. For no reason this game deserves a ten, it is a joke, it is an insult to other games.
    - The open world is a lie. Remember the old games where you select locations on a big map? It is EXACTLY the same, only this time, they fill the areas between these locations with VOID. It is a large shell with nothing to explore.    Skip all the 10 scores and read the yellow ones, they are really helpful. For no reason this game deserves a ten, it is a joke, it is an insult to other games.
    - The open world is a lie. Remember the old games where you select locations on a big map? It is EXACTLY the same, only this time, they fill the areas between these locations with VOID. It is a large shell with nothing to explore. No random event, no interesting NPCs, nothing. There is no story in this open world, the story lies in the tapes, you sit in your chopper and listen to tapes to know about the Africa today, what the hell...
    - Repetitive missions serve no purpose. And picking up and drop down are annoying.
    - Reuse old missions to "unlock" new mission is a crime.
    - Meaningless waiting time of tech development. Collect all the materials and blueprints? Chill man, grab a coffee and wait for another 1 hour or rescue some sorry ass for the 11th time.
    - The cutscene is awesome but the story is bad    … Expand
  28. CaraDavies
    Sep 6, 2015
    7
    (SPOILER FREE)
    Could this final instalment ever really satisfy all the unanswered questions and audience expectations? Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear series was medium and genre defining, not only setting a standard for stealth gameplay and mechanics, but also demonstrating in the early days of the video games industry how cinematic and storytelling techniques could be innovatively used to    (SPOILER FREE)
    Could this final instalment ever really satisfy all the unanswered questions and audience expectations? Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear series was medium and genre defining, not only setting a standard for stealth gameplay and mechanics, but also demonstrating in the early days of the video games industry how cinematic and storytelling techniques could be innovatively used to create powerful and moving stories. Fans around the world were drawn into a rich and at times brilliantly convoluted universe, populated with characters so three dimensional and likeable that the player finds themselves genuinely caring about their fates. Fates played out in a saga where sub plot and character history are an addictive garnish atop the substantial meat of a philosophically and politically motivated main narrative.
    The issue with this release is the side lining of the story which has captivated fans for so long, the lengthy frequent cut scenes and codec conversations that so characterised the series are gone.
    While Kiefer Sutherland has done a fantastic job other voice actors let the production down and your character is too often mute which becomes jarring, particularly when something is directly revealed to you and there is no snappy one liner or thoughtful response as there has been in all the other games. As someone who struggled with the series gameplay pre the introduction of Fox Engine in MGS 4 (to the point of playing them on easy mode), I can appreciate how there was pressure to match the easy fun style of recent games like GTA V, Far Cry 4 and Tomb Raider. Audiences demand a less linear world to explore; they are less forgiving of clunky controls and most desire some RPG style element such as upgrading skills or characters to chart their progression through the game.
    The Phantom Pain succeeds in bringing this more player friendly style of gameplay, not only does it run ridiculously well on PC due to the power of Fox Engine, action and stealth mechanics are greatly improved making both infiltration and a more aggressive approach really fun to play. However the addition of elements such as the development of Mother Base mainly through resource management feels slightly tacked on and dare I say pointless. Though the world is huge and open there isn’t an awful lot to do when travelling between bases or missions, making a lot of the game a frustrating dash or painstaking crawl between A and B. This would not be so noticeable if the autosave/check pointing system (you cannot manually save) was not so poorly implemented. It is difficult to tell when your game has saved and too often you end up wasting hours redoing missions because the game has bugged and forgotten a checkpoint. While some gameplay is ruined by what would seem very simple fixes, for example the close quarter combat actions, buddy attacks and prone are so over powered it ruins the immersion significantly.
    Kojami has always been an uncompromising auteur and innovator, possibly one of the most important creative minds of our times. It has been revealed there was great pressure not only to recoup profits on the pushed back release leading to annoyances like micro transactions but also that publishers Konami effectively ripped the story out of the game, hours of cut scenes were removed and for a year they wouldn’t allow funding for development of effectively anything but the gameplay. Some we will see, for example a particularly important cut scene was included on the special edition and is surely destined for upload, but some tragically will probably never reach the eyes of fans.

    The truth is this release and the mixed reactions of players across the world just goes to proves how when business and creativity come together in the right ways, as the series has done in the past, wonderful things can be allowed to develop, however as with this game when profit margins dictate creative content the result is almost always half-baked, even with the best material to work with. However, I think the best way to view the series is not through the lens of this one game, but rather as we view any iconic saga from Star Wars to James Bond, it should be viewed as a sum of its parts and judged by enjoyment it has given fans and inspiration it has given to artists. It would be easy to harshly proclaim this game a disservice to fans but in comparison to most commercial premium games it still stands out as a very good game. Kojami put it best when in an interview he said:
    “When a flower dies it scatters its seeds. Snake’s DNA, his seeds of life, dissolves in the wind and gives rise to a new life in a new place…that’s the kind of “dissolve” I had in mind. Likewise I hope I can pass various genes onto a next generation of game designers”.
    Given the commercial pressures the game was created under I’ll cherish what little story was allowed to survive, ignore the nit-picks and then probably replay the older games.    … Expand
  29. VeniPewPew
    Oct 23, 2015
    7
    I have very mixed feelings about this game. It manages to offer some incredibly fun gameplay moments, very impressive visuals and quite an interesting story and lore, while from time to time showing some ridicculous restrictions. Like, how many times have I failed to CLIMB A FREAKING ROCK. And I'm not even talking about AC-style parcour: no, just invisible walls of stupid. This reallyI have very mixed feelings about this game. It manages to offer some incredibly fun gameplay moments, very impressive visuals and quite an interesting story and lore, while from time to time showing some ridicculous restrictions. Like, how many times have I failed to CLIMB A FREAKING ROCK. And I'm not even talking about AC-style parcour: no, just invisible walls of stupid. This really bothered me. I hate invisible walls.… Expand
  30. EmoOutlaw
    Sep 8, 2015
    7
    Very solid game, beautiful graphics and gameplay but I always found myself being bored and wondering why I wasn't playing something more engaging. The story could be way better also.
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PS4 Game of 2015
4
#4 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
3
#3 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
93

Universal acclaim - based on 86 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 84 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 86
  3. Negative: 0 out of 86
  1. Polygon
    Dec 3, 2015
    90
    If this is where Kojima does finally leave the series he created, it will be a bittersweet send-off, both for Big Boss and one of gaming's most intriguing auteurs.
    Read full review
  2. Time
    Nov 10, 2015
    100
    The holy grail of world-building games, it’s argued, is a black box that lets players do as they like with minimal handholding. Pliability with just the right measure of accountability. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, a tactical stealth simulation wrapped in a colossal resource management puzzle inside a love letter to theatrical inscrutability, comes the closest of any game I’ve yet played to realizing that ideal.
    Read full review
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    Nov 5, 2015
    91
    There’s no denying the Game of the Year potential of The Phantom Pain. The campaign is absolutely massive, it’s almost too much to cope. That being said, Chapter II is a huge let-down and feels like artificial padding. Still, this is about as good as tactical espionage operations can get in a video game. [Oct 2015]
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