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. RockmasteR
    Nov 5, 2015
    9
    ok, first of all let's get something out of the way, I hate Stealth, I really do, waiting for 10 or 15 minutes just to make a move, is not my favorite thing to do, but here I am, playing MGSV, and oh GOD I'm loving it, the freedom this games gives you to do your missions is what makes this game shines, you can equip yourself with the deadliest weapons enter a base and start a killingok, first of all let's get something out of the way, I hate Stealth, I really do, waiting for 10 or 15 minutes just to make a move, is not my favorite thing to do, but here I am, playing MGSV, and oh GOD I'm loving it, the freedom this games gives you to do your missions is what makes this game shines, you can equip yourself with the deadliest weapons enter a base and start a killing spree, or you can choose a stealthy way and interrogate the enemy to get information and put them to sleep or extract them or even kill them, or you can do both, start stealthy and end in a killing spree, and what I'm talking about here is just missions and did not talked about free roaming which is freedom at its best, so if you are a stealth fan go grab the game, if you are a MGS fan you already grabbed the game, and if you really do hate stealth, try this game before and I think you'll like it and get it just like I did...… Expand
  2. Hollowfied
    Nov 4, 2015
    10
    i love metal Gear solid Franchised i first placed first on on ps1 i loved it now 5 came out its awesome i only played 2 hours into it and i got hook on it

    the Graphic is awesome voice acting incredible stealth mechanic tops

    i cant wait for 6th installment if the will be one fingers crossed but if ur not metal gear fan i suggest picking it up u wont be disappointed
  3. realtonit
    Nov 4, 2015
    9
    This game, like the previous Kojima games, tries to be a mix between a movie and a video game. Few can accomplish this in the industry with such quality as Kojima, and he did it yet again.

    The gameplay is just FLAWLESS. That`s it. You will feel like you`re Snake, specially with the open world concept. You will progress as you desire, and this makes that much diference when getting into    This game, like the previous Kojima games, tries to be a mix between a movie and a video game. Few can accomplish this in the industry with such quality as Kojima, and he did it yet again.

    The gameplay is just FLAWLESS. That`s it. You will feel like you`re Snake, specially with the open world concept. You will progress as you desire, and this makes that much diference when getting into the character. Also, MGS5 is a game that is made of several games. You are gonna be the CEO of your mother base, deciding which staff is better for each job, design your base, decide which upgrades to research, etc. This is you building the Mother Base you would invade years later, as Solid Snake. This is too cool (for a MGS fan at least).

    The story could be better (the game feels like its not finished) but thats why its not a full 10.

    All in all, if you like good games, get this one. If you like MG games, you are already late in getting this.    … Expand
  4. SpoiledGamer
    Nov 3, 2015
    8
    I'm a spoiled gamer who refuses to beat a game if it gets repetitive or boring.

    I'm giving this a game 8 out of 10 simply because, it was a perfect game until I got bored of the repetitive gameplay. You can choose to go guns blazing, but you NEED to kidnap Soldiers on the battlefield. Yes you can't kill everyone. (Boring huh?) So you are forced to stealth your way around,    I'm a spoiled gamer who refuses to beat a game if it gets repetitive or boring.

    I'm giving this a game 8 out of 10 simply because, it was a perfect game until I got bored of the repetitive gameplay.

    You can choose to go guns blazing, but you NEED to kidnap Soldiers on the battlefield. Yes you can't kill everyone. (Boring huh?)

    So you are forced to stealth your way around, kidnapping all the skilled enemies.

    10 hours into the game, it becomes a very GRUNDY game where you stealth around to kidnap enemies. Forced to farm materials for upgrades.

    The game would of been far better off if you had alternative ways to gather resources and recruit soldiers.

    Anyways, didn't finish the game and I don't plan to. Why? Because it's simply NOT WORTH MY TIME.    … Expand
  5. Nalbor
    Nov 3, 2015
    10
    This is the first MGS game I've ever played and I'm simply blown away by its scale and complexity. I was expecting it to be another stealth game with decent story and solid game play. I got positively surprised though when I realised how perfectly balanced this game is and how much more depth into the game play brings the mother base management aspect.
    Except main story missions you can    This is the first MGS game I've ever played and I'm simply blown away by its scale and complexity. I was expecting it to be another stealth game with decent story and solid game play. I got positively surprised though when I realised how perfectly balanced this game is and how much more depth into the game play brings the mother base management aspect.
    Except main story missions you can play side op missions and later in the game invade other player's mother bases online. You can also send you troops to complete online missions and deployment missions which takes a lot of weight away from having to earn money and collecting resources only on your own.
    You do this all not only to proceed with the main story but also to be able to develop weapons and items that will compliment your play style as it is entirely up to you how will your kit look like.
    There is so much more that you can do on in this game that I would need probably at least an hour to list it all here. I will just say one thing: all stealth games fans should play this game, you will not be disappointed!    … Expand
  6. TheKillCamCrew
    Nov 3, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Metal Gear Solid V is the second Metal Gear Solid game I have ever played so I am no fanboy of this franchise but this game has turned me into one. I will review this game in a few parts :
    GRAPHICS
    GAMEPLAY
    STORY
    LEVEL DESIGN
    ONLINE.

    GRAPHICS:
    Let's start of with graphics now I played this game on the PS4 so the game runs at 1080p 60 FPS which means this is a incredibly smooth game and it is filled to the brim with detail and it is incredibly focused on making this game realistic like when I was looking through my goggles and it was a warm day in the game so in the distance there was a blur just like in real life. The physics are also great though sometimes do a few funny glitches but it's not annoying it's instead funny so in all the graphics score a 10/10
    GAMEPLAY:
    The gameplay in this game is incredibly varied on one side we have incredible deep and rich stealth mechanics and on the other side we have explosions and guns and havoc so let's look at the stealthy approach first before The Boss snaps my neck. Boss has at his disposal an array of ways of eliminating his enemies silently. There's the hilarious cardboard box which can be equipped with posters to ensue different reactions from the enemy. You can put a target to sleep kill him or punch him in the face you can also interrogate enemy's for useful bits of information. Now on the explosion side. Boss has so many lethal weapons it's hard to chose sniper rifles, machine guns, handguns freaking rocket launchers and all of these weapons can be customized to either be more quite or more loud and deadly you also have your companions like D-Walker who can be equipped with non-lethal or lethal weapons and so can the other companions like D-Dog and Quiet but not D-Horse because you can't exactly give a RPG to a horse and hope he kills a few guys but there's even more stuff to do than missions let's talk about the coolest of all the gameplay options and that is running Diamond Dogs. You see Boss has a private military force who will develop new weapons for him and he can send soldiers on missions for money in this case GMP and resources which you can use to upgrade Mother Base your main HQ this is feels instantly fresh and new and plus your staff get's cool and funny names like Flying Mantis or something. There are also side ops which can be done at your leisure but you want to do them because you can find rare soldiers and resources during the side ops so they are Worth it and they are also story side ops that will advance the story but only when you want it so the gameplay is rich and is Worth a 10/10
    STORY: Let's talk about the story now for people who haven't played the previous metal gear solid games you will have trouble following some of the characters tales but after a few videos about some of the characters I loved the characters way more and they became way more important to me but that was at the beginning but at the end and after the actions they perform they would have stilled have been important to me without the lore videos. The game starts in a mental hospital in Cyprus where Big Boss but I call him Boss like the other characters wakes up after a 9 year coma with his left arm missing he then is attacked by the PF Cipher but with the help of a mysterious stranger he escapes the hospital and is brought to Afghanistan with Revolver Ocelot where the Boss must save his old friend Kaz Miller. This game touches on some adult themes like the physiological impact of losing limbs, it also talks about child soldiers and also has a central theme concerning languages and nuclear weapons but let's talk controversy which concerns the character Quiet she is almost naked but in my opinion this is explained as she was burned and the language parasites saved her life but she breathes through her skin which means she doesn't like wearing clothes because it makes it difficult for her to breath and after in the story her ending is bitter sweet and it actually made me cry which proves she is well developed and she inspired emotions in me even if she can't talk her actions make her who she is. The campaign lacks lengthy cuteness but the few cutscenes they are well made and are great to watch. So the campaign scores a 9/10
    LEVEL DESIGN: The level design in this game allows for both action and stealth gameplay without punishing the other the first half of the game has a variety of scenarios which allow for a great variety of approaches but the second half of the story missions feel repetitive from the last ones so the level design scores a 9/10
    ONLINE: The online part of this game was delayed a while but it has been finally released and it is pretty fun the mode allows you to use your custom avatar you created at the beginning of the game and allows you to change him with armor hats and loadouts they are some balancing issues like my level 10 butt getting destroyed by level 38 players and a connection issue with the first mode but the other modes are fun so 8/1    … Expand
  7. swagmaster9000
    Nov 2, 2015
    5
    Bought the prologue $25
    Bought the game $65

    I guess I forgot to buy the character development DLC as well as plot DLC, fun boss DLC and story ending DLC. Guarantee they'll try to charge you for it though.

    Never buying another game from Konami again.
  8. Xx9VOLTxX_
    Nov 2, 2015
    10
    inspiring video game first of its kind to ever break the fun factor of espionage action, Metal Gear Solid 5 the Phantom Pain very innovative and brilliant creation from Hideo Kojima. to me personal speaking its a master peace and a video game that could never be forgotten great job KONAMI
  9. pjtaylor2011
    Nov 2, 2015
    4
    I played the orginal MGS and was one of the few that wasn't impressed...I didn't have the patience for it... But after reading the hype over the last few months, knowing how highly the fans of the series rated it, and hearing how involved the storyline of the games were I eagerly bought the new incarnation to see what all the fuss was about. Sorry guys, still not impressed and stillI played the orginal MGS and was one of the few that wasn't impressed...I didn't have the patience for it... But after reading the hype over the last few months, knowing how highly the fans of the series rated it, and hearing how involved the storyline of the games were I eagerly bought the new incarnation to see what all the fuss was about. Sorry guys, still not impressed and still haven't got the patience and it still bored me...I see many MGS fans complaining about this ones story too.… Expand
  10. darek79r19
    Nov 1, 2015
    9
    Nie jestem fanem serii, ani nie ogrywałem wszystkich metali ale cieszę się, że kupiłem tą grę. Sama rozgrywka i radość z gry jest wielka, może nie jest to gra idealna, może czasem wkurza powtarzalność czy banalność misji ale nie można grze odmówić wielkości i miana prawdziwego sandboxa.
  11. beettlestew
    Oct 31, 2015
    10
    it was a great,,fun game ,im not ,big on stealth but the game lets you play however you want . and do anthing. pretty much all.on that also could of used more cut scenes.
  12. claytastic
    Oct 31, 2015
    9
    Easily one of the biggest open world games I've ever played, and it's one of the smallest files on my PS4. This is most certainly Kojima's greatest achievement, and it saddens me every time I think about how he won't be joining the team for future games. But it is a damn fine goodbye to all of the fans of the franchise. I love how much there is to do, the challenge of the missions, theEasily one of the biggest open world games I've ever played, and it's one of the smallest files on my PS4. This is most certainly Kojima's greatest achievement, and it saddens me every time I think about how he won't be joining the team for future games. But it is a damn fine goodbye to all of the fans of the franchise. I love how much there is to do, the challenge of the missions, the variety of the weapons and outfits, the complexity of the world, and the fact that this is the only game on my PS4 that I can tell is running at 60 FPS that isn't a remaster. My only complaints are that story is lackluster at times, and online is very mediocre unless you're playing with friends. Otherwise, thank you, Kojima. This was worth the wait.… Expand
  13. Robertk
    Oct 30, 2015
    10
    Having only just begun this account I will make this as short and to the point as possible. I am not in the habit of awarding any game with a perfect ten under usual circumstances. METAL GEAR SOLID: THE PHANTOM PAIN is the greatest stealth game I have ever played.

    The vast amount of time and energy it must have taken to make it so polished and smooth are mind boggling. Snake controls    Having only just begun this account I will make this as short and to the point as possible. I am not in the habit of awarding any game with a perfect ten under usual circumstances. METAL GEAR SOLID: THE PHANTOM PAIN is the greatest stealth game I have ever played.

    The vast amount of time and energy it must have taken to make it so polished and smooth are mind boggling. Snake controls better than any game character playable today IMO, except for maybe GTA V characters rendered with the Natural Motion tech.

    If you have a PS4 do yourself a favor and rend or play this for a few hours. and you really need to invest some time too. I just reached a point in the game where everything becomes much more fast paced and complex. That is usually the time the story starts to come together, but not in MGS Phantom Pain.    … Expand
  14. KING8281
    Oct 30, 2015
    4
    At first i would like to state that i cannot understand the big ratings this game gets.I grew up with MGS.From PS1 to PS4 this series inspired me,moved me, changed me.But this game is not MGS.And not because it's an "open world" game.(which is not).MGS series had to evolve or die in my opinion.We had to see a different approach from Kojima.The direction is right.The execution is awfulAt first i would like to state that i cannot understand the big ratings this game gets.I grew up with MGS.From PS1 to PS4 this series inspired me,moved me, changed me.But this game is not MGS.And not because it's an "open world" game.(which is not).MGS series had to evolve or die in my opinion.We had to see a different approach from Kojima.The direction is right.The execution is awful though.And here is why:
    1.Afghanistan is an empty barren boring land.Desert,yellow rocks some more desert and that's it.Colourless,barren boring are the only words i can think of.And Africa is not better.Where is the level design?where is the diversity?where is the scenery?where is the vibrant feeling that can make you believe that this land is alive?Look to the Witcher games or even the Dragon Age games for example.
    2.I can't understand why no reviewer never mentions the repetivity of this game.Every side op is the same as the other one before it,outpost after outpost feels and plays the same and after 10-15 hours in the game the boredom turns to anger.You see the same stuff,you do the same things,there is practically one approach in the game and that is to tranq eveyone so you can send them back to MB and that is it.Even when they start wearing helmets there is no need to change your approach.You just shoot them in the back or the hip and you watch the magic happen after 10 seconds.
    3.Its incredibly easy.No stealth needed.You can stand tall 50 meters away and no one will see you.You just need to mark the enemies and that way you can see them even through walls or sometimes even mountains and you wish that they 'll spot you because time will slow down and you ll tranq them even easier.
    4THE STORY IS BAD.It's full of plot holes,it is badly written,badly voiced and uninteresting.MGS games were known for the good story which had it's twists,the rich dialogs,the awesome charachters..In this game if you are new to MGS you care less for any of them.They are shallow,cheesy and espesially Kaz is a full blown Snake groupie.Along with the soldiers at mother base.Not to mention Ocelot who is doing his best to look like he is in the Wild West ordering a bourbon in a saloon while waiting for the Poker tournament to start.And ...Skull Face..i mean..we had Liquid,Ocelot,Boss even Big Boss in the older games and now we have to make do with Skull Face dressed in a Wyatt Earp costume?
    5.The "boss fights" are horrible and uninteresting.Long gone are the days of the great Sniper Wolf,The End and the other great bosses from the MGS series now there is nothning of that.
    6The game is practically a grinding to build MB which dictates the whole approach in the game.Everything you do,the way you play,everything is for the Mother Base,not to mention that the game reminds us every 30 minutes or so that the old mother base was destroyed and that we must get our revenge from those responsible.

    I could go on really.I could say about the checkpoint system that the game has,the fact that it is practically an outdoor corridor and not a real open world game,the unskippable chopper scenes and on and on and on.I believe that most MGS veterans already left the game midway and started playing the old games in the older consoles.Everything that made the old MGS games great and different from the GTA and Modern Warfare video gaming culture is gone and it is replaced by a repetitive scenery,by boring gameplay and by an uniteresting story.Either KONAMI wanted this and that is why Kojima was fired or Kojima san blew it and left.Lastly.We are going to have another MGS game.When you count the sales by the millions you don't cut the series because "snake's story is over" as Kojima stated 9 years ago.Kojima is a video game producer who lives and pays his bills by making MGS games, he is not doing it to save his soul or mine or yours.Now if KONAMI decides to publish a MGS game without him it would probably be crap just like everything this company has published during this decade,exceptions be the MGS games and a couple of others.Thanks for reading the review and i am sorry for any typos,or grammar mistakes.Have a nice day.    … Expand
  15. Preidon
    Oct 30, 2015
    10
    Best game ever released in the world, I **** love it and you willl love it too,stop reading and go buy it you lazy butt, easiliy better than fallout 4.
  16. rainey06au
    Oct 30, 2015
    2
    I bought The Phantom Pain expecting a rich and engaging single player experience with a cohesive and cinematic level of storytelling. Instead MGS V feels like a disjointed and lost effort at some sort of open world RPG. The two environments are forgettable like the developers bought a whole bunch of prefabricated objects and terrain elements from the Unity engine store and tried to build aI bought The Phantom Pain expecting a rich and engaging single player experience with a cohesive and cinematic level of storytelling. Instead MGS V feels like a disjointed and lost effort at some sort of open world RPG. The two environments are forgettable like the developers bought a whole bunch of prefabricated objects and terrain elements from the Unity engine store and tried to build a game around it. The 'missions' feel completely repetitive, especially because each one starts with the opening credits again like the game is reminding you that the last mission seemed to have nothing to do with the next mission. It's a grind to get anywhere rewarding in the game and I gave up on it pretty quickly.… Expand
  17. RabbidTaco
    Oct 28, 2015
    9
    I have been waiting so long for this game to come out. I am a long time MGS fan, ever since the first ones. I have been so excited for this game, I just knew it was going to be epic. I got it the minute it came out, and after putting 300 hours into it, I thought it was about time to write a review. I must admit, the game lacks story, but it is there, and it is epic. The gameplay is betterI have been waiting so long for this game to come out. I am a long time MGS fan, ever since the first ones. I have been so excited for this game, I just knew it was going to be epic. I got it the minute it came out, and after putting 300 hours into it, I thought it was about time to write a review. I must admit, the game lacks story, but it is there, and it is epic. The gameplay is better than ever, and the missions get somewhat repetitive, but that didn't stop me from having fun with it. It's a shame Konami cut chapter 3, however I would hope they release it as DLC in the future. I absolutely love the soundtrack in MGS, and this game maybe doesn't have memorable tracks such as Snake Eater or the MGS2 Main Theme, but it has some pretty awesome songs in it. The cutscenes are also awesome, I like when he punches the mirror out at the end of mission 46. MGO3 I've also had a lot of fun with. I've met my fair share of friends online so far, and I've had some great matches. Overall, 9/10. I wish I could give it a 10 but the story just lacks. Great game, though!… Expand
  18. PickledPepper
    Oct 27, 2015
    9
    game play was really thought out as you can take a very technical approach to any situation, or you can go in guns blazing. so in a sense its only limited by your creativity and awareness. ending is a bit disappointing sooooo yeah
  19. 3dYoumad
    Oct 25, 2015
    0
    So 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 andSo 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 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.

    Thanks for reading me.    … Expand
  20. CatWizard
    Oct 24, 2015
    5
    I was really looking forward to the Phantom Pain this year, hoping it would be one of the best games of the year, but to my surprise I met with disappointment after disappointment.

    Most Metal Gear games aren't renown for their superb writing, but the story always has a high production value and is quite entertaining. Judging from all the trailers and gameplay demos, I thought this    I was really looking forward to the Phantom Pain this year, hoping it would be one of the best games of the year, but to my surprise I met with disappointment after disappointment.

    Most Metal Gear games aren't renown for their superb writing, but the story always has a high production value and is quite entertaining.
    Judging from all the trailers and gameplay demos, I thought this would be one of greatest Metal Gear games of all time, but sadly that's not the case here.

    While the gameplay is fun to experiment with, it quickly becomes repetitive with missions that are too similar to each other. It doesn't help that chapter two of the game is mostly a series repeat missions from chapter one with added conditions. That to me just comes of as lazy.

    The writing is by far the worst it has ever been. The plot twist wasn't handled well at all, and sadly was supposed to be the game's saving grace. However, the real problem is that the main story has serious identity issues.

    It wants to be a revenge story, but Venom being a mute and never expressing or showing any reaction to things kills that vibe. It wants to show a journey of transformation, but without a strong narrative it just comes off as Venom running around extracting the world at random, then it wants to show origins, but non of the sub plots are finished.

    A lot of the characters are haphazardly thrown in to make the cast seem bigger, but the ones already there are bland enough as is, throwing more bland characters that are written so poorly isn't going to make them seem better. The main antagonist is the most guilty of this.

    A lot of the story is told through in-game cassette tapes, so if you want to understand what's going on; you'll have to sit down and listen to multiple tapes. This is atrocious and ruins the pacing of going from a high adrenaline mission, to listening to a five minute tape that tries to explain everything with horrible writing.
    This to me is extremely lazy. Show, not tell.
    This wouldn't be a problem if they weren't necessary to understand the story and characters.
    Peace Walker did it better in this regard. Since the tapes in that game enriched the characters and story, but weren't required at all to understand the plot.

    That's not even going into detail how much cut story content was discovered after the release of the game.

    Also, as of this review, a recent patch came out for the game that penalizes you for playing offline if you ever went online with the new patch. How it does this is by splitting your in-game resources and currency to offline and online. So now most of your resources are stored online that you can't transfer back to offline storage, essentially making the game online-only to some extent, which is a disgusting move, especially doing so after the game came out.

    All in all it's clear the whole team needed more time and rushed the story aspect. They tried to fit too much when they didn't even bother to finish one theme before moving on.    … Expand
  21. 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
  22. Djones1999
    Oct 23, 2015
    8
    This game has some of the best gameplay that I have ever experienced but I found the story to be lacking especially for a mgs game. Whilst I found the twist at the end to be quite shocking I think it added to the story and in many ways it causes the events of the game to become meaningless. This game could be considered the best in the franchise for its gameplay I consider it to have theThis game has some of the best gameplay that I have ever experienced but I found the story to be lacking especially for a mgs game. Whilst I found the twist at the end to be quite shocking I think it added to the story and in many ways it causes the events of the game to become meaningless. This game could be considered the best in the franchise for its gameplay I consider it to have the worst story in the series and with the missing content at the end it really pushes down my score.… Expand
  23. Kopter
    Oct 23, 2015
    9
    No soy muy de juegos de sigilo, pero la forma que este juego DE HIDEO KOJIMA da todas las posibilidades de infiltración, es que no sabría definir este juego ni en millones de caracteres, es simplemente increíble. Indispensable para cualquier persona que precie los juegos. Lo único que se le puede achacar es las "fumadas" en algunas partes de la historia, pero es HIDEO KOJIMA, así que se loNo soy muy de juegos de sigilo, pero la forma que este juego DE HIDEO KOJIMA da todas las posibilidades de infiltración, es que no sabría definir este juego ni en millones de caracteres, es simplemente increíble. Indispensable para cualquier persona que precie los juegos. Lo único que se le puede achacar es las "fumadas" en algunas partes de la historia, pero es HIDEO KOJIMA, así que se lo podemos permitir y apreciar el culo de Quiet mientras tanto.… Expand
  24. xMaschine
    Oct 23, 2015
    8
    Phenomenal. Haven't played the MGS since SoL. PP has brought the series back to life for me. Great gameplay and many failsafes in place for those that are rusty or don't have the hook of stealth gameplay mode. Also there for those that just want to go in guns ablazing and use every big gun in the arsenal. Only thing keeping me from placing a max 10 is how Konami pushed PP out of thePhenomenal. Haven't played the MGS since SoL. PP has brought the series back to life for me. Great gameplay and many failsafes in place for those that are rusty or don't have the hook of stealth gameplay mode. Also there for those that just want to go in guns ablazing and use every big gun in the arsenal. Only thing keeping me from placing a max 10 is how Konami pushed PP out of the door with an incomplete story and ran Kojima out of the company.… Expand
  25. fallouts
    Oct 23, 2015
    9
    This game surpassed my expectations. I wasn't a huge fan of story heavy MGS games, but this one is more focused on the gameplay and exploration than story, which I like. The sandbox is a joy to explore and missions are all very well done with multiple ways of tackling the objective. This is what gaming should be.
  26. 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
  27. DillDill
    Oct 23, 2015
    7
    After awaiting this game for more than 3 years we were all left with high expectations, while this game delivers greatly in most areas it lacks in others. This definitely isn't the Metal Gear we're used too. While this game is the gameplay peak of the series, it's also the storytelling valley of it. Never has sneaking around enemies felt so satisfying and smooth. You truly feel like theAfter awaiting this game for more than 3 years we were all left with high expectations, while this game delivers greatly in most areas it lacks in others. This definitely isn't the Metal Gear we're used too. While this game is the gameplay peak of the series, it's also the storytelling valley of it. Never has sneaking around enemies felt so satisfying and smooth. You truly feel like the Living Legend himself, as you interrogate enemies and extract them after to build your army and gain supplies. Infiltrating large areas will never feel as cool in any other games as it does in MGSV. Yet the story lacks throughout the game. Unfortunately it's drawn out over 40 something hours, the lengthy start to end makes the story seem so little. It feels so unlike anything from Hideo Kojima's past works. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is certainly different from anything we've ever seen, unfortunately it is also the last. I'd rather give this game a 7.5 but I'm unable to do so. There's no doubt that I've greatly enjoyed this game, with over 100 hours in it already I can easily see that number increasing.
    I could also go on about cut content and this whole fiasco with Konami, but we'll have to see how the future plays out.    … Expand
  28. Spyros_spy
    Oct 22, 2015
    10
    Although they said the last chapter is missing this game is amazing. I've finished the story mode but the game has such re-playability that I believe I'll keep playing till next year. Simply amazing. I bought Destiny: The Taken King and Pro evolution Soccer 2016 but this game hasn't been out of the console yet! MGO and FOBs are great as well.
  29. Tgooding01
    Oct 22, 2015
    8
    The stealth mechanics of MGSV are pretty much spot on and not getting spotted or killing anyone is a pretty big challenge. The only think that disappoints me is the story, while I won't give anything away... and I'm yet to finish the game I don't feel attached. Most missions don't seem to drive the story they just "happen". I know that driving a story in an open world is more difficultThe stealth mechanics of MGSV are pretty much spot on and not getting spotted or killing anyone is a pretty big challenge. The only think that disappoints me is the story, while I won't give anything away... and I'm yet to finish the game I don't feel attached. Most missions don't seem to drive the story they just "happen". I know that driving a story in an open world is more difficult than if it was linear but I feel it could do more.… Expand
  30. Hideo_Kojima
    Oct 22, 2015
    10
    No matter who will take the reins, the Metal Gear Saga is finally over. Did you like it? I really hope so. And i have no regrets, even if Konami didn't let me to finish mission 51 and Act III. But still, i am happy. Big Boss is no more a character, it's an ideal spread around the world. Thank you for playing this.
  31. 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
  32. Infadizle
    Oct 21, 2015
    5
    What a chore this game is. I couldn't even finish it as I got bored. Why did Kojima go open world? The world is empty! The side ops missions are boring to say the least. Yes most games are repetitive but when levels are designed well, you get a sense of progress. MSG V just feels like doing the same boring thing over and over. Most things feel out of place like the mother base. It's getsWhat a chore this game is. I couldn't even finish it as I got bored. Why did Kojima go open world? The world is empty! The side ops missions are boring to say the least. Yes most games are repetitive but when levels are designed well, you get a sense of progress. MSG V just feels like doing the same boring thing over and over. Most things feel out of place like the mother base. It's gets so tedious that you forget what the story is if there is any really.… Expand
  33. Viciouslight
    Oct 20, 2015
    8
    For a game that has been given so many 10's, I expected more.

    A series well known for it's crazy story combined with intricate gameplay Phantom Pain has sacrificed story for an open-world experience that begins to fall flat after hours of repetition. This is not a bad game in the slightest but the game is obviously incomplete and becomes apparent in the second act. There is no sense of    For a game that has been given so many 10's, I expected more.

    A series well known for it's crazy story combined with intricate gameplay Phantom Pain has sacrificed story for an open-world experience that begins to fall flat after hours of repetition. This is not a bad game in the slightest but the game is obviously incomplete and becomes apparent in the second act. There is no sense of real threat in the game which is sadly the point of the game and makes your accomplishments feel less purposeful.

    Pros
    + Beautiful graphics
    + Diverse tools to complete mission
    + Open-World

    Cons
    - Story! (Especially the second half)
    - The ending is beyond rushed (For those who fully completed the game look up phantom mission on youtube it will give you a more complete ending that never made it to the game).
    - Open-world (yes, its both a positive and a negative)
    - Repetitive missions
    - Feels incomplete

    Far from a bad game, but no way a perfect game.    … Expand
  34. Mudgee
    Oct 18, 2015
    8
    There is obviously a lot of thought that has been poured into this game. I've never seen so much detail poured into the little things,that you just shake your head in disbelief. MGS5 is one of those few wonders that you'll look back on in ten years and wonder why others did not follow its lead. Personally, I've never been a huge MG fan and so the storyline from the get-go simply perplexedThere is obviously a lot of thought that has been poured into this game. I've never seen so much detail poured into the little things,that you just shake your head in disbelief. MGS5 is one of those few wonders that you'll look back on in ten years and wonder why others did not follow its lead. Personally, I've never been a huge MG fan and so the storyline from the get-go simply perplexed me. I was fine not knowing because of the sheer enjoyment of it. As the later missions rolled around I started to lose the urgency to come back to it. This is a must-play game for anyone that loves the history and lore of MG, also a must for the stealth fans out there. Unfortunately, I simply can't bring myself to keep returning to it, despite all its successor attributes.… Expand
  35. GORGMOARGORG
    Oct 17, 2015
    9
    From a sheer graphic and game-play stand point this game is awesome...lots of actual fun things to do. I haven't really played anything like it.

    The story while enjoyable was lacking and the finish just can't carry it to the end. This is a great video game in itself but again the story was lacking and not up to par of the previous entries.
  36. Emilerules97
    Oct 16, 2015
    9
    This game is excellent because it is designed to favor creative thinking and planning, but REALLY this time. I know reviewers often say "This game let's you play as you want" for any given game, but then you play the game and you are heavily restricted by the number of enemies and the such. MGSV is the exception, as it let's you play however you want and still have fun. I found the storyThis game is excellent because it is designed to favor creative thinking and planning, but REALLY this time. I know reviewers often say "This game let's you play as you want" for any given game, but then you play the game and you are heavily restricted by the number of enemies and the such. MGSV is the exception, as it let's you play however you want and still have fun. I found the story to be excellent and the gameplay and unlocking system satisfying.

    The only downside is that the side ops are repetitive as there are 157, of course there is alot of variety on those 157, but if you do each single one you will see the same ones coming back.

    Also, every time you deploy you must suffer an unskipable cutscene with the chopper getting to the objective.

    Keep in mind that these 2 small negative points are not enough to make this even close to being just an average game. Truly a masterpiece for newcomers and veterans of the series.    … Expand
  37. GOODFELLA87
    Oct 16, 2015
    8
    Could have been the best game ever but the story is utter tripe and there are too many missions that are repetitive in the same areas and it all starts to look the same and gets boring pretty fast. That said it did entertain me for countless hours until the poor ending
  38. Gatchaman49
    Oct 16, 2015
    8
    The beginning is amazing, the graphics are great. The soundtrack is one of the best, but you have to collect every song one by one. To much filler in the the game. After you clear chapter 1 they reassign old missions which seems lazy, and the ending is very unsatisfying. The Online doesnt feel very fluid. Little replay value. Even with all its flaws (and there are many) I still loved it.
  39. naveedesahar
    Oct 16, 2015
    6
    I have never played any MGS game before but this one was over praised by reviewers and couple of my friends insisted me on buying it so I went for it. To be honest I was so much disappointed by this game. The game have alot of contents but most of them are repetitive side ops and missions. I kept playing this game for dozens of hours wishing that there would be a point where I will startI have never played any MGS game before but this one was over praised by reviewers and couple of my friends insisted me on buying it so I went for it. To be honest I was so much disappointed by this game. The game have alot of contents but most of them are repetitive side ops and missions. I kept playing this game for dozens of hours wishing that there would be a point where I will start to enjoy this game and I failed miserably. I can't speak in favor of this game other then saying performance wise this is one of the best game to date. Story wasn't so good. There's not even a single excitement moment in this game. Had some hope with the online but it was even worse. Never believing the critics/reviewers again.… Expand
  40. Shocktrooper1
    Oct 15, 2015
    6
    If Metal Gear Solid V is one thing, it's wasted potential.

    While the idea of an open world stealth game is a novel one, The Phantom Pain fails to execute it in any meaningful way - here you have a game with very impressive (if a little forgiving) stealth gameplay shoved into an open world where the only places you have to use stealth, for the most part, is in mission areas. Thus, the    If Metal Gear Solid V is one thing, it's wasted potential.

    While the idea of an open world stealth game is a novel one, The Phantom Pain fails to execute it in any meaningful way - here you have a game with very impressive (if a little forgiving) stealth gameplay shoved into an open world where the only places you have to use stealth, for the most part, is in mission areas. Thus, the sense of freedom you have is meaningless. For the most part I was running or riding around the world, looking for the mission objective, infiltrating a base, and extracting a target, then calling a chopper to pick me up. Rinse and repeat. The missions themselves are quite fun because there are so many different ways to approach them, but the objectives are all more or less the same which can get grating.

    The story this time is far sparser than in previous MGS games, which in my opinion is not a good thing. Not to mention the ridiculous plot (yes, even for a Metal Gear game - though perhaps not to the extent of MGS4) and the lackluster antagonist. And yes, the divisive "ending twist" might offend the Metal Gear faithful. Characters like Big Boss, Ocelot and Miller here are stripped of all the charm they had in previous games, due to the much more serious nature of this one, and again I don't feel that's a good thing. MGSV now feels soulless compared to other entries in the series.

    Because of the lack of story focus, the gameplay, while pretty cool, gets tedious as I'm now tasked with completing a series of missions with little context and little reason to care.

    On the positive side, the visuals are quite nice, and the music - while sparse - is good as usual. There are some memorable moments but the lack of cutscenes really turns that down a notch.

    So, in short, I had some fun with The Phantom Pain, and there's a lot to look forward to for gamers who like a lot of customization. But if you're looking for a game with heart - like the previous MG games (even 4) - there isn't much to find here. Load times can be annoying too, if that sort of thing bothers you.

    Presentation (story & structure) - 4.5/10: Riddled with pacing issues and bereft of any memorability, MGSV feels lifeless.

    Gameplay - 7/10: It's fun and novel, but it wears out its welcome quickly thanks to the lack of variety in mission objectives. Replayability is low as well.

    Visuals - 7.5/10: Nothing mind-blowing, but it's for the most part pretty to look at. Lack of color may bother some.

    Sound - 7.5/10 - Music, whenever it appears, is stellar, and the selection of tracks on the radio is great. Voice acting is decent, but nowhere near what I expected from the caliber of the cast.

    Overall, 6.4/10    … Expand
  41. Luckmad
    Oct 15, 2015
    5
    El que le pone un 10 no ha terminado NI SIQUIERA MEDIO JUEGO. Llevo jugando a la saga desde MGS de psx... Y este no es un mal juego pero es el peor metal gear de todos
  42. Hunter1534
    Oct 14, 2015
    10
    Extremely fun game. Don't listen to the whiny vocal minority. Some of the best stealth mechanics in the stealth genre. The story is also much more subtle than the previous game which I like.
  43. Underpants158
    Oct 12, 2015
    9
    WHAT IS THIS GAME!?: An open world (ish) stealth action game that takes place in Afghanistan and Africa during 1984. For those of you not familiar with the type of story and characters of Metal Gear games they are ludicrously science fiction bordering on fantasy at times. Historical (science) fiction fantasy? Yeah, let's call it that.

    Pros: -Taking down guard posts/completing missions    WHAT IS THIS GAME!?: An open world (ish) stealth action game that takes place in Afghanistan and Africa during 1984. For those of you not familiar with the type of story and characters of Metal Gear games they are ludicrously science fiction bordering on fantasy at times. Historical (science) fiction fantasy? Yeah, let's call it that.

    Pros:
    -Taking down guard posts/completing missions are satisfying and open to player agency. This means stealth and gung ho guns ablazing but most likely a mixture of the two.
    -Mother Base, your very own fortress! You can recruit soldiers for it via abducting enemy combatants (to be brainwashed) and building up enough of a reputation that they want to join you. These soldiers are divided into units based on their specialty. Each unit has a level based on the composition of its soldiers and you will see the effects of that level in game. Units include: medic, intel, development, fighting, etc.
    -A whole bunch of gadgets and upgraded weapons to be researched once you level up your development unit.
    -Buddy npcs that accompany you in the field such as a dog, a sniper, a horse, and a tiny metal gear! All of which can also be upgraded. There is something special about training your dog to stab a man to death.
    -Cinematic cutscnes
    -Beautiful graphics that the game screams at you to notice with the many helicopter take offs and landings whose true purpose, I suspect, is giving you a vista to appreciate.

    Cons:
    -REVENGE!!! How I hate the revenge plot and don't be fooled by any convolutions this is a story about revenge. One of the characters in particular goes on and on about it.
    -I have minor gripes with the story and characters but those are issues are not worth discussing because they are only issues if you are a fan boy and if you are a fan boy you are going to play this game anyways.

    Conclusion:
    -It's a game that can best be enjoyed after having played all other metal gear games. Understanding all the nuances and nods to past storylines (or future storylines) is hard enough for somebody who has played all the games yet alone to a newcomer. But at least now there is more game and a great game at that. I'd recommend it to anyone. Worst case scenario most of the story will go over your head (as it tends to for most) but unlike previous games you aren't sitting through a movie with pieces of game. You are playing a game with pieces of movie. So buy it. Enjoy it. Maybe become a fanboy.    … Expand
  44. corneredfox
    Oct 12, 2015
    1
    Let's be clear and honest: This is the worst Metal Gear in the series and surely one of the most forgettable games of the year, period. People need to chill and relax when making such passional reviews. It was advertised as if one of its strengths were the big maps. Yes, it does have big maps, but only 2 regions filled with blank spaces makes you spend more time riding a horse thanLet's be clear and honest: This is the worst Metal Gear in the series and surely one of the most forgettable games of the year, period. People need to chill and relax when making such passional reviews. It was advertised as if one of its strengths were the big maps. Yes, it does have big maps, but only 2 regions filled with blank spaces makes you spend more time riding a horse than fulfilling missions and it turns frustrating and repetitive. The flesh of the story and it's details are degraded to the form of audio-drama as in-game cassettes you unlock while playing, so there are very few cutscenes with Kiefer actually TALKING, another marketing device that turned out like a scam. Everything important in the plot "just happens", or happens too fast with no major impact nor glory at all, specially during big revelations scenes and overall the story revolves around revenge for the attack at the end of Ground Zeroes. Even the word "revenge" is overused and bad delivered, specially by Miller. He talks like Batman Bale when arguing with Ocelot. The game manages to make everything obvious (Man on fire since the first trailer) but at the same time it tries HARD to make it look all CSI kind of plot, it takes itself too seriously when all the puzzles were solved 5 years ago.
    I really WANT to LOVE the game, but so far I find it hard to achieve.
    It pains me that we were waiting 5 years for this to come out and get this. As an old ex-fan of MGS, this should have ended in Guns of The Patriots, which looks better in my honest opinion. Konami did well by firing Kojima.
    Long story short: If you think MGS4 was a big movie, MGSV is like a big movie interrupted by going to the bathroom constantly.    … Expand
  45. EpikTheMaster
    Oct 10, 2015
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pro's:
    -Gameplay is extremely amazing! It will blow your mind!
    -The new mechanics like Fulton extracting!
    -Chapter 1 is actually pretty Good!...until(See Cons for details)
    -Managing mother base!
    -D-Dog, D-Horse, and D-Walker

    Con's:
    -Chapter 2 as a whole. After you complete the game what do you do? basically all you do is play recycled missions just cranked up in difficulty(Because Difficulty TOTALLY doesn't make the mission Repetitive right?) and contributes barely ANYTHING to the story which it ends with the WORST ending ever put in a single Metal Gear Solid game.
    -The Open world is useless....You can just use your helicopter and talk a few short walks to the objective or spec op mission.
    -If you were here just to be blown away by the story...Yeah you wont be...The story is actually quite bad...It contributes to basically nothing at all and has characters you will be forgetting...
    -The game midway through chapter 1 says "Hey let's put in these armored OP characters that can only be killed with explosives! THAT WONT GET ANNOYING...Right?" Skulls are also overpowered piles of garbage that need to be nerfed...ASAP.
    -Lastly, Micro-transactions have NO place in an open world game. For shame, Kojima!

    TL;DR
    Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is really good...for most of the first chapter. However it's Very Flawed in multiple elements (such as the open world and the entirety of chapter 2)...I have to give it a 6/10. It needs to fix it's **** as it is getting quite close to the negative side for me...(Also after looking through most of the positive reviews...it seems they aren't actually reviewing elements are just calling the game flat out perfect....Nothing is perfect people).    … Expand
  46. DanDanReviews
    Oct 9, 2015
    10
    Play it any way you want. Play it upwards, leftwards, rightwards, downwards. Play it as an explosive 80's action movie. Play it as a tactical game filled with plenty of tools to distract and misdirect enemies. Play it with Reflex Mode off and no alerts for the most tense stealth game you've ever played. Play it as a troll. Play it however it's fun to you, that's the genius of this game.
  47. bakamonky
    Oct 8, 2015
    9
    First impression of this game is the graphic is really top notch which makes looking back at most game unbearable after this. There is enough little things in the game which keeps me interested and being unlocked and introduced as I kept going such as weapon upgrades, buddy system (different buddy for different situation), mother base upgrade (resource farming to unlock better equipmentFirst impression of this game is the graphic is really top notch which makes looking back at most game unbearable after this. There is enough little things in the game which keeps me interested and being unlocked and introduced as I kept going such as weapon upgrades, buddy system (different buddy for different situation), mother base upgrade (resource farming to unlock better equipment for mission) to the end.

    Although it is being branded as open world but it is by no way comparable to GTA series. The world of MGS5 is vast but empty so you probably won't be exploring it much as you will be using your chopper to go from one point to the other to start a mission.

    Unlike other MGS, you have a mission list this time around and side ops (side quest) to choose and progress. Mission wise, there are a lot of variation on how you wish accomplish the objective. You can be super stealth or you can just go in Rambo.

    I think the biggest let down of the whole game is the story. MGS being famous for its story sure didn't have much lines for Big Boss. It is no deal breaker but wish it could have been better at character development.

    There are 2 online features which was just launched. One being Online FOB mission where you can attack other players motherbase and loot their resources but I find there is no point doing this as it doesn't contribute anything to the main game apart from getting GMP(in game currency) and resources. Two being Metal Gear Online which honestly haven't been fun.

    Overall good fun, worth checking out but don't complain about the story.    … Expand
  48. ctvLS
    Oct 7, 2015
    9
    After years of polishing the sandbox genre, we finally have a masterpiece. Don't read the reviews, just get it.
    The only low point its the Story, the characters are made from cardboard, and so unidimensional they could sing in parappa the rapper, but honestly, who cares, the world is amazing, the missions are wonderfully made, you don't get pushed around to finish things in a linear way,    After years of polishing the sandbox genre, we finally have a masterpiece. Don't read the reviews, just get it.
    The only low point its the Story, the characters are made from cardboard, and so unidimensional they could sing in parappa the rapper, but honestly, who cares, the world is amazing, the missions are wonderfully made, you don't get pushed around to finish things in a linear way, but story missions unlock more options, which is a great reward to follow the story. Its fun kidnapping enemies and then seeing them in your base. I've played hours and only have 20% done!    … Expand
  49. joaopontesvaz
    Oct 7, 2015
    10
    Graphics: 10 Sound: 10 Gameplay: 10 Fun/Story: 10

    A huge game. Directly to my all time top 10 games, if not top 5... It deserves the number 10 like Ocarina, RE4, Metroid Prime, GTA V or Goldeneye. In my opinion the open world favored this type of game. The infiltration feeling and freedom is near perfection. The guns and the amount of items to develop, missions, side ops, Mother Base,    Graphics: 10 Sound: 10 Gameplay: 10 Fun/Story: 10

    A huge game. Directly to my all time top 10 games, if not top 5... It deserves the number 10 like Ocarina, RE4, Metroid Prime, GTA V or Goldeneye. In my opinion the open world favored this type of game. The infiltration feeling and freedom is near perfection. The guns and the amount of items to develop, missions, side ops, Mother Base, post end missions, partners, ..., give a great dimension and replay value. Thanks H. Kojima.    … Expand
  50. muzzirenti90
    Oct 7, 2015
    6
    This game is going to be Marmite for people you will love it or hate it. If you are new to the MGS franchise then you will probably love this game as it has been one of the best games this year but personally i feel there is not much to compare too as it has been a bad year for games. And the game feels like a glorified farcry to me. If this game was not called Metal gear Solid it wouldThis game is going to be Marmite for people you will love it or hate it. If you are new to the MGS franchise then you will probably love this game as it has been one of the best games this year but personally i feel there is not much to compare too as it has been a bad year for games. And the game feels like a glorified farcry to me. If this game was not called Metal gear Solid it would have been Brilliant but having to live up to previous MGS games this one falls miles short.

    The gameplay is good as the game plays smooth and i feel that they have improved greatly on the game mechanics and stealth. If you like open world games the map is quite big and you can invest loads of hours getting lost in the game and the graphics are awesome.

    The downside to this game is if you loved the stories of the previous games then this one is the worse in the MGS series because the story is short and bland and this game is seriously lacking the epic boss battles. Which is disappointing because there was a lot of potential but they never focused on some things like a better story around Eli and Venom Snake or even Skull face.
    And the game is very repetitive I feel the game is more based around building your base rather than actually playing the missions plus with you having to replay missions on a harder difficulty just to unlock new missions is a terrible concept, maybe after you completed the game it would have been better.

    For me the game was majorly hyped up and has been a failure maybe it was because of the problems between Konami and Kojima that affected the game? But what ever went on this game was a let down compared to the other MGS games and I think this is the first MGS game I wont go back and play again once I'm complete which I'm currently on 82% complete.    … Expand
  51. Nixxime
    Oct 6, 2015
    6
    MGSV: The Phantom Pain is the most anticipated game for me in the month of September. The game follows of the story of big boss after the destruction of his private military base. Big Boss falls into coma and finally awoke 9 years late - For Revenge.

    Pros: -Its Metal Gear -Perfect balance of Stealth and Action -Insane customization -Female staff that you can even play as! -Base    MGSV: The Phantom Pain is the most anticipated game for me in the month of September. The game follows of the story of big boss after the destruction of his private military base. Big Boss falls into coma and finally awoke 9 years late - For Revenge.

    Pros:
    -Its Metal Gear
    -Perfect balance of Stealth and Action
    -Insane customization
    -Female staff that you can even play as!
    -Base micromanagement
    -Buddy system
    -well integrated open world
    -60 FPS
    -Dynamic Weather
    -Listen to 80s Hit songs through an in game cassette player
    -Gorgeous graphics

    Cons:
    -Story has some loose ends, chapter 1 was fantastic though..
    -Very high grade guns aren't much of an improvement from previous grades
    -Not enough missions(personal opinion)
    -Worst checkpoint system
    -Forced FOB though it is patched
    -Metal Gear Online 3

    Without considering Metal Gear Online, i would rate this game a 9/10, as i feel it has the most well integrated and meaning open world i have experienced and the game play is simply stellar. However considering Metal Gear Online, i would rate this game a 6/10, that's how bad it is.

    Metal Gear Online deserves a 0/10. I had some much expectations for MGO after playing its awesome single player but is was sorely disappointed. Metal Gear Online is the worst multiplayer online game i have ever played. I have to admit i such at PVP but i did not let that cloud my decision. MGO is worse that pay to win FPS games despite it not have much pay to win stuff!

    Lets talk about the game modes, The 3 game modes include: Bounty Hunter, Cloak and Dagger and Comm Control
    -Bounty Hunter is sort of like team death match with a little added feature
    -Comm Control is similar to capture the flag
    -Cloak and Dagger is unique but in my opinion the worst mode to play. Players are separated into 2 teams, one team will have to defend 3 data disc using lethal weapon while the other team has to obtain one of the disc but is only limited to a silenced sleep pistol and stealth camo that will be temporary disable
    if one of the team members is spotted.Having played this mode for a few hours, I can tell you that the defender almost always wins.

    Apart from the few and boring modes the actual game play is bad as well. Players get disconnected easily, starting weapons are few and pathetic, walker gears are overpowered and unacceptable, the stealth camo class make the game chaotic and stupid and there is no aim assist whatsoever. It is extremely frustrating to play MGO as a beginner as one would be gunner down like no tomorrow with little to no reward for efforts. Maps are big and boring with players either exploiting the walkers are camping at high places to sniper players who just spawned or merely walked 5 steps. There is no order or reason in the game, it is a mess. The ability to customize and create female characters are not even able to deem MGO worth your time. Its just that bad.

    I would still recommend that you buy Metal Gear Solid V: TPP but don't expect to get any worth out of such a horrible multiplayer game unless you want a reason to throw the television, controller and the game disc out of your window. If you still want to play MGO, prepare a huge jug of water, too much screams of frustration.    … Expand
  52. tsakiym
    Oct 5, 2015
    8
    ok..the gameplay was fantastic, the mechanics of these game was superb. i will definitely rate it 10/10 but... in one hand we have a grate gameplay and the other this stupid-unfinished-unexplainable-open world but just kilometres of nothing-bad acting-no sense story.. Im huge fan of mgs series but this game was a joke.. i understand why kojima doesn't bother of the disappear of "A Hideook..the gameplay was fantastic, the mechanics of these game was superb. i will definitely rate it 10/10 but... in one hand we have a grate gameplay and the other this stupid-unfinished-unexplainable-open world but just kilometres of nothing-bad acting-no sense story.. Im huge fan of mgs series but this game was a joke.. i understand why kojima doesn't bother of the disappear of "A Hideo Kojima Game". i have two reasons why this game published unfinished 1. No funds 2. No time to finished before the deadline...or this game is a big **** you" from kojima to the fans. i can write for hours about the "bads" of this game but im just another angry fan and i want to be objective about my rate. so 8 is a fair score.

    let the online be our final blow to this masterpiece series.    … Expand
  53. Muzzle131
    Oct 5, 2015
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. By far a GOTY contender, but here's the hard truth it's somewhat disappointing. That's not really saying much because it's still great and this little 'critique' is just that, a focus on many of the negatives with few positives, and there are a lot of negatives but compared to the positives there minor. First off the story isn't what (at least I expected), I was expecting Big Boss maybe meeting his match with Skull Face who pushes Boss to his breaking point by making him question who to trust ,as he places sleeper agents destroying you from the inside out. Forcing Snake to make drastic changes into becoming a more misunderstood anti-hero even by his own men, who begin questioning his leadership when he's making outrageous decisions making more of them betray him, but Skull Face using you by blaming everything on Zero so you'll fight against him and when this is found it is too little too late as now the entire world is against Diamond Dogs who change them selves into Outer Heaven. That's what I expected, what I got was downright a poorly paced story that ends too quickly. Gameplay wise this is the best in the series since MGS3, MGS4 didn't really have a satisfying sneaking system since it seemed combat was everywhere and they kept giving you cool gadgets that are lethal. Here however you can choose your own play style and no matter what you'll be satisfied, levels or environments are intelligently made to approach stealthily and it's amazing to have the feeling of completing a main mission with no detection or kill satisfying. And it becomes more amazing when the game intelligently makes it harder for you by studying your behavior and setting up 'barriers' (i.e. claymore placed on routes you take when sneaking, or combat armor on soldiers if your too violent) making it so you have to experiment more with different items that you research, and if becomes too difficult for you, you can send combat units from your staff to stop an enemy line of supply (send them on a mission to destroy supplies for mines and if successful you won't see mines for while).

    Here's the bad parts though: the online system is terrible, until MGO3 is released the FOB system is absurd and forced. FOBs are basically other player's Mother Base that you can either support (meaning you'll stop any invaders) or invade them stealing staff and resources, cool concept like the Souls' series invasion system, but just executed poorly. FOBs don't serve any grand purpose other than to increase the number of staff you can have and let you deploy 2 more combat units so in total you would get 4 which is basically all you need, getting more staff increases their unit level but after level 50 there's nothing to research that requires say a level 73 R&D team. And unlike the Souls' invasion there's no way to 'opt' out, once you have an FOB built (forced on you) everything is saved and can be stolen so the next time you log in you'll lose those resources, only way to ignore this is not to log in but when you do you'll lose perhaps all your resources impacting the main game. Other design decisions I also have to question (spoilers ahead...)

    You get buddies that help you in missions and in free roam one of these is Quiet, now I'm not going to obsess over what she wears because I don't care only thing I can really say is the excuse for her to wear what she wears is poor if they didn't say anything I would of ignored it but anyway, Quiet is extremely useful and became one of my most used buddies since she'll scout enemies at outposts and give you ammo resupplies, but out of nowhere she'll leave... Forever. Even though you invested perhaps a million GMP into her weapons making her feel like an essential part of your team and when she leaves it just feels like an empty hollow feeling near the end of the game too, which by then I didn't feel like picking up the game again. Which adds to no real replay value once you S rank all the missions and complete all optional tasks there's no point of playing the game again, nothing like a NG+ mode, once it's done it's done. And that's how I felt at the end with the story portion an empty disappointing feeling, the gameplay filled this void but once that's done there's not much left. I can only guess the game was rushed by Konami and Kojima couldn't finish what he started and now he can't.    … Expand
  54. rafaaguilera
    Oct 4, 2015
    6
    After a promising prologue (hospital sequence), the game is kind of resumed into infiltrate enemies bases to extract people or objects. At first, it's fun, but after countless hours of repetitive gameplay, the title' ''pain'' never seemed so suitable to describe what it is to get to very end.
    Epic bosses, thrilling sequences, exciting characters and plot... everything this series is    After a promising prologue (hospital sequence), the game is kind of resumed into infiltrate enemies bases to extract people or objects. At first, it's fun, but after countless hours of repetitive gameplay, the title' ''pain'' never seemed so suitable to describe what it is to get to very end.
    Epic bosses, thrilling sequences, exciting characters and plot... everything this series is famous for, are almost absent here and MGS has never been so linear, despite been called the ''first MGS open world experience''. Even having 2 big maps, they are full of ''nothing'' to do and makes every attempt of exploration (outside enemies bases) pointless. So just call Snake's helicopter to reach the closest spot to the next mission and never ever bother to look behind, you won't regret.    … Expand
  55. thebosscat
    Oct 4, 2015
    8
    The game suffers from it own ambitions more than anything. The story is unfinished, the bosses are few and the locations become repetitive. The game is open world MGS sandbox and it's great however the game feels more like sneaking GTA then what the series is remembered for. You can feel The Boss's Struggle with The Skulls... i mean Kojima's struggle with Konami all over this game, we gotThe game suffers from it own ambitions more than anything. The story is unfinished, the bosses are few and the locations become repetitive. The game is open world MGS sandbox and it's great however the game feels more like sneaking GTA then what the series is remembered for. You can feel The Boss's Struggle with The Skulls... i mean Kojima's struggle with Konami all over this game, we got a great open world 90+ game that is somehow unfinished... all in all still the best failed game ever.… Expand
  56. TheDude-
    Oct 3, 2015
    9
    MGS V is a fantastic game that delivers on an enthralling story and characters that keep you interested while also giving us the classic metal gear solid gameplay that is so much fun.
  57. Datamari
    Oct 3, 2015
    10
    Amazing, this game is one of the best Metal Gear Solid games to date. The open-world gameplay is amazing, and I especially liked the slow-mo sequences that occur when you get spotted. The abilities and gadgets are creative, and the hub world is surprisingly good, for a MGS game. Also did I mention that THIS GAME LOOKS GORGOUS; easily one of the best looking games out there. Finally, theAmazing, this game is one of the best Metal Gear Solid games to date. The open-world gameplay is amazing, and I especially liked the slow-mo sequences that occur when you get spotted. The abilities and gadgets are creative, and the hub world is surprisingly good, for a MGS game. Also did I mention that THIS GAME LOOKS GORGOUS; easily one of the best looking games out there. Finally, the grading system for missions is very spot-on, and it makes you feel good for getting an A or B. The only bad thing I can say about this game is that the story is somewhat scarce, but that's all I could really find bad about this game. If you haven't played this game before, do it. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is one of the best games you'll play today.… Expand
  58. platinummaster
    Oct 3, 2015
    9
    I have been anticipating this game since ground zeroes was announced , and i have to say its well worth the wait, but it falls short of just what i wanted from this game.
    firstly , no one can argue that this games gameplay is spectacular , infact id say it was the best thing about the game , it feels great leveling up mother base and just completing outposts , but unfortunatly after the    I have been anticipating this game since ground zeroes was announced , and i have to say its well worth the wait, but it falls short of just what i wanted from this game.
    firstly , no one can argue that this games gameplay is spectacular , infact id say it was the best thing about the game , it feels great leveling up mother base and just completing outposts , but unfortunatly after the 50 hour point or so you will have established your prefered playstyle and from then on the game actually got annoying for me because i wanted to try all the crazy new **** i was developing but i wanted to stick with my no kills playthrough , thats probably just a nitpick for me but it was still annoying.

    Now the big problem , this games story ,
    i liked it actually , infact i thought it was better than peace walker even though there isnt reallymuch of one present in phantom pain it is still satisfying to play and the ending is just.............WOW

    not the best game ever made , but the best game of this year so far !

    go out now and just buy it

    GO !

    BUY IT!    … Expand
  59. Lazlo21
    Oct 3, 2015
    9
    Anyone who knows me in real life knows how much i obsess over metal gear. I always reference it to no end. Metal gear solid 4, 3, and 1 are some of my favorite games of all time, 4 actually being my #1. But then, i thought 4 was the end of the saga. But then Peace Walker happened, then Rising, and one thing led to another and now we have Metal gear solid 5: the phantom pain.

    The story    Anyone who knows me in real life knows how much i obsess over metal gear. I always reference it to no end. Metal gear solid 4, 3, and 1 are some of my favorite games of all time, 4 actually being my #1. But then, i thought 4 was the end of the saga. But then Peace Walker happened, then Rising, and one thing led to another and now we have Metal gear solid 5: the phantom pain.

    The story opens with one of the greatest openings to a video game of all time, in my opinion. 9 years after the attack on mother base in 1975, Snake wakes up in a hospital, missing an arm, and has a large piece of shrapnel stuck in his head. Cipher (zero's organization) has just now tracked him down and invades the hospital, intending to kill Snake. With the help of a mysterious figure, Ishmael, Snake escapes from the hospital, after encounters with XOF soldiers, a floating child, a man on fire, and a flaming whale. (?) This entire sequence is so fun, and i will never forget my first time playing through it. Once we get out of the hospital, we rendezvous with Ocelot (Yes, THE ocelot), and save Miller from Russian soldiers in Afghanistan. After rescuing Miller, we learn he and Ocelot have created a replacement organization for MSF, Diamond Dogs.

    Now, i'm going to be frank, I didn't like the story of Phantom Pain. It all goes downhill after the first few missions. There is so many filler missions that have little to do with the plot, except a cutscene afterwards tying what you just did to Skullface's plans, just to make you feel what you just played was important to the plot. It lacks the true substance that made Metal gear what it is. Also, a lack of boss fights. I was really disappointed by this. But there are a handful of memorable missions, and the ending of the game was superbly handled, and surprised me more than Metal gear solid 2.

    The gameplay is the highlight of Phantom Pain, and is 90% of the reason i'm giving this game the score i am. You can approach a mission any way you choose, picking your guns, equipment, items, what buddy you take along, what vehicle you bring, what character you play as, what you are wearing, the options are endless. This makes the game endlessly replayable. There are some things that make this game feel more AAA, such as the regenerative health and open world. But the open world i don't mind, because this allows you to scout out and, literally, approach the objective as you please.

    The game also borrows a lot from Peace Walker. Like PW, one of the main features is building and managing your Diamond Dogs force, extracting soldiers, vehicles, animals and gun emplacements from the field. But unlike Peace Walker, you can actually visit and walk around Mother Base, checking in with your soldiers, and even the animals at your personal zoo. You can also develop new weapons and gadgets, upgrading them, along with making equipment for your buddies and helicopter. This, i really enjoyed, although I didn't really see a point in visiting mother base, aside in raising soldier moral and keeping fights from breaking out. Also, the FOB system is trash, i don't even go near that.

    (on a final note, at the time of the review, MGO has not launched yet, so i will not be talking about that.) Overall, Phantom Pain felt like a bigger version of peace walker, featuring better gameplay, but sacrificing some of the story. 9/10    … Expand
  60. mtg837
    Oct 2, 2015
    7
    When I completed Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots, I thought it was the perfect ending to an outstanding series. When I heard about Ground Zeroes, and it's semi-sequel "The Phantom Pain," I met the title with a kind of hopeful nervousness. Could it live up to the jet-setting brilliance of "Patriots?" After such a complete wrap up, was "Phantom" even necessary?
    "Phantom"    When I completed Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots, I thought it was the perfect ending to an outstanding series. When I heard about Ground Zeroes, and it's semi-sequel "The Phantom Pain," I met the title with a kind of hopeful nervousness. Could it live up to the jet-setting brilliance of "Patriots?" After such a complete wrap up, was "Phantom" even necessary?
    "Phantom" travels back in time and follows the story of Big Boss, nine years after the events of Ground Zeroes (so, the 80s.) You've lost an arm in a chopper crash, and awake weakened in a hospital when the enemies come to kill you. After a daring escape with the help of Miller and "Revolver" "Shalshaska" "Ocelot" (yes, his name is three nicknames) you venture to "Mother Base" the ocean fortress you are tasked with turning into your own personal army. And that's where things veer wildly from the other MGS titles.
    In all other MGS games, Snake is dropped into enemy territory lightly armed and without much hope. (Typical starting gear includes a communicator and a pack of cigarettes.) Weapons are scarce, as is ammo, and must be used sparingly. In "Phantom," that's not the case. Within the first 5% of completion you'll have a machine gun, a sniper rifle, a grenade launcher, a wicked cool horse, a chopper that can preform devastating air strikes, and a base that can send in additional supplies as needed (C4? you got it. Ground to air missile launcher? On its way.)
    There's a two pronged idea behind these innovations, it seems. The first is to turn Big Boss into an ACTUAL boss. You are no longer the lone hero, fighting against the "powers that be." You are the powers, and it's a pretty cool feeling. The second is to provide players with multiple ways to accomplish a mission. For instance, in older MGS games, there were very specific ways you needed to clear obstacles. Now you can clear them in any number of ways (tanks can be dispatched by grenades, by airstrikes, or by getting ahead of them and planting C4, that way you're never spotted.) I think the "any route to victory" gives players a more immersive feel, like they aren't bullied into one course of action, even though some courses will be more fruitful than others. For instance, if a hostage is about to be killed, it's best to create noisy distractions with grenades. If you're trying to steal a valuable item, it's best to move quietly and use tranquilizers when necessary. It's more true to life, this way.
    As far as game play goes, I'll come out and say it -- "Patriots" was better. For one, the roll has been completely replaced with a "dive" move. This means no more rolling away from enemy fire and into cover, and no more strafe-rolling whilst aiming (a BAMF move in firefights.) They've also eliminated some on-ground moves, which is upsetting. Aside from this, game play is still solid (no pun intended.) New innovations include "crag climbing" (a lot of buildings have cracks, which you can climb up) new driving controls, and (obviously) horse riding controls. They all work very well.
    There are issues with trying to insert a sandbox format into an MGS game, though, and this is where "Phantom" suffers a bit. For one, the story doesn't propel itself, which leaves you feeling kind of wanting. What made other iterations so fun is that it felt like you were playing a movie. You had to accomplish these difficult feats, and after each one Snake found himself deeper in trouble, deeper in enemy territory. Now you have this kind of ambling feeling, like you don't even have to participate in the story if you don't want. Instead of being a soldier trapped behind enemy lines, you're kind of like the world's meanest bully.
    Also, Ocelot occasionally pesters you about spending too much money or needing more troops for "Mother Base." You'll feel like you're succeeding in MGS while failing at Sim City, which is annoying. Most folks shelled out sixty bucks to play "Tactical Espionage Action," not Rollercoaster Tycoon with guns.
    Lastly, the open world fails at making the true "fortress" feel. I think it's an overlooked aspect of prior games. Breaking into the Speznaz base in MGS3, or Shadow Moses in MGS 1 & 4 felt like a true military fortress. All the good stuff (Rex/Ray) was hidden at its core, which took hours and hours to reach. There was a genuine sense of discovery and danger that escalated as you advanced. The bases in 5 are much smaller due to the open world, so breaking in kind of feels like holding up a McDonalds in comparison. It just isn't as rewarding. Not to mention Afghanistan's deserts aren't exactly eye candy.
    If "Phantom" were the first in the series, I'd give it an 8 or 9 out of 10. But following "Patriots" leaves a sour taste in my mouth. This game is fun, innovative and well executed. But it's a considerable letdown from "Patriots," and there's just no way around it.    … Expand
  61. lander_jrs
    Oct 2, 2015
    10
    Como juego de infiltración es una maravilla. Respecto al cuidado de detalles sobre el "realismo" bastante completo. Ahora bien, la historia puede parecer algo floja, sí que es predecible, pero aún así es cuestión de gustos porque a mí personalmente me ha encantado. Se lo recomiendo a todo aquel que le gusten los MGS y juegos de infiltración y espionaje pero eso sí, no apto para personasComo juego de infiltración es una maravilla. Respecto al cuidado de detalles sobre el "realismo" bastante completo. Ahora bien, la historia puede parecer algo floja, sí que es predecible, pero aún así es cuestión de gustos porque a mí personalmente me ha encantado. Se lo recomiendo a todo aquel que le gusten los MGS y juegos de infiltración y espionaje pero eso sí, no apto para personas con poca paciencia.… Expand
  62. vaughtex
    Oct 2, 2015
    6
    With clocking up only three hours of play, it became startlingly apparent that it’s mostly a series of fetch quests. There are some excellent story missions, which reveal themselves after about ten hours of play, but they are in the minority and all tend to blur in one, due to the repetitious structure and fetch-based objectives. It suffers from Grand Theft Auto 4 syndrome, whereby all theWith clocking up only three hours of play, it became startlingly apparent that it’s mostly a series of fetch quests. There are some excellent story missions, which reveal themselves after about ten hours of play, but they are in the minority and all tend to blur in one, due to the repetitious structure and fetch-based objectives. It suffers from Grand Theft Auto 4 syndrome, whereby all the quests are the same. Either: blow this up, rescue this person, or steal something. I lost count of how many times I’d go to rescue someone from an enemy camp and they had been moved, causing me to search out again. It’s frankly uninspiring and lazy for such a AAA title. After the 20th time of doing exactly the same thing, it becomes tiresome.

    The game is structured like a series of episodes, whereby you undertake missions inside the helicopter. Each mission and side quest have a series of tasks. A main task then usually four others, which are optional – it might be the case that there is a blueprint for a new gun hidden inside a base which you can pick up whilst you are in the process of competing the objective. All of the missions are re-playable, so you can go back and attempt to complete the optional tasks; there is a lot of replay value here, if you can be bothered.

    This vast open world is the games achilles heel. As impressive as it is, the decision to take the game out of confined environments is a huge mistake. It takes the tension out of the cat and mouse stealth, if something goes wrong, you can just run in the opposite direction until the enemy loses interest. This is the main catalyst for why the missions are so dull. Also, not forgetting, because of the open world, it’s difficult to develop a cohesive storyline.

    The other problem with this open world, mission style approach is that as a result, there isn’t really a gripping narrative moving the game forward. The game lacks a ‘real’ developing storyline. Metal Gear games have always been lambasted for the convoluted storylines, especially with the 45minute cut scene in MGS4, but I can’t help feeling they would be a welcome addition. Instead, Konami decided to take this criticism of the previous title to heart and decide to let the storyline develop through a series of audio tapes, which you listen to, between missions, in the helicopter. Without visuals to support them, the audio gets dull quite quickly. Especially when some run into the 5minute+ mark. There are a few shorter cut scenes, but in the main it just feels like an empty sandbox and occasionally a piece of story will come along that opens up the next missions. This mission based element makes the game more accessible in shorter bursts, but it does unfortunately mean that it takes away cohesiveness. The storyline feels disjointed and like episodic DLC.

    Aside from it’s looks, some good missions and attention to detail it honestly feels like a video game from a decade ago, especially near the end, you have to repeat missions in order to progress (just on a harder difficulty). This reeks of laziness and instantly made me turn my console off in frustration.

    Despite this criticism, I did mostly enjoy Phantom Pain. It isn’t a ‘bad’ game by any means, I had fun blowing up base camps, rescuing prisoners and working my way through the flimsy storyline to find out what happened next, it just felt dull in comparison to the other titles in the series. I enjoyed the majority of my play through and spent hours hooked. It’s an addictive experience.

    Sadly, for a series that led the way in terms of innovative, excellently constructed pieces of gaming culture, this feels like a bit of a compromise. The previous titles in the series had a lot more innovation. Fundamentally, it’s not a metal gear solid game that the fans know and love, it feels like a cheap knock off, or generic sandbox title with characters from the series.

    There are some truly memorable elements, but they are fleeting. It is undoubtedly a missed opportunity and definitely a showcase of how to successfully screw up a beloved franchise and turn it into something completely unrecognizable from it’s source material and previous legacy. There are some improvements here and there. The controls and feel of the game are tightened, it feels more refined, but lacks soul and fun. It’s a labourious process and not one for repeat playthroughs. This game is Kojima’s swan song for Konami. It feels like the game company either meddled with his creation or he has perhaps tried to create a game so westernized to appeal to a mass audience, he has forgotten to add what made the previous games so special.    … Expand
  63. SnurgBurgler
    Oct 1, 2015
    10
    This game is literally one of THE best games I have ever played on earth. Now for me, this game is definitely in my top 10 favorite games of all time, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's an AMAZING game. The mechanics of the game are great and it's one of the shining things about this game. You have to use stealth and strategy to get your objective finished. The game isThis game is literally one of THE best games I have ever played on earth. Now for me, this game is definitely in my top 10 favorite games of all time, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's an AMAZING game. The mechanics of the game are great and it's one of the shining things about this game. You have to use stealth and strategy to get your objective finished. The game is really fun and the story is great. This game is a great open-world stealth strategy game. Riding around on your horse through the open-world and taking over enemy outposts. The story is also pretty great as well. It's a bit sparse and the gameplay is what really shines about this game. The graphics also look great, though, since it's an open-world game, it does have it's graphical glitches and some graphics that look a bit weird, but that doesn't take away from the game at all. This game is amazing, and this review doesn't even do it justice, but it's a great game and a gem of the year and definitely on my top 10 games of 2015.… Expand
  64. Daxillius
    Oct 1, 2015
    4
    This game doesn't understand how to leverage the concept of open world. It seemingly adopted this model because it's the cool thing to do nowadays, without giving anything thought to what it brought to the actual gameplay.

    You'll essentially be riding your horse from one identical mission to the next while dealing with the insanely over-thought and bloated iDroid system. A tedious    This game doesn't understand how to leverage the concept of open world. It seemingly adopted this model because it's the cool thing to do nowadays, without giving anything thought to what it brought to the actual gameplay.

    You'll essentially be riding your horse from one identical mission to the next while dealing with the insanely over-thought and bloated iDroid system.

    A tedious and boring game.    … Expand
  65. Malice-Flare
    Oct 1, 2015
    10
    one of the best games this year...

    10 is the highest recommendation i reviewers can give, but it never means it's a perfect game. there's always room for improvement...

    however, anyone scoring this below a 6 is never to be taken seriously...
  66. roman_emperor
    Oct 1, 2015
    10
    I really love what Hideo Kojima did with this game. He finally gave me the open world I always wanted in a Metal Gear game. The ability to tackle a challenge from any angle is fun. I like how you can gather intel and hope that you didn't miss anything. Surprises can lead to death and constant frustration. The chicken hat is humiliating but fun if you want to get some good in game footage.I really love what Hideo Kojima did with this game. He finally gave me the open world I always wanted in a Metal Gear game. The ability to tackle a challenge from any angle is fun. I like how you can gather intel and hope that you didn't miss anything. Surprises can lead to death and constant frustration. The chicken hat is humiliating but fun if you want to get some good in game footage.

    The game does adapt to your behavior. If the engine begins to notice that you like running mission in the dark, the next time you return to an area, you will find that the enemy is equipped with night vision goggles. If you like running in an going guns blazing, the game will throw heavily armored guys at with shotguns to knock you off your ass. If you like hanging back and sniping. You will find more snipers hanging around. The games mechanics are just so varied. As you progress and unlock new goodies, you change your tactics as wells.

    I'm just patiently waiting for Mother Forward Base Operation and Metal Gear Online. I have a group of friend I will cause mayhem with.    … Expand
  67. evanMP
    Oct 1, 2015
    7
    i wanted to wait until i finished the game and play a lot of side ops to give my review, and finally here it is. At the beginning i was super exited and having so much fun with the game, because the gameplay is simply awesome, but as the game progressed the side ops became a little repetitive and at some point boring, and also the missions with the extra difficulty were justi wanted to wait until i finished the game and play a lot of side ops to give my review, and finally here it is. At the beginning i was super exited and having so much fun with the game, because the gameplay is simply awesome, but as the game progressed the side ops became a little repetitive and at some point boring, and also the missions with the extra difficulty were just disappointing. Dont get me wrong i think these missions were fun, but they represented basically 75% of the second half of the game so it was kind of disappointing. Finally, the story is ok but it doesn't feel as epic or exiting as the previous games. Overall MTG 5 is a really good game, but i don't think is the best in the series, the story and the general content of the open world were just plane and sometimes monotonous.… Expand
  68. evilexecutive
    Oct 1, 2015
    10
    This is easily one of the best games I have ever played in my life, belonging right up there with Homeworld and Ocarina of Time. I'm currently on my second play through of this game, trying to do a Demon Run, and this is still amazingly fun. This was the best 60$ I ever spent, and **** all of the trolls that are intentionally trying to bring down the score.
  69. ZiltonReviews
    Oct 1, 2015
    10
    Perfect Gameplay. I really don't know how else to really explain this. Everything about this game ran very smoothly and shove the series so much further.
  70. LunevZlodei
    Oct 1, 2015
    10
    10 ИЗ 10 ГОСПОДИ!!! МОЛЧУНЬЯ ФОРЕВА! ПОШЕЛ ПОКУПАТЬ ЕЁ ФИГУРКУ! И на самом деле игра стоит на ровне как минимум с witcher 3, и для меня большая интрига, какая же из игр которых забрали у меня более ста часов моей жизни станет игрой года. (я кончил) MGS V MASTERPIECE!10 ИЗ 10 ГОСПОДИ!!! МОЛЧУНЬЯ ФОРЕВА! ПОШЕЛ ПОКУПАТЬ ЕЁ ФИГУРКУ! И на самом деле игра стоит на ровне как минимум с witcher 3, и для меня большая интрига, какая же из игр которых забрали у меня более ста часов моей жизни станет игрой года. (я кончил) MGS V MASTERPIECE!
  71. Gfunk839
    Sep 30, 2015
    6
    Well, where to begin.
    First of all let me admit that I was swept away by the hype developed for this game prior to release, which may contribute to my massive disappointment. I was super hyped to get this game after thouroughly enjoying MGS V GZ. The promise of buddies a huge open world and a massive arsenal gave me hope for and absolutely epic experience. But the whole experience was    Well, where to begin.
    First of all let me admit that I was swept away by the hype developed for this game prior to release, which may contribute to my massive disappointment. I was super hyped to get this game after thouroughly enjoying MGS V GZ. The promise of buddies a huge open world and a massive arsenal gave me hope for and absolutely epic experience. But the whole experience was meh. Point by point list of complaints:

    - Why make it open world when the open world is boring as **** why not just make the "mission areas" into discreet levels accessible from the ACC?
    -Pointless boring open world with literally nothing to see outside of the outposts and guard posts.
    -Inconsistent AI which can be unobservant as a fat **** police officer taking a nap or as alert as a peregrine falcon on cocaine spotting you from the other side of the map, ruining your carefully planned infiltration every ****ing time.
    -after being spotted and failing a reflex takedown every guard telepathically knows your exact location within about a second.
    -Enemies with laser accuracy at 300m with a **** soviet AR.
    -horrible CQC animation bugs when taking from cover
    -DDOG jumps about 10 meters into the air away from target teleports to then for the throat slit animation.
    dwalkers god awful controls.
    -The way the camera ass and **** ****s Quiet every chance it gets
    -Using any gadget puts the base on alert for like 30 min even when not used offensively
    -Kaz calls you boss when you play as some other dip**** combat unit guy
    -retarded 2 hour plus unlock times for guns
    -gunsmith which basically lets you swap out scopes and attach a silencer maybe a barrel if you ****ing lucky.. WOW
    -Motherbase is boring as **** .. long bridges... repetitive convo's
    -Helicopter rides
    -Analysis complete
    -Quiet fight 3 min ... Man on fire one shotgun shell
    -****ing useless silencers until wayyyyy later in the game
    -headshots alerts enemies from a massive distance vs. tranq shot meaning lethal stealth is out the window
    -bug on PC with grenade throwing arc    … Expand
  72. Paul2k2
    Sep 30, 2015
    8
    SPOILERS

    Too many people giving it 10/10 on a whim because of the name. Its good. But not game of the year. It looks great i.e the environment but so does Witcher 3. This is not the best in the series. Yes the environment is expansive but is does sometimes just feel like its not been filled with important content. The story (including ending) made the game feel like more of a mid    SPOILERS

    Too many people giving it 10/10 on a whim because of the name.

    Its good. But not game of the year. It looks great i.e the environment but so does Witcher 3. This is not the best in the series. Yes the environment is expansive but is does sometimes just feel like its not been filled with important content. The story (including ending) made the game feel like more of a mid section episode game like the side games produced for assassins creed. Yes it has the Metal gear movie feel that we all love and remember and the same sort of game play we all enjoy. And I cant fault any of that. But it just cant be classed as game of the year. It's simply not good enough.

    And finally, the story. Turns out you never play as big boss and are just some random dressed up like him and brain washed to think he is him. Bit of a let down story wise. That should have been a little bit of the side story. Not the main story we have been waiting 7 years for.    … Expand
  73. 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
  74. CharlesFBronson
    Sep 29, 2015
    9
    You can't write simple short review for this game.You just can't.There is so much stuff you can do its ridiculous.Some people say that GTA is definition for open world games.Think about MGSV:PP as a definition for stealth/espionage game...You can be stealthy you can be Rambo you can be pacifist and not kill anyone (why kill skilled soldier when you can bring him on your side!) butYou can't write simple short review for this game.You just can't.There is so much stuff you can do its ridiculous.Some people say that GTA is definition for open world games.Think about MGSV:PP as a definition for stealth/espionage game...You can be stealthy you can be Rambo you can be pacifist and not kill anyone (why kill skilled soldier when you can bring him on your side!) but everything is fun! If you are die hard fan of MGS like me- you going to love this.Maybe less story than previous but still more than enough for huge open world game like this.All in all - game that should be long remembered ;)… Expand
  75. JJota
    Sep 29, 2015
    10
    The best game of this generation, and other masterpiece of the Master or Samurai Hideo Kojima...all the charisma and elements of the visionary producer are intact here, in your last game for Konami. Almost perfect, and serious candidate for the GOTY...on side of Batman Arkham Knight, of course.
  76. LiquidOctopus
    Sep 29, 2015
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The MGSV: TPP is the best game I’ve ever played that didn’t have an ending. While the gameplay is astoundingly compelling and tight, the story literally does not reach a conclusion. If this is going to be handled as a paid DCL in the future, it’s a crime against gamers. If they do not intend to ever allow us to download the end of the game, this is also a crime against gamers. The ending they give you is both not central to the story and deprives you of Quiet – its two negatives! And there could have been a much better treatment of the identity issues and mental issues Big Boss suffers. If feel emotionally cheated by my investment in the story. It’s a real shame because what story is here is excellent but it goes from point A to point B and then it takes a fishhook and goes all the way to pointless.
    If you are more into gameplay and don’t emotionally invest in stories, this game is probably perfect for you. There is a high degree of mission variety and it is compelling and interesting to problem solve your way through the challenges you are given. Some of the abilities would seem like they are game breaking at first but they are not, the game will actually get hard enough that you will need to change the weather.    … Expand
  77. JayLightBar
    Sep 29, 2015
    9
    The Phantom Pain is the finale send off for my favorite games director of all time. And what did we get out of his finale big bang? We got, in technicality, the most expansive and deep game I've seen in the past few years. The story is enjoyable, the gameplay is so amazingly fun that I haven't wanted to put it down for any other game in the past few weeks. With all of this in mind, youThe Phantom Pain is the finale send off for my favorite games director of all time. And what did we get out of his finale big bang? We got, in technicality, the most expansive and deep game I've seen in the past few years. The story is enjoyable, the gameplay is so amazingly fun that I haven't wanted to put it down for any other game in the past few weeks. With all of this in mind, you might be wondering why it isn't a ten. Simple. Konami literally tore the third act of the game out of the game. And due to this, the game feels unfinished. And it is. So while this is one of the best games I've ever had the pleasure of playing, Konami is Konami, and Konami is the worst. ****… Expand
  78. RedRice
    Sep 28, 2015
    10
    Once again, Kojima has sneaked up on us with a perfect game. This game is well-balanced with an open world and mission-based gameplay that you can go at it on a series of sleepless nights or just casually play twice a week without losing the momentum and excitement. There is so much to do, so many possibilities and the franchise has evolved into perfection. I will shut up now, just play itOnce again, Kojima has sneaked up on us with a perfect game. This game is well-balanced with an open world and mission-based gameplay that you can go at it on a series of sleepless nights or just casually play twice a week without losing the momentum and excitement. There is so much to do, so many possibilities and the franchise has evolved into perfection. I will shut up now, just play it and you'll see!… Expand
  79. 1movid
    Sep 28, 2015
    8
    Look I love this game, but it has flaws. This score is not representative of this game when compared to the series. To anyone who gave this game a 5 or lower because it didn't live up to metal gear as a series, screw you, the point of a review is to determine a single games quality, not to score it based off every other one in the series.
  80. Thanosoftitan
    Sep 28, 2015
    10
    Not sure what all of the cynicism is about, but I am really enjoying this game. I feel like I've done so much, but yet I'm only at 17% complete. This is great game to me.
  81. Kenmei
    Sep 28, 2015
    10
    Very fun and a wonderful ending to the MGS franchise, if that is the case. While the story itself is not as fluid as the past games, it still does a good job at conveying everything it needs to do to bridge the gap from the PSP games to the original Metal Gear games on the old NES. And while some people won't like a few decisions that were made in regards to Big Boss, he's still a goodVery fun and a wonderful ending to the MGS franchise, if that is the case. While the story itself is not as fluid as the past games, it still does a good job at conveying everything it needs to do to bridge the gap from the PSP games to the original Metal Gear games on the old NES. And while some people won't like a few decisions that were made in regards to Big Boss, he's still a good character to run around with. Overall, this is the best game of the year so far and, even if Fallout 4 ends up beating it out for GotY, there's no way that Kojima did MGS wrong with this title.… Expand
  82. PrettyOkGuy
    Sep 28, 2015
    10
    Gr8 Gr8 Gr8 Game i never played anything better nor anything more challenging.
    some missions are jst snatch and grab whilst others are kill kill kill
    can you sense the irony.....
    gr8 Game still
    Cewl story bruh even though very confusing
    10/10 - IGN "It's Like Skyrim With Guns"
  83. YoloMcSwag
    Sep 28, 2015
    8
    Not a perfect game, but a SOLID one (reviewed on PS4)

    The Good: +Outstanding Prologue +Well-optimised, butter-smooth most of the time +Huge maps +Buddy system +Controversial but most memorable character - Quiet +Base, Resources and Staff management +Decent graphics, (but not the best in the market) +D-Horse is better than Roach +Solid gunplay and stealth +Memorable licensed    Not a perfect game, but a SOLID one (reviewed on PS4)

    The Good:
    +Outstanding Prologue
    +Well-optimised, butter-smooth most of the time
    +Huge maps
    +Buddy system
    +Controversial but most memorable character - Quiet
    +Base, Resources and Staff management
    +Decent graphics, (but not the best in the market)
    +D-Horse is better than Roach
    +Solid gunplay and stealth
    +Memorable licensed 80s music
    +Wild animals
    +Enemies adapt to your tactics, eg. wear helmets if you headshot too often
    +Tackles real world issues, eg. child soldiers
    +Very open-ended, non-linear mission design, tackle it however you want

    The Bad:
    -Lackluster story
    -Disappointing villain and boss fights
    -Bosses lack character, unlike the Cobra Unit from MGS 3 for example
    -Chapter 2 filler missions
    -Missing Chapter 3
    -Nothing much to do on Mother Base
    -Voice acting: Kiefer Sutherland
    -Snake rarely speaks
    -Difficult to differentiate Kaz's and Ocelot's voices sometimes
    -Missions get repetitive, especially Side Ops
    -Most Main Ops (Episodes) don't feel important to story-telling
    -Can't use weapons on 4WDs or trucks
    -Alternate costumes with no additional abilities cost more GMP
    -Attempts to tell most stories via Cassette tapes, no Codec
    -FOB microtransactions
    -Difficult to capture all wild animals without consulting guides
    -Tackles world issues, but has nothing much to say about them
    -Uninteresting open world, lots of emptiness in between outposts
    -Texture pop-in
    -Framerate dips occationally, but not to the point of hindering gameplay

    Bottom line, MGSV: The Phantom Pain is an excellent, but not perfect game. It does a good job in crafting an open-world experience for the franchise, but falls short in terms of quality content. While players won't be talking about the huge maps, decent graphics, or boss fights in years to come, each player's unique approach to every mission may be the thing that keep conversations going, and may be what Kojima-san has been trying to accomplish in his Tactical Espionage Operations swan song.

    How the series is moving forward without Kojima-san remains to be seen, but if you're a fan of MGS since Snake's rookie days of rescuing Gray Fox 28years ago, you'll definitely wanna support Kojima-san by picking this up!    … Expand
  84. mike5736
    Sep 27, 2015
    8
    graphics: 10.....amazing
    presentation:9....starting hospital escape scene classic
    sound:8...music, voice acting very good
    story:8...good
    gameplay:7....missions/maps are bland, snake moves ackwardly, usual silly japanese flavor breaks immersion.

    overall: 8.5
  85. MCFThousandCuts
    Sep 26, 2015
    10
    An amazing game a master class in every way don't be put off by the negative reviews most complaints centre around the open world which is as good as any other game I played only difference is it has not be filled with pointless mini games and stupid boring side quests, while i am sure people will say the side quests do get boring I disagree the freedom this game give you while you play isAn amazing game a master class in every way don't be put off by the negative reviews most complaints centre around the open world which is as good as any other game I played only difference is it has not be filled with pointless mini games and stupid boring side quests, while i am sure people will say the side quests do get boring I disagree the freedom this game give you while you play is great you will be getting better equipment and staff all the time to tackle these missions a new way and the attention to detail is top class, the argument this game is barren and wasteland is a little silly bear in mind this game is set in Afghanistan and Deserty part of Africa so its true to life and if i can compare this to what people would call the king of open world GTA5 you would ague that a massive really fleshed out right well if you boil GTA down theirs only a few story related buildings you can go into all the time and most are bare apart from a mini game sure theirs plenty of buildings to look at but most i would say 96% are unavailable to go into and what i call the wild basically anywhere outside the main city is just a waste land with trees and water and the city itself isn't that big not hating just saying of course their is GTA online which makes the city feel more alive but MGS Online isn't out so unfair to compare online modes by the way also a massive fan of GTA 5.

    Sorry about the rant now onto the story for the slightly sorter rant the other thing wrong with this game apparently, this just has just me confused the game is very solid if you can excuse the pun the game builds on a already great story I believe from what i read the problem people seem to have with it is that it doesn't have a story like MGS4 yes guys it doesn't have the same scale of story that MGS4 has but MGS4 was a cut scene heavy game so much so that some negative reviews i read for that where calling it a film which is silly but fact it had so many meant it could deliver a more fleshed out story but on flip side while visited a few locations on that most where tiny and theirs only four areas i don't include the on rails Motorbike place as if you went for 100% on MGS 4 like me that place is basically like he who shall not be named from harry potter and MGS4 is my favourite Metal Gear game so i am not just saying it to hammer my point home, the story is a master class its just delivered in a different way and not as cut scene heavy as in other MGS games.

    Right my last rant is about the character Quiet don't get me wrong before i played this game i thought of her as some eye candy, bad ass sniper that hardly talks the developer put in their as fan service but i have to say by the end of the game she changed my mind don't get me wrong theirs no reason she wears so little, while they do a give a reason its a bit weak but still believable and the camera angles can be very suggestive but if you have actually played the game she becomes one of the strongest charters in it yes she doesn't speak and theirs a very sad reason in my opinion why she doesn't and also is seen as an outcast and freak by many characters for simply being different which made me like her more straight away and also she is the only human character that regularly goes on missions with the boss who doesn't speak a lot himself but you can see that silent respect build between them during game which think is very clever i wont mention any more about her as i don't want to ruin anything about the story but the fact that a few people have mentioned her as a negative is very stupid.

    I know haven't talked a lot about the game itself but to be honest games don't get much better than in this in terms of Gameplay,Story,Detail if for some reason haven't got this already drop what your doing and go and get a copy 10/10    … Expand
  86. GamergodsFail
    Sep 26, 2015
    9
    This is the greatest gaming experience I have ever had this whole generation so far. Name one other game that implemented "open world" and "stealth" as flawlessly as this game did. None. This is a groundbreaking achievement. I'd give it a 10 if the story wasn't as slow and if you could abort mission 45 for gods sake.
  87. thegadfly44
    Sep 26, 2015
    9
    I had to scale my initial review back a bit. This game is absolutely amazing, worth every penny of 60 bucks. the graphics are awesome, it's a lot of fun to play, the story is engaging it's just about perfect.

    The reason I had to scale my initial review of a 10 out of 10 back is because of the repeated story missions. They literally force you to replay missions you've already beat at    I had to scale my initial review back a bit. This game is absolutely amazing, worth every penny of 60 bucks. the graphics are awesome, it's a lot of fun to play, the story is engaging it's just about perfect.

    The reason I had to scale my initial review of a 10 out of 10 back is because of the repeated story missions. They literally force you to replay missions you've already beat at harder difficulties to progress. This was a really dumb design choice and I have no idea what Kojima was thinking. What they should have done instead is just allowed you to go back and replay those missions on harder difficulties if you wanted to. With the way it is this was an obvious ploy to extend the amount of missions available and pad out game time. Something that wasn't even needed as the game without these "extra" missions would have been amazing anyway.    … Expand
  88. leviathanarg
    Sep 26, 2015
    10
    A master piece.
    Visually stunning.
    Super fun to play.
    Very interesting story.
    Controls are very accurate.
    Nice score, music and voice acting.
    To those all feminazis and white knights complaining for one of the characters being too sexy... please step away and do not try to taint this masterpiece.
  89. MovieMuscle
    Sep 26, 2015
    3
    Honestly, it's a very mediocre game that's also occasionally awful; its disappointing quality has enraged me quite a bit. First of all, this is not an MGS game by any means. It's a game trying to sell out on the popularity of the modern RPG genre. "Hey guys, RPGs seem to be really cool right now. So, let's just ditch all the intricate story and boss fights--you know, what made MetalHonestly, it's a very mediocre game that's also occasionally awful; its disappointing quality has enraged me quite a bit. First of all, this is not an MGS game by any means. It's a game trying to sell out on the popularity of the modern RPG genre. "Hey guys, RPGs seem to be really cool right now. So, let's just ditch all the intricate story and boss fights--you know, what made Metal Gear Solid so lovable in the beginning--and just jam in a bunch of tedious features and some generic gameplay." The locations are repetitive; the side missions are repetitive; and the main missions are barely driven by story like the previous games were. I don't know about you guys, but "kill the (random) commander of the group" and "rescue 12 prisoners" sounds pretty outdated, boring, and generic to me.

    I've tried to get through the game, but it's really difficult. I ended up putting it off for three days in a row several times because I just ultimately didn't feel like playing it anymore. It gets old very fast, but of course, the shallow gamers nowadays will see a (misleadingly) vast open-world RPG game and immediately give it 10's across the board--completely shallow, in my opinion. If a game doesn't have story, it's a no-buy for me. If a frikkin' MGS game doesn't even have a story (because Kojima/Konami sold out and said less story/cutscenes would sell more copies ), it's right into the bin. Now that I think about it, I wouldn't even fret about calling it downright awful. Now, I can finally return to Witcher 3--a far more compelling RPG with a far more compelling story.    … Expand
  90. GrandMasterD
    Sep 25, 2015
    9
    This is one of my favorite Metal Gears. The tone was different in this one, it was darker, and made you think about what you were doing at times. I still like snake eater the best, but altogether with all of the features, and replayability of mgs5, it's the better game. I haven't been into any ps3 games like I have this one, it'd make my top ten ps3-ps4 games easily.
  91. snowtiger65
    Sep 25, 2015
    10
    One of the best games i have ever played and i literally have played most. Wasnt at all blown away by ground zeros , but this massive showcase of a game making genius is ,in one word, awesome.
  92. Big_Bear
    Sep 24, 2015
    8
    My god there are a lot of morons on here. To anyone reading this, as usual pay no attention to the stupid 0/10 'reviews', these idiots don't seem to understand a 0-10 scoring system. One particularly idiotic review comes from 'FullMcintosh', check it out if you want a laugh, he always gives games 0/10, so again, cannot even grasp the scoring system.

    The game is at the very least an    My god there are a lot of morons on here. To anyone reading this, as usual pay no attention to the stupid 0/10 'reviews', these idiots don't seem to understand a 0-10 scoring system. One particularly idiotic review comes from 'FullMcintosh', check it out if you want a laugh, he always gives games 0/10, so again, cannot even grasp the scoring system.

    The game is at the very least an 8/10, excellent gameplay, and graphics. If you are an mgs fan you will love it. If not, then try it anyway, its a very good game. The new open world (ish) setting adds something new and gives way more freedom and choices than previous mgs games.

    On the down side the story is pretty awful and the 'twist' at the end is one of the worst pieces of writing I have ever seen, truly awful. Other than that I'm very pleased with it. 8/10    … Expand
  93. MyComicStyle
    Sep 24, 2015
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Easily my most anticipated game in years and I'd say the wait was worth it. Mostly. For the most part this is an extremely polished, engaging, high quality adventure and pretty much perfect. There are some undeniable problems, though, most of which have to do with the story. I'll section this review into pieces.
    Gameplay: Let's start with the part that makes the game shine above everything. Gameplay in MGS V is absolutely amazing and easily makes it the best Metal Gear game to date. It's been a very long time since a game has captivated me this much with its gameplay. There's a lot to do, so many options of how to do those things and a whole bunch of replay value. There is a huge selection of weapons, gadgets, bionic arms and other tech that you can develop and use. Along with that you've also got tons of missions that can also be replayed many times to try out different routes, methods, weapons, to collect everything you missed the first time around or to finish the objectives that you've yet to do. The gameplay in the field, of course, is absolutely fantastic. As I said, there's an insane amount of options on how you can do things and the way Snake moves and controls is completely perfect. 10/10 for Gameplay.
    Graphics: Not gonna go too deep into this. The game is beautiful and looks exactly as good as in the trailers. Beautiful lighting and no framerate issues, nor any bugs that I noticed. 10/10 for Graphics.
    Story: Now, here's the part that's problematic. Metal Gear games have always been filled with story and this one is no exception. There's a ton of story, background information and more. Interesting is, is that the story is told through tapes rather than anything else. It's a good method to add more to the story, but it also somehow takes away a little from the story, because it makes you feel like some of the tapes should've been cutscenes. Anyway, that's not the actual problem with the story. The two biggest problems are that the story ends too abruptly. Mission 51 is missing, which means that Chapter 2 never truly ends, unless you watch the mission online or on the Collector's Edition Blu Ray. Not excusable, though. The bigger issue, though, is the fact that it really feels like Chapter 3 is completely missing. And that's not just coming from rumours. When you finish the game you just feel like there's something missing. Another Chapter, another location, another Support Buddy, name it, it all feels like it's missing. Just think of the storylines that weren't continued, like Kaz's apparent blindness, Big Boss' actual descent into a demon and so on. On top of that comes the fact that some of the cutscenes that were in the trailers didn't make it into the game. I don't know who's fault this is, whether it's Kojima or Konami, but it just feels like a third of the game is missing. No amount of audio-cassettes is going to make up for that omission. Chapter 1 was very focused and well done and all the cutscenes are beautiful and excellently directed, but Chapter 2 is quite unfocused, but not without its moments and the fact that there's an entire chapter missing is just a tragedy. On the one hand I hope we get it as DLC, but on the other hand I'm not so sure. Anyway, I'll give the story an 8/10.

    Altogether the game is still fantastic and nearly perfect, but the fact that a huge chunk is missing just sours it a little bit for me. 9/10.    … Expand
  94. fasihnho
    Sep 24, 2015
    10
    This game is the best game I have ever played hands down. The focus on gameplay is unbelievable and is what makes this game so good and re-playable, Hideo Kojima outdid himself on this one and as a fan of Metal Gear Solid on the PlayStation 1 (which is the game I grew up with), I haven't played any other Metal Gear game as it didn't seem to be that good, but even someone like me who doesThis game is the best game I have ever played hands down. The focus on gameplay is unbelievable and is what makes this game so good and re-playable, Hideo Kojima outdid himself on this one and as a fan of Metal Gear Solid on the PlayStation 1 (which is the game I grew up with), I haven't played any other Metal Gear game as it didn't seem to be that good, but even someone like me who does not know the back-story can play this game and love it for it's gameplay and you can get in to the story fairly quickly. The game let's you, decide how you play each mission, as an open world game they expect you to play every mission at your own pace. The amount of detail is amazing, every object/surface you touch, every step you make can determine whether the enemy spots you or not, it's a true stealth game. You can gather resources, extract soldiers and animals and you need to gather intel which helps completing the objective. You can strengthen your so called 'Mother Base', which is where you store all goods and resources you gathered to make medicine, (weapon)blueprints, and house animals and even soldiers with valuable skills (like translating Russian) whom you extracted from missions with your 'fulton'. There is too much to go through as there is a hell of a lot attention to detail to make this a hardcore stealth game.

    So if you're a fan of stealth games and/or want to have a nice, unique gaming experience with replayable content, do not hesitate, this is your game.    … Expand
  95. 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
  96. Batman2752
    Sep 24, 2015
    10
    I have been with metal gear sense the beginning. So believe me when I tell you this is one of the best metal gear games by far only rivaled by snake eater. This is the best farewell gift Kojima could ever give us!
  97. anzasaleemi
    Sep 24, 2015
    9
    i have spent 50+ hours in this game and i am not even half done.This game is the best game i have played in a long time,the open world and gameplay is superb and micromanaging your base is addictive as hell,
    the story jumps between realistic and **** crazy without a second thought,this id my game of the year.
  98. Totalhoney
    Sep 23, 2015
    9
    One of the best stealth games this year, even though it doesn't even have to be a stealth game. There really is no boundries on how to complete a mission except for the later hard tier of missions you've done before. What why would say though is that the story could've been better. it just ends so abruptly and left me wanting more! guess we'll have to wait for all that cut out story untilOne of the best stealth games this year, even though it doesn't even have to be a stealth game. There really is no boundries on how to complete a mission except for the later hard tier of missions you've done before. What why would say though is that the story could've been better. it just ends so abruptly and left me wanting more! guess we'll have to wait for all that cut out story until they bring out DLC! all in all if you own a ps4, this game is a must!… Expand
  99. gyigyo2
    Sep 23, 2015
    8
    I'm a big fan of MGS series I started when I was a child

    posiive:Game plot twist Punished snake (I'm not gonna spoiler here) gameplay soundtrack story negative: 1 too much focus on quiet,and the idiot parasite,zombies, 2 gray fox didn't even mentioned (Hideo Kojima stated he's personal favorite character) 3 Skull Face is underdeveloped character in TPP its like a c category    I'm a big fan of MGS series I started when I was a child

    posiive:Game plot twist Punished snake (I'm not gonna spoiler here)
    gameplay
    soundtrack
    story

    negative:
    1 too much focus on quiet,and the idiot parasite,zombies,
    2 gray fox didn't even mentioned (Hideo Kojima stated he's personal favorite character)
    3 Skull Face is underdeveloped character in TPP its like a c category movie, (unlike in GZ Skull face was a memoriable well developed! character!) Skull Face fate is ugly, and he never speaked in hungary language.
    4 no Solid Snake
    5 Eli is didn't get attention only little and disappointing ones
    6 cutted out story scenes from e3 2013/2014 trailers
    7 punished snake is look alike demon yet he never did any bad thing
    8 no solidus
    9 ocelot is pretty underdeveloped, like Skull Face was.

    Ahhh men? this is the LAST MGS game from KOJIMA? really? cant belive we waited so long for this game sometimes its a joke.. sometimes its pretty good.    … Expand
  100. Cstriker01
    Sep 23, 2015
    10
    One of the best entries in the MGS series. Very impressive, and the new mechanics are a natural evolution of the tactical stealth genre that MGS help establish. It is too bad that this is Kojima's last title with MGS as I would love to see where he would go next.

    The Good: Graphical fidelity is fantastic with great skyboxes and vistas. Some buildings can look bland, but this is far and    One of the best entries in the MGS series. Very impressive, and the new mechanics are a natural evolution of the tactical stealth genre that MGS help establish. It is too bad that this is Kojima's last title with MGS as I would love to see where he would go next.

    The Good: Graphical fidelity is fantastic with great skyboxes and vistas. Some buildings can look bland, but this is far and few between. The use of lighting plays a huge role with the detection system and enemy vision cones (which is no longer visible), coupled with a camo system and noise system creates a nice marriage of mechanics to make sneaking more natural. Enemies do have patrol patterns, but they are a little less predictable, but patterns are there. The base building metagame is AWESOME, I enjoy it and it makes you feel apart of a PMC and the MGS universe, it makes your base feel like a base and alive. Story is interesting but a little light, not a bad thing as I believe the gameplay more then makes up for this. Solid shooting mechanics and a great buddy, weapon, helicopter customization system.

    Bad: Not a lot really but there are a few points. The open world is great, but as a first foray into open world, you can feel it. Not a lot of wild life and zero civilians to engage with. But there is TONS to do so this doesn't hamper things.

    Motherbase, the base building aspect...none of the facilities are enterable. This sucked, I totally wanted to enter the buildings I was pumping resources into!

    Solid 10/10. GOTY contender indeed.    … Expand
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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.
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  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.
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  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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