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. damianpara
    Sep 9, 2015
    9
    Ending a huge franchise such as MG is not an easy thing to do, nor is evolving and progressing the series as each game goes by. For the record MGSV is the most evolved entry in the series, and fans who have stuck close to Snake and co. all these years may feel a sense of hallow and misguidance after the first few hours into this game. Yes the intro is long, a-la MGS4 cut scene with a fewEnding a huge franchise such as MG is not an easy thing to do, nor is evolving and progressing the series as each game goes by. For the record MGSV is the most evolved entry in the series, and fans who have stuck close to Snake and co. all these years may feel a sense of hallow and misguidance after the first few hours into this game. Yes the intro is long, a-la MGS4 cut scene with a few moments that allow the player some control, more so masked as a tutorial. After that it's straight game play, the first 20 hours left me asking for more cut scene! Which I'm sure is the inner MG fan asking for more clarification, as I'm definitely not used to this much game play, without a lengthy explanation about the absurd situation that had just occurred. Most of the game's extraneous story, is delivered to the player via recordings given in the form of cassette tapes. Given the vast amount of exploration and seem less control between the open world and Mother Base, it's actually a great medium to listen in on some of the on-goings in the background as you're trying to organise your Mother Base staff, initiate your men into war, locate resources etc. But if you're a die-hard MG fan, my advise to you is; put everything you know aside when playing this game. I'll give you ten bucks if you don't drop your jaw in awe for the environment that you explore, the animation of the characters that are almost lifelike, the gorgeous graphics and even the added Mother Base missions and extra Side Ops. Although as amazing as this all is, the game does have some niggles that at times required me to get off my seat, and inhale a sense of "I will not punch my screen", as the controls can sometimes become extremely frustrating, especially when handling D-Horse. But these minor issues aside, I am having the absolute time of my life with this game and you should too. Is it the best MG game for the fans? I'm actually not sure. Is it one of the best games I have ever played? Absolutely.… Expand
  2. Velsuan
    Sep 9, 2015
    9
    Best gameplay ever in a MGS game! The main plot is ridiculous (as expected), but the game is just awesome! Take your time, sneak around, don't kill anybody. Big Boss is a ninja, so... act like it should be!

    Be warned that the "base" part of this game is time consuming and sometime tedious, and the online "invasion" in the middle of a main mission will probably put you off. If that's the    Best gameplay ever in a MGS game! The main plot is ridiculous (as expected), but the game is just awesome! Take your time, sneak around, don't kill anybody. Big Boss is a ninja, so... act like it should be!

    Be warned that the "base" part of this game is time consuming and sometime tedious, and the online "invasion" in the middle of a main mission will probably put you off. If that's the case, just go offline.

    Some people said there was no boss fight in this game.... but the thing is you will have the choice to fight some main enemies as boss fights... Just keep your cool, don't run, and face the heat! ;)    … Expand
  3. AndyZ88
    Sep 8, 2015
    7
    As a new player to the MGS series, I gave into the pre-launch hype and I was excited about it, but ultimately I feel the game was overall a disappointment. The graphics are good and the lighting is masterfully done, but there's not a lot of other positive things I can say about the game.

    The world feels empty and feels like it's created just to tie together a bunch of outposts. The    As a new player to the MGS series, I gave into the pre-launch hype and I was excited about it, but ultimately I feel the game was overall a disappointment. The graphics are good and the lighting is masterfully done, but there's not a lot of other positive things I can say about the game.

    The world feels empty and feels like it's created just to tie together a bunch of outposts. The scenery looks really good, but I can't help think how lazy the devs were when 3/4 out of the surface of the Afghanistan map is made of corridors through rocks. Which, admittedly, look beautiful.. I was also surprised by how rigid the animations look, and what a lack of variety there is. They could've at least added some more animations to the close-quarters fighting & such..

    There really aren't many things to do in this game world, other than the "kill this guy" / "save that guy" repetitive missions, set in the same bases, over and over again. The gameplay is also not very deep, the whole game consists basically of crawling up to an enemy, interrogating him and extracting him with the Fulton device. There are gadgets you can use, but the open world and rigid nature of it prevent you from having any meaningful stealth takedowns & tactics. At some point I just gave up and played it as a shooter, but then I realised the shooting mechanics are also unimpressive.

    The AI is bad. Sometimes is spots you from miles away, during night time...Sometimes it can't see you a couple of meters away. Sometimes you are 20m away pointing the gun at them and they're just trying to figure out what's in front of them... Also it's very underwhelming, it's like the AI has no tactic, the enemies are just flocking to take cover where ever they can and that's it... No flanking tactics, very predictable, very easy to clean out entire bases, it makes you feel like you're the Terminator, not some special ops guy who still needs to be a ghost to survive a base full of soldiers...

    I'm not going to say anything about the story. As a first time MGS player, it obviously doesn't carry much weight for me, as it does for MGS fans. The storytelling style in MGS is not really something I enjoy, to me the cutscenes and character behavior is just weird. I'm just gonna leave it at "I don't get the artist's vision".

    All in all, I feel like if this game hadn't been called Metal Gear Solid, it would get far from the 10/10 reviews it's getting, and would receive far less attention. And it's sad to see a game with so many flaws and so many shortcomings, pull out these perfect marks in supposedly professional magazines, and get these "BEST GAME EVER" reactions.... No, it is far from a "best game ever", and it's far from GOTY 2015. In the year of the Witcher, Batman AK, Bloodborne, Dying Light, the upcoming Fallout 4, it simply doesn't have the quality to compete at this level.    … Expand
  4. justdoit
    Sep 8, 2015
    10
    That moment when you create a Metacritic account just to say how good a game is
    If you are on the fence get it now

    GOTY of 2015 no doubt no question
  5. picacrazy
    Sep 8, 2015
    0
    The last Kojimas Metal gear has too many problems. The plot twist is ridiculously terrible! It really mess with all the fhanchise history. Beside that, Phantom Pain has many repetitive missions over and over again the same style of mission. Come on!!! I am very dissapointed
  6. Areshandore
    Sep 8, 2015
    8
    I had a BIG expectation on this game.
    My first impressions in my first 3 hours of game-play:
    First minutes thoughts: "Hey, this is like Witcher 3 world grabbing these flowers. Maybe they're using the same engine" After not being able to cross to another side of a mountain with an alert to not abort the mission: "Hey, this is that alert I used to see in Battlefield games and I hate    I had a BIG expectation on this game.
    My first impressions in my first 3 hours of game-play:

    First minutes thoughts:
    "Hey, this is like Witcher 3 world grabbing these flowers. Maybe they're using the same engine"

    After not being able to cross to another side of a mountain with an alert to not abort the mission:
    "Hey, this is that alert I used to see in Battlefield games and I hate it. It's not open world like GTA or Witcher definitely, it's only a very large map, empty scenario but makes good wallpapers..."

    After receiving the first C rank:
    "Hmmm, I used to be better in Metal Gear Solid games, maybe I'm getting old..."

    After seeing credits on the end of each mission:
    "This is not funny, it's boring."

    Running from the "bosses" without noticing square button makes the horse run faster:
    :-/

    Wasting points for using the balloon in the tutorial:
    WTF?! D:

    Being advised that I should not use the balloon to clean dead bodies of the area:
    "Oh God, this was my first idea, this gadget should be for cleaning because grabbing soldiers for my own army is not fun".

    Overall after these 3 hours:
    A little disappointed. The first hours of MGS4 were much better. I think they were low in budget.

    I hope I change my opinion. If yes I will come back later to improve my review.    … Expand
  7. bw217904
    Sep 8, 2015
    10
    game is so good I made an account to give my first review ever. My favorite games in the last 10 years are now: Skyrim, Mass Effect Series, Metal Gear Solid V (no particular order), the game is perfect, definitely the best game on next gen and I play A LOT of games. I haven't stopped playing since I bought last monday, definitely need to start an AA meeting for this game.
  8. Shiftian_Be
    Sep 8, 2015
    10
    I dont throw around points easily. I've been playing games since Alex The Kid back on Sega. Have been a MGS-fan since Ps1 (although I know its not nearly the first MG) and have enjoyed virtually all of them, even the cinematic last 'conclusion' of the series.
    Although MGSV feels more like an ultimate Peacewalker rather than ultimate (classic) MGS, it's an amazing experience.. Im yet to    I dont throw around points easily. I've been playing games since Alex The Kid back on Sega. Have been a MGS-fan since Ps1 (although I know its not nearly the first MG) and have enjoyed virtually all of them, even the cinematic last 'conclusion' of the series.
    Although MGSV feels more like an ultimate Peacewalker rather than ultimate (classic) MGS, it's an amazing experience.. Im yet to conclude the game and although the game, up untill now, has not yet moved me or gripped me storywise like it did before, the gameplay that is to be experienced is amazing. Maybe not as big of an open world as some other titles but the shear amount of gadgets, wepons, buddies, vehicles and tactics provide an unparralelled sandbox-experience.

    Get this!    … Expand
  9. DonMega
    Sep 8, 2015
    6
    I'll give an honest review as I am not a so called "fan boy" of the mgs series and I didn't have any hype for this game. The first MGS i played was MGS 4.
    Note: I haven't played ground zero.
    This review will be split into 2 parts because the game is split into 2 very different chapters and major quality in gameplay differences. I think the major difference between quality of gameplay    I'll give an honest review as I am not a so called "fan boy" of the mgs series and I didn't have any hype for this game. The first MGS i played was MGS 4.
    Note: I haven't played ground zero.

    This review will be split into 2 parts because the game is split into 2 very different chapters and major quality in gameplay differences.
    I think the major difference between quality of gameplay is solely because of the internal feud between Hideo Kojima (the series director and creator) and Hojima (the production company) falling out and break up during development of MGS:V. Also please note this is fully my speculation.

    If I rated the game solely on Chapter 1 I would give the game a 8/10 rating. But rating chapter 2 my rating falls to 2/10.

    Chapter 1: 8/10:
    In the beginning the game is fun, the story is good and engaging. The gameplay is exciting and new. The cutscenes are awesome. The only drawback of giving the game the perfect score is that it is slightly repetitive. The side missions (side ops) consist of 5 missions rehashed 157 or so times at different locations. Don't let the 157 side missions number fool you. It's just a number and gimmick to put on the box.
    The locations also get boring pretty quickly, i knew nothing of the game before playing it so i was expecting various locations but this game mostly features sandy locations in afganistan and africa. Africa and Afganistan look the same for the most part and are a lazy created location.

    The AI is decent, they do adapt to your playstyle but are dumb nontheless. Eventually you will get to a point where the AI will snipe you with a shotgun from 300m away and my only deaths were caused by close range shotguns. Even a direct mortar hit didn't kill me.
    Controlling snake gets annoying at times, he has troubles climbing over the thousands of small rocks scattered all over afganistan and africa.
    Tanks you drive will get stuck hitting some small bushes and little rocks which makes driving them not as fun as you'd imagine.

    But other than all those cons chapter 1 main missions are very enjoyable and put together. The game feels engaging at this moment and you want to better your army, upgrade items and continue doing the same side missions.

    Chapter 2:
    I think this is where someone else took the reigns from Hideo Kojima.
    The game takes a huge nose dive in quality of gameplay. It solely feels like they just made a chapter 2 to extend the overall game time. The story feels different a new. You don't really care about anything happening in this storyline.

    A ridiculous mission unlocking system where you are forced to do a number of side missions to progress in the story. Which would be fine if they weren't the same rehashed side missions you did 100+ times in Chapter 1
    The main story missions are lazyily designed, boring and some are just baffling. Number 45 mission, without revealing anything is probably one of the worst missions in a single AAA title I have played in the last 6 years.
    During the missions I just couldn't comprehend how it was the same game I played earlier in the first chapter.
    Here I completely stopped doing the extra tasks and made it my mission to end the game asap. I honestly couldn't do it, my breaking point was mission 45, yes 1 mission before the ending. I got so bored of this ridiculous mission I rather go on youtube and watch Furious Don play it.
    Now I haven't touched the online bit and I won't as I've already sold my copy of the game to someone but I hear it has microtransactions which are mostly pay to win.

    Someone really dropped the ball on this game and could have made it one of the best games ever.

    Who should buy it?

    Hardcore MGS fans.
    People who can wait a couple months and buy this for $40. It's fun for about 10-15 hours. Depending how long chapter 1 takes you. Which is a decent amount of time, but I'm afraid chapter 2 (if bought at regular price) would feel like a rip off.

    Who shouldn't buy it?

    New ps4 users who believed the hype from friends should get witcher 3 instead. That is a top quality game.
    If you bought the PS4 solely for the release of MGS 4, please return in and get witcher 3 so that you get your moneys worth    … Expand
  10. OutlawTX
    Sep 8, 2015
    10
    I've played a lot...I'm talkin A LOT of friggin games. I've been an avid gamer since the days of Legend of Zelda, Metroid and FF1 on Nintendo. Hell I even had an Atari 2600 and Intellivision before that. That being said, This game is one of the most amazing games I've played. Period. I've got around 60 hours into it and am only at 50% completion. I can already see that I'll still beI've played a lot...I'm talkin A LOT of friggin games. I've been an avid gamer since the days of Legend of Zelda, Metroid and FF1 on Nintendo. Hell I even had an Atari 2600 and Intellivision before that. That being said, This game is one of the most amazing games I've played. Period. I've got around 60 hours into it and am only at 50% completion. I can already see that I'll still be playing after 100%. Congrats to Kojima and his crew. They made a masterpiece, all while, fighting Konami every step of the way. That fight paid off.… Expand
  11. EmoOutlaw
    Sep 8, 2015
    7
    Very solid game, beautiful graphics and gameplay but I always found myself being bored and wondering why I wasn't playing something more engaging. The story could be way better also.
  12. VicViper1984
    Sep 8, 2015
    10
    Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is without a doubt a modern classic. It is a game that dares to push boundaries and to be truly ambitious where far too many developers and their series are far too comfortable stagnating with each iteration of their respective series. Whether you are a long time fan of the series, a newcomer, or even someone who found previous titles in the seriesMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is without a doubt a modern classic. It is a game that dares to push boundaries and to be truly ambitious where far too many developers and their series are far too comfortable stagnating with each iteration of their respective series. Whether you are a long time fan of the series, a newcomer, or even someone who found previous titles in the series weren't really your thing, or just outright disliked them, I implore you to try this game, really try it. I say this because it is one of the only instances in gaming history where a series has made such an incredibly and surprisingly massive leap forward, not only for the series itself, but more importantly for gaming as a whole. This is the kind of game that sets a standard, this is the kind of game that's merits can not be simply measured by the sum of it's parts. I can only hope, and pray that other gamers will look at this game as a shining example of the difference between a game that is produced with true care and creativity, with ambition behind it and innovation pushing it forward and making it a reality, and games that are just yearly releases of the same old **** running on dated engines, with barely any real change save for new maps and a new generic story, pushed out too early and often buggy and incomplete, with withheld content planned as DLC's right from the start.

    Don't get me wrong The Phantom Pain is not a "perfect game" nothing is of course. It has it's fair share of issues, could have a better fast travel system, missions could be a bit more varied, has a few bugs that could be cleared up, vehicles could have been made to preform better. But overall, in the grand scheme of what the game offers, and also compared to the faults of MOST modern games, it's flaws are negligible at their worst. And that is impressive considering how technically advanced the game is, the fact that it's on every console and PC barring the Wii/Wii U, and that it's running on an entirely new engine on unfamiliar consoles. That's almost always a recipe for a whole lot of technical glitches that this game is surprisingly lacking in all things considered.

    The one really major "flaw" that may turn some people off from this game is how it approaches it's story. Due to the extensive length of the game, and also due to the fact that it's both a Prequel and a Sequel to a long running timeline (which is a writing nightmare) the game has a relatively slow pace that won't grab a good number of people. This is amplified by the fact that Kojima made a strong attempt at shifting the focus in storytelling to be more action and expression based than dialogue based, which for any film freaks like myself, is great. The cinematography is second to none, but I fully understand how it would be hard for many to really take in. The game does provide exposition in the form of cassette tapes you can play whenever you'd like. But still I can see how the story may not click with a good deal of people. That said it is quite a violent and often times grim game, so it's great for those who are interested games that are a bit more on the mature side.

    Gameplay and presentation are where the game really shines though. As the focus has shifted from what was a cut scene heavy series, MGSV is in nearly every way, the most amazingly detailed game-play experience yet in gaming, the beauty behind it is the level of depth in it's mechanics which is what Hideo Kojima is known for, although it's always been on such a small scale. George Weidman from Super Bunnyhop once said "If The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim is an ocean that's a foot deep, the Metal Gear Solid 3, is the Mariana Trench." Which is something that I would agree with. And now, Kojima has taken that depth that warranted such a statement and has applied it to an "ocean" of his own, no longer confined to such a limited scale or game length, MGSV is one of the very few games where you can do just about anything you could ever want to do and more, and more importantly, where it all feels good, where it's all natural and applicable, where any choice you make is a valid choice that isn't penalized or ineffective. But what's more it may be the ONLY game I have ever played that grows and adapts to how it's being played and then works to counter it and forces the player to grow and adapt, all thanks to it's multitude of features that all work in tandem to make each time you replay a mission, or replay the game unique, and unpredictable.

    If you have any doubts about purchasing MGSV, I implore you to throw caution to the wind and buy this game, it is without a doubt, the best game purchase you'll have made in the last decade. And it will serve to send a message to developers that this is the level of quality we expect from our games, and that we as gamers are done being shoehorned in to only having a steady stream of rehashed bull**** available for us to play. Support quality, not marketability and profit margins.    … Expand
  13. Obiwanmark
    Sep 8, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This was the first Metal Gear game I've played, and it is one of, if not the best game I've played this generation. Game play is spot on, brilliant mechanics, great sound track and a great story with! Wasn't a fan of the true ending, and also thought the missions which you replay under certain circumstances post 30 were a bit cheap, however, this in no way hinders this game being a masterpiece.… Expand
  14. Slash_wisdom
    Sep 8, 2015
    10
    The long anticipated MGSV is a nice blend of all 5 MGS titles in one with a new open world freedom to explore and gives you the player the freedom to infiltrate however you like. Big Boss tale of revenge is very fun to see what and how Big Boss became a villain, he's quiet and has a new voice in (Sutherland) when he does speak I personally miss David Hayter but that does not effect theThe long anticipated MGSV is a nice blend of all 5 MGS titles in one with a new open world freedom to explore and gives you the player the freedom to infiltrate however you like. Big Boss tale of revenge is very fun to see what and how Big Boss became a villain, he's quiet and has a new voice in (Sutherland) when he does speak I personally miss David Hayter but that does not effect the game as a whole. This game is hands down the perfect storm to old and new generations of MGS fans and g=gamers alike and has game of the year written all over it. A must buy.… Expand
  15. SeanGamerDays
    Sep 8, 2015
    9
    Love what Kojima done to the franchise. But Konami just throw his ass off the game. As you know, Snake unit got eliminated & wasted. The fun ways in this game was to, freeroamingly go everywhere the $%&@ you want, finding easter eggs, and surprise the bad guy!
  16. Sceptic
    Sep 7, 2015
    10
    This is a Masterpiece.I've never been a MGS fan,though 4 was good,but this game,despite it's slowish start turned out magnificently.The options to play as you wish are all there.Want that S rank?Play slow and stealthy like a Ninja.Want to call in air support and bombardments and go in guns blazing?Go for it!.Want to go half 'n' half?Yep!Want to skip the annoying credits after eachThis is a Masterpiece.I've never been a MGS fan,though 4 was good,but this game,despite it's slowish start turned out magnificently.The options to play as you wish are all there.Want that S rank?Play slow and stealthy like a Ninja.Want to call in air support and bombardments and go in guns blazing?Go for it!.Want to go half 'n' half?Yep!Want to skip the annoying credits after each mission?You can!Online features are minimal at this stage,though I'd expect a Battle Royale or two in there hopefully.Some game systems can be opaque at first and it will take some time to get that weapon you're craving but it's all worth it in the end.It's not as masterful as The Witcher 3,but is a GOTY contender nonetheless.Play it!… Expand
  17. 2cben
    Sep 7, 2015
    6
    I played 15 hours so far here is how I feel about this game, I don't think it's a bad game but it is NOT a masterpiece nor a perfect game.

    I just don't understand how the media (especially IGN) would often give this game a perfect score. Perfect score would mean perfect game right? Here is a list of what's far from being perfect: - The world may be big but it's impressively empty.    I played 15 hours so far here is how I feel about this game, I don't think it's a bad game but it is NOT a masterpiece nor a perfect game.

    I just don't understand how the media (especially IGN) would often give this game a perfect score. Perfect score would mean perfect game right? Here is a list of what's far from being perfect:

    - The world may be big but it's impressively empty. Apart from doing the mission what is there to do? Capture animals and pick wild flowers? How exciting! Everywhere looks the same!
    - The eyesight of the enemy is just bad, they will notice something if you're like 30 meters away then will walk a few meters and then go back like everything is normal. They will spot you if you're literally in standing in front of them. I'm not saying they should see you from 200 meters away but it's hard to take the whole thing seriously when you feel that you're playing against an army of blind soviet soldiers.
    - Snake spends way too much time crawling backward ...
    - Credits at the end of every mission? Seriously? Ideo Kojima must have some big ego issues, his name appears 100 times in total.
    - Oh well the story ...

    My game progress reports %9 but I already feel like I did all the different type of mission (extraction, kill the target, find this document, destroy this thing ...)

    There is obviously lots of great things about the game too but it's seriously impacted by all this clumsyness/empty world/I can't jump...    … Expand
  18. Kawai
    Sep 7, 2015
    9
    Finally.
    An amazing must-have game for next-gen.
    Rare to see a game that's NOT over-hyped & then NOT pushed out the doors early.
    They took their sweet time. And they nailed it on the head.
    WIN!
    (and i've only ever played Snake Eater & the prequel last year (didn't care much for it)
    This game, however, is a solid bet for GotY.
    -Only giving a 9 because nothing is perfect. :)
  19. TheGamer5543
    Sep 7, 2015
    10
    This game is a masterpiece. There is no other way to say it. Easily the best gameplay in any Metal Gear game, hands down. The graphics are SPECTACULAR, and I played it on Xbox 360. On PS4, the game obviously looks beautiful. Same goes for Xbox One and PC. The story is intriguing.

    I have nothing but good things to say about this game. It is a must own for any platform.
  20. Quenouille
    Sep 7, 2015
    10
    This game doesn't feel like a metal gear game, but the gameplay is awesome! You always have something to do and after 40 hrs I'm at 20% of completion. it's the best 60$ I have spend!
  21. jules1964
    Sep 7, 2015
    10
    I will keep it short and sweet. I sold Witcher 3 to buy this game and boy oh boy i'm glad i did. To me Witcher 3 open world didn't seem life like enough for me but when i play mgs5 i forget about everything in real life and i am actually in the game. This is one game i will never sell or tire of.
  22. partyintheback
    Sep 7, 2015
    3
    As a fan of the Metal Gear series, particularly 1, 2 and 3, this game has left me disappointed. Why is that? First, it's an open world game. Now mind you, I have nothing against open world games. Open world games can be a blast if done right. Since this is the first time Metal Gear has gone open world, I had high expectations that they'd not only meet but exceed their competitors when itAs a fan of the Metal Gear series, particularly 1, 2 and 3, this game has left me disappointed. Why is that? First, it's an open world game. Now mind you, I have nothing against open world games. Open world games can be a blast if done right. Since this is the first time Metal Gear has gone open world, I had high expectations that they'd not only meet but exceed their competitors when it came to creating a world that you actually want to explore. I mean, what is the point of making an open world game if it's not interesting to traverse? If you're not going to do that, just make it a linear game like prior games in the series and perfect each space by littering them full of interesting things to see and do. And here is my first complaint with Metal Gear Solid 5. The open world is uninteresting. You have Africa and Afghanistan. Both overly brown, void of much life, and little to hold your interest while moving throughout the world. While there are side missions sprinkled throughout the world, the side missions are, sadly enough, entirely filler content that does little to add to the game. Actually, they sort of detract from the game overall. Instead of creating a linear, narrative-driven Metal Gear Solid, they've created an open world, one that doesn't have anything interesting going on in it, and then try to throw in some copy & paste side missions that are incredibly uninteresting and by-the-numbers in their design. But, then, the story must be good, especially if you're a Metal Gear fan, right? Wrong. For whatever reason, Konami replaced their old voice actors with new, more recognizable actors. For example, instead of David Hayter, we get Kiefer Sutherland. Not only does his performance fail in comparison to Hayter's, he rarely even talks throughout the game. And here's another issue, there's barely any cutscenes compared to the prior Metal Gear's. While I'll concede that prior Metal Gear's may have been overkill when it came to cutscenes, but they've swung the pendulum so far from that that there's not enough now. I do agree that the gameplay here is solid and enjoyable, but when the world it takes place in, the narrative that surrounds, and the extra content is so poor, I can't give it praise that it simply doesn't deserve. If you're a fan of open world games, this will disappoint you. If you're a fan of Metal Gear Solid's past, this will disappoint. As a fan of both, I'm floored that people are giving this game high marks. I can only surmise that it's because people were really hyped about it and now they're forgiving issues that they'll soon come to dislike. As is the case very often with people who play games and people who write about them, they sometimes overlook glaring issues when they release and then only come to grips with the fact that the game wasn't all that years down the road. Metal Gear Solid V is one such game.… Expand
  23. xtabrisx
    Sep 7, 2015
    9
    People rating this game so low are just haters. Now, focusing on the game:
    This is probably one of the best games ever. It went directly to my top 5 of all time. The story it's not the best, games like MGS, MGS3 and MGS4 are way deeper in story terms, but the gameplay, the graphics, the sidequests, the characters, and many other things make this game REALLY HUGE.
    I've been playing for 55    People rating this game so low are just haters. Now, focusing on the game:
    This is probably one of the best games ever. It went directly to my top 5 of all time. The story it's not the best, games like MGS, MGS3 and MGS4 are way deeper in story terms, but the gameplay, the graphics, the sidequests, the characters, and many other things make this game REALLY HUGE.
    I've been playing for 55 hours and still wanting more.
    Thank you Mr. Kojima for such an amazing game. You're just too good for Konami ;)    … Expand
  24. Fu_l_-_-_l_
    Sep 7, 2015
    9
    The only thing missing was octocamo from mgs4. This mgs doesn't use camouflage at all. The enemies see you when they see you. Other than that is has aspects of destiny, mgs 1 and 2 and of course ground zeros.
  25. zovanni
    Sep 7, 2015
    10
    An absolute masterpiece. Music is great, graphics and gameplay above real, i've been waiting for this for years. Who are the fools that gave to this piece of art a zero? They should be kicked out of mc, they're not from planet earth
  26. Dat_One_Critic
    Sep 7, 2015
    8
    I am having mixed feelings. Gameplay is by far amazing. Graphics are awesome. And me being new to the series i thought the story was fun, thrilling and amazing. But the ending. The ending felt like Destiny. To finish the cliffhanger of the story it seems like your going to have to pay for the rest of the story.
    Story 8/10
    Graphics 8/10
    Gameplay 9/10
  27. Jimmy_Rinser
    Sep 7, 2015
    10
    So good. Game allows you to be very creative and play in what ever way you want. graphics and setting all look incredible. Even though it has gone away from the more linier MGS style of gameplay you can still find yourself in all sorts of situations which still feel like original MGS games. Story is a little lacking but it kind of stays true the time in the story of which it is set. AnySo good. Game allows you to be very creative and play in what ever way you want. graphics and setting all look incredible. Even though it has gone away from the more linier MGS style of gameplay you can still find yourself in all sorts of situations which still feel like original MGS games. Story is a little lacking but it kind of stays true the time in the story of which it is set. Any lover of the old MGS games will truly enjoy this. Well worth the wait… Expand
  28. Pwnographyz
    Sep 7, 2015
    10
    I've never ever had a Gameplay like this in any Game ever, the extremely many possibilities u're offered finishing a Mission. This was the first MGS for me, didn't played any others, I've never been gripped that hard into a Story like this one. There are so many 'wait, don't tell me this is poss... THIS IS POSSIBLE?!' moments. Also the hundreds of small details put in the Game gets a smileI've never ever had a Gameplay like this in any Game ever, the extremely many possibilities u're offered finishing a Mission. This was the first MGS for me, didn't played any others, I've never been gripped that hard into a Story like this one. There are so many 'wait, don't tell me this is poss... THIS IS POSSIBLE?!' moments. Also the hundreds of small details put in the Game gets a smile into my face. By far the most fun game I've ever played. 120 hours into currently. 81% Finished.… Expand
  29. lindell
    Sep 7, 2015
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is like an ice cream from your youth. An ice cream containing all your favorite ingredients: vanilla, chocolate, toffee and some rainbow sprinkles on top.

    The ice cream stayed the same during 30 years, and you loved it during all this time. Suddenly the manufacturer decides to cater to the masses that only wants vanilla ice cream. The chocolate, toffee and the sprinkles are gone, ruining the ice cream for the people who loved it to begin with.

    This what I feel happened to the game. Everything that made metal gear solid good is gone with this game, to make a game to cater to the casual crowd who only want to shoot some guards. No more cutscenes, no story progression and on top of that an ending that defecates on the rest of the series like D-horse does on the enemies in this game.

    It's a sad way to say good bye to the series. The game with the best gameplay and the best graphics in the series, turned out to be the worst metal gear in the series.    … Expand
  30. Abhigyanparasha
    Sep 7, 2015
    10
    This game is a masterpiece. Releasing without bugs and having so much content to do at all times. Not only is this the best game of this year, but also it is the best AAA release in the past few years. This is a must buy.
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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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