Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain PS4 Review (2015)

93 hours.

That's how much time I spent in the world of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Funny enough, I looked at the Fall gaming season and wondered how I would fit the time to play and get the full experience out of these huge titles. Metal Gear Solid V made me realize one thing: I will make the time. Unlike house chores, MGSV was the one thing I wanted to go back to every time I could. So, what makes this video game so special that it keeps me up until 4 am on the weekends?

As the creator of the Metal Gear Solid series with a talented development team, Kojima always wanted to expand and evolve each game from its last iteration. Since MGSV is Hideo Kojima's last ride with the franchise, he decided to take the classic tactical espionage gameplay into an open-world game setting. I wondered for the longest of how a stealth game would make sense with open-world mechanics, but Kojima has proven once again that he is a master of his art.

After the events of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes and the destruction of Militaires Sans Frontieres (MSF), our main character, Big Boss, falls into a coma. Nine years later, Big Boss awakens with one mission in mind: to rebuild Mother Base and seek revenge on the men responsible for destroying MSF. Along the way, Big Boss will reunite with old comrades, face new enemies, and make tough choices as commander of his new mercenary group, The Diamond Dogs. 

From the beginning of the game, you don't start out with a lot to improve on in Mother Base, your video game hub to access all missions, upgrades, etc. As you go from mission to mission, whether it's story related or not, you gradually unlock more things to do and build on for Mother Base, and there's a ton to expand. I never felt overwhelmed with how much there is to do in the game, and that's because it wasn't thrown at me all at once. By hour 20, Mother Base will be unrecognizable from when you initially started, giving a visual sense of accomplishment that's really satisfying.

Sneaky, sneaky

Missions will include what you would expect from a stealth game: extract this person/item, infiltrate a base, execute/recruit this person, and a few others are present multiple times. It may seem tedious, but that's where the open-world mechanics come into play to spice up the variety.

If you want to infiltrate a base with guns blazing, have fun Rambo. Or maybe wait until the cover of night and sneak into the base? Just be sure to bring your night-vision goggles. The best part about MGSV is the ability to play any mission however you want, and the enemies in the game responding to your play style, ultimately encouraging you to play differently and unpredictable.

For instance, if you are a headshot master, enemy troops will start wearing helmets. If you like taking on missions a night, enemies will start to wear night-vision goggles.

Rather than each and every mission tailoring to a unique set piece, it's the player's choice to create those unique moments, which is something I thoroughly enjoyed.

My only gripe from missions is not the repetition of types, but rather the recycled locations. I can understand why areas are being reused in this open-world, but it doesn't help that some most of it felt... lifeless. You have the option to drive or ride a horse to mission locations, but the venture would be boring since the areas are empty and not all that interesting.

D-Dog is the best dog

New to the Metal Gear Solid series is the buddy system where Big Boss is able to recruit and bring along a member into missions. There are only a handful of buddies, but they stand out as the most varied and fun to use in any video game I've played. One of your buddies is able to scope out an entire base and reveal enemy locations, while another can cause distractions to shift an enemy's focus. Your companions are not one-trick ponies either since each can be upgraded with new or enhanced abilities and equipment.

What I loved most about MGSV was the amount of depth and love put into every detail of the game. We all know gameplay is king, and MGSV rules the iron throne. While the story's conclusion is a little unsatisfying and the recycled mission locations are noticeable. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a masterpiece in design and gameplay. It's the epitome of fun, sandbox play that will keep you up all night.

I see dog, I love dog, dog gets shotgun seat. Simple.