Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Reviews
Yes stealth games aren't for everyone, but The Phantom Pain is so much more than a stealth game. What you are getting with Metal Gear Solid V is hours upon hours of the vision of one of the most creative and artistic directors in video game history.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain makes good on its word and delivers a great experience that's more than worthy of the saga's heritage. However, it's not exactly perfect, as the story requires a lot of pre-established knowledge, not to mention cassette-listening to make sense. The mechanics are polished in the campaign, but the FOB multiplayer does feel a bit pay-to-win with its microtransactions.
'Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain' isn't just great a stealth experience by 'Metal Gear' standards, it's a great stealth tour for this generation of gaming. The devs have built on the great prequel series and made an extremely sympathetic character of Big Boss. If this is Kojima's swan song, he has done it grandly.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is one of those releases the gaming community will be using as a benchmark for years to come. I just hope there's more story hidden somewhere in The Phantom Pain, or being delivered via DLC, to give the Metal Gear series the victory lap it deserves.
Metal Gear Solid V is something every new and every returning player to the franchise will appreciate.
Simply put, there is no better stealth-action gameplay system than the one within The Phantom Pain, and no better game as of yet in 2015.
The unfortunate truth is that its narrative fails to deliver a coherent and satisfying conclusion to the series, but as a stealth sandbox The Phantom Pain is peerless. Responsive controls, freedom to approach objectives, and extensive replayability make it an absolute joy that you won't want to put down. It's a diamond that may be flawed, but it is one that Kojima (and gamers) can hold with awe.
It's a very fun and varied game, but it does have its issues. So long as you're looking for an open world that doesn't demand you treat it seriously, there is something here for everyone.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a forgettable and shallow Metal Gear experience, and fans expecting this to be on par with any of the previous mainline releases will be disappointed, and, quite possibly, drop the game altogether before the lacklustre story decides to show up. It looks and plays fantastic, and the freedom to apply weapons and items to effective strategic use is second to none, but after hours of similar, tiring missions, with no incentive to drive forward or even return to once it's all done and dusted, it can't help but be wondered how on earth this turned out the way it did. This is no phantom pain, it's a physical one.
Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain is a phenomenal game. It is a credit to its quality that some rather substantial flaws do little to drag down the game, and even with them, it's destined to be remembered as one of the best titles this year. The variety and quality of gameplay make it a delight, and there's a lot of fun to be had. Metal Gear fans and newcomers alike should find a lot to like here. If it is the end of Kojima's Metal Gear career, then it's a high note to go out on.
Playing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was difficult. Perhaps this is the most complicated review I have ever done. The game carries so much sense for the franchise and the industry that it is impossible to be indifferent to external factors. Still, it feels like the franchise has always aspired to be this installment: in each mission, a deep and complex infiltration puzzle; in each boss, a challenge; in each enemy, the opportunity to strengthen yourself; in each shot, hope; in every word, almost 30 years of relentless creativity. This game is massive, complex, challenging, deep, ambitious, innovative. More than a simple video game, it is a life of devotion to a discipline.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
With Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain 'The Man Who Sold the World' and Hideo Kojima say goodbye forever in an elegy that will endure among the best games in history.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A revolutionary stealth from the legendary developer. Need to add something else?
Review in Polish | Read full review
Currently the best video game on the market? Without a doubt, we haven't had such an uncompromisingly playable and replayable game here for a long time.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Metal Gear Salid 5: Phantom Pain can be easily at the top of the table of the best games of the eighth generation, and for many, one of the best games of the last 15 years.
Review in Persian | Read full review
The game provided us with a unique experience.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
There's so much to say about Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, but it's a sprawling, evolving experience that it's best learnt first hand. So many elements are at play at any one time and I've only just scratched the surface of what it is capable of in this review. The number of unlocks is staggering and your play-style will drift over the 60 or so hours it takes to plough through this, offering one of the densest and most rewarding games of the year. It's already shaping up to a titanic battle for game of the year.
As it stands, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a great game hampered by some niggling concerns that can thankfully, be rectified with an update or two if Konami deems it fit. Nonetheless, if you persevere and you'll be treated to a slick open-world adventure that few can match.
Controlling Big Boss is so precise and supple, and the number of play choices so enormous, that failure can almost always be attributed to the player and the player alone. As a result, The Phantom Pain is a game where loss is often as empowering as victory is satisfying.
If you're a MGS purist, buy it on sale. If you're simply looking for an engaging stealth/action experience, you'd be doing yourself a major disservice if you steered clear of The Phantom Pain.