Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Reviews
There is very little on offer here. Multiple missions that reuse the exact same level over and over. While it does give us a good taste of what is to come in the full game, it feels like I was cheated out of my money by even paying for this. Ground Zeroes is a large demo and is not worth the crazy price they are charging for it. I am a big fan of MGS, but this was a cheap move to squeeze money out of fans who were desperately waiting for the release of MGS5. My advice would be to wait for 5 to come out, or at least wait until you see this game in the bargain bin.
Demos are free to try. Even if you consider this a short prequel, DLC is usually between $10 and $15. I'm against the business practice that "Ground Zeroes" has introduced. Therefore, I can't recommend this game, demo, prequel, or whatever you want to call it. Wait for it drop significantly in price, or to become free on PlayStation +. I'm sure that will happen as we get closer to the real game, "The Phantom Pain." "Ground Zeroes" has the stench of a cash-grab, which is an unfortunate thing to happen to a series that is as artistic as "Metal Gear Solid."
Audacious is the word that best describes Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. It contains quality material, but it's little more than a preview of something better, and as such, simply should not be presenting itself - deceptively - as a game in its own right.
Despite its brevity, the prologue to the hugely anticipated Metal Gear Solid V has superb stealth mechanics and stunning attention to detail -- but its pleasures come at a distinctly worrying price.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a demo being sold as a bargain-priced game. While the Metal Gear franchise is renowned for having exceptional game teasers, the idea of selling one of them at this price is absurd. The unsatisfying, unlockable content is painfully obvious filler. Not enough moments of gameplay or narrative consequence happen in the main mission to justify a price above $10, let alone the $20-$30 range.
Ground Zeroes feels more like a cash grab than a real follow-up
Ground Zeroes is an assured, above-average stealth shooter, something there are an abundance of. For years there has been a vocal group of people who have sought to temper the excesses and eccentricities of Hideo Kojima. In Ground Zeroes, Kojima has finally found an editor.
An amazing tech demo that now only holds a small piece of the story that’s needed. It’s a fun game, but instead, you should probably just pick up The Phantom Pain and enjoy that.
This short length of Ground Zeroes is definitely a downside, but consider this: would this style of gameplay hold up after 20 hours? It might be too soon to tell, but the structure seems like a radical departure from what made Metal Gear Metal Gear. Action purists will no doubt love its combat-centric gameplay, but those looking to wax nostalgic with a MGS title from 2014 best tread with caution.
[T]he game itself is far from a fully realized one. Its main mission can be completed in an hour, tops, and the story does little more than bridge the gap between 2010's Peace Walker and the upcoming The Phantom Pain.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes shines with its nipped and tucked mechanics. It feels like a step forward, and away from the Metal Gear series that I've grown tired of, but the bloated, preposterous narrative is in desperate need of liposuction.
As a way to show off all these new controls and concepts, Ground Zeroes is a success. As a full game experience, Ground Zeroes doesn't quite stand up. For everything Ground Zeroes does new and exciting, it's just a glimpse into the future of the franchise, and isn't a full-fledged game. Does it have us even more excited for The Phantom Pain? Absolutely. Did Ground Zeroes warrant a full retail release across multiple platforms? That's a bit more debatable. There are just too many empty calories here, and despite all the new facets presented, Ground Zeroes left us wanting.
Ground Zeroes probably won't alienate fans of the series, and in terms of giving players a taste of what to expect in the as-yet-undated Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, it delivers. But between its poor value proposition and its jarring darkness, it's not likely to make Snake and company any new friends.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes would undoubtedly make a powerful introductory mission to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, so it seems a little insidious of Konami to hold it to ransom. That being said, we really can't fault what little we played – as far as the mechanics and design are concerned – but although the additional content does go some way towards sweetening the pot, we find it difficult to recommend this on those merits alone. Although long-time fans of the series are likely to pick it up regardless, we believe that this single mission should never have been released on its own.
What might have seemed like a good idea to Kojima Productions at a glance instead comes across as a slight to fans. The limited scope and depth of the title scream cash grab, and the fact that Ground Zeroes' story is so razor thin makes that even more apparent. The game is a great showpiece for the FOX engine and for MGS 5's new stealth mechanics, but we definitely expected something more substantial. Even then, the short length or the price tag are not the issue here, it's the fact that Ground Zeroes feels incomplete, like somebody pulled a single mission out of a full game. That's what makes the game hard to recommend to any one but the most die hard fans.
Splitting Ground Zeroes back into a separate release was always going to be contentious. Thankfully, there is a lot more gameplay and depth than the early reports of the main mission's length suggested and it's full of potential for exploration, fan service and Kojima's particular brand of hackneyed allegories. Unfortunately, there is still too little primary content to justify the £29.99 price tag or even the £19.99 digital pricing for PS3/360, so I can't recommend this to anyone but a die hard MGS fan.
But, if you can’t wait to play some next gen, Metal Gear action much like myself, then pick this bad boy up, and take your time. I think that’s what the slogan for this game should be; “Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes – Take your sweet ass time, ‘cos you’re not getting another ’til 2015”.
Ground Zeroes is a stealthy sandbox, a playground that lets us get used to and experiment with the slick new Metal Gear mechanics. Its weak storyline and fleeting length are disappointing, but impressive replay value, extra content and undeniable quality will make The Phantom Pain's prologue worth the price of admission for many gamers.
For a very short time, I enjoyed 'Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes' as I would any new, exciting, and impressive 'Metal Gear' title. I couldn't help but be fascinated by some of the turns assigned to 'Peace Walker' characters, and that is the game's fundamental issue. The game comes across as premium priced fan service. The PS4 version is doubtlessly better than the PS3 version, but the jump in price from $20 to $30 makes the pretty, fun, and short game only suitable for hardcore fans. Cut the price in half and clean up some of the locked features, and the game's rating would be much higher even without adding more content.