Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Reviews
The greatest achievement in Ground Zeroes is how bold it feels. There's so much new, and none of it obfuscates what originally made Metal Gear Solid special. There's still thrilling stealth and an attention to detail that's rarely seen, but all of it is smarter and streamlined. Ground Zeroes may only be a taste of what's to come, but it looks like Metal Gear is heading in the right direction.
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.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a good value for the $20 entry-level fee, provided you are willing to explore every nook and cranny of the environment and all of the possible ways of playing.
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.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes has a brief narrative, but its short length is bolstered by flexible side missions and exceptional replayability.
Fission Mailed?
A brief but entertaining prologue that is marred by the question of value for money and an empty story that has no resolution unless you buy the next game.
Ground Zeroes feels more like a cash grab than a real follow-up
Welcome back, Snake. You've been missed.
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.
On paper, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes sounds like an elaborate demo. In reality, it's a bigger game than it initially seems. Spend five hours with the game, and you'll be lucky if your completion is even nearing 25%. Play for eight or more, and you'll still be wringing juice out of Camp Omega. Be warned, at face value, this game is small, but there's much more to Ground Zeroes than meets Big Boss' one eye.
In many ways, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is the biggest and most confident game Kojima has ever made, but you can't escape the fact that while it's certainly an immaculate world that has been created, it's just a small fragment of something much larger we've yet to explore. After the conclusion of the anticlimactic denouement, one that leaves plot threads dangling limply with no immediate resolution in sight, Ground Zeroes comes off like a particularly generous and expensive demo. While we're first in line for the final product, as it definitely impresses, this shouldn't be considered as anything less than a substantial and mouthwatering tease of a game that promises to be something very special.
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.
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.
Ground Zeroes is excellent, it really is. Not only is it one of the best-looking games ever made, there is simply nothing I would change about the gameplay at all. It's an appetiser that has me drooling for the main course, and that means it has done its job. If you can overlook the price tag and the fact that there's DLC out there for other games that provides more bang for your buck, then this is absolutely worth picking up.
A brief but well-crafted game that rewards creative play in surprising ways. It's good to see Snake again.
I think that Hideo Kojima and team have something truly special in store for us when The Phantom Pain is finally released and Ground Zeroes is just a sampling of this.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is not for everyone. I can't stress how underwhelming the game will be if you aren't a huge fan of the series, or you can't see yourself playing in the same sandbox enough to really get your money's worth. But for everyone else that can't wait to get even a taste of Phantom Pain, it's worth the budget price of entry -- especially on a current-gen console.
While short, a Metal Gear game has never looked or played as good as Ground Zeroes. Bring on The Phantom Pain.
Ground Zeroes is a great slice of stealth-action gaming, filled with heaps of content and strategic value -- even if it isn't quite the epic adventure some had hoped for.