Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Reviews
At full disclosure, my score fully reflects my willingness to dive deeper into the game, and also the fact that I'm genuinely into the Metal Gear franchise. For me, the short mission time wasn't completely awful. If anything, Ground Zeroes helped me build excitement for what's to come.
The content is too thin to be satisfying. It moves the Metal Gear plot forward so little that even hardcore fans could justify taking a pass
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.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is developed purely for the fans. It won't bring in any new audiences but it wasn't meant to in the first place. It features a decent amount of content which will make the wait less taxing for The Phantom Pain.
Ground Zeroes is definitely fun while it lasts, and it offers an interesting taste of what is to come in Phantom Pain. As appetizers go, it's terrific. Just don't expect a full meal.
Adding phenomenal, modernized improvements to the Metal Gear franchise, Ground Zeroes is effective at getting you hyped for the future of the series. Still, it feels like an expensive tease that only gives you a taste of what's to come.
Ground Zeroes is a short, but perfectly formed, experience. With outstanding graphics, a fully immersive playground and new features, Ground Zeroes still very much feels like classic Metal Gear Solid, but the new Fox Engine, particularly accompanied with next-gen technologies, brings it off the rails and gives the classic franchise the scope and settings for an even more incredible experience. Snake is back!
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."
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a small appetizer for what could be one of the greatest meals on this generation of consoles. It's true the initial mission in the game is short, but the extra content, missions, items and a first-look at the visuals more than makes the $29.99 price tag worth it. Definitely don't miss this.
Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes shows a lot of promise for MGS stepping into the open-world arena, but has so little content that it may not satisfy.
It is surprising, and not a little depressing, that all people want to talk about with this game is the running time.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a highly accomplished, technically impressive introduction to a brave new world. Even the most legendary franchises have to adapt and assimilate eventually, and Ground Zeroes is an example of a long-running, established IP embracing new technology and trends while still retaining its core. The story's construction is a little concerning, the length will be a definite issue for some, and I have to say, the AI could use some tweaking.
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.
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.
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.
This is just a streamlined version of what fans have encountered in the past, and it's hard to say whether these features will continue in the upcoming Phantom Pain or not.
So, I guess you have to ask yourself one question--How big of a Metal Gear fan are you? If you can wait, the price of this game will almost certainly go down quickly. But if you can't wait and you have the extra money, you will love Ground Zeroes no matter how short it is. It gives us a glimpse of the greatness that is sure to come in The Phantom Pain, let's us get our Metal Gear fix, and shows us the future of stealth games on next-gen consoles. While I don't agree with the price, I can most definitely say it is the most fun I've had in a MGS game in a long time and is easily worth your time. But will fans pay for it? Only time will tell on that one. Hopefully, this little experiment won't start a flood of partially completed games touting themselves as "prologues" hitting the market. If so, we may see the end of demos, and none of us want that.
It is just a polished spy game that has something to say, but not too much and not for too long. It speaks well. But for those of us who spent years tuning ours ear to Metal Gear's strange language, this is the first small sign that it might soon be time to throw all that work away.
The game is a great sampling of what to expect from Phantom Pain, but there is enough content to make Ground Zeroes more than just a sampling. You will find yourself replaying missions over and over.
Ground Zeroes makes up for its initial brevity with plentiful side content, a gorgeous look, and the most dynamic, satisfying stealth gameplay Metal Gear has seen in some time.