Support NeoGAF

[BocoDragon]

Yeah, but at the same time y'know...just hire better writers.

It wasn't just quality, but quantity.

I think MGS4 was the high watermark for the indulgent and overlong video game cutscenes that grew out of the PS1 and PS2 era, and I don't think it will ever be topped. Those scenes were probably too long for the medium. "Let's talk for twenty minutes about our feelings, and how to cook eggs, and really take our time getting to the point...."

It sounds like MGSV is rushing past the "sweet spot" of length for cutscenes toward another extreme of "not enough cutscenes"... but for this series in particular, I'd call that admirable restraint. Maybe after this atonement, Kojima would have found a happy medium in MGS6 (alas).

 

[ethomaz]

Yes.

Every game that hasn't come out yet has a chance. I do think Fallout 4 could surprise people.

To be fair if any game other than Fallout 4 get 95+ I will be surprised (for good).

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

Snake Eater, of course

Right on.

 

[wild wild rice]

Hopefully those missions you have to replay to get the true ending are fun. :/

Hopefully they patch this shit out.

 

[chefbags]

Great reviews. Cant wait to make love with my baby arm. Fuck Sony for not bring the LE PS4 to the US.




This guy is so far up his own ass he sort of does spoils some parts.

Spoiler

He mentions that a certain part of the game is not the finally though it appears to be the finally. That seems spoilery to me.

Didn't have to insult the guy man.

 

[Verendus]

MGS2 > MGS3 > MGS1 for me, but they're all so astronomically high in quality that it doesn't matter what order they go in. 2 and 3 in particularly are pretty much totally interchangeable depending on my mood lol.

I hate 4 and PW, but honestly while my GREATEST hope is that this game is my favorite out of all of them, I'd be more than happy with a game that earns the title "Metal Gear Solid V".

Guessing you're going to dislike this game!

Nah, I do hope you end enjoying it, but MGS5 does have more similarities to PW than any other entry. It always sucks to be disappointed so I wouldn't want that for anyone.

 

[Crossing Eden]

Is there any info on how long the cutscenes are? Because, I don't want to go through another MGS4.

Much shorter in general. Probably 10-15 minutes at the most based on the ones we've seen so far.

 

[Afrodium]

Hopefully those missions you have to replay to get the true ending are fun. :/

It seems that the reason it's getting 9s and 10s across the board is because the moment to moment gameplay is fun as hell and missions can be tackled in a myriad of ways, so I'm gonna assume yes.

...but if not there's always YouTube

 

[Steve Youngblood]

I'm getting pulled in every direction reading these impressions...

Like what I'm hearing:
-Great AI and ways to tackle objectives
-Mother base and expanding your military circle of influence
-Customization, FOBs, buddy systems



Strongly dislike:
-Only two areas in the game (which reviewers have noted gets stale after a while)
-Less emphasis on story/awesome Kojima-san cutscenes
-Large and important chunks of story tucked away in lots of hidden cassettes
-Replaying older missions on harder difficulties to get to the ending
-"Secret" ending

Ha. I can't begin to tell you how strongly I feel that the bolded belong in the "like what I'm hearing" category. I really just need to pull the trigger on the PC version for the free copy of Ground Zeroes as I still haven't played that.

 

[Vire]

Snake Eater, of course

MGSV confirmed to be the GOAT.

 

[VanWinkle]

Are there like side missions in this stuff in the open world? Or is it all story missions and Motherbase stuff?

 

[Toparaman]

How I feel about most game announcements.

At least MGS5 seems to feature fantastic gameplay and many ways to deal with objectives.

This is where I'm at. I rarely finish open-world games, but that's because most open-world games are janky and don't play well, and thus aren't worth the time investment.

 

[farisr]

Sigh... what I was feared came to pass. Audio tapes = poor storytelling in my books. They're equivalent to Drebin's Beauty & The Beast conversations after the boss fights in MGS4 to me, regardless of how well they're made. Actually the fact that some important ones are hidden away and you have to collect it makes it even worse.

And having to replay older missions on a higher difficulty to unlock the real ending. Man...

The game's already disappointing to me. Sigh... probably best not to treat it as an MGS game before going into it and maybe I'll end up liking it better than I would otherwise. At least the gameplay's solid.

 

[gamerMan]

I can't wait to play this. Haven't really enjoyed a Metal Gear game in awhile, but boy does this game look great. I can't believe it is an open world game.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Kojima has blessed us yet again. We are truly not worthy. He died for our sins.

 

[SargerusBR]

Can you start the game on Hard or above or you need to complete on Normal first to unlock it?

 

[Fernando Fernandez]

"Sparse Story"

No Kojima. Not like this </3

 

[Sn4ke_911]

The true ending thing is hilarious, just shows who is a good journo and took his sweet time with the game and didn't rush through it like a headless chicken.

 

[kyser73]

OTOH I'm loving some of the writing about the open-world stuff. The opening paragraph of the IGN review sounds right up my alley.

OTOH, I currently have 4 big open-world games I've barely started on, plus 2 smaller ones and a linear title, which in total represent at least 200 hours worth of game time. Mymain problem being that I rarely get the chance to sink 4-10 hours in a single session which I find is essential to get into a game like this and also to commit the control system to memory.

But damn man, this game looks sooooo goooooood....

 

[Nzyme32]

How I feel about most game announcements.

At least MGS5 seems to feature fantastic gameplay and many ways to deal with objectives.

Yeah, I have a similar response not because I dislike them, but because they just become fatiguing and time consuming, often resorting to fetch quests and somewhat grindynactities. I tend to save myself to very few of them since a single one will take me months, but MGSV certainly seems to have a lot to it and interesting gameplay, so I'm more than happy to invest my time and money into it

 

[TheWorthyEdge]

Yeah. I think I realized I'm not buying this game until I play the metal gears. So I think it's just gonna be TTK in September. Whew!

 

[Xaero Gravity]

Ugh, I'm really disliking a lot things that I'm hearing when it comes to story and mission structure.

 

[~Kinggi~]

Huh...tomorrow is Kojima's birthday.

 

[ElBoxyBrown]

As someone who enjoyed the tapes in Peacewalkee and GZ I am super excited to finding them in TPP. They are essentially recorded codec conversation that you can listen to at anytime. Having a lot of the Metal Gear exposition in tape form is a smart idea.

 

[Afrodium]

The true ending thing is hilarious, just shows who is a good journo and took his sweet time with the game and didn't rush through it like a headless chicken.

I'm pretty sure everyone had exactly as long to play the game so it just shows who's been playing this game 24/7 and who has taken the time to sleep in the past week.

 

[BearPawB]

What i don't get is why people are complaining about replaying missions.

From what the reviews have said, the gameplay is awesome and varied. You can tackle the missions so many ways.

I will want to replay every single damn one.

 

[Draper]

It wasn't just quality, but quantity.

I think MGS4 was the high watermark for the indulgent and overlong video game cutscenes that grew out of the PS1 and PS2 era, and I don't think it will ever be topped. Those scenes were probably too long for the medium. "Let's talk for twenty minutes about our feelings, and how to cook eggs, and really take our time getting to the point...."

It sounds like MGSV is rushing past the "sweet spot" of length for cutscenes toward another extreme of "not enough cutscenes"... but for this series in particular, I'd call that admirable restraint. Maybe after this atonement, Kojima would have found a happy medium in MGS6 (alas).

I like everything you're saying, but quality would lead to brevity and conciseness.

 

[Lingitiz]

Ha. I can't begin to tell you how strongly I feel that the bolded belong in the "like what I'm hearing" category. I really just need to pull the trigger on the PC version for the free copy of Ground Zeroes as I still haven't played that.

Same here. I feel like finally the gameplay is strong enough in this one to own the majority of the game.

I get that people are sad about the lack of emphasis on story, but there's 4 other games with that exactly formula already.

I've had more fun over the last few years rewatching the last 4 MGS games than actually playing them. I feel like this one will be one I'll want to play over and over again, and as a result the gameplay will age much better over time.

 

[BumRush]

I'm getting pulled in every direction reading these impressions...

Like what I'm hearing:
-Great AI and ways to tackle objectives
-Mother base and expanding your military circle of influence
-Customization, FOBs, buddy systems



Strongly dislike:
-Only two areas in the game (which reviewers have noted gets stale after a while)
-Less emphasis on story/awesome Kojima-san cutscenes
-Large and important chunks of story tucked away in lots of hidden cassettes
-Replaying older missions on harder difficulties to get to the ending
-"Secret" ending

Unfortunately, after reading the reviews I'd agree with you. The number scores seem amazing but there's a lot to dislike vs. My personal expectations, etc. Probably wait a month or two.

 

[JehutyRunner]

Snake Eater, of course

Dude's legit as fuck now.

 

[robotrock]

Huh...tomorrow is Kojima's birthday.

Jack, do you remember what day tomorrow is?

 

[HabeeNo]

What are the chances for a Metal Gear sale on PSN this week?

Gotta play Peace Walker and

Spoiler

MGS 3

 

[fluffydelusions]

How I feel about most game announcements.

At least MGS5 seems to feature fantastic gameplay and many ways to deal with objectives.

lol. I remember when open world was all the rage

 

[ViewtifulJC]

What i don't get is why people are complaining about replaying missions.

From what the reviews have said, the gameplay is awesome and varied. You can tackle the missions so many ways.

I will want to replay every single damn one.

Its about want, its about have to. Under weird regulations

"But as satisfied as I was with the story, there are a few inherent issues with the way the missions are structured. For starters, a number of levels are uninspired, and force a degree of backtracking, usually for a menial task you've already completed multiple times. This is especially evident later in the game, as it's required to redo some missions with either the "Subsistence," "Extreme," or "Full Stealth" modifiers in tow. The former drops you in with no items or assistance, Extreme ups the amount of damage you take considerably, and the latter ends a mission automatically if you're spotted.

Series regulars will probably remember playing a lot of these higher difficulty levels on their third or fourth optional playthrough, but now they're incorporated into the game itself. I have a feeling these objectives are going to be incredibly polarizing, especially since a few of them took me at least 30 tries to complete. "

 

[- J - D -]

It seems that the reason it's getting 9s and 10s across the board is because the moment to moment gameplay is fun as hell and missions can be tackled in a myriad of ways, so I'm gonna assume yes.

...but if not there's always YouTube

Yeah fair enough, but having to up the difficulty for those replays is really pushing it.

 

[Lionel Richie]

Hopefully they patch this shit out.

Yup, secret ending was bullshit in PW and sure seems like it's bullshit now.

Very much hyped about this nonetheless, can't wait to take my last dose of Kojima crazy Metal Gear stuff.

 

[D1renegade]

My my my... These scores... Hype is setting in

a solid reason why i am giving away so many copies of the game. yay. i am so happy right now. sending Kojima off with an amazing accomplishment.

Tell me more..

 

[Crossing Eden]

The true ending thing is hilarious, just shows who is a good journo and took his sweet time with the game and didn't rush through it like a headless chicken.

Not getting the true ending doesn't imply that they rushed the game, especially since the way to get the true ending is hidden and was "accidentally stumbled upon." The reviewers all generally spent the same amount of time with the game, as in around 30+ hours.

lol. I remember when open world was all the rage

Make no mistake, it still is.

 

[bananafactory]

The true ending thing is hilarious, just shows who is a good journo and took his sweet time with the game and didn't rush through it like a headless chicken.

Well, if it's anything like Peace Walker they may very well have not known there was more.

It was a year after I finished PW that my friend told me I didn't get the real ending. I had no idea.

Maybe you shouldn't accuse people of "rushing through like a headless chicken" without knowing the circumstances

 

[BocoDragon]

Personally, as an old school MGS fan, I'm okay with everything I'm hearing, because I didn't think we were getting another typical MGS game ever again.

The use of V instead of 5, Keifer instead of Hayter, the serious+minimalist tone of Ground Zeroes, the fact that MGS4 was so heavily implied to be the conclusion to the series...

It's as everything prepared my soul to say goodbye to old school MGS already... Now we're just getting a very good MGS-inspired video game that never promised to give us any of the old trappings, except for a properly evolved stealth video game.

 

[dinosaur_hunter2]

It's good to see the game getting excellent review scores, but I would play this even if it had a zero Metacritic score. It's Kojima's final Metal Gear game, and I'll see it to the end without a doubt.

I'm a little concerned about the part of the story told on those tapes, but let's see how that goes. And I think that tying the secret ending to harder missions is actually a good idea.

September 1st can't come soon enough.

 

[BocoDragon]

I like everything you're saying, but quality would lead to brevity and conciseness.

That's true.

Well Kojima's out, so maybe in MGS6 you'll see exactly that

 

[wanders]

I'm glad that we aren't force fed a big log of exposition

Would help not scare new comers away

 

[brau]

My my my... These scores... Hype is setting in



Tell me more..

giving a few copies with junkerHQ, and in gaf thread give away. and in the OT. so far i've given out like 8 copies.

 

[entremet]

Peacewalker 2 doesn't sound bad.

The original had problems like poor boss balancing for SP, but the template was strong.

It got incredibly addicting, much more than MGS4 was, which was basically one and done.

The fact that this seems like a Super Peacewalker done right, is exciting. The original was hampered by poor hardware.

 

[Draper]

Personally, as an old school MGS fan, I'm okay with everything I'm hearing, because I didn't think we were getting another typical MGS game ever again.

The use of V instead of 5, Keifer instead of Hayter, the serious+minimalist tone of Ground Zeroes, the fact that MGS4 was so heavily implied to be the conclusion to the series...

It's as everything prepared my soul to say goodbye to old school MGS already... Now we're just getting a very good MGS-inspired video game that never promised to give us any of the old trappings, except for a properly evolved stealth video game.

If nothing else, we can still find a familiar home with the female objectification.

*zooms up on mutant thing's boobs*

At the end, this sounds like a game with serious depth and staying power. Given the fact that my girl of 2+ years just left me, I'm looking for that kind of escape at the moment.

 

[7DollarHagane]

What i don't get is why people are complaining about replaying missions.

From what the reviews have said, the gameplay is awesome and varied. You can tackle the missions so many ways.

I will want to replay every single damn one.

reviewers and casual players just want to blow through the game to get to the next new release.. I found ground zeroes to be incredible for replay and i played that game on and off since release, just finally got 100% lately. This game is going to be a lot of fun to replay.

 

[higgsboson1997]

Wow, this looks like it will dethrone Super Mario 3D World as the highest rated game on Metacritic for this generation.

 

[jschreier]

MGSV confirmed to be the GOAT.

Well, yeah, but don't expect it to be anything like MGS3. Think of it as the perfect modern stealth-action game -- it's got the tone and style of old MGS, but it's a very evolved version. People who want that vintage MGS gameplay (and those vintage MGS long breaks between gameplay sequences) won't be super happy.

 

[ElBoxyBrown]

What i don't get is why people are complaining about replaying missions.

From what the reviews have said, the gameplay is awesome and varied. You can tackle the missions so many ways.

I will want to replay every single damn one.

Playing through GZ missions multiple times was fun and varied. That was just a sample.