Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain | Review Thread | Words That Kill
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TheLegendOfMart
Banned
Holy shit, I expected it to review good but wasnt expecting to see 9.5s and 10s if I'm honest.
Why not? Numbered MGS games score 90+ every time.
The only thing that's a bit interesting is of the eleven 10/10 scores they've given (now including MGS V), 4 of those came from the past year (Journey obviously is not a new game, but it originally scored a 9/10 for the PS3 version). Compared to '98 to '08 (prior to GTA IV) they only gave out 4 10/10 scores in that decade, which includes a period of about 7 years where they didn't give that score to any game.
Now I certainly don't believe there's any conspiracy in there. Of what I've played from that list of games, I can certainly see why they could merit a high score. I only bring it up because I just find trends in review scores somewhat interesting. Especially for a site like Gamespot which was around since the infancy of online games journalism, there's certainly a lot of history in video game reviews to be gleaned just by looking back.
Neither. I was certain of high 80's. 88 or so I could see it ending out on.
Pleasantly surprised.
Dangansona
Member
Oh no, I don't need a lot of story I just want it to be good. But the new reviews I read make me worry it's not even going to end well and a lot of the story is found in audio tapes.
The ending is such an important part of the game!
The ending is such an important part of the game!
Yautja_Warrior
Member
Yep seen a lot of really positive previews so the high review scores are not a surprise. Cannot wait now though, gonna be an awesome end to MGS. Bring it on.
pixel monkey
Banned
And if you want to only hear from those who agree with your opinion... perhaps an open discussion forum on the internet is not the ideal place for you?
Vampirolol
Member
I hope you can read transcriptions instead of having to listen to every audio file.
JetBlackPanda
Member
Do you guys think I could finish this thing (main story) before the taken King drops? 15 days is what I'm looking at.
orthodoxy1095
Banned
It's not. If you're not going to play the others, at least watch some YouTube recaps or read some wikis/summaries.
BreezyLimbo
Banned
Gerstmann has actually talked alot about how Gamespot does 10/10 reviews. From his time, it would be where usually a lead editor calls in the reviewer, and pretty much questions the person to find any holes in their review. Like when talking about OoT, Jeff said..verbatim, "And the lead editor would ask me, 'well this game doesn't have any voice acting. You don't think that detracts from the score?' And I would say 'It didn't really need it', and basically they would try and poke holes into the review. And once they were satisfied that there were no holes in the review or game, then the game got 10/10.". IIRC I think that's how his story went, but that was back in the late 90's, early 00's. Dunno how it would be today, dunno if they follow that same system.
thekiddfran
Member
Excellent reviews! I have the MGSV PS4 console on the way
anyasok
Member
Meh, this is not for me. I LOVED the story and the codec conversation and the long-winded cutscenes. The fact that the game moved from this linearity into the open-world category and undercut its story subsequently means that I will only check it out when its a bargain sale. Don't care what score its given.
GhostTrick
Banned
Disappointed that the story seems to be less a focus this time... on the other hand... I'm also really excited that this game is basically the MGS game you will play just for the sake of great infiltration. I always loved the series gameplay, and the fact that it seems to have the best gameplay in the serie is exciting. Too bad for the lack of surviving elements, I would've been so excited I wouldnt be able to sleep.
I can admit to that as well, and hype be damned, it's hard not to get excited about playing a game when it gets reviews like this. I played through MGS 1-4 that summer MGS4 came out (enjoyed them all), came to Peace Walker a couple years later and enjoyed that as well, but honestly, I felt I was pretty done with Metal Gear at that point. It's not so much I was bored with the series, but I felt satisfied with what I had played and felt I had had my fill (if that makes sense). I played through Ground Zeroes when it hit Steam (never felt the need to replay it) but the buzz around TPP honestly didn't start hitting me until the talk about it being Kojima's last MGS.
Now, learning that the game has apparently fine tuned its gameplay, and incorporates a lot of the best aspects of Peace Walker, I cannot wait to play this game.
Spazznid
Member
Have I done anything to dispel you from speech? I simply argued against your point, which is what open forum is all about.
That thing looks quite slick in real life. They should have included the MGSV steelbook with it though. Aesthetically, it'd be really fitting. They probably couldn't for various reasons, but that's what I have. I got the real case with it too although I'm not sure if that's with all copies or what, but it must be or else that's a bit random.
The steelbook is so much nicer. The cover art is fitting with the previous entries. The cover of the normal edition looks really bland in comparison.
Europe exclusive I believe. Worth it if you're a fan though. Most of the time, the prices between steelbooks and normal editions tend to be quite similar.
tattooed_dwarf
Member
It sure looks damn slick! Can't wait to get my hands on this Game.
Well, a lot of the discussion in this thread (with Verendus's writeups being the most helpful) has essentially confirmed my fears about this game. Still sounds amazing, but it just aint MGS. It seems like a game made to appeal to those who didn't really like MGS1-3, especially considering it's stripping the story elements that I've come to associate with Metal Gear games. I'll probably still love it from a gameplay perspective, but the fact that it's probably just going to be PW2 with a non consequential and limited story is a real bummer. Still, a part of me is kinda happy that the supposed lack of story means it might not ruin Big Boss/The Boss more than PW did.
I was sort of torn between the PC and PS4 versions, but I think at this point I'll just stick with PS4 so I can play MGO early. I had considered buying both, but it's sounding more and more like there won't be enough hype for me to justify two purchases.
I was sort of torn between the PC and PS4 versions, but I think at this point I'll just stick with PS4 so I can play MGO early. I had considered buying both, but it's sounding more and more like there won't be enough hype for me to justify two purchases.
tryagainlater
Member
With Gamespot in particular, it probably has a lot to do with the changing rating scheme throughout the years. They used to do it at .1 intervals so many games got high 9's which were basically tens in the grand scheme of things. Then they switched to .5 intervals which possibly made them a bit more common. Now that they're 1.0 intervals, it's probably much easier to see something getting a ten if it truly feels greater than a 9.
TheLegendOfMart
Banned
This is the most un-MGS game there has been, going from relatively linear level design to open world and the first game in a long time that doesn't have Hayter as the voice of Snake. MGS has always played like a Japanese game, GZ and TPP play like a modern Western game.
I thought it might get marked down for not being 'Metal Gear' enough.
pixel monkey
Banned
I feel your pain. I'm going to download my Steam copy on release and give it a fair go, but I was hoping for a return to the form of the numbered entries. I didn't care for Peacewalker at all, and sadly this seems like an expansion of that idea and not a return to the cinematic glory of the previous games.
It was bad enough losing David Hayter, but to leave behind the story as well in favor of more resource management... it just feels like a bridge too far for me.
sammyCYBORG
Member
The first 10 pages of this thread is embarrassing to try and read.
HueyFreeman
Banned
The only thing that matters about mgs is whether or not hideo kojima is directing. If that's the case, it's a "true" metal gear game any way you cut it, regardless of gameplay or voice cast.
The GT review goes over this point.
Spazznid
Member
Hideo Kojima is the only person in the known universe who has the right to say what's Metal Gear, IMO.
I know what you mean, but I feel like people should reserve judgement until possession of first hand experience.
JetBlackPanda
Member
It's been fun everyone, only 7 sleeps remain until the end of an era.
Listen to this and cry yourself to sleep with me.
Listen to this and cry yourself to sleep with me.
Puck Beaverton
Banned
The actual content of these reviews has made me adjust my unreasonable expectations that this would be the best Metal Gear into now thinking it will only be a good entry in the series. I should have had that mindset going in but the hype of this being Kojima's final Metal Gear was too much for me.
JetBlackPanda
Member
Come on what if it's the best metal gear game but a little weak narratively speaking?
It's a tragedy really with the konami/Kojima break up. If Kojima knew going in this was it, I'm sure we end up with a different game.
Lion Heart
Banned
These reviews don't really mention how the loss of some iconic, series staples like Codec calls and humour of the past games impact the game to the die hard MGS fans. A brief sentence or two maybe but so many of us are waiting on bated breath with eager anticipation and anxiousness to see if their absence make it feel very un-MGS like. Its pretty worrisome and I know I'm not alone.
Its the personality of the franchise and its being glossed over by these pros. Boss battles are a big deal and if none of these reviewers care that they don't exist, I can't fathom how they were fans of the series before.
I haven't read this thread as it is massive so apologies if this was repeated ad nauseam but I'm freaking out here.
Its the personality of the franchise and its being glossed over by these pros. Boss battles are a big deal and if none of these reviewers care that they don't exist, I can't fathom how they were fans of the series before.
I haven't read this thread as it is massive so apologies if this was repeated ad nauseam but I'm freaking out here.
What's so embarrassing about the first 10 pages
Bear in mind I don't dislike the story. I just think the game is really long and big, which results in the story suffering from poor pacing. Some of the design decisions also don't help with certain things.
As a standalone, I think it's an enjoyable story, but I just wish there was more in respect to how long this game took me. It felt like I was completing an RPG except it lacks the kind of location variety I've come to expect from those games, and you don't get a huge amount of story. Plus, the game is a little overwhelming in terms of how much stuff there is so it took me a while to get my groove. In a way, even though this is a weird comparison, the pacing reminded me of FFXII. But unlike that game, this game's ending is stronger than the middle.
With FFXII, the story kind of just kills itself and ends with a whimper. That game had poor storytelling though. MGSV starts off well, kind of dies down, flip flops a little, then ramps up. But it's a really long game which affects that dull period.
As for it being impactful, there's already a certain limiting factor since we know pretty much everything about the future, but it does have a couple of bright moments. Some of the quirkiness of older games is present, but not really in story situations. This is likely a side effect of the kind of story being told, and Big Boss being a bit of a silent jabroni, but some of the weird humour some people might have liked is missing. Others might find this better.
I think the pacing is going to be important for the story focused people. Also curious to see how quickly some people can complete this without breaking the game or something.
Puck Beaverton
Banned
Read somewhere that there is very little humor in this game but I think there are a decent number of boss battles
TheLegendOfMart
Banned
I could have done without reading that....
anyasok
Member
Exactly how I feel.
The game keeps getting 10/10 but upon reading all the reviews, all I am getting are vibes of Peace Walker and Portable Ops which were games I never even finished. Didn't like all that Fulton and Mother Base bullshit. Hated the lack of the grandiose cutscenes of the numbered MGS games (I can still re-play all the previous games and have tons of fun) and everyone points out how EVERYTHING i loved about the series is gone: its a weak story now, with no codec, no grandiose cutscenes, no David Hayter, silent snake, almost no boss fights and a shitload of open-world infiltration and customization that I honestly don't care about - that's NOT what a series represented for me since the masterpiece of the first game.
I just wanted MGS5 with the same type of gameplay and everything else from the previous game, same linearity, same amazing boss fights and cutscenes, same intriguing codec conversations and now its all gone.
FUCK this
WonkyPanda
Member
This is sounding more and more like PW2 with similar Emphasis on story and bosses
tryagainlater
Member
Hearing it ends strong seems good though. I find most games end anti-climatically for me.
TheLegendOfMart
Banned
Exactly how I feel.
The game keeps getting 10/10 but upon reading all the reviews, all I am getting are vibes of Peace Walker and Portable Ops which were games I never even finished. Didn't like all that Fulton and Mother Base bullshit. Hated the lack of the grandiose cutscenes of the numbered MGS games (I can still re-play all the previous games and have tons of fun) and everyone points out how EVERYTHING i loved about the series is gone: its a weak story now, with no codec, no grandiose cutscenes, no David Hayter, silent snake, almost no boss fights and a shitload of open-world infiltration and customization that I honestly don't care about - that's NOT what a series represented for me since the masterpiece of the first game.
I just wanted MGS5 with the same type of gameplay and everything else from the previous game, same linearity, same amazing boss fights and cutscenes, same intriguing codec conversations and now its all gone.
FUCK this
I get why you are feeling like that but the series gameplay has been transitioning to MGS5 over the series, console limitations has played a huge part in how linear the earlier games were.
Each successive Metal Gear game has been getting larger, more open environments.
Not sure why the series hasn't represented open world infiltration. The game built itself around stealth even from the MSX days. MGS3 had even had a camo system built for infiltration style of gameplay, hell you can ghost most of the games and not kill anyone if you want to.
anyasok
Member
This is sounding more and more like PW2 with similar Emphasis on story and bosses
I am glad I am not the only one who is incredibly disappointed by that direction. I was never excited for Phantom Pain ever since I played the GZ demo and I had huge suspicions that PP would just be more of the game resource-management crap but I did not expect it to be nearly as devoid of everything I loved about the mainline series as it ended up being.
I will still end up buying it at some point just to give it a whirl, but I am honestly incredibly disappointed that the series ended on a whimper instead of a bang.
BreezyLimbo
Banned
Yeah. Like, so far no review/in progress review has mentioned any egregious issues with the stuff that's supposed to be in this game, or Quiet even. I think...Kojima nailed it if we go by the lack of criticism on these 'taboo' issues.
I find it funny that MGS fans are begging to return to the story drivel.
I love MGS2/MGS3 - both games have ton of personality.MGS4 has personality, but it also becomes a chore to sit through.
MGSV feels like an anti-MGS4. Which is totally fine. You want your story focused, nostalgia fuelled, esoteric MGS game - there is MGS4.
You want a gameplay focused, less of story, but the same signature personality and cinematics - you have MGSV.
There is a game for both sides now. What a time to be alive.
I love MGS2/MGS3 - both games have ton of personality.MGS4 has personality, but it also becomes a chore to sit through.
MGSV feels like an anti-MGS4. Which is totally fine. You want your story focused, nostalgia fuelled, esoteric MGS game - there is MGS4.
You want a gameplay focused, less of story, but the same signature personality and cinematics - you have MGSV.
There is a game for both sides now. What a time to be alive.
anyasok
Member
Not saying its not enjoyable for others or that it will not shift tons of copies or that the past games weren't linear due to limitations. I am just saying that everything that I enjoyed about the previous games, whether its due to limitations or stylistic choices is now absent.
I am just hugely disappointed that the potentially last MGS (and without Kojima, it may as well be the last one) is the one I am very unlikely to play for long, let alone finish.
It was always one of my favorite series that I replayed so many times and eagerly anticipated every new release.
MR BLACKMAGIK
Member
Any word on the Xbox One version?