Just got a buddy that if you've seen a single trailer isn't really a spoiler, but I'll mark it for progress reasons (about ~6-8hours in):
Anyway, I think with it being 8pm and me grabbing dinner, I can give my Day One impressions:
THE GOOD
Dat opening. I don't care what anyone says - that first hour was badass and just kept escalating more and more. It had all the things I love about MGS cutscenes.
Performance: This games looks fantastic and runs great on the PS4. I almost always get multi-plat games on PC, but I don't feel like I'm missing out playing on PS4.
Gameplay: This is all the best parts of Metal Gear Solid controls rolled into one. Controls are fast, responsive, tight, fluid... whatever descriptor you want for "great." I feel like I have complete control over Venom Snake; he goes where I want, grabs what I want, jumps over what I want. The menu structure is great. The stealth is wonderful. Moving your character in the space around you is just about perfect; save for the horse, which I'm not a huge fan of, but am enjoying it more as I play.
AI: It's really great - yeah, it's a "game" through and through - but within the rules of Phantom Pain, the AI routines are phenomenal.
Missions: Main story missions have been fun and varied - though I haven't played too much to commit to that.
Cutscenes: When we get them, they're the fun Kojima crazy things I love.
Score: This music is phenomenal, and how it ramps up with the action is incredible.
... and, I really, really love planning my attack but then going full-on rambo when I get caught. It's fun to improvise - and this game has everything you need to enjoy making your own rules and play style on the fly.
THE NOT SO GOOD
Open World: I've only played for a day, and I can already see the trappings of open world game design - collecting shrubs, running around the same looking areas over and over, getting lost and referring to my map several times, etc. Maybe it's too early to say this - but so far, everything in Afghanistan looks the same. It looks good, graphically; but it's not an aesthetic that I particularly enjoy.
Landing Zones: I'm asking for help here: I don't really love that, while it's open world, I'm constantly forced to run around giant mountains that I can't climb. For example, I was just about on my way to a power plant to get blue prints, and the LZ to start the mission is forever away... and I kept getting lost, as you can't just climb... you have to follow roads and it 1) takes forever, and 2) I don't love having to keep strolling past outposts or take them over. Is there a way to give yourself a "guide" to get to the destination? Seriously, I'm tired already of wandering this place. And, I guess I'll ask how others are playing? Do you typically have the heli pick you up after each mission/side-op, or do you wander to the next location?
...
...
And that's about it for the bad. I think I'm just having a very rough time adjusting to Open World MGS. It very well might grow on me, admittedly. It's just - I rarely enjoy open world games, and I'm already annoyed by some of the small stuff; and I know this is a long game.
Finally,
QUESTION:
Am I doings something wrong? I'm attempting to start up Mission 08, and it says I should have a rocket launcher - hell, the next several missions do. I've been doing side-ops here and there, and while I don't fulton everyone or even most... I do fulton from time to time. That said, my R&D is at 6... and I need a 12 for rockets. So, am I supposed to just dick around with side-ops and/or open world until I get to level 12 R&D?
Also, I was trying to do a side-op, and I skipped to Mission 11 by accident, just by running into the ruins on my way somewhere else (that power plant mentioned earlier). Nothing wrong with this, I imagine?
Thanks!