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[User 479360]

Metal Gear Solid 4 was only about 18.5 hours long? I thought I'd heard people say it was 40, with tons of cutscenes.

I've yet to play through it all, as it's in my backlog, and am waiting for the library to get V in.

 

[TheSeks]

moby dick, lord of the flies, and what's the last one?

1984 I'd guess. Guard's mention it. It's in the same time period the game is set in.

There's also that bit in

Spoiler

Chapter 2 with "Big Boss is Watching You!"

 

[TheSeks]

So, for those that beat the game or are ahead of me, I'm currently on mission 32

Spoiler

Does it matter plot wise if I keep or dispose of nukes? I don't see the option and the game told me I'd be able to decide. Maybe it comes after a few more missions. Regardless, if I do get to choose, will it affect my game in anyway?

If only matters for F.O.B. if you care:

Spoiler

Nuke's are supposed to stop lower level people from invading, however this will EXTREMELY add to your Demon Points/Big Boss' "horn" and actually make it grow to full just by having ONE if I remember right.

You can (if you have a high enough esponage level IIRC) invade an enemy nuke holders base and disable/destroy it for massive Heroism points, AFAIK.

If you don't care about this meta-game, just ignore it. It's nothing huge.

---

Whoops, meant to edit. ANYYWAAAY:

Most of the guards are now packing like all the counter-measures against me, despite the fact that I don't use some of the things against them and have just been tranq'ing them like normal. The fucking

Spoiler

Claymores at OBZ Zero or whatever it is at the very top of Afghanistan

is killing me. Until I realized

Spoiler

there's a route to the left that you can disable two Claymores or take a wide flank around them and stick to the wall to climb up nearly undetected

. Blew my mind, but goddamn these counter-measures are making the last 50 side-ops I need to do frustrating because these five minute max missions are taking slightly longer with these counter-measures.

 

[brianmcdoogle]

I'm not really spoiling anything in detail, but I beat the game and thought I'd put most of my thoughts in spoiler just incase since people are super sensitive:

Spoiler

Spoiler

Well, I finished the game at mission

Spoiler

46

and I am disappointed. i can write more, about the voice acting (and why a certain character does a good job at one point in the game but then basically disappears and does mediocre job the entire rest of the game), or how it does't make sense cannon-wise, or whatever.

This was, without a doubt, the best Metal Gear game to play, but the story, voice acting, writing, and whatever narrative things you wish to add, are worse than any other Metal Gear Solid game, bar none. I loved sneaking into bases, adapting my play, calling in support helicopters, relying on my buddy, which was always...

Spoiler

Quiet

and having fun. Rarely did the game break its mechanics and ruin the experience. Sure, there are some absolutely terrible and unforgiving missions, especially those that result in the game preventing a certain play-style, but for the most part, things hold up remarkably well mechanically.

It's such a shame the narrative is such garbage, disjointed, and arbitrary. I got cutscenes out of order for some reason, and without any guidance. Something major happens to a character, and it isn't telegraphed, and it is irreversible. It's a goddamn mess narratively, and anyone who justifies or excuses is pandering, like Kojima and the character...

Spoiler

Quiet

.

I loved plaything this game, with its elasticity to game mechanics, but I'll never play it again like other Metal Gear games because of its garbage characters, bad and inconsistent voice acting, stupid story, and whatnot. And, it's a shame. I've played MGS2 the most, followed by MGS3 and MGS1, and I've gone through MGS4 a couple of times and admiring moments in it... but this game? As an MGS fan? It's bad... It's something else. It's...

I don't know. It's a fucking mess. There's no way any sane person can excuse the story progression, the cutscene unlocking, or anything relating to the story. This is the best playing game I've played this year with the worst narrative and all the trappings.

Questions I have after finishing the game which may contain MAJOR SPOILERS:

Spoiler

So, Quiet left the base with ZERO fanfare, got captured by Soviets, and... for what? Was that her plan? And, really, did she almost need to be raped. What garbage for her character at the end. Not that she had a character at all... I'm of the opinion that anyone who liked her just liked her for her looks; she has no character and is dull and lifeless.

Big Boss leaves... because... what? Why? The end makes no sense. ZERO.

Eli, or Liquid as listed in the credits, is gone, with a Metal Gear prototype, but why, and why did the DNA tests come back negative? Why was he in this game? Where was Jack? He's listed in this game as well. Did I miss him because of the fucking stupid story progression cutscenes?

Why was Skull Face's plan so stupid? What's up with PAZ? Is she dead? Did I miss when Chico died?

Is there a reason why Big Boss became the enemy of MGS more than the end of MGS3? Did we get any character progression from him in this game? If not, what was the fucking point?

Why is Miller so bipolar in his voice acting and character? NANO MACHINES/PARASITES?!?!?!?!?!?

Why does Ocelot sound like garbage? Why did Troy Baker give such a bad performance?

Will people ever get over Keifer Sutherland being a star in a bad drama and realize he isn't a good actor?!??!

Anyway, I'm done. Best playing Metal Gear Solid game, but at the same time it is the worst "Metal Gear Solid" game.

I hope Kojima does something outside of this universe instead of running it into the ground.

TRULY MAJOR SPOILERS:

Spoiler

Why is Psycho Mantis in this game? Why is he mad, or in the state of "revenge" or "phantom pain" against Big Boss? Why

.

Why?

WHY?

.....

Whatever. Best/Worst Metal Gear Solid game.

 

[Mister Negative]

Can someone let me know the last mission of Chapter 1? I.e, the first time the credits roll? Not sure if you should spoiler tag it or not but I'm just looking for the mission number.

 

[Jintor]

1984 I'd guess. Guard's mention it. It's in the same time period the game is set in.

Oh, and the interrogation hanger is called Room 101

 

[Griss]

Yeah he's a little over emotional when it comes to stuff. And you know your organization is full of crazy people when Revolver fucking Ocelot is the sanest most level headed person around.

My problem was that I never really accepted that Ocelot was actually Ocelot. I'm not talking spoilers here, or a theory, I just mean that the guy we see in MGSV is nothing like the young kid from MGS3 or the old villain from MGS1 onward. He's a totally different character - different voice, different personality, different motivations etc - and thus one I had no nostalgic affection for. I can't reconcile the different Ocelots at all, how he went from one stage to the next, especially when his personality was so strongly defined in MGS3. I mean, he barely has a character in MGSV beyond being 'the voice of reason', the angel on Big Boss's shoulder. He has no other role, as far as I can tell.

And while I'm thinking that, I've got to say I never really accepted Big Boss as the guy from MGS3 either. Losing Hayter was only a tiny part of that. A much bigger part was that Big Boss really isn't there 99% of the time. He's a ghost in his own game, an odd kind of ghost who apparently only speaks when the fucking tape recorder is rolling and likes spending 90% of his free time hovering in a helicopter above his home base so he can ignore all of his comrades and spend hours looking at Quiet's tits.

Played for 4 hours tonight and made no progress in the story at all. Wondering when I'll just decide to youtube it. I don't play narrative games to get stuck in a grind. I want to start talking about the story in totality and can't do that until I see the end, have had the whole experience and am free from spoilers.

 

[JimPanzer]

Can someone let me know the last mission of Chapter 1? I.e, the first time the credits roll? Not sure if you should spoiler tag it or not but I'm just looking for the mission number.

Spoiler

31

 

[Nameless]

No weapons, tools, or items to start. And no buddies, supply drops, copter support, or reflex mode, period vs EXTREMELY well armed enemies with smarter, more aware A.I.. Subsistence is fucking brutal(especially during the day) but incredibly satisfying as it takes problem solving & adapting in the field to a whole new level. Great stuff. Hopefully there's more.

 

[Mister Negative]

Spoiler

31

Thank you! Closing in on that then.

My problem was that I never really accepted that Ocelot was actually Ocelot. I'm not talking spoilers here, or a theory, I just mean that the guy we see in MGSV is nothing like the young kid from MGS3 or the old villain from MGS1 onward. He's a different character, and thus one I had no nostalgic affection for. I can't reconcile the different Ocelots at all, how he went from one stage to the next, especially when his personality was so strongly defined in MGS3. I mean, he barely has a character in MGSV beyond being 'the voice of reason', the angel on Big Boss's shoulder. He has no other role, as far as I can tell.

And while I'm thinking that, I've got to say I never really accepted Big Boss as the guy from MGS3 either. Losing Hayter was only a tiny part of that. A much bigger part was that Big Boss really isn't there 99% of the time. He's a ghost in his own game, a odd kind of ghost who apparently only speaks when the fucking tape recorder is rolling and likes spending 90% of his free time hovering in a helicopter above his home base so he can ignore all of his comrades and spend hours looking at Quiet's tits.

Played for 4 hours tonight and made no progress in the story at all. Wondering when I'll just decide to youtube it. I don't play narrative games to get stuck in a grind. I want to start talking about the story in totality and can't do that until I see the end, have had the whole experience and am free from spoilers.

The problem there is that we're kind of just told "oh yeah Ocelot and Big Boss were super close friends and Ocelot loved him" but the game is the first time we're actually seeing that, so it's kind of weird and jarring if you don't have it set in your brain that this is how Ocelot and Big Boss interacted.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Some pretty non spoiler shots I took (PS4). This game's a looker.

 

[Salsa]

I kinda agree that besides a few reference I really don't feel like these characters are the same characters that were in MGS3

specially Ocelot, but Boss too.

Kaz is like an angrier version of his PW-self so that's okay I guess

 

[hamchan]

No weapons, tools, or items to start. And no buddies, supply drops, copter support, or reflex mode, period vs EXTREMELY well armed enemies with smarter, more aware A.I.. Subsistence is fucking brutal(especially during the day) but incredibly satisfying as it takes problem solving & adapting in the field to a whole new level. Great stuff. Hopefully there's more.

Yep, I think it's great and I just wish we could had the option to do it for every mission. It makes one really appreciate how great the level design is in this game.

 

[TheSeks]

Wait, you can be delivered outside of Mother Base? What? Gah, the things I wish I'd known... I've just done about 20 side ops in a row

Spoiler

trying to unlock fucking story missions and cutscenes... bullshit...

Eh, I actually ran into it by standing near one of the points and not knowing what the prompt was but picking the prompt up they give you a tutorial/hint (by pressing select/back/whatever on PC and PS4) and letting you know what they do.

Once you understand that, it makes sense the thing would apply elsewhere and once you realize where they are

Spoiler

they're all on the signs near the "delivery points"

it's a bit disappointing, because you figure they'd make those better guarded or something.

Anyway, I haven't used that ability since I'm used to going to the ACC and then dropping somewhere else since it's a bit faster than

Spoiler

finding the invoices

. *shrug*

No weapons, tools, or items to start. And no buddies, supply drops, copter support, or reflex mode, period vs EXTREMELY well armed enemies with smarter, more aware A.I.. Subsistence is fucking brutal(especially during the day) but incredibly satisfying as it takes problem solving & adapting in the field to a whole new level. Great stuff. Hopefully there's more.

Don't spoiler me, but going off what I know so far:

Spoiler

I really wish they'd had made those a replayable "hard mode" a la Ground Zeroes "Normal/Hard" mission selection. It'd add to the replay value massively if you could gimp yourself like that on all the missions/side-ops instead of them being only on certain missions in the back half.

 

[Mister Negative]

I kinda agree that besides a few reference I really don't feel like these characters are the same characters that were in MGS3

specially Ocelot, but Boss too.

Kaz is like an angrier version of his PW-self so that's okay I guess

it's almost hilarious how one dimensional miller and ocelot are in the tapes.

50% of the tapes are Miller overreacting and Ocelot telling him he's overreacting.

 

[Jintor]

Kaz

Spoiler

and to a lesser extent Paz?, and sorta Huey but also no

are like the only recognisable returning characters. Ocelot is... like a completely different person, occasional references aside.

 

[Salsa]

I just randomly read a big spoiler

.. kinda

im at a point in the story where it was pretty obvious what was happening with

Spoiler

-Eli-

and that kid anyway I guess

I kinda dig it. wasnt expecting something like this even when they maybe botched it by making it so obvious so early on

 

[DrSlek]

kojima read like the top 3 most well known books about symbolism and just put them in there randomly

DEEP

Read a few comic books too, I think.

 

[Strangelove77]

Ocelot is a different character in every single MGS game he's in. He fits into whatever role is needed of him by Kojima. He's written the way he is just for that.

At least that's the way I look at it. This Ocelot isn't even that big a departure like MGS3 Ocelot was compared to MGS1 and MGS2 Ocelot.

 

[brickarts295]

Total Stealth Footprints of a Phantom was total bitch! How in the fuck I also manage to get an S is beyond me.

 

[Salsa]

also I have no idea why my brain wanted to think

Spoiler

the kid

was

Spoiler

someone other

than

Spoiler

psycho mantis

with the same powers or something

I have no idea why I was so sure of it

 

[legendaryskitch]

Kaz

Spoiler

and to a lesser extent Paz?, and sorta Huey but also no

are like the only recognisable returning characters. Ocelot is... like a completely different person, occasional references aside.

I gotta disagree here. Everyone is very different for good reasons. Ocelot is still the same except for once he's actually on your side. The only character change that surprised me was

Spoiler

Huey

Spoiler

which makes Otacon's story in MGS2 about how Huey killed himself so god damn satisfying.

 

[Griss]

kojima read like the top 3 most well known books about symbolism and just put them in there randomly

DEEP

To be fair, he has always done this. He takes a topic, reads everything he can about it, then explains it to you in such depth (through his characters) that you are left with no doubt that yes, Hideo Kojima can read, and read about symbolic topics, and he read all the way to the very end because he's super-smart.

It leaves certain sections of his game feel like wikipedia articles about certain topics, and it's really, really strange. He doesn't understand subtlety at all. That's fine in a game that's over the top camp nonsense like MGS4, hell, it even adds to it. (Disclaimer: I love MGS4.) Here it comes off as cack-handed.

He's unable to use one piece of imagery from another piece of media without throwing every other piece of imagery he can from that same source in as well, to make SURE you get it. It's kind of like the way he refuses to have characters not have at least 5 connections to every other character, so that Snake can't stumble across a random guy on the street without it being his clone, former comrade, former CO, former family member etc. Everyone must be related, if not by blood then by war! (But better by blood!)

MGSV is going to make me re-examine just how intentional the brilliant bits of the first games in the series were, it really is.

 

[Jintor]

Ocelot is a different character in every single MGS game he's in. He fits into whatever role is needed of him by Kojima. He's written the way he is just for that.

At least that's the way I look at it. This Ocelot isn't even that big a departure like MGS3 Ocelot was compared to MGS1 and MGS2 Ocelot.

that's true, but there's an easier throughline. This one's so mellow tho.

Probably most crucially though he's really boring except when talking about torture

 

[LightofRohan]

What's with the "guys captured success screen"? I fulton like 10-20 B's+ and it always shows like 2-4 guys that I captured... Hows it work?

 

[Jintor]

maybe that's the best parallel to moby dick possible. moby dick is this really cool revenge tale about this dude who's so set on revenge he'll risk his men's lives to get it against a freaking whale that doesn't give two shits about him. but it's interspersed with these really long sequences where the author just won't shut up about information dumping about whaling because the dude did the research and god damnit if he had to go learn about whaling he's going to write about it and you're going to read about it.

this was the 1850s tho when you didn't have darpanet to look stuff up i guess

 

[PensOwl]

Some pretty non spoiler shots I took (PS4). This game's a looker.

A good way to take pictures without the HUD is to use a throwable like the magazine and go into first person. The only problem is a lowered fov

 

[Mik317]

yeah Ocelot being different is kinda his MO.

you never really know what his deal is.

That has been the case legit in every game.

 

[akira28]

This silver dot above Mother Base tab in the ACC will not go away. What am I missing?

 

[sammyCYBORG]

Best mission in the game IMO, wish there were more like it. The

Spoiler

sneaking

just feels so fucking good

Yeah it's the best designed location in the game yet by far.

 

[SuicidalSteve]

I unlocked the

Spoiler

zoo

at mother base and was collecting things then i noticed there wasn't a place for me to get back up....i am a derp. Anyone know how?

 

[hipsterpants]

So I'm pretty sure I just got the weather change unit function. How do I use it?

 

[Mister Negative]

So, the opening credits for mission 28 made me not want to play anymore tonight.

So I then looked up some non-spoiler strategy stuff for 28 and 29.

Spoiler

they both sound so, so awful. I hate the idea of fighting the skulls.

 

[RedlineRonin]

A good way to take pictures without the HUD is to use a throwable like the magazine and go into first person. The only problem is a lowered fov

You can also use a simple setting in "display" (I think) that only shows the bottom right hud piece if you're aiming, other wise it's never there.

So, the opening credits for mission 28 made me not want to play anymore tonight.

So I then looked up some non-spoiler strategy stuff for 28 and 29.

Spoiler

they both sound so, so awful. I hate the idea of fighting the skulls.

I struggled for awhile and then got realllll mad at the game. Quit to the ACC and loaded up my

Spoiler

CGM 25. It was a real short battle. Only had to call for one supply drop in mission 29 I think. Use the quick option in the map screen.

 

[SolidChamp]

Wow, the sky in

Spoiler

Africa

is glitchy as fuck.

 

[RedAssedApe]

Was the cardboard box fast travel ever explained in game? Ugh. Lol

 

[Shouta]

Finished. Great gameplay (with a few issues) and underwhelming story.

The MB and growth systems through the iDroid could have been kind of nice but it felt way too grindy and they didn't do much with them to connect it to the actual story. That's a real shame because it makes the game and the field missions feel very separate and mundane. They seriously could have knocked it out of the park with better integration. So much seems like it got cut but could have been cool too. =(

In the field, the set pieces are great and I like the areas. They need more things to find out there instead of having to go back and do Side-ops. Ironic that I usually hate this in most games because it's all just a ridiculous collect-a-thon but I think a little bit of that in combination with all the missions and side-ops in the field would have been nice.

I think the biggest element that's lacking is scripted sequences. It's great to be doing all the infiltration and action as Snake but considering you are building up a PMC, it's ridiculous you don't get to see them in action at all in the field. I also thought they could have had more variety in their situations like the ones to stop Armored Columns. Nothing wrong with the ones they had but more would interesting scenarios would really have upped the gameplay's value, IMO. It also would have given us a chance to really play with the weapons in the game more.

Also, TOO MUCH HELI LOADING.

Was the cardboard box fast travel ever explained in game? Ugh. Lol

No. I only saw it in a loading screen help thing.

 

[RedAssedApe]

No wonder I missed it until 30 missions in. Been riding a chopper just getting around mother base. ._.

 

[brianmcdoogle]

Also, TOO MUCH HELI LOADING.

This is my biggest gameplay annoyance. Why do I have to go to the ACC to have side ops load? conversations load? cutscenes load? It's a mess.

A MESS.

 

[akira28]

No wonder I missed it until 30 missions in. Been riding a chopper just getting around mother base. ._.

lol, that's literally the slowest method. Kojima was fucking with us when he made Pequod fly over and under the pylons and fly between them in a slalom. The heli trip to the medical platform took 3 minutes.

 

[RedAssedApe]

lol, that's literally the slowest method. Kojima was fucking with us when he made Pequod fly over and under the pylons and fly between them in a slalom. The heli trip to the medical platform took 3 minutes.

Lol which is why I still haven't done all the target practice side ops. Embarrassing...

 

[Slaythe]

my bad. Im pretty sure that was shown on like the first trailer tho? its just Eli

I haven't seen a thing besides Ground Zeroes, I'm going into it blind !

I know I might be the only one but yeah, I only visit this thread to avoid spoilers everywhere else.

it wasn't major but still . If we can avoid it it's cool.

 

[Cyborg]

I have a question about mission 9 or 10 where you have to destroy

Spoiler

enemy vehicles, 11 in total

in 15 minutes. I managed to destroy 4/11, will there be an easier way (later on) to destroy them all? Some kind of item or whatever.

 

[Slaythe]

Also I made Tom Cruise from Mission Impossible !

I hope they let you play as the avatar at some point, so I can have some Ethan Hunt action .

 

[Salsa]

I think I do this on every side op

 

[BudokaiMR2]

I am still working my way through the game (Finished mission 29 last night) and I am still very mixed. Of course, I am really enjoying it but it really feels like there is so much wasted potential or weird choices that I can't reconcile.

I need to figure out how this cardboard box fast travel works though, as the lack of real useful heli fast travel is one of my biggest annoyances.

I also just feel like that too many of the main story missions come off as filler content. I am willing to forgive it in the end because usually the missions are fun, but it feels like you are doing ALL of the legwork. As in instead of getting a codec call or whatever about your team capturing some scientists who spilled the whereabouts of a key character you need to find....instead you have to first do a mission to find clues to the whereabouts of the scientists...and then go and do that mission to rescue/capture them for their intel...and then finally do a mission to rescue the only character that ultimately counts.

I have like 500 fucking highly trained operatives chillin at my base. They can't at least help with one part of that quest chain?

Also, they better up their fucking game when it comes to boss fights in the latter half of the campaign. I am already this far in and I don't really consider anything outside the

Spoiler

Eli

fight to be any damn good. I liked missions 28 and 29 but they didn't even feel like real bosses to me.

 

[Shouta]

This is my biggest gameplay annoyance. Why do I have to go to the ACC to have side ops load? conversations load? cutscenes load? It's a mess.

A MESS.

Why isn't there an option to have your Heli take you to another part of the field maps? Why do I have to go back to the ACC? >=(

 

[brianmcdoogle]

By the way, the game looked me 44 hours and 57 minutes to complete. This does not count the idle time I had waiting for missions to complete on dispatch.

 

[raven777]

I never used this until now and since I have wormhole extractor now I won't be using it again probably.

 

[LurkerPrime]

How do you get the extraction notice for items you're on top of? I can never get the prompt to show.