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[valkyre]

The side ops are technically never-ending since they reactivate after a while, so I don't think anyone should burn themselves out trying do them all (aside from the plot-related ones for the Paz subplot, Man on Fire, AI Pod, etc).

They're mainly a way to ensure that 1) you always have a prisoner to rescue, a soldier to extract, a tank unit to defeat, etc, should you want an objective while free-roaming in the sandbox, and 2) to provide another way to procure resources without having to repeat story missions (although you can still replay main ops if you want).

I'm thankful for them. Sometimes I'll clear out a few side ops in hopes of a new prisoner extraction mission appearing.

I think Kojima himself at one point stated that side ops are meant to be content always available in order to have small bursts of MGS dose long after you have completed the game and just want to get your fix.

They are certainly designed as such and its great to have them post campaign in order to just go out and try out all kinds of crazy things.

 

[Markoman]

MGSV, Bayonetta 2 and Bloodborne are my games of this generation.

 

[Neiteio]

MGSV, Bayonetta 2 and Bloodborne are my games of this generation.

I can definitely get behind that. MGSV, Bayonetta 2 and Bloodborne are three of my favorite games ever. I'd also add to this list Mario Kart 8.

I think Kojima himself at one point stated that side ops are meant to be content always available in order to have small bursts of MGS dose long after you have completed the game and just want to get your fix.

They are certainly designed as such and its great to have them post campaign in order to just go out and try out all kinds of crazy things.

Exactly. I'm 200+ hours in, and when I'm not trying to s-rank a main op, I'm experimenting with new strategies in side ops. They're perfect pick-up-and-play missions.

 

[Jhn]

That was my post. You're probably referring to this:

That's exactly it, thanks.

 

[Mathezar]

Personal opinion.

Best gameplay in the series by far, I feel it won't be surpassed in a long time.
Everything else: horribly disappointing.

 

[Auto-Reply]

A snowmap would have been cool (punfun)

Also complex interiors would have been nice, it would have added way more replayability to the main bases, the gameplay itself is great and fine but it's all happening at a surface level, buildings have a door and one room behind it.

Underground bases with large hangars to sneak around etc, would have brought some variety to the environments.

 

[Neiteio]

It's kind of insane how polished this game is. I don't think I've encountered any performance hitches or glitches in MGSV. Even with all of the uneven terrain, DD and D-Horse never get stuck on any level geometry. Everything just flows; everything just works. So kudos to the designers, programmers and testers!

 

[valkyre]

There's definitely some merit to the approach, but I think the problem is how static the open world is. I don't need strip clubs and a bowling minigame with Kaz, but I just want something unexpected to happen as I'm wandering around Africa and Afghanistan. Maybe a tank convoy, or different PMC groups fighting each other, replacement AA guns so certain helicopter routes aren't reliable until I find them and shut them down, truly hidden snipers camping a base in ambush for Big Boss making another of his kidnapping runs, or a couple lost Skulls wandering around a place I assumed was safe. MGS5's sandbox is just so predictable and when the game is filled with such interesting tools and fantastic combat it's a dirty shame how much you need to actively work to create fresh scenarios. You have a kitchen loaded with different foods and spices and it just wants to keep serving you the same hamburgers with the occasional chicken sandwich.

I want the game's world to surprise me, and a few hours in it basically stops doing that. It doesn't even need to surprise me that often, it could be its current barren self 90% of the time and that would be fine. Might even make the surprises more entertaining!

But... all those things you are describing here (or most of them), are what side ops are for... the world isnt empty (more like what it would feel in reality at least)... just go to Afghanistan. Roam the environment. Apart from the regular transport trucks and partols between camps, you will also encounter events via side ops. You will encounter armored tank and vehicles with patrols, you will encounter snipers, you will encounter wildlife, heavy infantry etc.

Its really what side ops are about. Having an event happen every step you take is neither realistic nor fun in a game like this. But even so, whenever I roam a location, I always end up getting 1-2 side ops thrown on my way.

 

[Neiteio]

But... all those things you are describing here (or most of them), are what side ops are for... the world isnt empty... just go to Afghanistan. Roam the environment. Apart from the regular transport trucks and partols between camps, you will also encounter events via side ops. You will encounter armored tank and vehicles with patrols, you will encounter snipers, you will encounter wildlife, heavy infantry etc.

Its really what side ops are about. Having an event happen every step you take is neither realistic nor fun in a game like this. But even so, whenever I roam a location, I always end up getting 1-2 side ops thrown on my way.

To add to this, most of the outposts are a lot closer to each other than people realize. If you're riding down the road full tilt on D-Horse, you'll quickly reach another group of guards who'll keep you plenty busy.

 

[Shtof]

Easily my GOTY 2015. Second best game of the series after MGS3 and tied game of the generation with Overwatch. I never understood the hate the story and plot twist got. MGS was always weird in that regard.

 

[Gen X]

It was my most played Metal Gear, but not my favorite. Not a bad game by any means but shit the story is pretty arse out of the mainstream games.

 

[Sadist]

I completed The Phantom Pain last week (so just in time for it's one year anniversary) and I really enjoyed my time with it.

Note that I'm no Metal Gear Solid fan (before playing TPP I completed the original, The Twin Snakes, MGS 2 and Snake Eater), but Snake Eater is my favourite because the themes were great and ofcourse DAT FINAL BATTLE. TPP however quickly became my second favourite MGS game purely because the gameplay is fantastic. I always managed with the controls in the majority of MGS titles, but TPP is the first one where the controls are perfect imo. Because of that I just flew through the missions (side-ops alike) and enjoyed how the missions are built up. Infiltrating bases, making use of your buddies, fulton extraction... it's all good.

The main mission are great as well, but story wise it's sketchy. I mean come on...

Spoiler

Speech parasites, son!

 

[GameFreak117x]

Fantastic gameplay and mechanics but boy did the game go South after you get to Africa. In addition the motherbase and frankly the whole "RPG" aspect of the game left A LOT to be desired. Not to mention ditching David Hayter. MGS 5 was almost a perfect game.

 

[Greddleok]

Fantastic gameplay and mechanics but boy did the game go South after you get to Africa. In addition the motherbase and frankly the whole "RPG" aspect of the game left A LOT to be desired. Not to mention ditching David Hayter. MGS 5 was almost a perfect game.

David Hayter is a terrible voice actor.

 

[Liamc723]

It's still my most disappointing game of all time. It's the worst Metal Gear Solid game by far.

 

[Chola]

Ground Zeroes was a much better game, that's why. It has much more variety in mission design, and also side missions. Camp Omega is forever playable, and is memorable in its look. It also had limited weapon selection which prompted you to work within your limitations.

I disagree to this so much. TPP has lot more varied to its objective, its not just a level designed for infiltration and different objectives tacked on to it like GZ. TPP has the best infiltration missions (OKB is 10x better than GZ) , assassination missions that didn't suck like the one in GZ, ambush missions, tailing missions, rescue missions and straight up action and the best part is you can choose any one of these approach and complete the mission.
People need to stop living in their GZ bubble and open up their mind for TPP

 

[luka]

Fantastic gameplay and mechanics but boy did the game go South after you get to Africa.

most of the best missions in the game are in africa...

 

[LeonSPBR]

MGSV is my 15 GOTY. So good, liked the story, love the gameplay. Only wished the FOB "events" were different from one another, that they have different objetives. Over 200h put into it, and not a single regret.

 

[Jacknapes]

Loved it, still love playing the missions to this day.

Still think the CPU soldiers could have had a smarter AI, so if they spotted your horse or vehicle sitting near, they would initiate a search of the area for you (similar to when they find a body), makes you smarter by hiding it somewhere.

 

[Clear]

It's kind of insane how polished this game is. I don't think I've encountered any performance hitches or glitches in MGSV. Even with all of the uneven terrain, DD and D-Horse never get stuck on any level geometry. Everything just flows; everything just works. So kudos to the designers, programmers and testers!

Indeed, in terms of overall polish and stability, I can't think of anything better this gen, which kinda makes all the "unfinished" talk seem implausible to me.

Great game.

 

[saher]

Im itching for a replay, i didnt compete all the missions/objectives so i might go back to it to for the platinum.

Such a great game.

 

[Roufianos]

The most dissapointing game I've ever played by far. I could write a long essay explaining why but I'm tired of doing so at this point.

I definitely understand why others love it though.

 

[Heartfyre]

Indeed, in terms of overall polish and stability, I can't think of anything better this gen, which kinda makes all the "unfinished" talk seem implausible to me.

Great game.

Whether a game is "finished" or not involves more than performance and stability.

We know there was planned to be more content in the game than there was.

 

[Floex]

It's still my most disappointing game of all time. It's the worst Metal Gear Solid game by far.

I just don't understand these points. Story, I get (though anyone who thinks MGSIV is good and enjoyable I'm glad the series went the direction it did) but it's everything learnt from all the past games crafted so finely.

Some more industrial locations wouldn't have gone a miss though.

 

[Liamc723]

I just don't understand these points. Story, I get (though anyone who thinks MGSIV is good and enjoyable I'm glad the series went the direction it did) but it's everything learnt from all the past games crafted so finely.

Some more industrial locations wouldn't have gone a miss though.

And then thrown into a barren open-world, a game that doesn't need it.

I find these arguments of "Oh I can approach a base from so many different directions" to be pretty laughable....So? Going through the back door instead of the front one doesn't interest me in returning to the same location in the slightest. Shadow Moses and Big Shell blow any sort of environment or location from TPP out of the water.

 

[BigBoss007]

Don't play "The Man Who Sold the World" mission. You will thank me for that.

Well, I played 500 hours (I got platinum trophy too) since launching date on PS4 and felt dissapointed about the plot, characters, world, Side Ops... But I loved the gameplay. I stopped playing the in december and started again from zero on PC with mods this july; I only made the main missions but nothing changed.

Mods fix some things: try out Infinite Heaven, you'll be pleased; but that dissapointed staff I was talking about the story is intact and it does not improved in your second attempt.

Gameplay: 10/10
Story: 4/10

 

[Veal]

The thing about side ops is true. And yes a lot of people got burnt out due to the side missions and/or replaying main missions over and over for that S rank.

Those are absolutely valid "complaints" in that respect. Those aspects are -imo- worth it only after completing the main campaign once. Finsih the main campaign without replaying main missions or doing random side ops, and then you get a much better paced MGS experience. After that, start messing around with side ops and go for S rank in main missions.

A good thing about sideops and replaying missions is that they somewhat adapt to your previous approaches (like guards wearing helmets if you do a lot of headshots) , so the game keeps forcing you to change your approach.

This is what I did. Could never understand the complaints about the pacing. Of course it wasn't as tightly paced as past entries, but it was open world. Of course it isn't going to be as tightly paced!

 

[Audioboxer]

FUCK. One year already?

What am I doing with my life?

I'll echo what I've said before, amazing gameplay, fucking terrible MGS story, even by wacky MGS standards. Also clearly cut short and unfinished, and never will be finished.

Sad way for MGS to go out, even if gameplay was amazing MGS has largely been about the wacky story (but good) and likeable characters. I mean, MGS1 gameplay is a hack and it's still loved by fans.

 

[Arttemis]

I wish the base building mechanics were dropped from the game and replaced with expanded survival mechanics and enemy moral/food systems built off of MGS3, and a legitimate jungle in Africa.

They could've kept Mother Base, but let the XO do his damn job himself instead of making the players recruit and manage literally hundreds to thousands of these traitorous bastards so unloyal to their countries that they defect to the first balloon man they find.

The intrinsic gameplay is top notch, but it's weighed down by such awful, unnecessary, and unwanted tedium. Transplant that engine into a remade MGS3, please.

 

[Dremark]

We know there was planned to be more content in the game than there was.

I'd be willing to bet that would also apply to almost every other game ever made.

Stuff gets cut. If Mission 51 was in I don't really see how anyone could complain that the game was incomplete though.

 

[Screaming Meat]

It's still my most disappointing game of all time. It's the worst Metal Gear Solid game by far.

That'll be MGS4 for me. What a fucking waste of time that turned out to be.

 

[Zalman]

This game was the biggest disappointment in recent memory for me. Most people seem to agree that the story isn't very good, but one thing I'm hearing a lot is that it has the best gameplay in the series. I personally don't agree with that either. I didn't find the empty open world very exciting, and the repetitive mission structure bored me a couple of hours into the game.

Maybe I should have seen it coming since I didn't like Peace Walker that much either. I just really wanted to believe I would enjoy this game like I did with MGS1-4, but sadly it wasn't for me.

 

[StereoVsn]

I hated the FOB requirements for SP. That caused me to buy the game much later at a major discount. I still hate them now. In addition the story was clearly unfinished, so meh.

Overall I was disappointed, all that hype and we got ME3 equivalent.

 

[heringer]

Loved the gameplay, loved the plot twist, loved almost everything about it. Best MGS and the best gameplay of all time.

Come at me haters.

 

[Arttemis]

This is what I did. Could never understand the complaints about the pacing. Of course it wasn't as tightly paced as past entries, but it was open world. Of course it isn't going to be as tightly paced!

Just because it was an open world doesn't mean it's immune to plot criticisms. Arkham City is open world but its level of cohesion makes MGSV feel like a slap job of an unfinished game... Which is accurate, because Konami clearly forced out a game with a great engine but unfinished plot.

Extremely overrated. Doesn't hold a candle to snake eater. Gameplay or story wise. I understand Konami and why they did what they did. Some cool graphics and character models though.

I understand why Konami denied Kojima Pro more time to finish their game, but that doesn't mean it's excusable or right. They forced the employees to become janitors after they polished their unfinished product. FucKonami, and I say that as civilly as possible, OP.

 

[Salz01]

Extremely overrated. Doesn't hold a candle to snake eater. Gameplay or story wise. I understand Konami and why they did what they did. Some cool graphics and character models though.

 

[Intheflorsh]

Probably the biggest waste of potential of any video game in history.

 

[Audioboxer]

Extremely overrated. Doesn't hold a candle to snake eater. Gameplay or story wise. I understand Konami and why they did what they did. Some cool graphics and character models though.

*flamesuit on* I even think MGS 4 is better than 5. Personally 5 has the worst story out of every mainline entry for me.

I like old Snake though, enjoyed playing as an "old man"

 

[Javin98]

And then thrown into a barren open-world, a game that doesn't need it.

I find these arguments of "Oh I can approach a base from so many different directions" to be pretty laughable....So? Going through the back door instead of the front one doesn't interest me in returning to the same location in the slightest. Shadow Moses and Big Shell blow any sort of environment or location from TPP out of the water.

Posters like this dude here are the ones who find the mission and level designs boring and uninspired because they are unwilling to take the time and effort to make every infiltration feel fun and distinctive. Instead, they blame it on the developers because of their own lack of creativity and resourcefulness. Honestly, this post doesn't even make sense to me. Okay, Shadow Moses and Big Shell are more memorable than any location in TPP, I can agree with that, but what the hell does that have to do with the freedom in the level design that others are talking about?

Anyway, I'm just glad this game is slowly starting to get the love it deserves. Maybe my faith in GAF will slowly be restored too.

This game was the biggest disappointment in recent memory for me. Most people seem to agree that the story isn't very good, but one thing I'm hearing a lot is that it has the best gameplay in the series. I personally don't agree with that either. I didn't find the empty open world very exciting, and the repetitive mission structure bored me a couple of hours into the game.

This dude too. I can't think of a game that offers more freedom to players than MGSV when it comes to tackling missions. Laughably, some posters even say that The Witcher 3 has far less repetitive side ops design.

 

[Salz01]

*flamesuit on* I even think MGS 4 is better than 5. Personally 5 has the worst story out of every mainline entry for me.

No need for a flame suit when you write the truth. 😊

 

[Jawmuncher]

Even with its flaws. It stands as the best game I have played this gen despite being multi-platform. The gameplay was just that good. Along with the atmosphere. I really felt like I was the boss running an army and actually was the legend everyone claimed I was.

 

[Mokujin]

Still flawed:

- Story had some strong points, but overall disappointing, Chapter 3 could have kind of solved it.
- Only 1 mgs traditional boss
- Sahelanthropus is sooooo out of place
- FOB was a mess
- Micropayments were stupid

Redeeming qualities:

+ Intro is superb
+ Best gameplay of the series 10/10 (but I hated how you could just Fulton tanks instead of having to destroy/disable them)

 

[Audioboxer]

No need for a flame suit when you write the truth. ��

I know how divisive 4 is in the fans eyes. Personally for me once it finally got a trophy patch it became super amazing

3 is still the best though.

3 > 1 > 2 > 4 > 5 for me. In saying that though I love 1 through 4, such awesome games. I even loved 2 with Raiden, pre-MGS4 Raiden fan in the house! 5 I can only give a nod for the most refined and diverse gameplay, the story was just awful as were all the supporting characters. Even returning series characters were absolutely terrible.

Kojima has got to take blame for that, no matter how awful Konami were, he still put out 5. Although I'll blame Konami for a huge chunk of the game getting cut.

I can't give it some subpar 5/10 score or something as I have to be honest and say the gameplay in 5 made it a ton of fun, but as a MGS game I was utterly disappointed.

 

[WAR recon zero]

Shit game

 

[Liamc723]

Posters like this dude here are the ones who find the mission and level designs boring and uninspired because they are unwilling to take the time and effort to make every infiltration feel fun and distinctive. Instead, they blame it on the developers because of their own lack of creativity and resourcefulness. Honestly, this post doesn't even make sense to me. Okay, Shadow Moses and Big Shell are more memorable than any location in TPP, I can agree with that, but what the hell does that have to do with the freedom in the level design that others are talking about?

Haha, oh boy Javin.

Not everyone gets fun out of visiting the same location over and over again, but oh this time I can tackle it in an ever so slightly different way! It shouldn't need to be on me to make the game feel fun for myself, the developers absolutely do play a large part in that. I'm not lacking creativity, the locations in the game are.

The relation to Shadow Moses and the Big Shell is the point that a MGS game doesn't need to be open-world. And when they are, you get the trash in TPP.

 

[Javin98]

Haha, oh boy Javin.

Not everyone gets fun out of visiting the same location over and over again, but oh this time I can tackle it in an ever so slightly different way! It shouldn't need to be on me to make the game feel fun for myself, the developers absolutely do play a large part in that. I'm not lacking creativity, the locations in the game are.

The relation to Shadow Moses and the Big Shell is the point that a MGS game doesn't need to be open-world. And when they are, you get the trash in TPP.

Yeah, I was expecting a response like this from the get go. I was debating whether to reply to your post, but then I thought why the hell not. I can write a lengthy post why the open level design lets you tackle missions in vastly different ways, but what would be the point? When someone makes hyperbolic posts on GAF, it's obvious they won't change their minds. But hey, it's the reason GAF is such a toxic community these days!

 

[Chola]

I wish the base building mechanics were dropped from the game and replaced with expanded survival mechanics and enemy moral/food systems built off of MGS3, and a legitimate jungle in Africa.

then you are looking for an entirely different game, this is a story of a man building an army, Its not the game's fault if you had your own set of imagination and expectations

They could've kept Mother Base, but let the XO do his damn job himself instead of making the players recruit and manage literally hundreds to thousands of these traitorous bastards so unloyal to their countries that they defect to the first balloon man they find.

The intrinsic gameplay is top notch, but it's weighed down by such awful, unnecessary, and unwanted tedium. Transplant that engine into a remade MGS3, please.

You never had to micro manage motherbase, its never forced on you, all you had to do is Fulton or not Fulton solider.

lol, people are coming with incorrect facts and hyperbolic statements

 

[Zocano]

The open world did nothing for the game. It was barren and meaningless which was exceedingly unfortunate. Would have just preferred a handful of Ground Zeroes style locations that get different missions built into them.

Don't care about the story but I never did so it's not like that felt detrimental to me. It's a bummer to see a game just fall apart and not feel conclusive, though, when a lot of the media aimed to give that feel. The Quiet stuff was yegh tho.

The game just felt hollow, aimless, and lacking in too many ways. I can just go to Ground Zeroes for that rock solid gameplay and tightly designed encounters.

GZ, MGS1, and MGS4 are still the only ones that I really thoroughly enjoyed. And 4 only gets by because it was my first mgs game.

 

[TheKastorian]

Spent ~210 hours to get the Platinum and enjoyed every single second of it (except the animal collection part of course but good thing I had purchased the official guide).

Extremely polished game didn't encounter a single glitch (take that Witcher 3) and, yes, the gameplay is the best in the series. It just feels so good playing it. Gaming perfection.

Was blown away by the twist in the end. Despite the smaller emphasis on story this time around, it was still better than your average game (but not your average MGS). Part of the reason I think I enjoyed the story was the total media blackout I went on the game after watching the E3 2013 trailer. Didn't watch a single trailer, read a piece of media or NeoGAF thread until I completed the game. Went in not knowing what to expect and as a result, had my expectations in check and totally agree with the 10/10 reviews.

A masterpiece.

 

[pringles]

It's an MGS game so it goes without saying that the story is crap. Gameplay easily makes it the best game in the series though and one of the better games of the last few years.