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Hindsight is 20/20: Metal Gear Solid V

Metal Gear's boss characters are probably the best thing about the series. MGSV basically has no bosses. I literally could not believe there were no bosses ala Dead Cell or Fox Hound - its Kojima's bread and butter. So much potential wasted.

Open world didnt work - it had all the boring and unfocused elements all open world games suffer from. It needed linear, very tightly designed areas with that gameplay and that engine. Returning to the same 2 environments over and over got old in a hurry. The twist ending make the whole game pointless to me story wise.

2nd worst MGS next to Peace Walker.
 
Terrible level design, terrible world design, terrible mission design, terrible levelling system, the need to Fulton dudes distracted from the parts of the gameplay that was actually good. And of course, a nothing plot. It had good mechanics but i don't even think they were that great. The game couldn't even handle the few interior areas the game had because the cover system had you constantly sticking to walls. I turned off the slow motion thing but the game kinda felt designed around its use that most players probably ran towards enemies to trigger it to get a quick shot.

Then there's the constant repetition of missions that weren't even good the first time. Invade area with a few shacks and watchtowers ad nauseam. See Hitman for how to design missions around repetition.

What a shit, shit game.
 
These hindsight threads are turning out great, kudos to everyone who is articulating their opinions clearly and/or explaining any differences they feel today versus when it came out.
 
It's not a good MGS game. The only thing good about the gameplay is how good it felt but everything else is watered down.

I hate how AI are less intelligent and can scream in the middle of a storm and warn the entire base.

I hate reflex mode. You can turn it off but look at my first complaint and you only have a second to kill the guard.

R&D was pointless. I have made tons of weapons but I only used a small number of them.

This game didn't need to be an open world. I would have much prefer it if it was closer to MGS3 being open ended.
 
Best gameplay in the series in terms of mechanics, but also the worst game in the series for me (consoles only). Open world was incredibly boring and the missions just all felt the same. Add hardly any boss fights on top of that and you get one disappointing experience. It could have been great.
 
The best Metal Gear game. One of the best of game of this generation. I really like playing this game. Which can't be said of the other games in this series, even though they're great experiences.
 
Game would've been much better if it was tighter areas like ground zeroes and had some more bosses. The open world was empty without much to do.
 
It's got some amazing systems that all seem half baked in the way they interact with each other and progress the story. Honestly it was too ambitious of a departure from the Metal Gear formula and wasn't given enough time to course correct, so you have spots of sheer brilliance tarnished by the incomplete and unpolished game.

And the plot twist is stupid as fuck.
 
The gameplay is absolutely amazing. Gorgeous visuals as well.

The plot and pacing (Quiet included) were an absolutely trainwreck and complete letdown by MGS standards though. The game was quite blatantly released unfinished despite taking many years to develop.

Someone at Konami really needs to leak that level editor they showed off so we can get new areas.
 
Best gameplay. I wish it was finished. Interesting story, not the best.

I downright think it's some of the best gameplay for that type of game period. It also preformed flawlessly on my computer. Really the only huge dislike i have for it is waiting on upgrades, which is pretty awful, and the forced pvp singleplayer thing.

I'd love a MGS4 remake that used V's control scheme.
 
Never played V, don't plan on playing it anytime soon because I heard some end-game spoilers and the story sounds like crap. Was really hoping to see a fleshed out, over the top, cutscene heavy game like Guns of the Patriots, but I didn't get that here. So I'd rather not play it, though I've heard only good things about the gameplay.
 
This reminds me that I need to pick up MGSV: The Definitive Experience sometime so I can play GZ and TPP. MGSV was one of my most anticipated games ever and I still haven't played it. I was really disappointed when I heard it's unfinished.
 
I'm picking it up yet again and currently playing it. It's my 2nd favorite in the series. The ending is pretty awful and feels like they scraped something big, but I still got 100+ hours of gameplay out of it.
 
Terrific gameplay, but I couldn't get myself to finish it. Loved all the previous Metal Gear Solid. Such a shame.

Sound design is fantastic, on par with TLoU.
 
kiguel182 said:
I'm playing it right now.

I don't mind the minimal story elements but the mission structures are kinda of repetitive. I've got my first mission in Angola and I'm starting to put off side-ops because I don't feel like doing the same infiltration routine over and over.

I love how the game plays and the loop of improving mother base is pretty nice but I'm not seeing that much variety otherwise.

Despite that I'm really enjoying it and will keep playing. The story is very barebones right now but I'm curious where it will go and, mostly, discovering why people say it's unfinished.
Click to expand...

Thing is, story it's not unfinished... at all. You'll see.
 
Game totally took over my life for a few weeks. Best stealth/third person tactical shooting gameplay of all time. Great meta-game implementation and Kojima's patented attention to detail.

However, the characterization of the existing characters left a lot to be desired. Listening to big plot reveals on "truth tapes" is underwhelming. Not enough boss fights. And chapter 2 is just straight up unfinished.

I actually really like the twist, but it wasn't given the proper support in chapter 2 to feel earned.

It ends up my second or third favorite Metal Gear on the strength of the gameplay and central theme of
you are now Big Boss.
 
Zombegoast said:
It's not a good MGS game. The only thing good about the gameplay is how good it felt but everything else is watered down.

I hate how AI are less intelligent and can scream in the middle of a storm and warn the entire base.

I hate reflex mode. You can turn it off but look at my first complaint and you only have a second to kill the guard.

R&D was pointless. I have made tons of weapons but I only used a small number of them.

This game didn't need to be an open world. I would have much prefer it if it was closer to MGS3 being open ended.
Click to expand...

All of this.

The Base concept was novel in Peace Walker, but after a couple dozen hours building that place up it was absurd how pointless it all felt as someone that plays prioritizing stealth. I hated when Kojima announced he is expanded on it for MGSV, its like he is doing everything in his power to prevent me from engaging with stealth in the releases since MGS3.

None of the locations were as inviting for replayability and surprise as Ground Zeroes. A smaller world filled with locations as varied and interesting as that place was needed, not that copy-paste bloat we got.

Reflex mode was a crutch that felt like it cheapened the experience(or acted as a band-aid) to a larger problem that persisted in how AI reacts to spotting you. Instead of thinking about what can be altered to avoid the problem of psychic AI, we give the player a superpower fix.

I want to adore MGSV as the control and design did have plenty to love in its subtle intricacies, but there are too many broad systemic issues going on that I couldn't help but find even the best aspects suffered heavily.
 
Just hit the ~250 hour mark. Quiet's whole thing, the lack of bosses, and the wishy-washy story aside, the gameplay is unrivaled and I wouldn't have it any other way. There likely won't be another open-world stealth game like it ever again. The end-game is like every other MGS: after you've seen/skipped the cutscenes for the nth time, the game itself, the moment-to-moment encounters, the hair-trigger precision of the controls, the speed-running of Extreme and True Stealth versions of later missions is perfection. There's little tricks I'm still figuring out and I'll likely not stop for a good long time.

It's a flawed masterpiece any way you look at it, but still in typical Kojima fashion, unlike anything else we'll ever see.
 
I still cant get over that one part where Snake sits with Skullface in a jeep for 10 minutes like a mute while the villain just rambles on and on and on and Snake his character model just looks around bored as fuck.


Plays like a dream but this game needed more and better directing from Kojima.

Quiet was a joke as well and her scenes made me cringe while my girlfriend was around and she is used to me playing ridiculous games.
 
The incredible mechanics don't make up for repetitive level/mission design, the barebones story, the grinding...

It could have been a GOAT, or even /the/ goat, the disappointment is pretty heavy here. ;_;
 
Game felt great to play mechanically but I hated the empty repetitive open world. One of my least favourite in the series.
 
My favorite Metal Gear in the entire series. That said, it is quite repetitive, the open world is quite barren and Mother Base is BS. At least, this game is much more gameplay than movies.
 
enjoyable gameplay but ultimately let down by the story. It did allow me to bury the series once and for all since Kojima left, so there's some solace in that.
 
Incredible gameplay and the story was ok. Nothing spectacular but also not terrible. Probably my 2nd favorite MGS after MGS 3.
 
Incredible on all accounts, it's what I envisioned the series to evolve into, it delivered on everything I expected from the game.

I never really cared too much about the narrative in these games, and after MGS PW and MGS IV I don't know why people expectations were so high in that regard.

I still play it from time to time, haven't really got bored of it yet, not many games have that level of replayability which speaks tons about the quality of gameplay, at least for me.
 
My problem is that if you're looking for the least risky, most optimal way of completing missions (which I do) then you end up playing with just a couple items, the sleep gun and the fulton. There's no incentive to use all the weird shit. so it got really samey for me after a while.
 
Didn't expect much after MGS4, but reviews seemed to be glowing. Reviews forgot that a huge draw of the series has always been the story and characters. Gameplay is good, but without motivation, who cares?
 
Deckard Chapel said:
Yes and yes.

Also, the fact that you had to play through the entire opening tutorial all over again at the end was a ridiculously unnecessary design decision.
Click to expand...

Games are not separated in design decisions, since games aren't literally just designing. I thought that make you play the start again was actually really clever and a way to engage into all of it after the game was over.

Also the plot twist is the one thing I think people will warm up after a long time just like Raiden. I still think it was a really pretty fucking cool twist
 
Honestly I feel bad for all of you saying it's shit. Like you're all missing the point or something.

tayls129 said:
Didn't expect much after MGS4, but reviews seemed to be glowing. Reviews forgot that a huge draw of the series has always been the story and characters. Gameplay is good, but without motivation, who cares?
Click to expand...

Me, for one.

For me it was never about the story. I still don't know or care what happens in the game as far as plot is concerned - I don't care about the Metal Gear universe. You guys are saying it's "not a good Metal Gear game" - that argument doesn't have any value to me at all.

It's the best stealth game ever and the best controlling game ever. It's immensely satisfying to play. For me, it's like being a kid again, playing with GI Joes and inventing scenarios for them. Gameplay-wise, it's a masterpiece.

It's about swooping down in your chopper with Take On Me blaring from the speakers. Setting C4 charges for trucks to run over just to see how they react. I play it to have fun and it's one of the most fun games ever made.
 
-Mutsukki- said:
Games are not separated in design decisions, since games aren't literally just designing. I thought that make you play the start again was actually really clever and a way to engage into all of it after the game was over.

Also the plot twist is the one thing I think people will warm up after a long time just like Raiden. I still think it was a really pretty fucking cool twist
Click to expand...

giphy.gif


The twist ties perfectly into the game giving you so much more control over everything, its staggering that people don't recognise it.
 
Really fun gameplay hampered by a lack of location based variety, weird artistic choices that don't produce the intended effect (helicopter drop scene just got annoying and wasn't dynamic or interesting enough to feel like the opening to an episode), and a story that was probably a lost cause from the start but went down one of the dullest possible routes.
 
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