

If you're quick enough, you can dive out of your enemy's sightline, roll onto your back, and fire from the ground, all before alerting others in the vicinity. The game's Reflex systems gives you a momentary advantage as time slows down, allowing you to pinpoint the perfect head shot. You also have the opportunity to react on the fly in numerous ways when spotted by an enemy. Both types of scenarios instill a nerve-wracking sense of tension that either gives way to crushing defeat, or a resounding sense of victory. You don't always have to sneak, and in some cases, you must attack head-on. You can even learn to climb up cliff faces, instilling a refreshing sense of verticality. You crawl, walk, and sprint to and fro, and each action feels spot on thanks to responsive controls that shed the stiff nature that plagued some of the earlier games in the series.

Instead of roaming around a small base as in Ground Zeroes, you have the freedom to explore entire countrysides. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes gave us a taste of the series' new mechanics, which feel as excellent now as they did then, but the freedom of choice in Ground Zeroes pales in comparison to the possibilities that await you in The Phantom Pain. Now Playing: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - Video Review

These oddities surprise you and instill wonder in the crazy, mixed-up world that you're meant to save.īy clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's Impossible technology and super-human abilities accompany almost every beat of the story. There are times when it feels grounded in reality, but there are also just as many moments when it goes off the deep-end to great effect. The Phantom Pain mixes historical events from the 1980s with a pinch of James Bond villainy and an exciting dollop of sci-fi dressing. These include world powers and military leaders, many of whom work in the shadows. The gravity of the game's encounters leaves you on the edge of your seat, with a racing pulse.Īs Big Boss, the leader of a private military group The Diamond Dogs, you go behind enemy lines to carry out recon and assassination contracts, as well as infiltrate the hideouts of your enemies. Though you will cross a few elements in the world that illicit a chuckle, there's very little humor in The Phantom Pain's story the dark themes and subject matter like disenfranchised youth being forced into combat call for a serious tone, after all. Top-notch cinematography and voice acting echo-and at times exceed-contemporary standards for film and TV, carrying extraordinary characters into the realm of believability.
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Fans of the series will find their diligence rewarded in ways that newcomers can't begin to imagine, but such loyalty and knowledge isn't a prerequisite. Though Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain continues this tradition, the majority of its plot focuses on the events at hand. The Metal Gear series has always delivered complex plots, with unexpected twists and revelations altering your perception of people and events you thought you understood.
