LIFE

Like a Big Boss: Metal Gear Solid V Phantom Pain review | Technobubble

Jason Hidalgo
jhidalgo@rgj.com
Be a Big Boss in "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain."

Where's the president? Where's my wife? Where's the virus? Where's the bomb?

Tell me where it is!

Oh, sorry, I just had "24" flashbacks after hearing the Kiefer Sutherland-voiced protagonist Big Bauer, I mean, Big Boss in "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain."

All kidding aside, MGS5 represents the culmination of a long journey — one that has seen many a gamer grow up with it through the years. It's the kind of generational tour de force that comes with plenty of gaming goodwill from fans of the franchise. At the same time, a solid track record also comes with the flipside of great expectations. Add the fact that this may very well be director Hideo Kojima's last rodeo as overseer of the modern Metal Gear series and there's a certain sense of finality surrounding Phantom Pain.

The good news for fans of the series is that The Phantom Pain is more than up to the task. The game picks up right where the "Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes" prequel left off — a short yet completely gut-wrenching experience that qualifies as one of darkest, saddest stories I've ever seen. In The Phantom Pain you once again play the role of a super soldier, albeit quite scarred and arguably more vulnerable among a cast filled with, well, its fair share of scarred and vulnerable characters who continue to deal with the fallout from past events. Yep, Metal Gear is back, baby, this time with more eye patches and missing, uh, stuff. You've got people missing eyes, missing arms, heck, even missing a lot of clothing.

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Despite not being as whole as he used to be, the game's protagonist isn't any less of a boss. This "Snake" continues to wield extraordinary physical prowess and mental faculties, which can be readily employed on the field. It's a field that's a lot more open than past Metal Gear games while also mirroring the passage of time via day and night cycles. The result is a large sandbox that gives players more freedom while dealing with less linearity. There's a lot of stuff to find in the field as well as many side quests to keep players busy.

Fans of Metal Gear's core gameplay also can continue to approach missions in a variety of ways.

It's possible to come in with a surgical knife, for example, and sneak around like John Turturro in Mr. Deeds — my favorite play style personally, though it can take a lot more time. Otherwise, players can approach tasks like a not-so-surgical bazooka and just Action Jackson their missions like a boss. A Big Boss.

Regardless of which style you prefer, the gameplay feels very solid, pun so totally intended. There's a lot of control options at your disposal, ranging from the cool to the hilarious, like using the Fulton recovery balloons to extract foes from the battlefield and send them to your base. Seeing enemies or even animals ascend to the air like a balloon that some kid lost never ceases to crack me up. Yes, I'm easily pleased. There's also a buddy system that allows you to choose partner in the field, whether it be a horse, a dog or a human.

For lovers of boss fights, the game serves up action-packed encounters both big and small. These include action packed close encounters, a more cerebral sniper fight and, well, bigger bosses for the so-called Big Boss to tussle with. I mean, it's called Metal Gear for a reason.

Storytelling doesn't quite reach the level of the series' best, though it can still be poignant on occasion. It's a story that can certainly make you feel uncomfortable at times, which is a given when you're dealing with the impact of war. Cut scenes aren't quite as out of control although they can still be chunky in bursts. Speaking of out of control, there's a lot of debate about the skimpy look of character Quiet, which some might consider demeaning or unnecessary. There's actually a storyline reason for it but it can still be a point of contention for some.

"Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain," now features an open world landscape.

For folks who like to dabble in online, there's a competitive component where players can invade each other's forward operating base (FOB). It's a bit more cerebral than online modes for other action games so folks who enjoy invasions might like it. Personally, though, it feels somewhat tacked on to me, and it doesn't help that getting the most out of it requires microtransactions. At the same time, it's optional so if you prefer to concentrate on the campaign, then you really don't need to pay much heed to it. Another thing the game could have done better with is landscape diversity. For the most part, you'll be dealing with so many dry, arid landscapes that you'll need a tub of lotion from Costco. MGS5 also doesn't introduce any notable genre-defining elements like its predecessors did.

Despite some of its logical fallacies and niggles, The Phantom Pain remains a technical and highly polished effort with great production values, solid gameplay and oodles of content for players to sink their time into. If this is indeed Kojima's Metal Gear swan song, it's ending on a high note. It's easily one of the best games of the year or any year for that matter.