Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience PlayStation Hits - PlayStation 4

This was a step outside my usual realm of game, but ended up picking it up when I was bored with more of the same (for me at least) and ended up reading about some of the best reviewed, most recommended games of recent years.I'll be frank, I'd never heard of the game before I read about it in an article about 18 months ago, listing the top 30 games for the PS4. I'm not a serious gamer, I certainly don't fit the 'yoof' profile, and I usually go for more cerebral or strategic games, so the Metal Gear series wasn't something that had previously entered my gaming conscience. I bought the game on a whim, thought it was cheap enough to take a punt on, but I'm so glad I did.I got the game with MGSV: Ground Zeroes, which I didn't much like - too much story, too much back-story, too many tapes, too many characters I didn't know and didn't care about. I played Ground Zeroes first and it almost put me off continuing - it's chronologically first so it seemed the logical thing to do. After playing it over the course of just a couple of days, I ended up leaving the game alone for a couple of months, thinking it just wasn't for me. However, after having completed a different game during that period and wondering what to get next, I remembered that it had been MGSV: The Phantom Pain that got all the rave reviews, and so decided to give it another go.All I can say is that MGSV:TPP is simply excellent in all the ways that matter for making an excellent gaming experience. The world and the ability to play in it and explore, the missions, the stories, the character's development, and the playability and replayability - all are amongst the very best I've come across. It's also completely mad, and if I hadn't known it came from Japan, I'd have soon guessed. An additonal plus for me is the retro-music that populates the game, you can't have enough Joy Division.If you're bored or even just 'satisfied' with your usual genre of game and might be contemplating a change of gaming experience, I can't recommend this game enough. The fact that I'd never heard of the game, or its previous incarnations, before the middle of last year probably attests to the narrow world of gaming I inhabit, but it also suggests there are many others out there like me who might be looking for something completely different.

The game is fun and has so many different skins and weaponry to mess around with, great storytelling. As a newcomer to the MSG verse this is a great introduction. Recommend.

I've only tapped into the very introduction to this game. I haven't done a whole lot of gameplay, but I have seen enough that I am convinced this is one of those games I will try my hardest to make my way all the way through! I've only played the original Metal Gear game and loved that. So, if this is at least as good story and gameplay-wise, then this is going to be great! I love stealthy games! I am highly anticipating the upcoming Snake Eater. And, I am hoping, that even though from a different company, that a remake of Splinter Cell comes along soon! Totally love games that involve a little more strategy than just jumping out and endlessly blasting at stuff until nothing moves. :)

Story: This brief continuation of the Metal Gear saga places us back in the shoes of Big Boss. It is a direct sequel to Peace Walker and deals with many of the loose ends it had at the end. The story is told through an interesting introduction followed by a series of tapes you can listen. These are not ordinary tapes since the developers went to great length to add talented dialogue and a soundtrack to instill the desired tone. This gave further character development to personalities we already knew and gave a better insight as to their actions before and during the game. The ending to the game plays particularly tense thanks to its perfect execution and its a masterpiece in terms of setting the tone.Graphics: The game takes place at night during a rain storm and the water effects are amazing. The lighting effects also play with the distinct glistening of far away search lights that makes a stealth mission even more engaging. Hideo Kojima does it again with its attention to detail and great lengths to making this game a true representation of his vision.Gameplay: If we thought previous Metal Gear games were refined, this one is perfected beyond its expectations. Every button and combinations serve a purpose that feels right in your hands. The button combinations to perform exact moves seem like its exact representation of the body movement which makes it even more fluid. There is now a new mechanic where time slows down when spotted. Snake now has the ability to stop a soldier from alert others of your presence and adds another tense moment of reaction time. Gameplay is tight and responsive along with the new binocular features. Snake is now able to tag enemies and have an idea of their location throughout the game. Some might argue this makes the game too easy but it just focuses more on a tactician Snake rather than a strictly stealth operated game.Overall, the game is a prologue to the things we should expect from the full game. It is exciting to see how The Phantom Pain plays out and the results of this ending affecting the rest of the story.

My only problem with this game is that they didn't hire David Hayter as the voice of Snake. If you enjoy Metal Gear Solid games, you're very likely to enjoy this and get a lot of replay value out of it. From my perspective it's like a Metal Gear Solid sandbox with a few different sandbox options to choose between. For me, Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid games are some of the most intriguing and high quality games there are--and this title is no different. It's a high quality game full of immersive details. There is a linear story that tries to bridge different gaps in the Metal Gear story, at the same time you're given many missions that don't exactly drive the narrative and generally seem to provide some degree of structure to the sandbox environments. Then there's the online stuff and also some Base defense/offense stuff too I haven't even messed with--so I assume that all offers replay value too. For $20, it's an exceptionally good value in my opinion.