Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - PlayStation 4

I have to give this game 5 stars. I was looking for something initially to complain about this game. My first dislike was getting used to the controls after coming to this game for PS4 from playing Fallout 4 for the last 6 months. Fallout 4 was my last favorite game until now. My biggest problem with the controls was switching between weapons / items. There is a bit of a lag, at least on my system, switching between weapons and items, just as there could be in real life. Now that I've played over 50 hours (and only 16% completed btw), I'm much better with the controls than when I started, for sure. There is so much to see and do with this game. The graphics are really good. The gameplay is really good. There are quite a few cutscenes, but not so many as to be irritating like in Uncharted 4. I put U4 and FO4 away when I got this game, and I will almost certainly not play U4 again. FO4 will be difficult to never play again, but MGS5 is definitely my new favorite, and I imagine I'll be playing it for a long, long time. I must say this game has the best artificial intelligence I've personally seen so far from the enemies. Even if I head-shoot snipe a bad guy from 200m across the map--with a suppressed rifle--the remaining living enemies sometimes can make it clear across the map to the almost exact spot where I was sitting and search for me there. The special effects on this game are amazing. If you head-shoot a bad guy, his head explodes. If you shoot him in the chest, some of the impact is absorbed by his clothing and / or body armor. If you head-shoot someone, they go down immediately. If you don't head shoot them, sometimes it takes a couple shots to finish them off. One exception I've found so far is if a bad guy is wearing a helmet. Even with a perfect head shot, the bad guy gets his bell rung and the helmet goes flying off, but he doesn't die until you head-shoot him again. Learning to use the idroid while in the helicopter and at mother base takes a little getting used to, but I'm better at it now. I started out with the horse as my companion. The horse is definitely helpful traveling long distances. Now I've got D-Dog, and the best thing about him is he spots/marks a lot of enemies for me, quite a few that I would not have seen on my own. One other thing I don't like about the game weapons is not being able to carry 2 weapons (at least not yet) that I really like in the primary and secondary slots. Right now, I'm carrying the suppressed assault rifle and a suppressed sniper rifle in the primary slots, and I'm carrying my bionic arm and the tranquilizer pistol in the second slots. Should I really have to count my attached arm as a slot??? And that suppressed assault rifle in slot 1 is almost worthless, btw. I've only used it a couple times, and only when I had to. I'd much rather carry a sniper rifle and a rocket launcher in slot 1 and a tranquilizer pistol and a suppressed pistol in slot 2. If it is possible to do that, I haven't earned that or figured out how to do it yet. I like to sneak around and snipe bad guys with head shots if they are not worth Fultoning back to mother base. If they are worth keeping, I have to get in close and take them down manually or shoot them with the tranquilizer pistol so I can extract them. The Fulton device is a bit far-fetched as are some other parts of the game, but the Fulton device is definitely functional and entertaining, as far as the gameplay is concerned. I like being able to use and destroy cover when being engaged and engaging the enemy. There is a vast array of weapons available, altho I only like carrying and using a few specific weapons so far. I've also found that the improved versions of several weapons are only a slight improvement and they cost a lot of money to upgrade, so it's not generally worth it to me, early on, anyway. That being said, there are a couple items that are a drastic improvement as upgrades are produced, like smoke grenades and C4, for example. I'm going to keep playing this game, and I will update my review as necessary. I will find it very difficult to give this game anything other than a 5 star rating. I think I paid about $40 on Amazon, and the first couple hours of gameplay made it worth every penny. I have a feeling I'll be playing this game for a long, long time. Oh, and I love the "Pete Rose" flying head-first slide--I do it all the time--sometimes just for fun. :)

After putting in more than a week with this game, I can comfortably state that not only is the ultimate Metal Gear Solid experience (and the best MGS to date), this is without one shred of doubt, the best game of the year. For those who are considering buying this game, I'd like to note a few things that are of vital importance. First, and perhaps most crucial, if you're a long time fan of MGS, but failed to play Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, I strongly urge you to do so. The MGSV system is such an incredible leap forward from past games in the series, Ground Zeroes serves not only as a prologue to The Phantom Pain in terms of plot and set up, it's a critical primer in familiarizing yourself with the new game mechanics of the entire MGSV experience. Getting familiar with the play style and ramped up mechanics in Ground Zeroes will help newcomers to jump into the Phantom Pain ready to sink their teeth into the game.Oh, and what a game! The Phantom Pain is really, two games in one. The main game, puts you in the middle of a fully realized world that is as beautiful and awe inspiring as it is dangerous. Set in 1984, the story opens in Soviet occupied Afghanistan. The stark landscape, combined with the time shifts and weather changes make for a digital world that feels so real, it's ridiculous. Get Snake on his horse, and go for a run, and the animal's movements are so lifelike and enigmatic, there truly are no words to describe it. Couple the visuals with the audio (especially if you have a great pair of headphones), elevates the game to a true interactive film. Wander the Afghani desert, and you'll animals in the background relative to your position, enemies engaging in banal conversation, even an enemy vehicle rumbling somewhere in the distance. The execution is flawless.The second important note revolves around the game within the game: the construction and micromanagement of your HQ, Motherbase. Building, customizing and just exploring the vastness of Motherbase itself is an important, and incredibly fun experience that will take hours and hours and even more hours of devotion, but it's worth every minute, as well as vital to advancing the main game's story. Through Motherbase, you will establish an R&D branch, which will give you the ability to develop and customize weapons, camo, items and more. Once you start to build and expand Motherbase, you'll find yourself spending an unbelievable amount of time just wandering around and exploring. Be diligent in your exploration! You will uncover valuable items and crucial secrets! I've stumbled on four so far, and I just know that there are more waiting to be found!All in all, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, is an absolute must play. For seasoned MGS veterans, or newcomers to the franchise, there is something here for everyone. This game is a one of a kind experience that is absolutely not to be missed. There is so much to do and discover, to create and play around with, to list it all here would be take forever. From the playstyle and the game mechanics, to Motherbase and free roaming the vast landscape while on side ops, to the plot and your buddies! (Quiet's story is gutwrenching), you won't regret one single second playing, hell, EXPERIENCING this absolute masterpiece!