Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
PlayStation 3
Nostalgia Factor:
I thought the Metal Gear series had ended with Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots. It brought everything to a nice close. It wrapped up all loose ends and bid us farewell to Solid Snake in a pretty damned epic fashion.
But I knew that the series was also a big money maker, and that there was no way that it was going to be allowed to die. Even though Snake's journey had come to an end, there was still the possibility of a reboot. Or perhaps more prequel type games in the series, ala Snake Eater.
Which is exactly what Metal Gear Solid V is. This is a sequel to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, which in itself is a sequel to Snake Eater. All three of these games take place before the events of Metal Gears 1, 2, and 4. Peace Walker was originally released as a handheld only title. Not owning a PSP, I had never gotten the chance to play Peace Walker, so when this game started I was very confused as to what was going on. I have since purchased Peace Walker on the Metal Gear Solid HD collection for the PS3, so knowing now that this game is essential to understanding the events of Ground Zeroes, I will probably play it sometime soon.
Story:
In typical Hideo Kojima fashion, the story is very convoluted and all over the place. As I said, I wasn't really sure what was going on, so I just rolled with it. The basic gist is that you are supposed to infiltrate this highly secure island that houses many important prisoners of war. There are two people in particular you need to rescue. Okay, cool. Simple enough.
In typical Hideo Kojima fashion, the story is very convoluted and all over the place. As I said, I wasn't really sure what was going on, so I just rolled with it. The basic gist is that you are supposed to infiltrate this highly secure island that houses many important prisoners of war. There are two people in particular you need to rescue. Okay, cool. Simple enough.
At least so it seems. As the game progresses you're going to encounter characters you don't know, you'll hear conversations where you are wondering what the heck the people are talking about. You're going to be very confused. Maybe it is better if you've played Peace Walker first. But I really had no idea what was happening in this game.
Gameplay:
I can't go too far into this review without discussing the length of the game. You would think that rescuing these two prisoners is just the beginning of the game. No, no. Once you finish your mission, the credits start to roll. I completed this game in an hour and twenty minutes. Of course, I messed up a lot (I'm not good at these stealth games) and I also did a fair share of exploring the island. So it is entirely possible that a lot of people were able to finish this in under an hour. Now, I had heard this game was short, but this is a little ridiculous. Can you believe they were charging 20 plus dollars for this game when it came out? Luckily I got it on sale for just 5, but still. This is way too short.
When you finish the game, a few side missions open up, but none of them are really that great, and they are all very short. So while they do add a little replay value to the title, it still is a very quick game to complete. Unless you are a perfectionist who needs to collect everything and get top grades on all the side missions, you will likely finish this game and be done with it in under a day.
Length aside, is the game any fun? It was a mixed bag for me.
If you are a Metal Gear fan like I am, all the controls and gameplay fundamentals should be very familiar to you. There are a few wrinkles thrown in, like "marking" your enemies, but nothing too drastic. You can also drive cars in this game, which is different from previous Metal Gears. You still sneak around, shoot enemies with tranquilizer darts, hide the bodies, etc. Of course, getting spotted is no fun and it will result in you having to run and hide because the enemies will never stop coming if you decide to fight it out. It felt like half of my gameplay experience was me trying to shake off enemies after I accidentally raised an alert.
If you've played Metal Gear before, there isn't much else to explain. Basically, you are dropped off on this island, you rescue the two prisoners, and the game ends. There are a plethora of cut scenes and codec conversations thrown in as well, of course.
Graphics:
Visually, the game is a 10/10. It is beautiful, and one of the best looking games for the PS3 that I have seen. If this is an indicator of how Metal Gear is going to look in the future, I am very excited.
I can't go too far into this review without discussing the length of the game. You would think that rescuing these two prisoners is just the beginning of the game. No, no. Once you finish your mission, the credits start to roll. I completed this game in an hour and twenty minutes. Of course, I messed up a lot (I'm not good at these stealth games) and I also did a fair share of exploring the island. So it is entirely possible that a lot of people were able to finish this in under an hour. Now, I had heard this game was short, but this is a little ridiculous. Can you believe they were charging 20 plus dollars for this game when it came out? Luckily I got it on sale for just 5, but still. This is way too short.
When you finish the game, a few side missions open up, but none of them are really that great, and they are all very short. So while they do add a little replay value to the title, it still is a very quick game to complete. Unless you are a perfectionist who needs to collect everything and get top grades on all the side missions, you will likely finish this game and be done with it in under a day.
Length aside, is the game any fun? It was a mixed bag for me.
If you are a Metal Gear fan like I am, all the controls and gameplay fundamentals should be very familiar to you. There are a few wrinkles thrown in, like "marking" your enemies, but nothing too drastic. You can also drive cars in this game, which is different from previous Metal Gears. You still sneak around, shoot enemies with tranquilizer darts, hide the bodies, etc. Of course, getting spotted is no fun and it will result in you having to run and hide because the enemies will never stop coming if you decide to fight it out. It felt like half of my gameplay experience was me trying to shake off enemies after I accidentally raised an alert.
If you've played Metal Gear before, there isn't much else to explain. Basically, you are dropped off on this island, you rescue the two prisoners, and the game ends. There are a plethora of cut scenes and codec conversations thrown in as well, of course.
Graphics:
Visually, the game is a 10/10. It is beautiful, and one of the best looking games for the PS3 that I have seen. If this is an indicator of how Metal Gear is going to look in the future, I am very excited.
Sound:
Everything sounds good too, although I am going to gripe about Keifer Sutherland playing Snake. Or Big Boss. Or whatever he goes by in this game. Dave Hayter had such an iconic sounding voice, and it doesn't feel like a true Metal Gear game without him. In fact, I am not too familiar with Keifer Sutherland - I don't watch 24 or anything like that - so it took me a while to recognize his voice and realize that it was Snake/Boss talking.
I think what they are trying to do is give Big Boss a different voice from Solid Snake, who doesn't appear in this universe until much later. And I appreciate that. But I've been rolling with Dave Hayter for over 15 years now and I have kind of a weird loyalty to him. Whatever.
I think what they are trying to do is give Big Boss a different voice from Solid Snake, who doesn't appear in this universe until much later. And I appreciate that. But I've been rolling with Dave Hayter for over 15 years now and I have kind of a weird loyalty to him. Whatever.
If this game is just a prequel chapter for Metal Gear V: The Phantom Pain, then I get why this is so short. I get the point of the game. It's almost like downloadable content that comes out before the big event as opposed to after. But marketing this as a game of its own and charging full price for it is a little ridiculous.
As a Metal Gear fan, there are some things to like about the game. It looks like Metal Gear, it plays like Metal Gear. It is a decent time while it lasts. But I don't know. This game was a little bit of a downer and wasn't that fun to me. Not even because it is short, or because Big Boss has a new voice. Those are minor concerns. I could have lived with those shortcomings if the game was amazing. But it just isn't. It is mediocre at best.
If I try to look at the bright side, the most I can say about this game is that it is okay. Is it worth 20 bucks? Absolutely not. Is it worth 5? Sure. That's cheaper than a movie, and it at least gives you some replay value. I will reserve further judgment on the direction of the series until after I play Peace Walker and see what The Phantom Pain has to offer. Maybe this game is a crucial cog in bridging the two titles, and I will discover a newfound respect for it. As of right now, I can't help but feel a little let down. If I had paid full price for the game, I would probably be angry and rank it in the D range. But because it was 5 bucks when I got it, it narrowly avoids that fate.
THE GRADE:
C-
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