The main setup involves a timeline in 1984, 11 years before the first MSX Metal Gear, in which the Soviets invade Afghanistan. It’s the gameplay that feels a bit more grounded this time around - one mission even provided me with flashes of Splinter Cell, but with the obvious Kojima flair to it. There’s still plenty of silliness that ensues, crazy mutated boss fights, tons of robots, and Easter eggs for days. That’s not to say there aren’t some classic conventions present, or that Kojima has abandoned his roots. David Hayter’s endless monologues are eschewed for Kiefer Sutherland’s more deliberate interjections, and as a result, the entire experience has a very different feel to it.

Instead, it’s all done through a radio seamlessly integrated into regular play. No longer will you spend hours listening to two portraits talk back and forth via codec. This rapid fire mentality shines throughout the entire game. Looking back on this opening, it’s amazing to see how well thought out everything is in Phantom Pain - there is very little wasted time. Big Boss has woken up after a nine-year coma, and just in time, as an elite infantry unit has invaded his location, ready to kill anyone and everyone just to get to him. Phantom Pain opens up with a brutal playable sequence that sets the tone for the game. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is no exception. Every core Metal Gear entry has something new, and offers up some sort of revelatory storyline event that has fans talking for years on end. Despite the fact that most of the spinoff Metal Gear games are good in their own right, they just don’t get me excited the same way the mainline console editions do.

Metal gear solid v review