METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN Reviews

For how weak the narrative of this game is, gameplay wise there really is nothing like it. There's some annoying bugs here and there and stuff like collecting animals can be tedious, but this game has insane amounts of replayability that I've gotten so much fun out of it. Mechanics are pretty in-depth too. It does get repetitive eventually but I always find myself coming back to MGSV. I also think Kojima going with a minimalistic HUD was the right choice.

Unreal game this is playing it gives me such satisfaction that almost no other game can offer it is simply that ahead of the curve.

10 years later, this is still one of the greatest [b]STEALTH[/b] games ever made next to Hitman & old Splinter cell games. Easily the best MGS games in terms of gameplay. Every mission you can play out differently in your own way. Story is okay, you'll get most of the lore on cassette tapes . Visually this games really pretty for a 2015 game set in Afganistan and Africa . It's not GPU/CPU heavy so it runs quite nice even on older rigs. I think my only cons is the side stuff can get very repetitve. Also i was playing this on keyboard and mouse & you cannot bind anything :( . Still a sick game 9/10. Unfinished story cuz Konami & Hideo relationship went south . Hideo Kojima's final MG <3

Replaying it again after several years. Have played MGS 1, 2, 3, 4, Portable Ops and Ground Zeros prior. Brainchild of Hideo Kojima, who is now known for Death Stranding. Incredibly complex and moving story leading up to MGS 5. Kojima is a visionary when it comes to weaving historical fact with fiction and integrating his philosophies and perception of the evolution of technology. Previous entries had movie length long cutscenes explicating the above. Those worked in the 1900s and 2000s era of console gaming. Come 2015, people want less talk and more action, and this game delivers: The cutscenes are now significantly shortened, and exposition is relegated to cassette tapes that are optional to listen to. The Fox engine was incredible for its time, offering smooth gameplay on the PS3! It still holds up now and can rival some modern titles. The gameplay loop is addictively good, and fans of 3rd person action-stealth will thoroughly enjoy playing it. Incredible open-world game for its time that still holds up well today. Has many elements that encourage replay-ability. It may not be the complete experience Kojima wanted to deliver, given what happened between him and Konami. But the core elements of a great game are all present.

Started playing on the Xbox 360 in 2016, still playing it in 2025. The vibes... like smearing someones ashes on your face at sunset on an oil rig The music... Kino D-Dog... my boy

🎮 Gameplay (Non-Spoiler) This game features one of the most satisfying and fluid gameplay loops I’ve ever experienced in a third-person shooter. Movement, gunplay, and general control feel incredibly polished. Even just exploring the open world is a joy thanks to how responsive and smooth everything feels. That said, some key gameplay features are oddly locked behind specific story missions. Unlocking certain mechanics felt arbitrary and disconnected from any natural sense of progression. Still, from a pure gameplay standpoint, this entry is one of the strongest in the series. 🧠 Story (Spoiler-Free Summary) This is where things get more complicated. The story has flashes of brilliance and strong themes, including political manipulation and the use of child soldiers, but the overall narrative feels disjointed and incomplete. Some plot choices seem designed to patch MGS lore, but in doing so, the emotional weight of your journey gets undercut. I still enjoyed the story all things considered, but only because its tied to Metal Gear. ⚠️ Spoilers Below Click away if you haven’t finished the story. The game ultimately reveals that you’re not actually playing as Big Boss, but as a body double who has been conditioned to believe he is. While this twist is interesting on paper, it makes a lot of your actions throughout the game feel hollow. It reframes the experience as a setup rather than a climax. Huey’s character arc is one of the few narrative standouts. His descent into self-deception and guilt is handled well and adds genuine tension to the story. I've never seen someone lie so much the only one who still believes him in the end is himself, and also the entire world after a few years. The reveal about Solid Snake killing a body double in the original Metal Gear, may satisfy some lore fans but feels like retroactive damage control. Many players hoped “Chapter 3” would tie things together, especially with the teased plot of Liquid leading a child-soldier uprising. That concept sounded amazing, but it never materialized. In my opinion, adding that content without trimming some of the repetitive late-game missions would’ve hurt the pacing even more. 🧾 Final Thoughts From a gameplay perspective, this is nearly a masterpiece. If you’re in it for the stealth, action, and mechanics, you’ll love what’s here. But if story is what drives your love for the Metal Gear series, be prepared have a premature ending patched up by audio logs.

awesome game. Hate the fact that deployment costs don't get refunded if you don't use the items after exiting the AOO. I had a lot of fun getting really cool new items, and it felt like the game encouraged me to try out new gear that I spend money and time and resource unlocking, but really the way you play is by getting the 1st star tranq gun, 1st star silenced auto rifle and maybe a tranq or silenced rifle if you're feeling ambitious. Also remember that fulton recovery can be put back to 1 star and reduces a lot of costs

This game is really good but it sucks. Because the Venom Snake Scream scene was deleted in mission 51. Once you finish mission 31 the game starts to get really, really boring. But in the end... I love stealth games and this game does a good job with stealth.

It's been ten years since I played Kojima's last ride in the Metal Gear universe on my PS4 and this time it wasn't only playing one more time I lived with Punished "Venom" Snake for almost two weeks and here's the deal - Story and Narrative: Revenge is a dish best served cold, sometimes you have to wait for at least a decade. if you dig into Metal Gear universe then you know there was this gap between Peace Walker and Metal Gear 1&2, this game and the prologue (Ground Zeroes) are filling this gap, for me personally if it was released before Guns of the Patriots it could be so mind blowing, but with Guns of the Patriots and everything has come to an end it's like living in the past with the awareness of the future. - Gameplay: the gameplay is still one of a kind, it will be formed around you, it depends on what style you play you're one of those shoot'em up run and gun let's blow them up or you're the one they never know was here even? its up to you how to play it and it will provide you with a lot of equipment to do whatsoever. - Environment: OK many used to say the game's world is empty and there is nothing but guard posts, outposts and animals, well what did you expect? to go to shops and maybe date your girlfriend? it's soviet controlled Afghanistan in the 80s in the deserts and mountains, I get it then why being open world then? I have to say in order for the narrative to get shaped and how much of the story you want to know and understand, the game had to be designed like this so the player would have the freedom to choose which missions they want to do or which files and tapes they want to know about, with the player exploring freely in the game's environment it was possible to shape the narrative this way. one of the most important things about the environment is the enemy behavior against you, if you mostly shoot in their heads they're gonna wear helmets, if you sneak in bushes and hide in it they're gonna mine those fields, it is very related to the way you play and they react exactly to your style of play, the AI in this game is still one of the best out there, I've never seen soldiers stay in cover like forever waiting until reinforcements join them and if they catch you in open they're not gonna miss their bullets. Long story short Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a game that you can fulton extract a sheep and still it brings tears to your eyes for the brothers gone, for the people you taught never point your gun at your comrade but still you had to put a bullet in their heads. it will make you angry it will make you laugh, it will tell you how does it feel to fail in saving someone or to protect them, it will show you how good it feels to avenge your people and take revenge.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain – The Game That Lets You Fulton a Sheep Into the Sky and Still Cry About Lost Brothers How do I even begin to describe Metal Gear Solid V? It's not just a game—it's a masterpiece of storytelling, stealth action, open-world design, and tactical absurdity wrapped in a cardboard box. Literally. ✅ Story? Kojima delivers an emotional rollercoaster of revenge, identity, and war, blended with political intrigue and personal loss. It's gripping, dark, and philosophical—but somehow still finds time to let you extract goats via balloon. ✅ Gameplay? Silky smooth. Every encounter is a sandbox of possibilities. Want to go in guns blazing? Do it. Want to sneak past enemies dressed like a bush? Also valid. Want to knock out an entire outpost with tranquilizers, a cassette player blasting 80s pop, and your trusty cardboard box? My friend... welcome to MGSV. ✅ The World? Afghanistan and Africa are beautifully crafted and rich with detail. Dynamic weather, day-night cycles, enemy AI adapting to your tactics (yes, they'll start wearing helmets if you keep going for headshots)... it’s a living, reactive world that respects your playstyle. ✅ Companions? You get a wolf with an eyepatch, a sniper who breathes through her skin, a literal anime mecha, and a horse that can poop on command. What more could you want? ✅ Customization? You can customize your base, your weapons, your loadouts, your helicopter entrance music (shoutout to “Take On Me” and “The Final Countdown”). This is YOUR Big Boss experience. ✅ Hours of content? Hundreds. Side ops, base development, animal rescue (yes, there's a zoo), easter eggs, hidden tapes, full-on conspiracy theories. You can lose days here and not regret a second. 🎵 Soundtrack? 10/10. Kojima didn't have to go that hard with the 80s tracks, but he did, and I salute him. 😢 Downsides? Some story threads feel unfinished due to the game’s famously troubled development. But even then, what's here is still more polished and emotionally impactful than most full games. Final Verdict: 9.8/10 Would Fulton my own friends just to play it all over again. Funniest Moment: I once accidentally dropped a supply crate on a guard’s head mid-mission. Instant KO. Tactical brilliance? No. Hilarious? Absolutely. If you love stealth, deep stories, massive replayability, and tactical gameplay that respects your intelligence—and also enjoy sending bears into the sky via balloon—then Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is the game for you. Now excuse me while I replay Mission 43 and cry again.