This is my most wanted game of 2015, made sure that even if I'm still strapped for cash when it releases that I'd have enough to get it still. I'm pretty excited to see what Kojima would do with an open world since I have that same issue as you, but don't think he'd make those same compromises. Plus new tech could probably really take it to the next level. At the bare minimum, I'll still be talking about it over a decade later, something I can't say for anything that came out last year.
Game Watch 2015 pt. 3: Metal Gear: The Phantom Pain
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 On 01/15/2015 at 02:06 PM by Machocruz See More From This User » |
Wherein I catalog and share the games that are catching my attention and piquing my interest in year 15 of the second millenium
"KOJIMA IS SELLING OUT! @#$%^!" That was my reaction to hearing that the next major installment in the Metal Gear series was going to let you slow down time, mark enemies, and wall haxxor. This is the kind of shit that killed Splinter Cell for me. Then I calmed down and thought to myself "Well, there will probably be an option to turn all that gargabe off." Still, I was lukewarm on the upcoming game, and I'm something of a Metal Gear head. It's a series I've always made a priority, one of the defining franchises of my video game playing career, along with Castlevania, Resident Evil, and some others. Lukewarm until I saw this :
I'm sorry I doubted you, Hideo. The way it plays out is probably scripted for demo purposes, but if you can set off scenarios even close to this, it may be the action game of the year. Certainly a high point in the series.
Big Boss is such a badass now. It's the animation. Looks like a master warrior, which he his, and a beast in the athleticism department. Dude is fit, I'm jealous, and I'm no couch potato. But hey, video game characters, what'cha gonna do? The character modelers and animation team deserve high praise.
Visuals: impressive as usual. Not much else to say about that. Kojima doesn't settle for less, as can also be seen with P.T..
The gameplay makes this look like the military sim-lite that I've been wanting for a while. More accessible and stylized than the likes of the ARMA games, but with enough military realism and tactica possibilities to make it more than just a stealth-action game.
Of course, you have the usual irreverance that the series is famous for. The talking, inflatable decoys, the way NPCs holler when they are lifted away by the Fulton system; the orphaned cub that follows our hero until it is also lifted by Fulton to its new home back at your base; using your weapons and items in unorthodox ways.
The open world - this is probably not as big of a deal to me as it is a lot of other people. Making a game open world does not make it better by default.. In fact, most open world games lack in mechanical execution, often featuring rough combat, wonky interactions, and lack of legitimate challenge. Not to mention a bunch of side tasks that offer no substance or challenge the player in any way. They do this to impress people on a superficial level, and it works. But I think, given the varied gameplay approaches and challenges that have been a staple of the series, it will enhance Phantom Pain. Larger battlegrounds mean more possibilities and directions from which one can approach an objective, and this can be seen in military sims like the old Ghost Recon. It's what's between these arenas that usually takes away from open world games; only a few games have made traveling not feel like a waste of time, padding to make the game seem longer and more worth the money. I am not fooled. I hope KojiPro can use their talents to excel others in this area.
Overall though, this may be my most anticipated, original* AAA of the year. Still going to turn that casual shit off though.
*Resident Evil Remaster also comes to the US this year.
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