My favourite genre of gaming is the same one that Metal Gear Solid has (in past instalments) generously contributed to with wonderful innovation. Stealth games have always given me a certain euphoria, a feeling that MGSV so far (as Ground Zeroes is essentially the "tutorial" level to the full game) is lacking. The first problem I had was the sticky cover system (relying on the game to detect when you are near cover, which can be very "hit and miss"). I then thought, when has a stealth game benefitted from sticky cover rather than a button activated cover system....the only answer I could think of is "The Last of Us" (TLoU). However, the reason it works in that game is because enemies cannot detect you nearly as easily as MGSV's threats and in TLoU you also can see enemies through walls without the need to actually see beyond the wall your taking cover behind. MGSV requires you to peak and frankly it feels painfully awkward as peaking will sometimes fail to mark or tag enemies as it should. Metal Gear Solid 4 is the perfect MGS (in gameplay terms) as all the game's systems are reliable. MGSV disappoints me as not only does the cover mechanic fail me more times than not but the marking mechanic (using Snake's binoculars) can also be quite "hit and miss", not always detecting the enemy which I can see clear as day. I have carefully considered the game, I waited to write this as my initial feeling of excitement would have made me write a biased review, focusing on how it's nice to see Snake with a fresh voice talent from TV's "24" Kiefer Sutherland. But when I actually think about it, this game has stripped too many things away, from an overly simplified HUD (no camo index, no visibility indicator at all) to vague tutorial messages that sometimes fail to explain controls accurately.
This game is a fall from grace for Metal Gear Solid and serves as a very poor example of why MGS once was a great stealth series (in many ways, I think this is the Splinter Cell: Conviction of MGS). It's story also annoyed me as it felt more pretentious than a genuine attempt to tell a compelling story. It's themes of sexual violence and self-sacrifice felt as though Kojima was aiming to shock rather than explore adult themes with respect and maturity. There are some collectable audio recordings and they feel contrived rather than a genuine attempt at enhancing or contributing to the story. One audio file involves sexual violence and it handles the matter with little maturity (the scenario is excessive to say the least) as it involves a bad guy forcing a prisoner to do things to another prisoner which seems unrealistic (a prisoner recorded their own torture....really? The memories would not be ones they would want to preserve). It felt like a throwaway moment due to the manner in which it was presented, which completely ridicules what should be a topic to be handled with careful consideration and respect.
Make no mistake, having just played through it's main mission again (god knows I've played through it 10+ times now and also was foolish enough to buy it for PS3 as well as PS4) I realised it has changed too much from MGS4 and Peace Walker into a game that has the MGS name but does not live up to it's standards. I feel Kojima tried to change something that was not broken, to such a point that he has produced what feels like a broken stealth game to me. In an effort to see if I could play this as I played the other MGS games, I disabled the "reflex mode" (a mode which is enabled by default and upon detection makes the game enter a "Max Payne slo-mo" allowing you to shoot the enemy before he can reach his radio and cause an alert). The enemies life-like detection skills annoy and irritate me rather than motivating me to overcome the challenge it poses. It also saps the fun out of what could have been another fun entry for the series. I miss the old days where an enemy would have a question mark above their head, warning the player that they have been noticed but also providing a chance at hiding. MGSV removes such unique and fun features and throws you in at a very deep end, resulting in a game that feels more like a simulator, not allowing the player a chance (outside of reflex mode) to redeem their mistake.
Hideo Kojima has a lot of mistakes to correct if he wants to restore my faith in a franchise that I feel tearful to let go.
Note:
Having played the PS4 version and the PS3 version, I can say the PS4 version is an 8/10
The PS4 version has better AI, better graphics, vastly better draw distances (which impacts gameplay), more fluid gameplay (the controls feel more responsive than PS3 version) and in general I am having far more fun playing the PS4 version (PS4 version would get 8/10).