quick mgs v bullet-point review over lunch

open world

+ Loved it.
+ Felt really huge at first, but through side ops I became intimately familiar with the landscapes of Afghanistan and Africa.
+ Every outpost was its own level... I had to scout from several angles; do I come in the sides or the front? Can I crawl over the top?
+ Repeating the same outpost later empowered me. There could be more, stronger guards but with my previous knowledge of the base I coudl overcome the harder difficulty.
+ Weather was a fun element; sometmies I'd pray for a sandstorm to ease my infiltration. Rain makes hold ups a walk in the park.

= number, length and variety of side ops. they just help you practice your fundamental techniques. a little too many though with no reward.
  + but I did like the use of side ops to continue a main story. like a side quest focused on a single NPC

- I would have preferred a third map... two is a weird number to leave it at, but I can understand the depth that went into the two we got. It's really not a well-founded detraction from the game itself, just a personal appeal.
- Slip sliding away on rocks constantly; not easy to discern was is/isn't climable.
- no mini-map (when not in iDroid mode; that one stinks)
- Mother base was gorgeous in trailers and the first few visits. But halfway throught game the appeal was lost. No customization aside from color
- i wish s ranks were actually hard to get and somehow incorporated the amount of optional mission tasks you completed

RnD

+ liked searching for resources and blueprints; adds to the motivation to explore

= pretty much peace walker.
= gun customization. doesn't take away from anything; its just there if you want it.

- development interface ugly and hard to navigate


controls

+ forgoing my own 360 d-pad woes, extremely fluid. every movement was natural in the end. high precision.


Mother Base/FOB/Sim City

= just like PW. no complaints. easier to just "assign all" at least
= FOB/PvP just not my cup of tea. Don't see anything wrong with it though. Optional so I ignored PvP.


lore

+ like the tape system; get as more or as little non-essential lore as your time permits.
+ themes of revenge really strong in every character, but each acts upon it in a different way.
+ if you didn't see "the twist" coming at true end, you're a fool.
+ the main game has its own identity.
+ act two had some heartbreaking missions... huey+quiet. i was really feelin' it.
+ i like the "dark souls"-esque character missions/arcs. able to give those characters depth and see a little more of them close up, outside the context of the main missions.
+ there are still questions we didn't get answers to. We didn't get handed the end-all be-all lore compendium.

= sad we didn't get mission 51, but things get cut. deal with it.

- mgx was mentioned







What I appreciate the most about MGSV is that there are no rules.
You decide where to go. You decide when to go.
You decide what weapons to bring. What to develop.
What buddy fits your playstyle?
Want to turn off Reflex mode? Try for no alerts/no kills?
Or even bring a tank to a sniper duel.
The game is as easy/hard, short/long, simple/complex as you want it to be.
There are no rules!!


masterpiece