Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

The Metal Gear series has always delivered complex plots, with unexpected twists and revelations altering your perception of people and events you thought you understood. Though Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain continues this tradition, the majority of its plot focuses on the events at hand. Fans of the series will find their diligence rewarded in ways that newcomers can't begin to imagine, but such loyalty and knowledge isn't a prerequisite. Top-notch cinematography and voice acting echo--and at times exceed--contemporary standards for film and TV, carrying extraordinary characters into the realm of believability. Though you will cross a few elements in the world that illicit a chuckle, there's very little humor in The Phantom Pain's story; the dark themes and subject matter like disenfranchised youth being forced into combat call for a serious tone, after all. The gravity of the game's encounters leaves you on the edge of your seat, with a racing pulse.

As Big Boss, the leader of a private military group The Diamond Dogs, you go behind enemy lines to carry out recon and assassination contracts, as well as infiltrate the hideouts of your enemies. These include world powers and military leaders, many of whom work in the shadows. The Phantom Pain mixes historical events from the 1980s with a pinch of James Bond villainy and an exciting dollop of sci-fi dressing. There are times when it feels grounded in reality, but there are also just as many moments when it goes off the deep-end to great effect. Impossible technology and super-human abilities accompany almost every beat of the story. These oddities surprise you and instill wonder in the crazy, mixed-up world that you're meant to save.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes gave us a taste of the series' new mechanics, which feel as excellent now as they did then, but the freedom of choice in Ground Zeroes pales in comparison to the possibilities that await you in The Phantom Pain. Instead of roaming around a small base as in Ground Zeroes, you have the freedom to explore entire countrysides. You crawl, walk, and sprint to and fro, and each action feels spot on thanks to responsive controls that shed the stiff nature that plagued some of the earlier games in the series. You can even learn to climb up cliff faces, instilling a refreshing sense of verticality. You don't always have to sneak, and in some cases, you must attack head-on. Both types of scenarios instill a nerve-wracking sense of tension that either gives way to crushing defeat, or a resounding sense of victory.

You also have the opportunity to react on the fly in numerous ways when spotted by an enemy. The game's Reflex systems gives you a momentary advantage as time slows down, allowing you to pinpoint the perfect head shot. If you're quick enough, you can dive out of your enemy's sightline, roll onto your back, and fire from the ground, all before alerting others in the vicinity. If you want something really challenging, this can be disabled at any time. The Phantom Pain encourages you to be active, but you have more than enough tools to tip the scales in your favor. If you think all is lost, you can also call in an airstrike, though it's only suitable for some missions and will limit your ranking at the end of the mission, and thus the rewards you receive.

One mission in particular put all of my skills and tools to use, and stands out as a perfect example of how playing The Phantom Pain is such an engrossing and varied experience. While searching for a secret weapon developed by the US government, I had to infiltrate a series of caves in the Afghan countryside. The problem: there's a heavily guarded area in front of the caves. Even worse: the caves are like a maze that's nearly impossible to navigate logically. In order to acquire the weapon, I had to sneak through the shadows, creep up to soldiers and incapacitate them one by one, without alerting guards near the mouth of the cave. They held a prisoner who knew where the weapon was hidden. Throwing empty bullet cartridges to distract them, I choked out the guard in the rear, and then followed suit to his friend in the front. The prisoner spoke the local tongue, but because I had previously captured an interpreter who was listening over my radio, I was able to understand his instructions. I then searched the caves, inch by inch, taking out threats until I found the weapon. Afterwards, I charged out, hoping for freedom, but I was confronted by never-before-seen enemies that couldn't be taken down with conventional weaponry. I was initially ordered not to use the weapon by the person who gave me the contract, but I had no choice but to blast my way out while I ran to freedom. It was an exhilarating mission that I won't soon forget as it took every ounce of skill I had to move in undetected, and then it bombarded me with a full-on action sequence that fueled a massive rush of adrenaline. Thankfully, there are plenty like it to go around.

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