Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience Released
Top sneaking
If you're one of those "I'll wait for the Game of the Year Edition" types, good news: a new stealth game called Metal Gear Solid V [official site] has just become available to you, and I think you really might like it. Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience has arrived on PC, packing both the small, directed MGS V: Ground Zeroes and the sprawling open-world MGS V: The Phantom Pain along with the multiplayer Metal Gear Online and all their DLC. That's a respectable slab of sneaking for £25! For all its flaws, I still really like MGS V - and you might too, you ol' GotYhead you.
Let's pretend you've ignored Metal Gear Solid V until now, waiting for the GotY. It's a sandbox stealth game about a superspy mercenary and his wacky mates who live in a secret offshore clubhouse. Ground Zeroes is a short prologue, set around one single military base, with one core story mission then a load of other missions which also happen to be set there. GZ leads into The Phantom Pain, a huge, sprawling, open-world sandbox about building a new clubhouse and stopping some shady black ops shenanigans while getting revenge on the people who blew up your last clubhouse. Here's Wot We Thought of Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain.
I remember MGS V fondly. I haven't even finished The Phantom Pain yet, as I stopped after one of the several story beats which felt like a good-enough end. It keeps on going and doesn't do enough interesting with that. But! The sandbox world and its emergent antics are great fun. It's a fascinating playground with some great toys. The story collapses and at times would struggle to outwit a sack of rocks but looking over screenshots today reminded me how much I came to like some of those people (and creatures). TPP also gave me a new appreciation for Ground Zeroes, for its focus on one big single intricate base and the improvisation required when you can't teleport all enemy troops away and call in supply drops.
The 'Definitive Experience' name is a little odd considering it doesn't fix or expand upon anything, it doesn't complete and add those cut unfinished missions, or any of that. It's messy but it's some quality stealth - especially for the price.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience is £24.99/29,99€/$39.99 on Steam. The DLC is mostly fluff and I'm sure GZ and TPP have been cheaper on sale but hey, this is still good as a new base package.
This is likely the last Metal Gear we'll see from series mastermind Hideo Kojima, as he's parted ways with Metal Gear owners Konami in less-than-friendly circumstances. He's gone off to start his own new studio and impregnate Norman Reedus, while Konami are turning MGS V into a zombie game with Metal Gear Survive.
