‘Metal Gear Solid V’ is Half of the Greatest Video Game Ever [REVIEW]

I've waited a very long time for the 'Metal Gear Solid' game that could deliver all the things Kojima wanted and, in many ways, 'MGSV: The Phantom Pain' does. It's just too bad Konami couldn't wait for it to be done.

My appreciation for 'Metal Gear Solid' began over my many repeated playthroughs of the PlayStation 1 demo of the game, and grew into a full-on obsession with my first glimpse at 'Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.' The storytelling and breaking of the fourth wall in that game were unprecedented. I had never seen anything like it in games and, right there, I became a lifelong MGS/Kojima fanboy.

I remember reading interviews after MGS 4 where Kojima panned PlayStation because they promised him that anything was possible with the PS3, but the system's limitations held him back from making the game he wanted. I remember thinking, "Holy s---! He was disappointed with that? What kind of insanely badass game was he trying to make?" After 5 minutes of gameplay with 'Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain' -- I had my answer.

The graphics, lighting, infinite strategic options, and gameplay are all incredible, but where MGSV falls short is the place where Kojima usually excels -- story and boss battles. I imagine a lot of this had to do with Konami pulling the plug on (and financing from) Kojima because he was not on pace to hit their release date.

My main issue with MGSV is that just when the story is getting somewhere, it feels like you skip about 40 missions worth of plot and you're at the end. I'm not saying I was cheated out of money though. Hell, I logged 80+ hours of really enjoyable gameplay. That eclipses any other game I've played by at least 50 hours and there's still stuff left to do. Even so, Konami could have given us the game we deserved by doing one of two things:

1. Break MGSV up into two games (technically, they already did that with 'Ground Zeroes,' but that was little more than a glorified demo in my book).
2. Make us wait another 12-18 months for the entire finished product.

Things get spoiler-y from here on out -- you've been warned.

Waiting would've sucked, but anything beats the feeling of being cheated out of the full story. After mission 31, credits roll. Then you are reminded that everything up to and including mission 31 was just "Chapter 1: Revenge" and you're about to begin a whole new chapter... you even get a trailer for "Chapter 2: Race."

I was super excited to dive into Chapter 2. Could it possibly be another 30 mission adventure? Nope. When you remove all the "replay with increased difficulty missions" (most of which I skipped) -- there are five. Five lousy missions where not much happens story-wise. Nothing involving "Race" happens, and the ending mission is another replay with some added cutscenes and one polarizing twist (I liked it and kind of saw it coming). Thanks, Konami.

Here are some of my biggest frustrations with this game:

• Mission 51, an incomplete level revealed as bonus footage on the Collector's Edition of the game (see below), ties up a lot of the loose ends with Eli and would've made for a much better ending.
• It has been revealed that a third chapter (Peace) was intended too. I wonder where else Kojima planned on taking us in the (what I can only assume would be) 30-50 missions that didn't make it.
• Battle Gear.
• Every dangling plot thread and cutscene that go nowhere.
• No final showdown with the Man on Fire... and the way he goes out? You've got to be kidding me. Most unsatisfying character demise since Electrocutioner in 'Arkham Origins.'
• Snake (voiced by Keifer Sutherland) barely talks at all in this game. There weren't a ton of long "Kojima-style" cutscenes (which are polarizing, but I love them) and the ones that were there were light on dialogue. It feels like they were waiting to really ramp up the cinematic aspects and then never do. This game had less story than Peace Walker, and that's a problem.
• No true ending. Also, nothing that really showed Snake's descent into villainy.

The biggest slap in the face is the complete lack of crucial plot points that necessitated another chapter in the saga of Big Boss. The (ultimately unresolved) Eli stuff was cool, but this was supposed to fill in the blank between 'Peace Walker' and 'Metal Gear.' Had they left off the series with 'Peace Walker,' you'd have just as clear of a picture about what went down as you do now. This wasn't necessary backstory, it was more of a "side op." An incredibly enjoyable one, but a "side op" nonetheless.

There are countless fan theories (click here to read an endless thread of them) about the last half of the game being an unlockable easter egg or that it will be made available for download, but that's probably wishful thinking. However, if a game creator wanted to troll us all by breaking the fourth wall in some unprecedented way like hiding half of the game -- it would be Kojima. Then again, the half of the game that's missing could be our own personal "phantom pain."

Final Verdict -- When held against the rest of the series, 'Metal Gear Solid V' is technically superior in every way, but lacks the satisfying story aspects and boss battles a fully-finished Kojima joint always has. A+

SEE THE "DELETED MISSION" IN THE VIDEO BELOW (SPOILERS)