Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes Review
Genre: TPS (Third-Person Shooter), Open world exploration, Espionage
Released for/Reviewed on: Released on Playstation & X-Box (both gens), reviewed on PS4
Publisher/Developer: Konami/Hideo Kojima
Notable Voice Actors or Writers: Kiefer Sutherland (24) as Big Boss, Troy Baker (Delsin Rowe in inFamous: Second Son)
Alluring Element: True Next-Gen visuals combined with genre leading stealth and action gameplay
Check it out if you liked: MGS series, Splinter Cell series, having two thumbs connected to a brain
Rated: M
SCORECARD (each category ranked on a 10-point scale):
Storyline – 8 Gameplay – 10 Animation – 10 Replay Value – 9 Entertainment Value – 10 Captivity – 10 Variety – 7 Originality/Creativity – 8 Soundtrack – 9 Overall awesomeness – 10
Hideo Kojima is one of the most important video game directors of our time and his Kojima productions is one of the last Japanese companies to consistently create major selling and highly rated AAA titles. Ground Zeroes is the prologue to the highly anticipated sequel, Phantom Pain. This was done as a way to give players a taste of the new stealth and gameplay mechanics due to the long wait for Phantom Pain. This game also showcases the new style of storytelling that Kojima would like to utilize in the next installment.
The game picks up where Peace Walker left off. If you haven’t played that it isn’t surprising seeing as how it was a canon sequel on the PSP platform; however, it has been given the HD treatment and added to the PS3’s HD Collection and the Metal Gear Legacy collection, both of which are under 40 bones. The story is pretty simple: infiltrate the prison and recover two people. While the main story is pretty short, you can beat it in two hours even while playing in a slow pace, the game opens up a handful of side missions once it is complete. These main missions take place during the day and are used to showcase the daytime graphics of the Fox Engine being used.
I played on PS4 and most of the reviews tend to say it has the best graphics as well. That being said, this is one of the most gorgeous games I have ever seen. I don’t really know what else to say; the rain looks absolutely stunning, with the way it interacts with everything from the buildings to the mud, it’s just beautiful. The gameplay has changed quite a bit, with Big Boss seeing many improvements to his repertoire. The movement is more fluid this time around with his transition to different stances being flawless. He is given a few new moves and some have been added from Peace Walker, the multi-CQC takedown being one of them. He is also given a diving button that allows him to dive behind cover and remain prone if he is close to getting spotted.
The stealth mechanics overall have been changed; there are no more cones of vision or even a radar, for that matter. He now has an iDroid that displays the map, proving that Apple was ubiquitous even in the 1970’s. If for some reason you are actually spotted, Big Boss now has the ability to enter “Reflex Mode,” which slows down time, allowing him to silence a guard before he is able to call for help or alert anyone. This is meant to be used as a crutch and can be turned off in the menu option at any time but is definitely fun to use when just running around exploring the island.
My only real complaint with this game is it is too short. I am a major Metal Gear fan, so much so that both of my gamer tags involve Solid Snake in some facet and right when I was getting in my groove and enjoying things, it was all over. The ever-present need to know what is going to happen next wasn’t satiated in any way whatsoever. This only served to whet the appetite and since the next installment won’t be released until next year, at the earliest, I am left feeling hungrier than when I began playing. There are still side missions to play but they really only serve as a way to add more to an already minimalistic package. They are plenty of fun, but I would have preferred just extending the story instead. All that being said, I still feel that this is worth the price of admission at 30 dollars. No true Metal Gear fan should miss this game.
All media credited to Konami and Kojima Productions
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