Games Beaten 2016

[Exhuminator]

I don't mind if you have the last word.

[Ack]

Word.

[Exhuminator]

So how did that feel?

[MrPopo]

I'm guessing it felt like the bird.

[Xeogred]

1. Rise of the Tomb Raider (Xbox One)
2. DOAX3 Fortune Edition (PS4)
3. Uncharted 4 (PS4)
4. DOOM (2016) (PC)
5. Halo 5 (Xbox One)
6. Dark Souls (PC)
7. Call of Duty (PC)
8. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PC)
9. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PS4)

Clocked nearly 71 hours doing 47/50 of the missions and a decent number of side ops. Didn’t bother completing the missions 48-50 as they’re challenge versions of previous ones. I did try 48, but it’s kinda cheap, and also one that I’d want Quiet back for, and I didn’t feel like jumping through that particular hoop. Practically speaking, I think I’ve seen most of the actual story included, and could spend tens more hours 100% clearing it (game says 56% as it is).

(spoilering the rest for length, not spoilers)

I actually picked back up on the game I started back when it released, and it took me a couple sessions to get back into it. Part of that was coming to the realization that running between things to do is often not a particularly effective way to tackle them. The game environment is open, but works better when not treated entirely that way. I started enjoying it a lot more when I started calling for a helicopter to pick me up more often.

Another thing I intended/tried to do was swap to playing as a different character. As has been pointed out on the internet, one can actually play through (most of) the game as any of your personnel that you can put in the Combat unit. That includes women, though pretty much all of the opposing soldiers are men (offhand, the only exceptions are Skull sniper units, and Quiet), so female recruits only come from rescues.
After making a point to do the prisoner rescue side-ops to diversify my workforce, repeating an earlier mission a few times to rank up Seething Coyote, the blonde Russian communications officer I forced to do field work… I ran into the need to be using Snake in order to trigger a side-op event. ._.

Swapping characters meant running back out to the helicopter platform, calling a chopper, getting on the chopper, “starting” a mission to let me pick the loadout (to include character), backing out of it, and restarting the side-op to land back on the platform, jump off the chopper, and run back down to Quiet’s cell.
While I’m sure there are fairly few times when Snake would be required (and that not be noted in-game), I figured it’d just be safer to swap back to using him, given how not-quick swapping characters is. It’s to Kojima Production’s credit that it’s even an option though, even if it’s not 100% “there”. There are also little things, like enemies still saying “he” when referring to you, or people still yelling “SNAAAKE” when you die, etc. Flip side, a lot of voice work was implemented that has no other purpose than letting you play as a female character.

In general though, the game just has a way of making basic actions take longer. Playing a Bethesda open world game, for example, if you want to fast-travel to a quest location, it takes seconds. In MGSV, you call a chopper, you wait for the chopper, you get on it, you take off, you get back to the mobile command center, you go back to map, pick a landing zone, wait through the animation/cutscene, and finally can jump off…and probably still have to run a little to get to your objective.
Far more immersive, but also far, far more time consuming. Ultimately, the process is quite tedious, given that the game intends for you to do it hundreds of times. Things that are less common, like checking in at different points of Mother Base, can take even longer.

We have had Metal Gear games that use the basic model, but far more concise. The PSP entries are like that, particularly Peace Walker, which is the primary game that the Phantom Pain follows up, both narratively and mechanically.

Years ago, Hideo Kojima indicated that MGSV would be more like a TV show than a movie, referencing (at least) reduced amount of cutscenes and things. He incorporated that notion into the game to a fair degree. For example, each mission has quick opening and closing credits, a fair bit of which credit in-game characters. Apparently they wanted to use an “80s action filter” for some of it, but it was too intensive for the older platforms.
I think the parallel could be taken further – the mostly-canned animations for getting on/off the helicopter, for instance, could be stock shots.
Even down to the way the story is told through the missions. As I grumbled about in the “What are you playing” thread, a fair number of missions are for fairly inconsequential stuff, at least as far as the actual game story is concerned. On considering it though, it’s comparable to what a lot of TV shows would end up like. Essentially, MGSV has two chapters, or what’d be seasons. The first, more drawn out, that’s mission 1-31 or so. The second “season” pads things out with repeats/challenge missions, but moves forward with a lot of plot development and twists in the unique episodes. Ultimately, it leaves off with open-ended plots, along with at least one big completely unresolved one, which could be a “third season” that it didn’t get renewed for.

Looking at the game from the “I wanna be a MOVIE” angle of most of the others in the series makes it seem awkward. Considering it as a two-season box set of a Diamond Dogs TV show…and it comes together more logically. I don’t think that’s a particularly unique thought (there are multiple edits on Youtube towards that end, even). Just saying, I think it actually “works” that way.

Even some of the remnants of intended plots that got reduced or dropped (which MGSV has a few of) work in that context. It makes it more interesting to look those up, or pore over the tapes (which largely replace codec conversations…it still means there’s hours of stuff to listen to though).

I’m skeptical that Kojima intended for quite all of the parallels to TV shows that are possible, as not all are positive. Still, I think the resulting game is worth spending time with. It just takes a lot more time – and more effort – to get as much out of as earlier entries basically forced on the player.

Great read.

I agree on the chopper stuff being pretty time consuming, but also agree that using it more frequently made me have a lot more fun with the game. The way it was formatted made it feel more focused and linear again, which is nice because otherwise I'm really burned out on "open world" stuff. More people should give this one a chance because it definitely felt different to me than the norm.

Did you by chance finish up A Quiet Exit?

And for something far more spoilerish, did you redisover someone?

CODE RED SPOILERS IMMEDIATELY UPON CLICK - click

It's so strange how these two parts are tucked away and hidden within the game. Definitely some of the games best moments by far.

There are also clips of some unfinished missions that were even included in the collectors edition and such. You can find them on youtube as well.

Overall Phantom Pain feels like Xenogears all over again to me. What's there is a huge and amazing package of a game, but it's a big "what could have been" as well, if Kojima got to finish it completely. Damn. Personally I think I this is my ranking:

MGS1
MGS2
MGS4
TPP
MGS3
PW

[Sarge]

Boy, the MGS series sure is polarizing. I've not put much time into MGSV, so I can't speak to it. However, I loved MGS3, and think it's the best of the series. I think the worst is probably MGS2, and it's still really good.

Also, Ghost Babel for life!

[Exhuminator]

Boy, the MGS series sure is polarizing. I've not put much time into MGSV, so I can't speak to it. However, I loved MGS3, and think it's the best of the series. I think the worst is probably MGS2, and it's still really good.

Also, Ghost Babel for life!

In the mainline numerical series, I've only finished MGS1, MGS2, and MGS3. Of those, I agree MGS3 is the best. I pretty much hated MGS2. I've tried no less than three times to get into Ghost Babel. Every time I get so bored with it, I just put it away and forget about it. Ghost Babel is technically impressive at least, I'll give it that. MGS4 I haven't played yet because of how stupidly long the cutscenes are supposed to be. (If I wanted to watch a movie, I'd watch a movie.) MGS5 looks like Super Peace Walker, and considering I enjoyed Peace Walker, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

No joke though, I enjoyed the AC!D games more than MGS2.

[isiolia]

I agree on the chopper stuff being pretty time consuming, but also agree that using it more frequently made me have a lot more fun with the game. The way it was formatted made it feel more focused and linear again, which is nice because otherwise I'm really burned out on "open world" stuff. More people should give this one a chance because it definitely felt different to me than the norm.

I think most open world games have you run across random stuff a lot more. MGSV largely doesn't have that, and the open world-ness of it comes in a lot better as different places to land/approach from. I mean, I guess you can run around capturing every outpost or base, but it's not like you're going to pick up new questlines or something by doing so.

Did you by chance finish up A Quiet Exit?

I did, yeah, certainly a high point of the game, though mission 32-46ish unique missions tended to be good either way. Quiet was like 90% a great character/plot arc, vastly overshadowed by 10% that was mishandled.

'course, the other non-narrative problem with her is that buddies have no equivalents. Once she leaves, no more sniper support - originally, now you can get her back by repeating the original fight like 6-7x I think. Albeit with no story/etc, she's just available to select again.

And for something far more spoilerish, did you redisover someone?

I did, though I don't think I revisited enough to exhaust all of the dialogue.

It's so strange how these two parts are tucked away and hidden within the game. Definitely some of the games best moments by far.

There are also clips of some unfinished missions that were even included in the collectors edition and such. You can find them on youtube as well.

I think it's more that the whole second chapter isn't that well promoted. In Peace Walker, I think, there's "post-game", but it's not as extensive (I think the culmination is a date with Paz...which is just very odd in retrospect).

I did watch the Mission 51 thing on Youtube, which...yeah, major plot stuff that is otherwise just completely dropped. There were a number of things when looking up cut content for the game that continued the notion (for me) of elaborate plans for a TV show that got cancelled early.

Overall Phantom Pain feels like Xenogears all over again to me. What's there is a huge and amazing package of a game, but it's a big "what could have been" as well, if Kojima got to finish it completely. Damn.

As I'd mentioned in the other thread, I half suspect the FOB/online stuff became a distraction. I also don't think it needs to be as drawn out as it is. I think if Kojima was better focused, we'd have had the "full" thing, but in trying to do too much it just ran over budget.

I'd still rank it in the middle. Personally, for the ones I've beaten...

MGS3
MGS (Twin Snakes version anyway)
Metal Gear 2
MGSV
MGS4
Peace Walker
MGS2
Metal Gear
Portable Ops

...and I haven't played Ghost Babel (or the AC!D games), though I do own them. I'd have a hard time counting Rising in as part of that either, since it's barely related, though I did beat it.

Still, I've enjoyed all of them. Some I rank lower just because of needing more fan appreciation to "get into" them, as ridiculous as the whole IP can be at times.

The major, major plus of MGSV is how readily most of it is replayable, allowing you to go back and retry things with different tactics, loadouts, all that. Technically the PSP games are the same, but are just a lot more limited otherwise - map size, or ability to crawl under things, etc.

MGS5 looks like Super Peace Walker, and considering I enjoyed Peace Walker, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

It is, and Ground Zeroes->The Phantom Pain immediately follow PW in the timeline. Main thing, as has been mentioned, is to just not let yourself waste too much time running around the map instead of calling a chopper. Peace Walker is much better about that, but it's also designed for mobile, and dealing with teensy tiny little maps by comparison.

[Markies]

1. Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (GCN)
2. Max Payne (XBOX)
3. Eternal Poison (PS2)
4. Dragon Warrior III (NES)
5. Arkanoid: Doh It Again(SNES)
6. Super Mario Brothers 2 (NES)
7. Phantasy Star Online (DC)
8. Power Stone (DC)
9. Bare Knuckle 3 (GEN)
10. Thousand Arms (PS1)
11. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GCN)
12. Mega Man 5 (NES)
13. Ninja Gaiden (NES)
14. Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (XBOX)
15. Mega Man 6 (NES)
16. Metal Saga (PS2)

I beat Metal Saga this afternoon!

Metal Saga is a very unique and interesting game. The setting is one that you never see in a JRPG as it is set in a post-apocalyptic Old West style. The enemies are very different and are fun to run into. The bosses are fun and it is quite enjoyable to drive around in tanks.

However, the core mechanics are pretty terrible. The battle system is completely flawed as the enemies only target one party member. Most battles, the enemies can get 8 attacks in before you get one. The story is almost nonexistent as it only takes a few minutes at the beginning and the final part of the last dungeon. The boss battles are either impossible or a joke. The grinding is very intense as I was close to 140 when I beat the game.

They have an interesting setting, but the flawed gameplay and broken system make this a hard game to play through.

[Xeogred]

Boy, the MGS series sure is polarizing. I've not put much time into MGSV, so I can't speak to it. However, I loved MGS3, and think it's the best of the series. I think the worst is probably MGS2, and it's still really good.

Also, Ghost Babel for life!

Honestly I had to look up Ghost Babel.

We just had this conversation recently but it's basically like ordering 9/10's and 10/10's for me. But in the end I vastly prefer Solid to Big Boss as a more compelling and badass character, so I find those parts to resonate a lot more with me. MGS2 is goofy but the gameplay is basically perfection and I've replayed that one and the original at least a dozen times each.

I've never been able to drill up willpower to get through Twin Snakes because of the new lacking redub and the lacking new music.