Delta impressions thread

[Silent Assassin]

Not sure if this warrants a new thread or if we should just use an existing one. SO please if if necessary. 

Started playing it an hour ago.

Base PS5, no performance issues on "performance mode". 

Dialogue is the same, as well as animations in actual cutscenes, camera angles etc. 

Gameplay uses animations that are very close to MGSV, if not the same. However, the movement is slower and a bit clunkier than MGSV. I'm guessing it's because of the smaller environments. 

Controls as well. If you're like me and have muscle memory as soon as you start any game you've already played, you'll mess with the controls a bit. Delta uses MGSV's controls for everything, so me pressing triangle to jump over stuff and circle to grab enemies took a while to correct. 

Lots of QoL implementations, as you've seen in the demos. Holding up on the d pad opens your codec right away, so you can quickly use it, downs is used for camos. The game gives you an option of what's best for your current surroundings. 

So far, just got to Sokolov for the first time, items are in the same locations. 

Kerotans now have camos on the and are harder to spot. Not sure if they're in the same locations as before.

And the game's harder than the original. better sight for enemies and the Mk 22 is severely nerfed. Very limited range, even moreso than GZ, I'd say. Makes it harder to just sleep snipe everyone. It's a very good change, in my opinion. 

Will add stuff as I go along.

[NateDog]

Cheers for the post, looking forward to seeing what else you find. General impressions seem good but I have read a lot of complaints about performance so I'm glad you're not having any issues there on base PS5. A lot of that seems to really just be people that have issues with UE5 games.

I'm really glad you've said it's harder and enemy AI is good as I was a bit worried judging by some clips I've seen. I'm most curious to see how it feels as I've thought movement looks a little floaty so I'm hoping feedback is good and it's just in my head.

[Silent Assassin]

They definitely used AI to "voice" a few new lines regarding new controls tutorial.

You know that, almost jumbled, fast speech you see in AI videos? That's what it sounds like.

"Snake, open the survival viewer to treat your wounds. To open it, press the "oPtiOnz" button. It's really jarring to hear.

But it's only used for new buttons on these new controllers. Options instead of Select etc.

I also prefer the original theme song. Much more.

[Dirty Duck]

They definitely used AI to "voice" a few new lines regarding new controls tutorial.

You know that, almost jumbled, fast speech you see in AI videos? That's what it sounds like.

"Snake, open the survival viewer to treat your wounds. To open it, press the "oPtiOnz" button. It's really jarring to hear.

But it's only used for new buttons on these new controllers. Options instead of Select etc.

I also prefer the original theme song. Much more.

I actually think that’s them splicing together the old lines. If it were AI they’d just repeatedly generate it until they got one that sounded more normal, but I think they were conscious to not use generative AI at all so they just had to use lines Zero said in the original and chop them together.

[starschwar]

I can say with 100% certainty that new Zero tutorial line is sentence spliced from older recordings. Possibly a mix of the newer HD collection line and the original PS2 version, adding to the disparate audio quality. It's unpolished, but I think that it's the lesser evil compared to having an AI do it. Assuming of course, that getting Piddock back was not possible.

[starschwar]

Because nobody made this reference yet:



Alas, real life has kept me away from Delta just yet, but I do have it installed and configured.  I'm not sure what good feedback on the PC side of things would be due to infinite configurations.  Who knows what performance will be.  By 2023 standards, my PC was considered quite mighty, unsure what that means for today.  And I know reports are that it's poorly optimized, etc. 

Feedback on... menus, I guess?

Options for English or Japanese VA built in.
Robust subtitle options, including ability to tweak options for both cutscenes and ingame.  Options to have speaker identified for every line.  Options for size, outline, background, even subtitle color.
UI options aplenty, most features can be toggled.  I'm going to opt for everything on, in the original layout.
Color filters for both legacy and modern modes are available - you don't have to have the classic yellow filter for the overhead view if you want to mix and match. 
Controller remapping was very friendly, with multiple slots for different configs.  My Dualshock 4 was recognized (Steam in Big Picture Mode) immediately.  I was able to remap the buttons to be very close to that of The Phantom Pain.  Instead of a dedicated Binoculars button, L1 is reserved for stalking, which used to be on the D-Pad.  It seems to be a hold-to-use, but I think I saw an option to make it a toggle?  There is a toggle option for holding the button to carry bodies, at least.  Inventory, radio, and camo stuff are now on the D-Pad by default in a way that makes sense to me.

I might be able to break it in some time tonight if I'm lucky.

[NateDog]

I was able to remap the buttons to be very close to that of The Phantom Pain.  Instead of a dedicated Binoculars button, L1 is reserved for stalking, which used to be on the D-Pad.  It seems to be a hold-to-use, but I think I saw an option to make it a toggle?  There is a toggle option for holding the button to carry bodies, at least.

I got so confused with the Vita control layout that I didn't realise that stalking was like this, can't remember for sure but think it was toggle option. But I kept trying to sneak up on The End and couldn't figure out how he continually heard me until I realised I wasn't stalking.

I didn't realise this was out here tomorrow, felt sure it was Friday but something told me to recheck.

[starschwar]

Early thoughts - pre-Sokolov meeting:

Graphics are outstanding. Coupled with Legacy filter, it's exactly what I wanted a modern Snake Eater to look like. Everything feels authentic, just more detailed and realistic.

Selecting "Legacy Filter" did not restore the original CQC/Camoflage title screen as some interviews said? Maybe if you enable legacy camera/controls, that's the trick?

Cutscenes are almost 1:1 with the original. I noticed some new flourishes - including some cross-fading between shots that the PS2 simply could never have hoped to do. You can still zoom in with L2 and pan the camera. First person interaction with R1 is still there, including the easter egg ones.

The stock footage looks the same as it did in the Master Collection. That is, SD resolution (maybe less? 360p?). Unfortunate that HD versions couldn't be used, but I'll take faithful low-res over something entirely new and out of place.

The original staff - including Kojima - are all credited as "Original Programmer," or other appropriate title.

The extended opening from "I like MGS2" is intact. With some visual flourishes that enhance the humor, right out of Secret Theater.

Due to my subtitle preference for "identify speaker", the parachute instructor's name is apparently "Load Hauler?" At last, the fate of the most mysterious Autobot is known!

Character voices over the radio now have a static filter applied to them. It isn't annoying, it's a little more immersive, but I can see this being a point of contention with purists. However, once and a while individual lines will NOT have the filter applied, breaking that new layer of immersion. Sloppy.

The weapon sounds and some other sound effects are new. Unsure if improved, but very obvious.

It plays something like a halfway point between Snake Eater and Phantom Pain. Even with TPP style remapping, my muscle memory for both games is tripping me up a lot. But I am having fun! The new CQC animations are very satisfying. Don't expect Consecutive or any other such - it's still very much built around the skeleton of Snake Eater and can be a bit clunky at time.

Stance and rolling are now separate buttons like Phantom Pain and I think this is for the best.

Maybe I just got really used to the way weapons handle in 5, but I haven't had any difficulty with all the bullet drop some reviews complained about. It's there, but I rarely find myself missing.

I keep forgetting to crouch walk! It's so weird, being in these familiar areas and having to remember how much things have changed in 21 years.

There are lots of little quality of life improvements. Picking up a new weapon or item gives you a D-Pad prompt to open the backpack accordingly. It's such a small thing, but it's a very welcome change. Likewise, fast camo swap gives you the chance to rapidly change to some logical presets for any given situation (unsure how dynamic it is), but fine tuning via the pause menu can still yield better results than just sticking with the mini menu.

There's better feedback for how much stamina food is expected to / actually does refill. Likewise, there's a handy animation on the health bar to indicate regeneration better.

Lots of new animations for weapons - holstering, reloading, etc.

Music seems unchanged so far.

Ga-Kos have camouflage - these ducks are cowards! But a convenient counter of both them and the unchanged Kerotans will make hunting them down easier for those seeking to catch them all. I am dreading the ones in the bike chase already.

However, the ability to load saves from the pause menu - rather than going back to title screen - will make that easier!

Even with a dedicated reload button, the good old unequip/reequip trick still seems to work?!

On Normal difficulty, enemy range of vision and overall AI seems much improved from the original.


All in all, I am very impressed. This is pretty much what I wanted. No serious complaints. It's a very faithful remake with the only changes being small modernizations - and dare I say improvements? It's certainly not a Twin Snakes situation. I never feel like it's being overly easy, or that the changes are detracting from my enjoyment. Still readjusting to it. What's old is new again.

[Silent Assassin]

starschwar

I noticed the gun sounds first when GRU ambushes you and Sokolov. I know how that LMG sounds like in the original and it's different here. All weapons sound MUCH punchier. I love it.

Controls definitely took time to get used to. X is crouch, triangle climbs things and opens lockers and circle is CQC. That's the law! And then this game comes along and changes it up, so I just sit there for a split second, wondering why a button doesn't do what I want it to. Got used to it now.

Yeah, they really put effort into this one. It's not a lazy cash grab.

[Departed]

I started playing last night because I wanted the PW skins and didn't realize it gave me access to the game early.

I played through the Virtual Mission, up until the bridge scene since it was late so I ended it after Ocelot's beatdown. I'm going to love this game.

Controls on default weren't to my liking, but the game lets you map your button layout. I was originally going to make it just like MGS3, but after playing around, I decided to have mapped mostly like MGS3, but made evasion a different button from crouching so I could run and crouch without immediately dodge rolling. Having attack be the trigger button instead works better for me since that feels more like MGSV. After playing around in the opening corridor until I had a feel for controls, it slipped on like a perfectly sized glove. Another really great feature they added was bringing back a designated sneak button like Portable Ops. So now, you can hold L1 (or whatever button you decide to map) and Snake's movements will slow down drastically and make it so nobody hears him. This works for walking, crouch walking and crawling, and will come in really handy against bosses like The Fury. The sound options are great because now, you can actually alter the volumes of specific parts of the audio, from voice, environment, music, etc.

Playing on Performance, just like I did with SH2Make. I don't care if the graphics aren't maxed to the fullest. I value the game playing better more than I do shiny graphics, and the new models and cutscenes look amazing. Characters are a lot more expressive, which was most noticeable with Ocelot when he stopped by. His micro-expressions and eyelid movement was way more noticeable and felt a lot more realistic for a guy about to lose consciousness. The characters all look amazing.

My default was always extreme mode, but I'm starting with hard mode instead because I want enemies to pack more of a punch. The game plays amazingly well. I was able to sneak my way through corridors seamlessly and knock out guards when needed. CQC is a lot more intuitive. Where you have to hold to perform a grapple and there are tons of really cool takedown animations now. Like MGSV, when you have a guard in your grasp, you press different buttons to deal with them now, so no more risk of accidentally slitting throats. The sound effects for the guns have so much more kick to them than they did in OG MGS3.

The new camo index is insanely intuitive. Just hit the up button and there are face and camo sets you can choose from that will change instantly with no delays. It's as close to MGS3 having octocamo as you can get. For codec, just down and you can select people to call, but if you need to save, you gotta go to the actual codec window with the action button. There's also now an autosave file, so in addition to your manual saves, there's an autosave of your most recent corridor to fall back onto.

For me, the most important thing going into this remake was the combat. Being able to hold your ground was crucial for when things go sideways and Delta's combat is incredible. I had way too much fun blasting enemies left and right with the XM and M37, or dodgerolling around to evade gunfire until I was in range to lay a CQC beatdown. Quick equip and unequip automatically reloads your weapon, just like in MGS3, so you can blast your shotgun, quick equip and have it fully loaded again, which I adore. There's also area based damage again, so you can critically inquire enemies, leave them limping, and you can even make them freak out by shooting most of their limbs undetected and shooting near them. There's a fun new panic animation that wasn't there in any other game. The enemies are definitely packing more of a punch in hard mode, some can even tank a hit from the shotgun if you're in far enough range. In MGS3, the shotgun was an instant killer. Here, it's more realistic.

Guns handle really well, but they've also been retooled to accommodate range. In MGS3 OG, your tranq gun made the Mosin Nagant useless because it had the range and stability of a sniper rifle. In Delta, there's now bullet drop, so you can no longer just knock out guards from across an entire corridor with your tranq gun without really earning that shot. Usually in the Warehouse where Sokolov is, in a combat scenario, the shotgun and XM is all I need to completely wipe the enemy out. There's so much more enemy reinforcements that full ammo wasn't enough, I had to really utilize the fuel drums and even CQC. The important thing was that the shooutout was a ton of fun, having the fast paced combat that I loved about MGS3, but with way more conventionally intuitive controls.

If I had a few nitpicks, it's that one area where there was a clear gap designed to let you shoot between to knock a guard out in the OG game was a solid mass even though the gap is still visibly there. Also, anytime I got knocked down, I felt the inability to sweep kick that Phantom Pain introduced. Same with the inability to roll around on the ground. Minor things, but worth pointing out. Also, I definitely agree with David Hayter that they should've just redone all the voice over to match the new models, but that's also just a minor thing since MGS3's voice acting holds up and despite how cartoonish it all is, the models still have that pseudo anime quality to match the more cartoony voices.

So far, this remake beyond exceeds my expectations and I genuinely can't wait to come back tonight and play more.