01-09-2025, 10:45 PM
I will always have mixed feelings about it.
I know the "unfinished" debate will rage 'till the end of time. But whether intentional or not, the story's fragmented, disconnected, almost arbitrary progression, especially after Act 1 makes me feel like we got only a fragment of what was intended to be a much larger story.
Visually, the game is still a stunner. The fact that I cannot definitively say Delta looks better ten years later is preposterous - remember, TPP started its life (and indeed released as) a Gen 7 title.
Dislike the various recasts - Sutherland, whoever replaced Piddock as Zero. Ocelot is all wrong, but it's more due to writing than voice acting - he's so amiable most of the time. Dislike how virtually every returning character is out of character - even Skull Face! Ground Zeroes Skullface is one of the most intimidating and intense villains the series has ever known, going into dark territory that went way beyond the limits of good taste. He became such a goofball in nine years, and I have no idea why.
Venom Snake's borderline silent protagonist treatment does not do the story any favors. I think Kojima overcompensated for criticism that his games were too verbose. I feel such an emotional void for most of the cutscenes.
Quiet is such a nothing character. She's just shameless eye candy who they attach pathos to at the eleventh hour (which includes, again, a scene that is entirely possible to miss out on). Toss in some arbitrary 'why don't you just _____' threads to force her into a tragic role - not a fan.
It's BS that a lot of those scenes are not only missable, but cannot be seen on 'normal' replays through the mission menu. And that the game has only one save file makes that even more unacceptable. Sure, I can share the game with another steam account and do fresh replays whenever I want without losing my progress on my 'main' save. But why does it have to be this way?
The gameplay mechanics are the best the series has ever had in terms of stealth, cqc, shooting, movement. But the missions are dull, repetitive, uninspiring. The open world is just empty space, not at all compelling like the structured level designs of previous games. Ground Zeroes is the best overall mission in the experience, and it's sold separately.
Weapon development, base expansion, recruitment - all return from Peace Walker, and it's all too much of a bloated time sink. Farming for soldiers and resources is just not fun.
I dislike the ending, but mostly I'm confused why so much of the fandom took it as 100% literal when the game itself tells you it's open to interpretation from the outset.
That said, to the game's credit, there is an element I came to appreciate much more since release. From Venom being stuck in the hospital bed to the long-term gameplay progression of getting him up to speed (mobility upgrades, etc) - the aspect of recovering lost aspects of one's self, one's life, one's friends - it hits home hard. I've been unwell since 2018, and have not been able to function the same way I used to. Recovery is a long term prospect for me. Lines like 'we'll make them give back our past' - yeah. I get it.
It's a love-hate relationship. There are times that, when playing it, I have a great time. And yet, it's such a hollow pursuit compared to the better games in the series. Even the humble Peace Walker, limited by the technology of the PSP, had a character-driven story that made me feel things when it meant to. Phantom Pain is just something else. A very, very different type of game, one that will always stand apart from its predecessors, and often for the wrong reasons.
I know the "unfinished" debate will rage 'till the end of time. But whether intentional or not, the story's fragmented, disconnected, almost arbitrary progression, especially after Act 1 makes me feel like we got only a fragment of what was intended to be a much larger story.
Visually, the game is still a stunner. The fact that I cannot definitively say Delta looks better ten years later is preposterous - remember, TPP started its life (and indeed released as) a Gen 7 title.
Dislike the various recasts - Sutherland, whoever replaced Piddock as Zero. Ocelot is all wrong, but it's more due to writing than voice acting - he's so amiable most of the time. Dislike how virtually every returning character is out of character - even Skull Face! Ground Zeroes Skullface is one of the most intimidating and intense villains the series has ever known, going into dark territory that went way beyond the limits of good taste. He became such a goofball in nine years, and I have no idea why.
Venom Snake's borderline silent protagonist treatment does not do the story any favors. I think Kojima overcompensated for criticism that his games were too verbose. I feel such an emotional void for most of the cutscenes.
Quiet is such a nothing character. She's just shameless eye candy who they attach pathos to at the eleventh hour (which includes, again, a scene that is entirely possible to miss out on). Toss in some arbitrary 'why don't you just _____' threads to force her into a tragic role - not a fan.
It's BS that a lot of those scenes are not only missable, but cannot be seen on 'normal' replays through the mission menu. And that the game has only one save file makes that even more unacceptable. Sure, I can share the game with another steam account and do fresh replays whenever I want without losing my progress on my 'main' save. But why does it have to be this way?
The gameplay mechanics are the best the series has ever had in terms of stealth, cqc, shooting, movement. But the missions are dull, repetitive, uninspiring. The open world is just empty space, not at all compelling like the structured level designs of previous games. Ground Zeroes is the best overall mission in the experience, and it's sold separately.
Weapon development, base expansion, recruitment - all return from Peace Walker, and it's all too much of a bloated time sink. Farming for soldiers and resources is just not fun.
I dislike the ending, but mostly I'm confused why so much of the fandom took it as 100% literal when the game itself tells you it's open to interpretation from the outset.
That said, to the game's credit, there is an element I came to appreciate much more since release. From Venom being stuck in the hospital bed to the long-term gameplay progression of getting him up to speed (mobility upgrades, etc) - the aspect of recovering lost aspects of one's self, one's life, one's friends - it hits home hard. I've been unwell since 2018, and have not been able to function the same way I used to. Recovery is a long term prospect for me. Lines like 'we'll make them give back our past' - yeah. I get it.
It's a love-hate relationship. There are times that, when playing it, I have a great time. And yet, it's such a hollow pursuit compared to the better games in the series. Even the humble Peace Walker, limited by the technology of the PSP, had a character-driven story that made me feel things when it meant to. Phantom Pain is just something else. A very, very different type of game, one that will always stand apart from its predecessors, and often for the wrong reasons.
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