Ground Zeroes is a tricky game to review, let alone score.
On one hand, it is too damn short to justify the asking price. I managed to finish the main campaign in just over two hours. Now I know where I’m going I could probably cut that time in half, probably even further if I didn’t take my time.
But, and it’s a big but, those two hours were some of the best I’ve had playing a game this year and left me counting down the days until the Phantom Pain arrives, hopefully, sometime next year.
Set directly after the events of 2010’s Peacewalker: Ground Zeroes opens with Big Boss aka Snake being sent on a mission to rescue Paz and Chico from a US internment camp in Cuba whilst AICO inspectors prepare to search Mother Base for nuclear weapons.
The first time you hear Kiefer Sutherland as Snake is during the game’s cinematic opening in a radio conversation with Miller. It took me a couple of minutes to realise that it was actually Snake talking to Miller because he no longer sounds like he’s been gargling chewing tobacco since birth and you don’t see either character on screen. Although at first it was slightly jarring to hear someone other than David Hayter play Snake, Sutherland’s take on the character although no less gruff, is slightly more comprehensible than Hayter’s. But initially at least it did feel that Sutherland was doing his best Snake, as played by David Hayter, impression rather than embracing the role as his own.
Finally climbing up a cliff and arriving just outside the camp Snake surveys the scene with his binoculars, stares straight into the camera and quips ‘Kept you waiting huh’. It’s a nice little fourth wall breaking scene until you realise that after this is over you’ll have to go right back to waiting.
It’s clear from the off that Metal Gear Solid V is a very different beast to its predecessors. For a start, it is incredibly open ended. Your objectives are still fixed, but how you get there is entirely up to you. Do you sneak in from the front or circle round the back of the compound? Maybe try and find a truck to hide in? This element of choice, mixed with a complex ranking system gives the game a nice air of replayability and several playthroughs will be required in order to attain that coveted S-Rank as well as all the goodies unlocked along with it.
Rather than moving from section to section, you now have an entire map to seamlessly explore. Instead of having to worry about the movements of one or two soldiers, you now have to worry about an entire platoon hunting you, and the buggers are everywhere. Start to make some noise, or get spotted and they’ll begin to look for the disturbance, whilst radioing in to Central to report it. If you then take the guy out before he can say everything’s okay more guards will be dispatched to the area to see what has happened and hunt for the intruder.
As you hide you’ll hear radio chatter from the troops on the ground in various sectors and updates from Central ordering them to look for an intruder and informing them about bodies found on the other side of the base. It’s no longer a case of outwitting one group of guards and running away for the next group to be none the wiser. The most terrifying thing has happened, the henchmen have become organized, working together and using a real world logic that is as brilliant as it is daunting. It forces players to pay attention and plan their movements very carefully. Winging it will only get you so far in MGS V before the gits get wise to you.
There has been great care taken to make the game as immersive as possible. Codex conversations now happen in the background, additional intel is provided by Miller over the radio in real time by pressing L1/LB whilst looking at certain buildings and vehicles whilst surveying an area with your binoculars. Any enemies you come across will also be tagged so that you can see their movements whilst hiding.
You no longer have a minimap either, instead you’ll need to look at the game map on your iDroid by either hitting start or via a downloadable app for your phone or tablet. It can also be used to listen to collectable cassettes that can be found around the compound or your own music imported directly into the game as well as to call in a chopper to extract prisoners you have rescued. It’s worth noting that the game doesn’t pause whilst this is happening. You need to find a quiet spot to get your bearings otherwise you may come a cropper from a roaming patrol.
However, if you are unlucky enough to get caught, time slows to a crawl for a couple of seconds to give you the chance to either dive into cover or take out the offending guard before they can raise the alarm and all hell breaks loose. I have to admit that this did save my ass on several occasions. Although your silencer will break pretty quickly if you rely on it and central will be warned if anyone is in earshot when an un-silenced weapon goes off.
As you would expect from a MGS game, the presentation is flawless on whatever console you decide to play it on. Having tested both the PS4 and Xbox 360 versions, it is easily one of the best looking games on either platform and ran at a steady clip on both. Although from a technical standpoint the PS4 version is the one to get, thanks to its superior frame rate and graphical capabilities compared to other versions. Although, you’ll have a blast regardless of what platform you decide to get it on.
The only thing holding the game back is its length. Or complete lack of. Aside from attempting to get a better rank, there are few compelling reasons to return to the game once you’ve finished it, unless you’re the kind of person that has to do and see everything. Even then it’ll only extend the playtime for a couple of extra hours.
There’s XOF patches to hunt for, and the Side Ops (challenge maps), which are unlocked after you’ve polished off the main campaign; offer a nice distraction for a couple of hours. Featuring simple assassination and extraction missions that show off the base at different times of the day and showcase how Phantom Pain’s day and night cycle will affect your ability to sneak about undetected. I’ll give you a hint, it’s easier at night.
Put simply, Ground Zeroes is a superb showcase of what we can expect on a much grander scale when The Phantom Pain finally hits next year. However, when Kojima said that Ground Zeroes was a prologue he wasn’t kidding. The amount of content is akin to Dead Rising: Case Zero. If Konami had taken Capcom’s lead and released Ground Zeroes as a download only title for £10 -15 tops, it would have been an easy sell. However for the premium price tag, especially on next gen systems it’s tough to recommend the game to all but the most die-hard Metal Gear Solid fans.
