Step up your game, CGW!

Nah I'm in mission 4

But it was a glaring omission from the strategy guide is all.

I'm sorely disappointed that none of the members of my Combat Unit can't wear the GZ Sneaking Suit for some reason, while Snake is the only one who can. Apart from that, I'm loving every part of this game. Just got into Africa and it's beautiful.

I'm having a lot more fun after unlocking more arsenal. Been trying out different approaches and collecting everything I may have missed in the outposts. 

Hey, I'm thinking on purchasing Phantom Pain but it will be a risky move. Why? I played GZ and my shit laptop ran it in low settings between 25-30 fps (I know, it's not an ideal gameplay, but it works for me). Does Phantom Pain demmand way more than GZ?

Not overly to my knowledge but my advice would be to avoid it due to the open world being quite demanding. You'd not be able to enjoy it properly so best not take the risk IMO 

I have a doubt and would like some help. :p

I don't know what to do... I disliked GZ and couldn't manage to even finish the "demo". Why? Because the start mission was at night (I don't like night scenarios a lot since I can't see a thing :P), there wasn't many options or arsenal and everything felt limited. But I liked every mainline MGS game I played so far (MGS, MGSIII, MGSIV - yes, even IV). And now I don't know if I should be buying Phantom Pain or not. I know its mechanics are pretty similar to Phantom Pain, so I fear that I'll dislike it, but at the same time the open world and new possibilities/tech involved in the game draws my atention. I don't know what should I do. :S Can anyone that are playing the game give a honest tip?

Thx!

Wow, good to know from someone who had a similar experience. Thank you, that's all I needed to know! Will buy as soon as my rehearsals are over (probably late october).

when you dispatch on missions you can choose the time you want to arrive, you can also use something called "the phantom cigar" and it advances time to when ever you want

but be warned stealth is alot harder during day times

Didn't realise there was an official thread, likely because I was on media blockout for the game. Looks like I did a pretty good job. Here are my initial impressions:

I only got it about two days ago. Just finished Episode 6 of the first chapter yesterday evening, so I'm not to far. Loving the game, but does anyone else feel like the pacing is a little... slow? Like narrative wise. My only referance for another MGS is Snake Eater, as it's the only game in the franchise I've played, and I feel I was much further along in the story of that game than I am in this one when cosidering hours played. Like I feel like I've barely progressed at all. Do note however that I haven't been playing the game non stop. I've gone to work and have been surfing online and such in the mean time. I've tried to watch as little trailers and gameplay as possible before release, especially this summer where I've watched none, so I'm going into this game relatively blind. Again, it's very important that I note that I've only played 3. I know it's the first game chronologically in the series, which means that I have a unique perspective on this game, since I'm experiencing the series pretty much in chronological order, rather than release order. There are probably some things I won't get or won't undestand the signifigance of. Like how Ocelot was apparantly one of the most important characters in the franchise, and not just some one off lovable Team Rocket comic relief villian in Snake Eater.

The more you know. (please don't spoil the series for me by telling me what happens in newer Metal Gears.)

I'm actually genuinely suprised by just how little of significance has actually happened these first few chapters. I've heard that people complained about the storytelling being too heavy handed in MGS4, but by the pacing here so far, people might complain the opposite. It's been very sparce so far. There is a lot of optional exposition in the form of cassette tapes, which I like. It's an intelligent way to allow players to control the pacing at which they enjoy the narrative. I like to call it "opt-in storytelling." With the more open level design, it's a great way to give you something to learn while you're getting from place to place and makes what could be tedious travel time very enjoyable. It fits in perfectly with the way the game is structured. But all that is only really good when backed up by more consistant direct storytelling than what is seen so far here.

I like that the game is broken up into chapers and episodes. If Snake Eater is a Bond film, Phantom Pain is a TV drama with episodes, and the chapters being seasons presumably. Every episode opens with credits and a reintroduction of all the characters, with a not so subtle reminder that Kojima is the director. Every episode ends with end credits and a not so subtle reminder that Kojima is the director. (and that overlord Konami is the producer) But with such little of consequence happening so far, the concept kind of falls flat. I actually think that Resident Evil: Revelations did the format better. A lot of it comes down to the fact that Revelations was just faster, and frankly better, paced than Phantom Pain currently is. At least so far. The structure also worked really well. Each episode in that game started with a short recap of what happened in the episode prior. That wouldn't really work here because not enough of narrative consequence happens from episode to episode to warrent something like that. It sucks, because the acting, writing, everything else is much better here, and I actually really enjoy the episode concept in theory, but the pacing is just not there yet so it isn't being executed as well as it could be. Revelations also had a fair amount of plot progression from episode to episode. To the point where each ended on some kind of dramatic cliff hanger, which fit with the TV drama approach. I'm not saying MGS5 needs to do the same, but it doesn't even get the chance to, because not enough narrative progression is made in one episode to warrent that kind of dramatization. MGS is the perfect franchise for a concept like this, but it isn't really being used all that well yet.

That's all weird because the prologue was quite the opposite. It's funny, because I was actually complaining to a friend about how slow the pacing of the prologue was, but now it feels like so much happened in such a short time compared to the rest of the game. I guess my real problem with it was that it wasn't very concise. It was obviously a tutorial level, and it was obviously also trying to set up the setting and circumstances, but that's hardly an excuse. Without spoiling anything, it takes way to long for Snake to get on his feet. Now narratively, it makes sense, but in a game, its important to make sure the pacing of your story matches the pacing of your gameplay and that both are paced well, and it just took too long before Snake was moving like himself again. Again, it just needed to be more concise. I liked what they did and how they were able to put the player in Snake's shoes so effectively, but there came a point fairly quickly where I just went "Okay, I get it. He was in a coma, now he's really weak. Please let me play, now." I think the whole prologue would have been a lot more effective if it was just a bit shorter. Well, a lot shorter.

That being said, I was thoroughly engaged by the actual goings on. Snake's predicament, the mysterious ally character, the... "familiar"-looking person in the beginning. Most of all though, the antagonists and how refreshingly "Metal Gear" they felt, especially when the tone of the earlier trailers had lead me to fear villians like that had no place in a "super serious" game like the Phantom Pain. It may be less campy than Snake Eater, but any little bit is welcome. 

Also, Ocelot. He's... Nothing like he was in Snake Eater. I know it's been 20 years, but he literally is like a completely different character. Doesn't look the same and definitely doesn't act the same. Not goofy at all, which is weird. He was my favorite character in that game, but now he's all grown up... -sigh- Very weird to see that they're allies after that game.

I've been playing the PS3 version. Obviously runs at a garbage 30fps and the resolution's pretty crappy, but after playing Snake Eater 3D, this looks and runs like a dream. Controls are great, aside from the infuriating oversight of not allowing players the option to shoot with the triggers unstead of the bumpers. The game is fairly easy so far, though likely only because I'm not at all playing stealthily. I'll get to why.

I turned off reflex mode. Feels like cheating. I don't know how I feel about the open level design for stealth. I like it for traveling from place to place, but I feel like the stealth loses something without the tightness of linear level design. You can scope out the area from afar to mark enemies and targets, which is neat, but a lot of the missions end up having you wandering a base aimlessly until you find what you need randomly to point you where you finally need to go. It just feels very loose. I consider Metal Gear to be a very "arcade-y" kind of stealth, and that arcade-like feel is diminished because you aren't being funneled through a tightly choreographed experience. The regenerating health and ammo drops only serve to add to that, as it eliminates the need to explore the bases for supplies. Mostly, you're just B-lining it to your objective beacon. If you're low on health or are out of tranquilizer bullets, instead of making a measured decision on whether to sneak into the nearest shack for supplies and risk a game over, you kind of just run and hide for a bit until you're healthy again or just call in an ammo dump. Don't worry if you're seen. You can just grab all the gear while you take heavy fire, run and hide for a bit, and emerge refreshed. It makes everything less frustrating, absolutely, but like I said, the stealth loses something. I'm still early though, so that may change. Everything may gel together once the combat options provided and enemies encountered become more varied and complex.

As I mentioned though, traveling around the world itself is enjoyable. There's always something to do in the world, so the expanses don't feel barren at all. The area design is enjoyably dense. Not too dense that you're constantly starting and stopping, but it hits a very pleasent sweet spot. The horse controls like a dream, outside of the framerate drops sometimes. Again though, compared to Snake Eater 3D, a dream.

EDIT: I should probably be clear, though. I'm loving the game so far. So much potential. Just being critical, because to critique is to love. Unless you hate. Then to critique is to hate. But I love. So far. Well... Maybe just like, for now. The game has some noticable caveats. But I'm enjoying it. I'm having fun, which is important. Not as much fun as MGS3 so far, but that's all down to pacing, which could improve. (Don't tell me if it gets better/worse though. That's a soft spoiler. I'll figure it out myself)

So yeah, I guess those are my first impressions. I'll be updating this thread with posts like this as I play until I beat the game.