Putting all the Konami bullshit aside, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was a masterpiece in many ways, though it certainly wasn't without faults.
Mechanically, it was one of the best, if not the best, stealth game I've ever played. Given that the stealth genre is among one of my favorites, I'm able to make that claim and defend it. A stealth game has never felt so fluid, and especially one that's part of the Metal Gear series. The MGS games were never really known for their fluidity, and Ground Zeroes gave us a good taste of what's to come.
At its core, The Phantom Pain was a story about revenge, among a few other things. Players once again assumed the role of Big Boss as he had to build up his private army again, similarly to Peace Walker on the PSP.
The game had a lot going for it. Not only was this the first true open-world MGS game, Ground Zeroes aside, it also let players build up, customize and defend an enormous, ever-expanding Mother Base. The new buddy system allowed players to take another AI controlled partner into missions, whether it was the trusty D-Dog, the nimble D-Horse, the mechanical D-Walker, or the gorgeous and deadly sniper, Quiet.
Players now had complete freedom of choice, allowing them to decide how to infiltrate a base and handle enemies. The game also adapted itself to your playstyle, meaning if you've ever played a mission again, it would try to shake things up so you couldn't use the same tactic twice.
Both the deserts of Afghanistan and the jungles of Africa were absolutely stunning, and made for great battlegrounds against enemy soldiers.
Sure, the whole Chapter 3 fiasco, and whether or not it's real is something that does bother me from time to time. Would it have saved the story? Probably. But if you're willing to overlook the Konami shenanigans that most likely led to the game not really having a satisfying ending, and just enjoy it for what an amazing game it was, then absolutely give The Phantom Pain a shot.
