New Completion - Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PS4)

It's with mixed emotions that I can finally write about the final (no seriously, this is actually the last one) Kojima-directed entry in the mythical Metal Gear series. Due to circumstances entirely within my control, in combination with a complete lack of competence or ambition, I have successfully procrastinated until this very moment to give my review.

I actually finished the game (the main story missions, that is) on Christmas day. And Metal Gear is one of, if not my favorite, franchises in entertainment. Yet, from the moment I put down my controller to now, I have struggled to conjure up the words that fully describe my feelings about Snake's last chapter.

No Boss, it was my fault this time.

And I think that's emblematic of Metal Gear as a whole. MGSV, like it's predecessors, is so many things at once: complex yet sleek, campy yet cinematic, serious yet self-aware, incomplete yet sufficient, ambitious yet familiar. In this sense, it is a Kojima game through and through.

MGSV is so ambitious in scope and design that in its magnitude it is actually quite easy for one to mistake it for a simple game.

"I run around the desert, attaching things to balloons, trying not to be seen."

In just the way we take for granted the complex system which underlies a simple concept like how our our oceans evaporate into clouds, and those clouds precipitate into drinking water; so too can one overlook the fluid animations, the carefully designed outposts, and deeply intricate sub-systems that comprise the MGSV experience.

And in the end, taking all this for granted, one can't help but wonder 'what if Kojima Productions had another year to finish the game?'. 'What might this game have looked like without the meddling and back-room politics conducted by Konami?'

'What if?'

Climatically clear of Konami's clutches, Kojima can cultivate contemporary creations unconditionally.

And that is why it has taken so long to write about this game. Because it is so deep it's hard to fathom where to even begin. Do I start with the story arcs of Quiet, Miller, Ocelot, Venom Snake, Huey, Skullface, Codetalker, or Zero? Do I opine the joys of the fulton recovery system, the phantom cigar, the ability to call in a helicopter blasting "Rebel Yell" through a hail storm of bullets, the various weapon and systems upgrades, or the buddy system and various partners in stealth you can select?

Do I go in-depth in sharing my stories about the various side-ops, the animal collecting, the side-missions you can send your mother base staff on that impact what equipment enemies have when you meet in the field, or how enemies start to take notice of your tactics and adjust to counter them over time, or Mother Base itself and it's various story sequences and easter eggs, or the entire crazy ass plot, or the crazy ass tape recordings, or the crazy ass soundtrack, or the crazy ass opening sequence, or the crazy ass ending sequence?

Should I rhetorically ponder what's up with the Hayter/Sutherland voice controversy thing? What's up with Quiet's outfit? What's up with Snake having hologram technology in the 1980s? Why is there a chapter missing? How many chapter's were there supposed to be? Was the ending always planned to be what it was? Why is Sahelanthropus so much more advanced than Rex if it came a decade before? Why is Miller obsessed with cheeseburgers? Where is Solid during all of this madness?

And that's before I even take the base infiltration, and Metal Gear Online components into account!

DEAR GOD THERE IS SO MUCH HAPPENING IN AND AROUND THIS GAME.

Let the legend come back to life, and live on forever.

The truth is I need a sizable, multi-chapter book to fully give every component of this story (not just the game) its due. No review, in my humble opinion, will ever give you a full sense of MGSV or any of the madness that surrounds it. So in a completely unsatisfactory and hypocritical fashion, allow me to abbreviate my thoughts to three lines:

1. Open world, beautiful aesthetics, satisfying and supremely polished game-play.
2. Long story arc with tons of side content, but leaves you wanting more from its story and the conclusion, which... well... you know :(
3. F**K Konami, leaves one wondering 'what might have been?'

And there you have it.

I truly believe that the gameplay of MGSV is what Kojima had envisioned when he set out to create the first Metal Gear for MSX and NES consoles several decades ago. In 2015, technology finally caught up to his vision, and this game is the result. As far as game mechanics go, this is the quintessential Metal Gear.

Thank you Kojima-san, for nearly 30 years of tactical espionage excellence. Here's to you!

Tactical espionage action might not be everyone's cup of tea, but absolutely anyone who has a deep appreciation for video games as a medium must play this game at least once. It is as much an exceptional gaming experience, as it is a historic and emotional send off to what is one of the greatest franchises in the video game industry's history.

Thank you, Hideo Kojima. We look forward to whatever you have in store for us next.

We are Homo Ludens. Those who play.

New Completions! (3 new additions, see below)

The Last of Us - Remastered (PS4)

Completed in August 2015

• Wonderful atmosphere, with a purposefully slow and deliberate pacing.
• Fantastic voice over performances.
• A perfect ending, that wraps up the story without answering all the questions; respecting the intelligence of the player and provoking thought.
• Gameplay is pretty repetitive and clearly secondary to the story.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PS4)

Completed in August 2015

• Got it for free as a PS Plus subscriber; but I can see why people who paid $40 were frustrated with a lack of content.
• That said, for what it is, it is a perfect taste of the new Metal Gear mechanics and the impressive Fox Engine.
• The main mission is OK, but the bonus side missions are really what made this experience worth it. Lots of variety, and some fun easter eggs as well.
• Not necessary to play before Phantom Pain, but if you love Metal Gear it may be worth a look.

Street Fighter II Special Champion Edition (Sega Genesis)

Completed in September 2015

• Found this gem at the U-District Pink Gorilla (shout out to @PinkGorillaLLC give them a follow!), and plowed through it in one long, obscenity-laden evening.
• My first time playing a Street Fighter game that I can remember, it was an awesome experience.
• My 'C' button started to stick, so I had to dismantle my Genesis controller and clean it before continuing, because Vega is TOO DAMNED FAST.
• The main roster is fun to fight, I used Chun Li, but the AI bosses are pretty cheap and were decidedly less fun. Little to no stun frames and some infuriating invincibility windows forces you to play ultra conservative, spam, and hope for some luck.
• A really good game that I suspect is more fun to play with friends than the AI. I'm hoping to give that a shot soon!

New Completion - Rayman Legends (PS4)

This is quite a delayed update, but I've finally gotten around to writing about it. A few months back my girlfriend and I finally collected all of the teensies to be had in this sequel to the PS3's Rayman Origins.

Another fine entry.

With more colorful worlds and characters, charming humor, and another excellent soundtrack the developers at Ubisoft Montpellier delivered on everything I could have wanted from a Rayman Origins follow-up. I can't stress how much content is delivered in this game. Not only do you get more of the traditional solid and fun platforming with new twists on older themes, you also get some very intriguing auto-scroll music levels, interesting boss fights, AND THE ENTIRETY OF THE FIRST GAME! Yes! You read that correctly. Through a series of unclocakable levels titled "Back to Origins", the entirety of the first game is also included with the sequel. Amazing.

All your favorite characters return, and a green guy no one likes.

And that's just the single-player. Also included this time around are challenge modes where you can compete online in distance-runs and time-trials against other Rayman players from around the world. Depending on what percentile you rank with your best run you earn trophies and earn lums. Trophies increase your "awesomeness level" which ultimately means nothing unless you're trying to get a Platinum Trophy for your Playstation account.

Indeed, that's my only gripe with Legends. The amount of trophy points needed to achieve the last level of awesomness and platinum the game is BRUTAL. It will probably take the best players a month or two of playing challenges everyday, and average players who only play now and again... well a lot longer than that. I gave up on it about a month ago, and that's why I'm writing this entry now. Sadness.

Boss fights now more epic-er.

Fake awards that mean nothing in real life aside, this game was a blast to play and the co-op remains one of the best iterations I've ever seen in a platformer title, if not any genre. It was a great way for me to break in my PS4, and I look forward to hearing whats in the works for a third title in this rebooted Rayman series.

Medieval Dragon by composer Christophe Héral

NOW ENJOY THE HELL OUT OF THIS MUSIC!

New Metal Gear Title!

And here's the trailer which debuted to the general public at PAX, in my home city of Seattle!

It looks like this game will be a Prologue to a new numbered entry in the series, which will likely becoming out on next generation consoles. In the mean time, MGS: Ground Zeroes will keep us chomping at the bit on our PS3s and 360s until that day comes.

Mark me down as entirely too excited.