Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain isn’t out for another week, but the reviews are already coming in as the review embargo was set for today. We’d have happily put together a review of Hideo Kojima’s final game at Konami, but it looks like our review copy of the game was lost in the mail…
Still, there’s plenty of reviews out on the interwebs and we’ve rounded up a few and collated them here. It looks like Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a winner.
PSU – 9.25/10
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a compelling, sprawling and often jaw-dropping experience that truly brings the franchise into the open-world setting for the first time. Featuring the series’ best stealth gameplay to date, the game is marred only by the odd bland visuals dotted throughout an otherwise beautifully detailed sandbox. If this is indeed Kojima-san’s last Metal Gear Solid title, then take comfort that the Phantom Pain is unequivocally the best game in the series to date.
IGN – 10/10
The Phantom Pain is the kind of game I thought would never exist – one where every minute gameplay detail has true purpose. Its lack of story focus is sure to be divisive for the Metal Gear faithful, but the resulting emphasis on my story, my tales of Espionage Action, easily make it my favorite in the series. There have certainly been sandbox action games that have given me a bigger world to roam, or more little icons to chase on my minimap, but none have pushed me to plan, adapt, and improvise the way this one does. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain doesn’t just respect my intelligence as a player, it expects it of me, putting it in a league that few others occupy.
StartReplay – 98%
Phantom Pain presents the most flexible gameplay in the series to date, and fills in unseen moments from the Metal Gear saga with style. I strongly suggest you pick this up and experiment with your own strategies, as you’re presented with endless possibilities. Grab your cardboard box, the world needs saving!
Crikey. Looks like people really, really like Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. We’ll be posting our review in a few days time once we manage to hunt down a copy.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is due out on September 1st for Xbox One, PS4, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.