The facts:

Man, you know a thread is going to be good when someone capitalizes the word "real" in the title.

The only point I feel like addressing is this one:

However, most of it is based off our own perceptions and theories on what Kojima meant with this ending.. so ultimately it's irrelevant because it's based on theory as opposed to fact or from Kojimas mouth (through his content) himself.

There is nothing invalid about people creating their own interpretations upon another person's work. You should look up the concept of "Death of the Author". Whatever Kojima's intentions may have been, people are free to read into and interpret whatever they believe.

I don't think Kojima needs to worry about Konami making another MGS game. Unless you mean continuing by way of a Pachinko machine. Also, what that guy said, Authors only really have enough influence during creation at which point the public takes over. Even if the creator says what's what, the players, viewers, or readers will draw their own conclusions.

As an added note:

So does that validate this game and leave a basis on how most games should work? Why even go into any intricate detail at all then? Why not just lay out a flat story throughout all MG games? Do you feel the franchise would've been as successful if they had followed the same model as this game?

Yes, there should always be room for some interpretation in any story being told. But it shouldn't be fundamental to making an ending tolerable.

I don't agree at all.

Maybe you don't agree with the original notion that the series is ruined, which yes may have been exaggerrated. However, care to rebuttal anything else?

The game is a butchered mess with pieces of story and biggest amounts of filler and mission replays I've ever seen. I don't get all the perfect scores... Enjoyed if for first few missions but then... man 40hours is enough. Especialyl if I am not even remotely finished and already had to replay most of it

I wish the game was more focused. Without pointless open world, plenty of waiting, replaying, filler... Something like mgs3 but with new graphics and mgs v controls

So lemme get this straight: you think that this game, which has recieved nearly universal acclaim (criticism of the writing/costume design aside), and has sold millions of copies, is the result of him trying to ruin Metal Gear?

Either this is the biggest "Springtime for Hitler" moment in history, or he was trying to do the opposite of ruin it.

The idea that

A) This game ruins the series

B) Kojima intended it to ruin the series

both seem crazy.

It was a great game and creators aren;t the type of people who intend to sabotage their own work and legacy. Also, it really seems like you had set expectations of what this games story was going to be and are mostly upset that this game did not follow those expectations. I do, however, agree that it could have used more story in general

Maybe I should've been more specific (couldn't due to the character limit in a title). Ruined (or drastically reduced) the potential of this series stemming off unto other future MG titles that fans could get excited about.

The culprit is through his writing; I haven't criticized anything else beyond the story (or the lack of it) and ending.

I felt the openness of the ending left me wanting more, but in a good way. But I also love watching MGS fans theory craft.

I felt like this game had one of the strongest endings and its my second favorite MGS game so far. I cannot tell you why, though I find many of your points valid, but all in all, I just really enjoyed this game and I find that its all very subjective. What can I say? I just had a damn good time with Ahab, to me he is just as much big boss as big boss himself.

And is it really that far-fetched to think Kojima tied up strings of his story in a way where Konami stood the least chance of making future MG titles without him? Especially after seeing the feud between the two? No one is arguing whether the game in totality is great itself or not.

Fair enough. We all have opinions and tastes and its inevitable that players will be at a disagreement about things like this. I can respect another's positive perspective about the ending, but personally I am only vocalizing how alot of us (who didn't like the writing in relation to the grand scheme of the series) feel.

The game probably sold well. It reviewed well so why wouldn't they make more? Besides it mattered not what kojima did in this cause Konami said they're rebooting the series.

Here's the thing.

As for future games.....

Konami has made it very clear they are leaving the video game business. There will be no more big name Metal Gear games regardless of what you, I, or Kojima wants. They might make a few Pachinko Machines, but that's not exactly going to be a plot heavy area for them, and wouldn't expand the story at all, so who cares. The biggest thing they may do going forward is remaking MG1/2, or porting the series to Xbox/PC. Metal Gear was in standby mode after 5 regardless of what Kojima wrote as the plot.

intentionally creating a disconnect and feeling of alienation from a beloved character, in order to better portray that character as a villain.

crazy.

Kojima has never tried to ruin Metal Gear, that's his baby. It was what gave him his start in the industry and he loves the characters. If he was ever going to try and burn it all down it would've been during development of MGS4 when he was in a real funk (and the game reflects that in theme and writing).

MGSV feels on the same level of Snake Eater and Sons of Liberty. Like Kojima threw all his weight into the project and gave it everything he had. Whether people are satisfied or not doesn't negate the effort he and his team put into the title. Neither does a divisive ending that, when people (like me) get over the butthurt of not playing as Naked Snake all this time, they can analyze and see that Kojima had a real point to all of it. Just like with the MGS2 twist, there's a reason this stuff happened. This is really the first MGS since 2 that feels like it has something to say about the world at large. People may disagree with it, people may think he's off his rocker, but I think it does the creator and his team a serious disservice to infer that they didn't put everything they had into the game.

@fierzer: No, konami butchered this game by cutting 1/3 of the ending. Everything else is pretty damn awesome.

He really shouldn't have made the game so fuckin' rad if this was the idea.

This entire thread is based on your conjecture of what Kojima's intentions were.

My own conjecture is that MGSV was intended to be like MGS2. Not only in the type of fan reaction it is beginning to elicit, just as MGS2 was in part about providing the idea that Snake as an "ultimate soldier" could be recreated by placing someone else in a certain situation, MGSV is about providing the idea that "Big Boss" had ceased to be a man, but a legend and title that could be taken up by another without the world even batting an eye.

Also, Big Boss's fall happened in Peace Walker. We already played through that.

I don't have a problem with the story or the ending either.

I hate Kojima, he's a sexist ass, but not even I believe he purposefully ruined his game. Hell, even his ugly & gross sexism doesn't even ruin this latest game because is 1/10 of 1% of the game.

Kojima made his game, and he sent it off singing "I did it my Way" into the sunset. He knows nobody at Konami can best him after this, so never would and never needed to wreck MG to stick it to Konami.

Such a lust for revenge...WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!?

I really hope that's how Kojima was dragged out of Konami. In fact, that's how it happened in my head.

And if Kojima wanted to sabotage his story, he did a piss poor job of it based on the number of people wanting DLC (cut content, etc)

I much rather have Metal Gear end with The Phantom Pain than have Konami trying to turn it into a cash cow they can milk on an annual basis and see it deteriorate to a level where it's barely recognizable anymore.

are you saying he played them like a fiddle?

I just got done with mission/episode 46, saw the truth, and think it was pretty brilliant and it bridges the games full circle pretty well. So I don't think it ruined anything at all.

TPP ending doesn't bridge shit. It creates more lore issues than it solves, and it creates a disconnect between the player and the player character. It is NOT like MGS2's twist. It's pointless and twisty for the sake of being twisty. MGSV was billed as a missing link in the franchise, but in reality it's nothing more than a side story. We learn nothing of import about any significant characters.

That being said, I don't think this was done on purpose, I think this is exactly where the series has been headed ever since it lost Tomokazu Fukushima.

@marz: My thoughts exactly. I think it was a much more interesting direction to go in than just showing how big boss becomes a villain.

Seems to me this one is the best yet, and actually a game.

You're crazy. I would be super excited to see a Big Boss vs Venom snake confrontation that leads to Metal Gear provided it was made by a great team and not a soulless Konami cash grab.

Every blame, every problem with this game (aside from the pervy nonsense) can be laid on Konami, not Kojima. It's clear they slashed and burned everything in a hurry to get the fuck out of games and into bullshit gambling machines. With that last sequence finished and like 6 more months of development MGS5 could've been the best game ever made. As it stands it is a masterpiece of open world stealth gameplay with a great, if unfinished, ending that is the most understated and elegant Kojima has ever been with his message.

Like B-Real the rapper?

The best possible ending is a Metropolitan city level being added.

There are more problems than just the ending in MGS5. The entire story is an unfinished mess. Almost nothing of any worth happens until mission 20, at which point you get an info dump complete with some awkward scenes with Skull Face. Then, during the 30s missions, you get to replay a bunch of the same stuff all over again. At least half the 'main' missions in the game are effectively just re-constituted side-missions.

MGS5 is easily the best MGS game ever made.