I'm honestly having mixed feelings on this game. I think the graphics are stunning, and I applaud Kojima on how he's trying to create a 'living and breathing' incarnation of Snake. Kojima also stated he's tackling darker themes with this entry in the series, and that he's trying to 'recreate the Metal Gear series' but this could backfire. I mean, how many of us will miss the moments where you watch a guard on deck break down and pee off the edge, while you have to stick to the walls to avoid the pee (MGS2)?

Who's going to miss Naked Raiden? Heck, I'm not even sure Phantom Pain will break the 4th wall. So, you've heard my opinions. So, what's your opinion? Let's just discuss Phantom Pain and share our views, thoughts, predictions etc.

everything i know about this game SKULL FACE, Naked Sniper, Horse Stealth.

@bigjeffrey:

Skull face is a bad a--

@miko1222: Kojima has said on Twitter that while there won't be as many stupid jokes in Phantom Pain as the previous games, he did manage to sneak a few in, because he couldn't resist himself.

Don't worry yet, I'm sure the game will be goofy.

Metal Gear Solid is one of my favourite franchises due to the fantastic gameplay and narrative. The goofiness is just background noise to me.

@mooseymcman:

Oh man, do I hope so.

@bigjeffrey:

Oh, yeah. I've seen that trailer several times. Seems like a horror, doesn't it?

@miko1222: The thing we have to keep in mind is that the die hard MGS fans (people like us) will be on board for just about anything, so long as the game isn't completely broken, or something like that. That means the trailers and promotional stuff have to be geared toward attracting other people to buy it, because something of this size costs a lot of money to make. They built a whole new engine for this game, and Kojima is making it sound like Phantom Pain is enormous in size. We may like to think of video games as an expression of art, but it's still a business, and at the end of the day Konami needs to make money off of this, which is why the promotional stuff is going to be more serious in tone, because the goofy stuff might turn "normal" people (for lack of a better word) off.

Remember how Dead Rising 3 looked really serious at E3 last year, but the game was actually super stupid? It'll be like that, only not quite as stupid as Dead Rising 3.

@mooseymcman:

I'm not really into Dead Rising, but, I get what you're trying to say. Modern audiences these days aren't into those goofy stuff - some might be - so maybe it's only logical that Kojima is doing this 'gritty' act with all the promotion. What do you think of the people who theorize that Punished Snake is Grey Fox?

@miko1222: I hadn't seen that theory. I think it's nonsense, this is a game about Big Boss. I wouldn't mind a game about Grey Fox, and I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up at some point. But, I think that the story of how Big Boss becomes the villain we see in the original Metal Gear is too enticing for Kojima to waste it on being a cover up for some other, secret story. I also don't think that Kojima would try to get away with another bait and switch. People expect it now, and he's not going to do something like that when he should be trying to think up some original way to surprise us.

I agree, I think Punished Snake is just another fancy codename or identity Big Boss is adopting much like Solid Snake did in MGS4 when he was referred to as Old Snake. I hope Frank Jaeger does make an appearance, since the last time we saw him was in the easily forgotten Portable Ops and has not appeared in any of the games since.

Having finished MGS2 and just starting MGS3 a few days ago, I am super pumped for a new Metal Gear game.

@probablytuna: I'm more looking forward to what, if any, place the bosses from Metal Gear will have in this game. I mean, will Dirty Duck show up? What about Bloody Brad?

Personally I love the silly humor in these games, it's very nostalgic to me for some reason. Like watching happy-go-lucky Dragonball before the overly serious Z.

I love the old MGS', and I'm pretty excited for the new one as well. What it loses I'm sure it'll gain in something else fantastic. The goofiness is not what brings me to MGS, I however do like that aspect because it's often unique; you don't see that kind of thing in games. Oh, and I totally forgot about the guy peeing off the ledge. I went through the game again a few weeks ago, and got to that part and got pissed on for a second as I was running past. When I got to a point of no return, I regretted not going back to just sit there and be pissed on :P. I love the Shadow Moses part in three, where Otacon talks about having to switch discs. There's a lot of those moments.

This game strikes me as something that is going to be pretty nasty. When I say nasty, I don't mean bad, I mean tonally nasty. It looks dark, rough around the edges and brutal. After that redband trailer came out it struck me that this is the game that will make you hate Big Boss. This is when he goes from the hero Big Boss from the Snake Eater and Peace Walker days to the villainous Big Boss of Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land. I'm sure that there will be some dumb/funny stuff in there like there always is, but I think it is going to be much more serious.

Metal Gear Solid is my favorite game series ever. Though, I'm going to wait for the phantom pain to be released before I play ground zeroes.

@mooseymcman:

Yeah, and I think this 'Kiefer Sutherland' thing might be trolling. I know Hayter said he isn't trolling, but Kojima probably instructed him to say so. I love Hayter very much, but this is a 'reinvention of the series', and while we don't have to support this reinvention idea, I think it only practical for Kiefer to replace Hayter. Maybe David could show up somewhere...

@stonyman65:

I found it rather gory in the medical procedure where the woman's chest is torn open and we see guts and limbs. But, what MooseyMcMan said was true in a way. I don't expect him to market a Naked Punished Snake in a trailer. I would also like Snake to show up, since - during the events of TPP - Snake would be in his late teens-early twenties. So, Snake could make an appearance. Possibly, they could lead up to his appearance and then show him in the end.

Maybe wait on passing judgment until you've seen more than a few trailers. Does having someone pooing in a barrel really make the game better?

@miko1222: I'm still kind of hoping that Phantom Pain will have Hayter come back as Solid Snake. Perhaps having to defeat Big Boss in a late game recreation of Outer Haven and Zanzibar...

I was afraid MGS3 and 4 were going to be too serious, reading into all the early coverage....... oh how wrong I was.

@supercycle:

Too many people desire a remake of the MSX MGS games. At this moment, I think it's really unlikely.

@miko1222: Does that mean that I can't dream about it? I have a dream, and it involves going through Shadow Moses again in complete HD. MGS 4 was such a tease with that level.

@supercycle:

You have total reason to dream about it.

@miko1222: I still firmly believe that after credits roll on Phantom Pain we're going to hear Hayter's voice as young Snake while he approaches Outer Heaven for the start of Metal Gear 1. I think less likely, but still cool would be to then have the game keep going, but you play as young Snake in what would be a remake of the original Metal Gear, but the difficulty would depend on how much you built up Outer Heaven throughout the game. Of course, the game would never surface that to you while you were building the base as Big Boss, which would only make you curse yourself for being such a completionist and trying to get everything.

I think that's a lot less likely, because I think Konami would rather a remake of Metal Gear be sold separately.

And, to be fair, I'm actually 100% behind Kiefer as Big Boss. I know it sucks for Hayter, especially if he doesn't get a cameo or anything, but there's precedent for Big Boss sounding different than Solid Snake. And I also think that by the end of Phantom Pain, Big Boss might not be a character we're rooting for, because of all the stuff he's had to do over the course of the game. I mean, he has a "devil horn" equivalent, for crying out loud! Anyway, the point of that is that with a different voice, it'd be easier for us fans to associate him with villainy than it would with Hayter's.

Also, I just like Kiefer Sutherland.

@mooseymcman:

I really don't expect Hayter to return. This is a different Metal Gear, whether we like it or not. Kiefer's performance is great as a stand alone anyway - Snake or not. Also, your idea on the MG1 remake is a great idea. However, I do think a remake should be released as stand alone. But, I respect your opinion. Also, GZ has been delayed. That gives me more time to complete PW.

@miko1222: What do you mean, delayed? It's out next week. Three days!

EDIT: Oh, delayed in not America.

@mooseymcman: Yup. I don't live in America