In the run-up to the end of December, I (like many others) have been furiously trying to finish as many games as possible to understand the discussion around Game of the Year. The last few weeks had me plowing through Metal Gear Solid V, the 50+ hour opus that simultaneously feels like one of the best games to come out in 2015 while also feeling frustratingly like an incomplete experience. I'll likely have a write-up of my overall time with MGSV, along with some of my other favorite games this year later this month, but for now I just want to talk about how it fits in with the rest of Metal Gear series. Just as a warning, the rest of this post is only going to be relevant to people who care about Metal Gear's byzantine lore and production history, so sane people feel free to click away. Also, MGSV spoilers will be discussed.

MGSV is not really Metal Gear Solid V, as in the sequel to Metal Gear Solid 4. Sure, it certainly is within the same franchise as the other Metal Gear Solid games and there has been precedence of the series jumping around in time (see the outstanding Metal Gear Solid 3), but MGSV and MGS4 seem like direct rebukes to one another. MGS4, mostly due to release order, doesn't acknowledge the events that transpired in its successor. MGSV, mostly due to advancing technology and the presumed internal politics at Konami, shows active disdain for its predecessor's aggressive linearity and reliance on extended cutscenes. As I think about it, this is a real rarity in video games. Most franchises are very much about building and expanding the successful foundation with each sequel, and up until this point that was true for Metal Gear. In fact, MGS4 seemed like the most perfect celebration of the series' formula, from its spaghetti plot and constant revelations to its (at the time) near-perfect stealth sandbox. That game felt like a well-deserved victory lap to end the adventures of Solid Snake and his bloodline.

Now, of course there were other Metal Gear games to follow MGS4. Metal Gear Rising came out several years later as a Platinum developed hack and slash game that largely exists outside of the franchise canon. The other post-MGS4 game to come out, however, made a bigger impact on the Metal Gear formula than its humble origins would suggest. Of course, I am referring to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, the PSP developed game that at first glance seemed to be Hideo Kojima chasing the appeal of handheld franchises such as Monster Hunter and Pokemon. The game was very much focused on completing bite-sized missions, which was rather unlike the game-spanning missions of the main franchise. In addition, the inclusion of the Fulton recovery system made for an addictive loop of capturing soldiers to improve your base which would then improve your gear and allow you to more effectively capture soldiers (and so on). Of course, I'd be remiss to mention that a lot of this formula was built upon the oft-forgotten Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, but this new strain of Metal Gear gameplay really didn't click together until Peace Walker.

But what is a Metal Gear game without the story? On this count, Peace Walker comes up a bit short. The exploration of the CIA/KGB proxy war in Central and South America was an inspired choice along with exploring how Big Boss went from Naked Snake to the leader of Outer Heaven. However, the execution is lacking. I don't necessarily think that the blame lies with the story itself or even the lower production value caused by a limited handheld budget. No, the story was handicapped from the start because it was a prequel that came after MGS4. Essentially, the events of Peace Walker have to not really matter for the events of MGS4 to remain canon. Any new characters, such as Paz and Chico, have to conveniently disappear before the events of Metal Gear for the series to make sense. In this light, it was smart that Peace Walker pushes its core gameplay loop to the fore and is less concerned with the plot overall. The fact that the game was a handheld side mission (or downloadable HD re-release) also helped forgive the fact that the story didn't feel like a “real” Metal Gear narrative.

So now here we are with Metal Gear Solid V, which champions the formula set forth by Peace Walker. The capture soldiers/build bases/develop equipment loop has now been polished to a mirror sheen and placed in a beautifully realized open world. It is safe to say the MGSV is the best playing Metal Gear game ever made. But, like Peace Walker, the narrative of MGSV leaves a lot to be desired. Yet again, none of the events of MGSV really matter. You know that by the time the credits roll that Skull Face will not only be stopped, but also will be wiped clean from Metal Gear history. Sure enough, by the time you reach the first ending to the game, Skull Face is killed and the protagonists proceed to stamp out all further references to him. It is here that Kojima decides to enliven the proceedings with some twists that ultimately go nowhere. First is the revelation of Quiet's true identity as the assassin sent to kill Snake in the hospital. This certainly helps to re-contextualize her motivation to help Snake, but in the end really does not change how the previous story events are viewed by the player. Second is the discovery that Huey Emmerich murdered Otacon's mother, Dr. Strangelove, and was actively sabotaging the Diamond Dogs throughout the game. This damns Huey in the player's eyes, but even before that he wasn't a very likable character and it always seemed dumb for Snake to trust him after Kaz's impassioned objections. Finally, we have the “major” revelation that the Big Boss we were playing as for the entire game isn't the real Big Boss, but rather the medic that was seen in the exploding chopper in Ground Zeroes. At first, this came as a big shock to me and for a while I thought that it helped save the otherwise lackluster story. But upon further reflection it really doesn't change much. This “Venom Snake” never gets mentioned as a fraud by any character later in the series and he dies as Big Boss at the end of Metal Gear. The real Big Boss then “dies” at the end of Metal Gear 2, so it doesn't actually change anything by the time the events of Metal Gear Solid occur. All this reveal does is re-contextualize the real Big Boss as a cowardly glory-seeker that traded on the heroism of his phantom while keeping himself out of harm's way. It only serves to diminish Big Boss's legacy for what is essentially a cheap twist.

I'm still very much conflicted on how to feel about Metal Gear Solid V. The tight gameplay and jaw-dropping production values both serve to make this one of my favorite games of the year, but the disappointing and pointless story leaves me feeling empty as a Metal Gear fan. I suspect that I will be wrestling with my feelings on this game for quite a while, and I can't help but wonder if my criticisms would have been muted had they simply removed the “V” from the title. In any case, what is presented is highly polished and a wonder to behold, and I would still very much recommend MGSV to both fans and non-fans of the series. It's still Metal Gear, and it's still very Solid.