Hey everybody,

Looks like some TPP review scores have begun to roll in. Spanish magazine Hobby Consolas has scored The Phantom Pain 97/100. Apparently under "The Bad," one of the points is that the game is "not as exciting as previous games, and does not close the saga as we'd like." Also, I should note that this tweet was retweeted by Kojima, so it's legit. I guess for some reason he didn't mind that this broke the review embargo?

So, begin the review score thread! Also, for obvious reasons, no spoilers in this thread please.

General consensus:

Seems that people are unanimously saying that the gameplay is the best Metal Gear has ever had. The PS4 version, which it seems most reviews are based on, runs silky smooth and has very minimal load times. The biggest complaint from most reviewers seems to be that the story is sparse, and is handled clumsily at some points. The game is structured very similarly to Peace Walker. Polygon says that Mother Base is extremely important, and must be managed to ensure success within the game. Greg Miller has played 55 hours and is at 49% completion, so this game will definitely be 100-110 hours long for full completion. GameTrailers mentioned that they beat the main story in 40 hours. Peter Brown mentioned that "pacing issues towards the end of the game momentarily halt your momentum."

Wrap-up:

GameSpot: 10/10

IGN: 10/10

GameInformer: 9.25/10

GameTrailers: 9.3/10

Destructoid: 9/10

Respawn Ninja: 100%/100% (You can't beat it!)

Press Start: 9/10

Metal Gear Informer: 10/10

JeuxVideo Magazine: 17/20

Hobby Consolas: 97/100

Kinda Funny Games: "It's fucking awesome."

I assume Kojima no longer gives a fuck and will be super proud of any praise his final Konami game gets. Embargo or not.

Strange that it's not "as emotive" with all the heavy stuff in the trailers. Regardless, I just replayed Ground Zeroes after disliking it occasionally, and I had a great time and will gladly spend my vacation immersed in TPP.

@csl316: I found that statement really odd too. I wonder if something was lost in translation. Or maybe there's just less cutscenes than MGS4, so it's emoting less?

@quid_pro_bono: Well, according to Jeff and other people that have played the opening parts of the game, the story isn't as up front as before (at least, Snake isn't). So I'm assuming the cutscenes won't be half the game like MGS 4. But I would still hope that what's there gets a cohesive narrative across.

@csl316: Yeah I'm expecting it to be much more gameplay than cutscenes. I'm just hoping that there'll be a bunch of cassette tapes like PW and GZ. Since we can listen to them while playing the game now that'd be fantastic.

So are we counting that French review? I know it's not quite as positive as we would like it to be, but is there any genuine reason to not count it?

I don't know, I feel like it would be possible to have horrible, heavy shit happen and be really weak in presenting it. I can think of a number of films that use rape, or similarly heinous acts, and just come off really manipulative and uninspired. If the context around the events isn't in check, then the emotion won't really be there, it'd just be violence for the sake of it. That's certainly not the impression I've ever had from the rest of the series, so it would be disappointing if that were the case here, but nothing presented so far seems to tell me that couldn't be the case. And, I get the impression that there was some serious creative turmoil occurring at the late stages of development and I'm somewhat concerned how that'll manifest. I still have extremely high hopes, and it might be the first game I buy at launch all year.

@adequatelyprepared: I actually have no clue what French review you're referring to. Could you post a link?

@hatking: That's a salient point. Maybe they were referring to the large tonal shift and the way it may not be handled perfectly. I'd be bummed about that too; if Kojima wants to tackle some more difficult topics I hope that he does so with gusto and conviction. I can see creative differences causing issues as well though.

@quid_pro_bono: This seems to have all the details. I believe it all started in a NeoGaf thread. http://gearnuke.com/metal-gear-solid-v-phantom-pain-first-official-review-released-french-magazine/#

@quid_pro_bono said:

It's very possible, as that magazine described the Spanish translation as very poor, and is known for calling that sort of thing out. The fact that it got such a high score regardless is reassuring.

@adequatelyprepared: Oh great, I'll add it into the main post. No idea how I didn't notice this.

It says "Not as exciting," not emotive

I guess the stakes are pretty well tied up in the established lore of MG so it can't really be as high stakes, probably what they mean by not as exciting.

@fluttercry: Good to know. Sorry, I don't know Spanish, so I'm going off second hand info in the replies to that tweet. I'll edit it in the main post.

This is all sounding great cos' I hoped it'd be less bombastic than MGS4.

TEN OUTTA TEN, IGN

http://au.ign.com/articles/2015/08/24/metal-gear-solid-5-the-phantom-pain-review

@adequatelyprepared: Oh man, here we go. It's already looking so good.

http://www.gameinformer.com/games/metal_gear_solid_v_the_phantom_pain/b/playstation4/archive/2015/08/23/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-review-game-informer.aspx

Game Informer 9.25/10

Looks like the fears that the story and voicework was going to be very minor were founded.

http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-review/1900-6416224/

Gamespot 10/10

Gametrailers, 9.3.
http://www.gametrailers.com/reviews/cy43vw/metal-gear-solid-v--the-phantom-pain-review

Seems to be a pretty solid throughline developing about the story being lackluster.

But I kind of don't care because the actual game sounds incredible.

Already some conflicting information regarding the story and its themes; one review says it's underdeveloped, the other says it does interesting things with them.

Everyone seems to love the gameplay, though, which is the first time I think anyone can really say that about a MGS game.

Gamespot, 10/10.
http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-review/1900-6416224/

@adequatelyprepared: Too late! :v

@hassun: Gotta-post-fast.

The comments about the story are a bit disappointing. I'm fine with less cutscenes (despite how good they'd probably look), but I at least want the story to be memorable and meaningful.

Still very excited.

Peter Brown's review makes me hopeful again. 10th 10 outta 10!

Also from the Peter Brown/GS review:

"Tackles taboo topics with grace "

Well I'll be damned.

@hassun: I dunno bout this Peter Brown fella. We'll see Mr. Brown, we'll see.

Glad I watched Drew play GZ, which led me to replay it and not suck this time. A week ago, the emphasis on gameplay would've worried me.

Can't wait.

From the Polygon impressions article: ""The Phantom Pain's story is, like other Metal Gear Solid games, complex — and frustrating in that complexity. It can be clumsy, silly and puerile, but we're still hooked." to each his own...

"In the lead up to the finale, you need to spend an hour or two replaying older missions on a higher difficulty setting in order to unlock the last story missions. This is the only aspect of The Phantom Pain that feels off. The gameplay is near impeccable, and the story and characters are captivating, making for an experience that's unlike any other game I've played, but this part of the Phantom Pain felt mundane."

It seems weird to me that they felt the need to pad out the game's length.

@billymaysrip: It's hard to get a bead on who the person behind the polygon article is. It's written by Mcwhertor but it speaks from a "we" perspective.

@quid_pro_bono: are you going to edit the OP to have all the reviews that matter...

@hassun: Seems like they're pulling the "Find Zadarnov for the 6th time" missions from Peace Walker again.

You're right though, odd for an open world game.

Sounds a lot like Peace Walker.

I'm trusting Peter Brown on this one when it comes to the story delivering.

Oddly, while the fact that you have to do earlier missions on a higher difficulty to unlock the last act of the gam is a bit silly, it also gives me weird confidence that yeah, it's there for a reason. Shit is going to hit the fan.

A week, guys. We'll make it.

Man, the story seems pretty divisive!

GS:

Though The Phantom Pain's story is impressive enough to enjoy on its own, when linked to other games in the series its importance is elevated for fans who have followed the journey for the last three decades. It delivers on its promise, revealing how Big Boss came to be the man many people know him to be, but the path is one nobody could have seen coming.

IGN:

However, where Phantom Pain’s gameplay systems are far richer and meatier than any the series has ever seen, its story feels insubstantial and woefully underdeveloped by comparison.

Game informer:

Though all of the information comes together eventually into a tale worthy of the Metal Gear name, the ending didn't satisfy me, presenting few answers and a lot of questions.

GT:

It has a lot to say about political and ideological issues, things that are worth hearing and that few other games would touch. Unfortunately the quality of the writing doesn’t always properly support these grand sentiments. There are moments when dialogue sounds forced or things are hurriedly explained away. Times when the script leaps too quickly, making it difficult to relate to or enjoy. Far worse, though, is that huge story threads are left wide open. It’s as if the Phantom Pain has more to say, but gets abruptly cut off.

Who do I believe???

http://www.destructoid.com/review-metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-305699.phtml

Destructoid 9/10

@mirado: Well as least from that its three nays to a yea.

10 out of 10 for GS and IGN? What does it mean that they both say the story is weak? Too much anime?

EDIT: In light of the scores how long until people are offended by stuff in the game?

@golguin: GS does not say it is weak.

@hassun: Hm, Gamespot seem to be giving 10s out all over the place now :o Not that I'm saying that the game doesn't merit the score, it's just interesting that there wasn't a 10/10 for years and years and now there's been four in the space of a year...

People liking the game is not surprising to me. I'm more interested to see how it pans out as a character study into madness.

@golguin: GS didn't say it's weak. IGN and GT suggest that. Game Informer is in the middle.

From Destructoid: "Rest assured, the entire campaign can be played offline, beyond the reach of microtransactions or pre-order bonuses."

Very, very good news. Not that I thought microtransactions would sink this game, but I was worried that some timers may feel too long because of them.

Respawn Ninja: 100%

Press Start: 9/10

Also from the Destructoid review:

Although I've only had access to the PS4 version of Phantom Pain, it's run flawlessly, with minimal load times and no major framerate issues during my time. Another huge thing I noticed was the impeccable sound direction, which may be the best I've ever witnessed in a game to date. It's especially delightful if you're wearing headphones, as you can hear every clomp of your horse as the wind rushes behind you, bullets darting past your head.

Crossing my fingers for the PC version.

You can also choose to alter the appearance of Big Boss, Mother Base, and even your own support Helicopter team. If you enjoyed the prospect of switching up camo suits in Snake Eater, you'll spend hours customizing all your junk here.

Yesss.

Odd that IGN gave a 10 complaining about the story and the ending, specially because they rarely done so. Another example of why a 10 point system is not ideal.

I bet a lot of the story stuff is in those cassette tapes. Al the important IAEA stuff in GZ was just glossed over in the beginning cutscene, but it's explained in detail in the cassette tapes.