Number 2
A few months ago, I saw a tweet about a talk from someone saying "Games should focus more on expressing joy."
To which my response is "I don't know about that."
Instead, what playing MGSV really showed me, is that I want more games that can express melancholy in effective ways. I want more games that aren't afraid to forgo pleasantries. I want more games with a mood of despair and confusion at the events taking place.
The list of games that do this, and do this incredibly well are few. Silent Hill 2, 3, and Shattered Memories are the biggest examples I can think of. Forgotten Memories, a game that I wish I could've played this year, but saw a few videos from seems to nail it as well. Nier fits in. And really that's about it.
Metal Gear Solid V is definitely among their ranks.
You know, maybe melancholy isn't the right word. There's certainly a lot of bombast in certain areas. At the same time, I don't really know what else to call it though, when I think about things like Episode 0. Episode 20. Episode 43. Episode 45. When I think about the outstanding, oner-heavy cinematography. Individual moments, like the one in the medical platform. Just Keifer Sutherland's response to being asked "What's wrong?" with just a half-cocked, confused smile. Episode 31 being, by far, the best looking video game moment this year. Even with all the post-launch insanity, these moments lead me to calling The Phantom Pain easily my favorite Metal Gear game.
It's the end of an era, what with Kojima going it alone now. To say I'm excited for what his next project is would be an understatement. But his last Metal Gear, the last Metal Gear, as far as I'm concerned, is as perfect a swan song for the series as it could be.