For the most part, however, all of the missions consist of Big Boss staking-out a guard post and deciding whether to go in guns blazing or to sneak around while attempting to accomplish whatever goal you’re given. You’re thrown into Afghanistan where you explore, take over posts and checkpoints, find precious new materials, plants and loot, and complete both side-missions and side-ops (much smaller missions). It gives you total freedom to tackle missions any way you want to.

Unlike the previous four core titles in the series, The Phantom Pain is open-world, save for its bombastic and bonkers prologue (that first hour is pretty linear). The Phantom Pain is so far ahead of its competition ( Assassin’s Creed, Grand Theft Auto V, Arkham Knight, The Witcher 3) when it comes to physics and technical performance that I honestly can’t see myself returning to play any of the aforementioned titles. Yes, I know, it all sounds cliché, but it’s true. Crouching, running, climbing ladders, riding horses, and shooting never looked and felt so good. Protagonist Big Boss moves around with such grace that I constantly forgot I was actually playing a video game. A third-person action and stealth title, the moment-to-moment gameplay feels organic, swift, and seamless. The Phantom Pain will probably, no, definitely be one of the best games you’ll sit down and play in the remaining four months of the year. It’s just simply called Metal Gear Solid. This doesn’t feel like a Metal Gear game, but rather an entirely new project that series creator Hideo Kojima so obviously wanted to make. It’s a shame, however, that it entirely abandons the eccentricities, zaniness, and terrific storytelling that this franchise is known for. When it comes to gameplay, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is undoubtedly the most polished and enjoyable entry in the series.

Metal gear solid v review