Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

[prettyunsmart]

I got through the entire Hellbound mission without alerts on my first try. It was stressful and took a long time and some luck, and I was super glad when I jumped on the truck and escaped the enemy. I drove away from the base and was about to call in the chopper when I hit an invisible wall exiting the mission area. Mission aborted and I have to do the whole mission again. I actually feel sick now.

 

The exact same thing happened to me. I thought "Oh, it's tricky to get to an LZ? I'll just do the hot zone extraction thing that works on every other mission." Had it just kicked me back to the last part of the mission I wouldn't have cared, but having to start from scratch, particularly because I had a perfect run through the base the first time, just wrecked my enthusiasm for the game for a while.

 

Which is weird. I seem to enjoy almost every part of the game for a while, and then hit a mission which is just about my least favorite thing. Then I get past it and return to it being my favorite game of the year so far. Then another really stupid thing happens.

[Henroid]

I apologize for having so little to contribute to the thread beyond this:

 

[manny_c44]

Which is weird. I seem to enjoy almost every part of the game for a while, and then hit a mission which is just about my least favorite thing. Then I get past it and return to it being my favorite game of the year so far. Then another really stupid thing happens.

 

Haha that's my feeling too, but we keep coming back so it must be good.

 

However one thing that bothers me about the game is how light it is on story and cutscenes. I never thought I'd say that about Metal Gear. The gameplay to cutscene ratio almost feels like an American RPG. I've played for 30 hours and really not much has happened, it's like I am playing a Bethesda game. Really at 30 hours in a Metal Gear game you shouldn't be asking where the story is, you should be finishing your second run through. 

[mikemariano]

I apologize for having so little to contribute to the thread beyond this:

 

MILLER: "I am the Walrus."

 

Wait, is Walrus like the one animal NOT used as a Metal Gear code name?

[Henroid]

MILLER: "I am the Walrus."

 

Wait, is Walrus like the one animal NOT used as a Metal Gear code name?

Well there is Frost Walrus.

[Dewar]

Has anyone ever actually won an FOB invasion or defense directly against another player? I feel like I'm getting the drop on them, unloading a bunch of rounds into them, then they turn and down me in a few shots.

[Griddlelol]

I tried out the D-Walker for funsies last night. Upgraded it a bunch beforehand so I wouldn't have a poor view of it...it's garbage. Like, what does it offer you over any other buddy? I'm sure once it's 100% upgraded it's great, but right now, it's a bunch of guns that are inaccurate from range, you're a giant target that anyone can see and...that's it. Oh yeah, it's slightly faster than sprinting, but not by much!

 

D-Dog is still the best, since Quiet is just too over powered, she just makes missions too easy. D-Dog has that nice balance between incredibly useful, but doesn't trivialise the combat or stealth. The horse is meh. 

 

Apparently D-dog can eventually start fultoning people too.

[Thrik]

Haha that's my feeling too, but we keep coming back so it must be good.

 

However one thing that bothers me about the game is how light it is on story and cutscenes. I never thought I'd say that about Metal Gear. The gameplay to cutscene ratio almost feels like an American RPG. I've played for 30 hours and really not much has happened, it's like I am playing a Bethesda game. Really at 30 hours in a Metal Gear game you shouldn't be asking where the story is, you should be finishing your second run through. 

 

Is this even the case when you're listening to the cassette tapes as you unlock them? I'm not particularly far in, but I've been enjoying a steady supply of new narrative-orientated tapes as I complete each main mission. I've been treating them like the codec conversations of the older games, where I just sit and listen to them while having a cup of tea or something. It's a lot like MGS2 in that respect, seeing as that game was probably 90% codec to 10% cutscene.

 

It's different but still nice, and actually I feel less obligated into enduring the long stretches of narrative on the game's terms; instead, I can dive into it when I can't be bothered with actual gameplay. I've also been hearing quite a lot of Big Boss in these conversations, whereas in the game proper he's basically a silent protagonist — which makes sense seeing as you can swap your main character for others, such as a woman with a voice of her own.

[Brett E]

 

Responding to Brett:

 

I counter-sniped the skull snipers, and there were no zombies or mist for me on the way out. I didn't leave any dead bodies around either, so I guess I might not have noticed? That would have made the tank a lot easier to deal with.

 

Ah ok, so you took out the skulls before getting to the old dude, that makes sense, then they can't reanimate and you have a nice relaxed exit.

 

I tried out the D-Walker for funsies last night. Upgraded it a bunch beforehand so I wouldn't have a poor view of it...it's garbage. Like, what does it offer you over any other buddy? I'm sure once it's 100% upgraded it's great, but right now, it's a bunch of guns that are inaccurate from range, you're a giant target that anyone can see and...that's it. Oh yeah, it's slightly faster than sprinting, but not by much!

 

D-Dog is still the best, since Quiet is just too over powered, she just makes missions too easy. D-Dog has that nice balance between incredibly useful, but doesn't trivialise the combat or stealth. The horse is meh. 

 

Apparently D-dog can eventually start fultoning people too.

 

I like the D-Walker, not enough to use over other buddies but I could see situations where it's useful. For instance if you wanted to take a sniper rifle and a rocket launcher and not worry about supply drops then you could equip the walker with a missile launcher. I've taken out a gunship with a walker before. My main issue with it is speed, it's not very fast compared to D-Horse or a Jeep.

I also like D-Horse because it's useful in a pinch, it's fast and comes to you so if you sneak through a base it can meet you on the other side. Also who doesn't love shooting while riding a horse?

[manny_c44]

Yeah it's true I'm not listening to the tapes as I get them, just sporadically-- maybe that's what's missing.

D-Horse is just a wonderful first buddy for MGSV's style of gameplay.

[Atlantic]

Has anyone ever actually won an FOB invasion or defense directly against another player? I feel like I'm getting the drop on them, unloading a bunch of rounds into them, then they turn and down me in a few shots.

 

I've managed to win about 5 defenses, but not an invasion when the other player gets summoned. If you do get the drop on someone, the best thing I've found to do is CQC them and then fulton them if you can. Or pick them up on your shoulder and throw them over the side of the base.

 

It could also be that your weapons are not upgraded enough or that the other played is wearing battle dress, which has better defense. I don't think there is a way to have greater defense against being judo'd by a robot hand.

[Brett E]

So I said D-Walker was slow... well turns out I should have looked at the controls because I pressed X and it went into driving mode. Now I feel like an idiot after walking across the whole map.

[Griddlelol]

Huh, the driving mode seemed slower than the running mode.

[Atlantic]

Hold Square or X or whatever is the quick dive button and you'll speed up.

[Griddlelol]

Oh, I know which one they mean, I just didn't think it was faster. It's more stable for shooting though.

[Brett E]

It definitely seemed a lot faster to me, possibly you have to hold as Atlantic says to get the full speed.

[Griddlelol]

Maybe. Even if it is fast, it's still my least favourite buddy! Dog > Quiet > Horse >>>> Roboman

[Harvest]

I've been listening to Idle Thumbs since around 2010, but I never came to the forums until I came to talk about this game.

 

Last night, I was running around Mother Base, and I grabbed one of my soldiers. As I began to interrogate her about the whereabouts of more of her oh-so-grapplable comrades so I could boost some morale, a box falls out of the sky and doinks Boss right on the head.

 

Boss releases the soldier falls to the ground. I left him there for a second and then stood up to a crouch. I was looking around, trying to figure out where the box came from, and just in front of me, on the wall, I happen to notice a "Danger: Construction Zone" poster on the wall, with a perfect safety sign stick figure getting plunked in the head with a falling box.

 

I give this game all of my GOTYs, honestly.

[Polish Hill]

There is also a wonderfully stupid conversation between Mother Base soldiers about wanting to feel D-Dogs "puppy pads" because of how soft they would be.  Just incredible.

[ratamero]

D-Dog is the best thing to happen in my life. 

 

Also, I just stumbled into the Medical Platform room. HOLY CRAP.

[Cbirdsong]

Is this the previously-mentioned-in-thread crazy secret room? Do I need to build the medical platform to find it?

 

I'm very early on and just unlocked some side ops that are target practice on various platforms, and wandering around samey Mother Base environments looking for targets to shoot is not a very fun kind of mission.

[Dewar]

Is this the previously-mentioned-in-thread crazy secret room? Do I need to build the medical platform to find it?

 

I'm very early on and just unlocked some side ops that are target practice on various platforms, and wandering around samey Mother Base environments looking for targets to shoot is not a very fun kind of mission.

 

The R&D platform is crazy hard. I ended up having to watch a Youtube video for that one. All the others are much easier and can either be completed from pretty much right where you're standing, or by walking a fairly simple and clear path.

 

Regarding the FOB defense, I realized that I was short some research on my battle dress, and I'd also missed a complete research chain on my bionic arm, so that might explain at least why I die so quickly. Other recommendations have been a tranq in the head, which apparently downs a player just as fast as a regular guard. I've also started carrying sleep grenades.

[Brett E]

I watched a video for the R&D Target Practice and still failed miserably after failing a number of times before that so haven't tried again since. I wish those missions were actually about target practice and not hide and seek.

One thing that can help is NVGs, they rather unrealistically highlight anything useful as well as thermals so show ladders, cracks, explosive barrels, blueprints, processed materials, etc plus targets in those missions.

[Dewar]

I literally had the video open on one screen and paused the game at each step to follow step by step.

 

The one thing I can say is that my R&D FOB attacks are top notch because I know every corner.

[Zeusthecat]

I imagine most of you have probably seen this but I just have to post it here. It is magnificent and really hilarious.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=82&v=2YyG5D68ags