5 Reasons We’re Loving Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

With the release of the latest grand operatic entry into the Metal Gear series, gaming fans everywhere are rejoicing. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is an enormous, action-packed, crazy ride of a game. If you’re still pondering whether you’re interested, check out some of the reasons we’re loving every moment of Metal Gear Solid V.

Play (Mostly) How You Want…
Make no mistake: Metal Gear Solid V values stealth and rewards players who can be ghosts on the battlefield. But it also gives you an unprecedented amount of freedom and flexibility, allowing you to choose how – and if – you want to engage with enemies. Feel like dropping a bomb strike before you go in guns-blazing? This is a Metal Gear game that lets you do exactly that.

The Soundtrack Is Incredible
One of the hidden collectibles in The Phantom Pain takes the form of cassette tapes featuring some of the best music the 1980s had to offer. A-Ha, The Cure, and Billy Idol are just some of the ‘80s legends you can rock out to while you take out a dozen guards with tranq darts.

The Boss Fights Test Your Skills – and Smarts
While the boss fights in Metal Gear Solid V don’t feature as eclectic a cast of characters as previous games in the saga, they do feature that trademark Metal Gear challenge and puzzle-solving. Each boss is unique, and has that trademark element of pressure that makes the series so nail-biting and satisfying.

Not One, But Two Open Worlds
The environments in The Phantom Pain are massive. Both Afghanistan and Africa are showcased with desert canyons, huge open savannas, jungles, and (of course) enemy bases. The environments are living, breathing worlds – featuring huge, open stretches of land without a person in sight, which drives in just how large the world of Metal Gear Solid V is.

Massive Amounts of Side Content
It takes a huge amount of time to beat The Phantom Pain’s story, but it will take you well over 100 hours to complete all the side missions on top of that. There’s more additional content than in any previous Metal Gear game, and some of it involves strapping bears to balloons and watching them float away… so it’s also some of the weirdest.

If you haven’t checked out last year’s Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, consider playing it first. It not only expands the story, it also works as an excellent extended tutorial to prepare you for the tough missions ahead. Both chapters of Metal Gear Solid V are available now on Xbox One and Xbox 360.