Here's the thing; I love Metal Gear. It's the franchise that helped bring about the most direct silver screen comparisons for gaming as a medium, and not only did it offer a story with more twists and turns than Doc Ock falling down the stairs, but it exceeded all expectations regardless of how hyped you were before release. Come MGS 2 and Hideo Kojima was given even more creative control, polarising fans with 'the Raiden twist' that's now gone down in infamy, alongside developing one of the most over-the-top and ridiculous storylines in the history of gaming. Honestly though? I loved that. You need guys like Kojima to put out games that purposefully go against the grain, making a point to be as ridiculous and asinine as possible in the name of entertainment. Above all, gaming desperately needs more auteurs like Kojima, Ken Levine, Tim Schafer etc., and it's a notion that, when you look to The Phantom Pain, makes you realise how a clash of ideals almost brought everything down around them. For the most part this is 100% 'a Metal Gear game', but all the ructions between Kojima and Konami's top brass have resulted in a number of substantial cuts - some more integral to the story than others - all illustrating how Kojima Studios' pressurised working environment has effected the final product. Metal Gear Solid should always stand the test of time as a bastion for free-wheeling artistic experimentation in everything from gameplay to story, and whilst I must stress MGS V is still a phenomenal game, such a coat of polish makes all the blemishes way more noticeable. Note: Spoilers will be flagged appropriately.
