Hideo Kojima gave fans a tantalising glimpse at The Phantom Pain last year with the release of its prologue Ground Zeroes. Its open-world stealth gameplay was a far cry from the series' traditional linear approach, and although it may have been over a bit too soon, what was there was incredibly fun and addictive. Phantom Pain is certainly shaping up to be Kojima's most ambitious game to date (and that's not something to say lightly), featuring horseback-riding (complete with real-time horse-pooping), day and night cycles, AI companions (including the scantily clad sniper Quiet) and the base-management system from Peace Walker. And it's all wrapped up nicely in Kojima Productions' brand new Fox Engine that manages to retain the highly polished, cinematic visuals of the series while rendering a meticulously designed, sprawling open-world that's just waiting to be explored. The Phantom Pain is shaping up to be nothing short of revolutionary - Metal Gear Solid and an open-world go together like cheese and pickle. It may feel a bit different to past Metal Gear Solid games with features like regenerating health replacing the traditional rations, but it still has its trademark quirkiness. Case in point: If players are struggling with a certain section of the game, they can wear a chicken hat (yes, it's literally a chicken) that makes enemies a bit more oblivious to their stealthy shenanigans, whilst also humiliating Snake in the process. Please don't ever change, Hideo Kojima.
