7 Ways Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes Is Better Than Phantom Pain

2. Less Is More

There are many, many, many criticisms that can be fairly levelled at Ground Zeroes; it certainly wasn't long enough, it was definitely overpriced, it was a snatched moment of a gameplay from a fuller, more epic finale fans had been waiting some two years for. The content was repetitive and the main base wasn't big enough, ending in a yard, a storage unit and a basement full of plumbing. Yet, the most effective way to describe the difference between both games that make up MGS V is with the famous showbiz catchphrase, "Always leave 'em wanting more!" Ground Zeroes whetted appetites, but when Phantom Pain was served, some found they hadn't the stomach for its quantity, preferring quality that seemed assured with Ground Zeroes. Phantom Pain should have had a story that wrapped itself up, a mission structure unspoiled by menus and repetition, and should have had genuinely open-world gameplay. It shouldn't have been riddled with online issues (including Mother Base insurance), list-based mission selections and countless credit sequences. The Phantom Pain just didn't sit well within the legacy it had given itself. It could have used another year of adding genuine endgame content, a more connected open-world and the chance for Kojima to be celebrated by not just fans, journalists and peers, but by his employer, too.