Ground Zeroes was powerful enough in its concept and setting that The Guardian gave it 5 stars out of a possible 5. It was seen as multifaceted: a chance for Snake to reinvent himself by way of Kiefer Sutherland's voice, and for Kojima to take aim at the contemporary military-industrial complex as he had done so masterfully against nuclear arms in 1998's breakthrough original. It also allowed players to see an icon of gaming, Snake, enter the next generation of consoles. But with The Phantom Pain, all of this was thrown aside. You were duped into assuming you were playing as Snake A.K.A. Big Boss, only for the opposite to be true. It turned out you played more than 90% of the missions as a doppelganger who had been brainwashed ever since the ending of Ground Zeroes, and there were almost no clues regarding precisely who you were or why you were motivated to do what you were doing. The ending and twist revelations led to a variety of reactions from critics and fans, including those who felt disappointed to those who argued that it being unfinished was the very point of it. However you see it, it was unexpected and certainly didn't tie Ground Zeroes to The Phantom Pain in any meaningful way. So, what was your reaction to The Phantom Pain? Did you find it less enjoyable than Ground Zeroes? Let us know in the comments below!
Bryan Langley’s first console was the Super Nintendo and he hasn’t stopped using his opposable thumbs since. He is based in Bristol, UK and is still searchin' for them glory days he never had.
