Metal Gear Survive: 10 Brutally Honest Early Impressions You Need To Know

3. It Feels More Like An Expansion Than A New Game

Metal Gear Survive always looked like more of a quick cash-in than an actual game, but the beta surprised players with just how much had changed between it and the fifth game. For a little while, there was a glimmer of hope that the spin-off might have actually attempted to create a fully new experience worth picking up.

That brief spark of optimism seems to have been utterly extinguished now that the game is actually out, though. The content available is said to be lacking, spread out across similar-looking maps that constantly reuse assets and mission objectives. While the core gameplay isn't terrible, everything supporting it is nowhere near as robust as it needs to be, lacking the scope and ambition you'd expect to see from even the worst MGS spin-offs.

Admittedly, Survive is a budget title, so it's not like it has any pretensions of being a full AAA title. Still though, the rumblings indicate that Survive feels more like a single, potentially-enjoyable side mode that's been fleshed out just enough to warrant its own release. It's more substantial than players thought it was going to be, but it's more an ill-conceived expansion than the next step in the Metal Gear franchise.