'Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes' returns to the past as big boss "Naked Snake" infiltrates a Cuban camp.
Despite the "V" in the title, "Ground Zeroes" is not the next full iteration in the Metal Gear Solid franchise. Instead, it's a prequel to the upcoming "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain," which, by the way, also describes a condition that suddenly afflicts men when they have to meet the in-laws. "Oh, my aching MCL that I actually never really injured…"
In "Ground Zeroes," you play the role of the aforementioned Naked Snake, also known as Jack, as he infiltrates a prison camp in Cuba while fully clothed. It's a figure of speech people. Voiced by Kiefer Sutherland, Naked Snake is tasked with freeing high-value targets Chico and Paz from their captors.
"Where's the bomb, Paz! Tell me where the bomb is!"
Oh wait, wrong Jack
The first thing folks likely will notice upon playing this game is the graphics. While night scenes usually are visually problematic for many other games, "Ground Zeroes" makes it a strength. Not only do shadowy areas still contain good detail instead of looking muddy, its interaction between light and rain is quite impressive. So much so that it makes the daytime scenes in the game's side ops pale in comparison.
Gameplaywise, Snake is quite the flexible beast. Sneaking around remains his calling card, allowing him to move past foes or even get the jump on them. Once you have a hapless foe in your clutches you can either kill them or let them live, though note that targets eventually wake up again if you choose the latter. You also can extract valuable information by interrogating foes on the fly.
In terms of presentation, "Ground Zeroes" continues Metal Gear Solid's tradition oflong elaborate cut scenes. The scenes can range from melancholy and subtle to more jerky, guerilla style camera work that actually made me feel a bit dizzy. They're incorporated pretty well in the game, however, and transition naturally between the action.
As polished as the gameplay for "Ground Zeroes" is, however, the length of the game will be polarizing for a lot of folks. I thought people were joking when they said this game was short but it ended up being even shorter than I expected. I took nearly three hours on my first trip through the campaign because I decided to thoroughly explore the base but most players will be done in about an hour and a half. Folks who know where to go can finish the main story in less than an hour.
Several side ops that get unlocked after the campaign help extend play time but aren't as fleshed out as the campaign. Instead, most of your play time will come from replayability as you try to find stuff or beat your previous scores. Konami's decision to lower the price of the game to $30 across the board certainly helps but some will still feel it's a glorified demo.
Other minor issues include using the same button for picking up bodies and weapons, which can be a pain when you knock someone out and try to pick him up but end up swapping weapons instead. Seeing soldiers return to their posts like nothing happened after discovering a body because you hide long enough also break the immersion.
Overall, though, "Ground Zeroes" portends great things for "The Phantom Pain" should the later build on the excellent presentation and fun gameplay of its prequel. It's admittedly short for a game release so I mostly recommend it for loyal Metal Gear fans. Although length is pretty limited, though, it's certainly fun while it lasts.
Final rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Technobubble is a regular technology and gaming feature by RGJ reporter Jason Hidalgo.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario