As
Metal Gear games go, “Ground Zeroes” is a stripped down feature that avoids the
typical norm by dropping lengthy cutscenes, climactic boss fights, and the
usual frayed and tangled plot strands. Instead Hideo Kojima has played for a
more action orientated title with smart, tactical gameplay and a central
campaign that shows of the superb, effortlessly crafted sandbox style due to
come with Phantom Pain.
While
the central campaign is very short – hitting the steady heights of two hours –
it does have a multitude of additional campaign missions to encourage
replayability. Again these are set in the same locales but have different
daytime cycles (some taking place during the day – while the main campaign is
set during a rainy night) and weather condition (one particularly fun side
mission sees you take to the camp during the height of summer). It’s an
interesting dynamic that effectively changes the mechanics of each mission –
enemies see clearly during the daytime, while rain muffles the sounds of Snakes
movement. The weather genuinely changes the feeling of Omega Base too and it’s
in these details that Ground Zeroes is most impressive. The world is
wonderfully realised and presented sharply both indoors and outdoors.
For
the first time in a Metal Gear game, Boss’ adventure is a non-linear one, played
out in the US Naval Prison Facility known as Omega Base. It’s a small sandbox,
where the corridors and rooms littered with conveniently placed containers
we’ve grown so familiar with have been replaced with a sprawling, functional
ecosystem, full of open industrial areas and heavily populated camps surrounded
by a raging sea.
As
this is the prologue for the upcoming, and full access title, Metal Gear Solid
5: The Phantom Pain (due 2015), you can see glimmers of previous demo titles in
its structure. The tanker section from Sons of Liberty jumps straight to mind
although with a much more expansive setting.
The
plot here is a lot darker in tone than what we’ve come to expect from Hideo
Kojima and that desire to make Metal Gear into a grittier, more provocative,
series can be seen from the outset. While I do appreciate these ambitions – and
the series had been a little cartoonish before – I found the ending, which
features some horrendously graphic cruelty, quite uncomfortable (although I’m
sure that is exactly what they wanted). In fact it’s in these cinematic moments
that the Fox Engine doesn’t hold up so well. I agree with most fanboys (and
girls) arguments that this is when the Engine is most stretched but the main
gameplay looks far more interesting; with long draw distances, clear textures
and individual personalities for each area.
But
the problem here, and for a full retail priced title (as in the same as Rayman
Origins that has 50+ hours of gameplay), it is over far too quickly. When I
rushed through it, I was finished in less than an hour, but taking my time
still only took my just under 3. The length might not bother those coming into
the title knowing what it’s like but the casual gamer may not be so happy.
Ground
Zeroes is so adept at generating tension that at times it felt like I was
playing a survival horror game. While Boss has never been more flexible; able
to roll and jump and shoot in line with today’s top third-person
action-adventure games, enemies are smart and plentiful too. In the harsh light
of day - and played on Hard mode - they possess cruel 20/20 vision, and react
to every little movement or shifting shadow by becoming more efficacious in
their patrolling.
However,
you’re given a couple of helpful gameplay mechanics to counter this high
pressure stealth system – on Hard mode these are essential. Firstly you get a
pair of binoculars that allow you to ‘tag’ enemies to track their movements and
also the Boss’ iDroid which provides map and mission information.
Obviously,
with Ground Zeroes being an open world game, you can skip the sneaking
completely and go in all guns blazing. It’s chaotic but immensely pleasurable
at the same time; especially when you blow everything to hell in a tank.
A
few of the ‘side missions’ drop the action gameplay a little too hard – with one
seeing you mow down enemies off the side of a helicopter – but they also give
us a sense of the diversity being offered in the Phantom Pain title.
Otherwise,
and it pains be slightly to say it, this is a fairly rounded but short
offering. Yes, the title holds up well and looks lovely to boot but, I couldn’t
shake the feeling of being short-changed. If I had to sum up Ground Zeroes in
one attempt it’s like waiting for a train and then not being able to sit down
when it arrives. You know the title has the gameplay you expect but by the end
of it you feel like you’ve paid for more than you, as a minimum, deserve.
[I
can’t quite believe I compared Ground Zeroes to Southern Rail]
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