So what is Ground Zeroes? A pro…
My review ends there. See? I’m just like Kojima Productions.
So what is Ground Zeroes? A prologue of sorts. Kind of in the same way Terminator 3 is a prologue to all the Terminator movies, you already know what happens, you already know everyone is screwed. You might find yourself questioning why you needed such a hope dashing and somewhat pointless prologue in the first place, but they went and made it so you experienced it.
More accurately this is meant to “set up” the events and gameplay functions of Metal Gear Solid V’s main course: The Phantom Pain. It feels more like a “Hey Whatever Happened to?” in order to give you the fates of every character you didn’t see in Guns of the Patriots. If you were hoping to get any exciting insights into Metal Gear’s most important and beloved characters, Chico and Paz, well you’re not really going to find it here. The game’s hollow story tells you literally nothing you can’t figure out from the trailer, which I’ve linked for you below. There’s nothing particularly interesting or cool to see aside from the game flexing its “mature themes” muscle for the hell of it, with an abrupt ending that confuses piquing curiosity with simply turning the channel off.
I should also mention if you’re not a long time Metal Gear fan, there’s even less here for you, because while the Metal Gear franchise does typically build on its lore and expects you to have played the other games (save maybe Portable Ops, Ghost Babel and Revengeance) Ground Zeroes absolutely requires you to have played Snake Eater and Peace Walker to have one iota of insight into what’s going on, lest you feel like sitting through a slog of a text prologue.
Ground Zeroes’ most bizarre aspect, and probably its greatest downfall, is the fact you have to play the major story mission before you’re allowed to do anything else. The core mission took me less than an hour to beat, and this is including my constant screw ups, getting used to the control scheme and taking a stealthy approach. There’s really no pay off to be had, and even talking about the extremely simple nature of the mission will probably spoil everything the game has to offer.
Beating the main campaign grants access to other side missions in the Guantanamo Bay inspired Camp Omega sandbox. The missions serve two purposes, showing off Camp Omega at different times of day and thus different lighting schemes, and attempting to extend game time and add replayability. However these missions don’t provide anything you haven’t already seen in previous Metal Gear games, Call of Duty and similar FPS titles or open worlds like Saints Row and Grand Theft Auto, which have all done it first and likely much better. For example, how many times have you now escorted a car while firing a gun from a helicopter? Probably a lot.
The voice acting really doesn’t help either. It sounds like each of the actors slept through the recording, and Kiefer Sutherland, great as he is as everyone’s favorite counter-terrorism agent on television fails to deliver any kind of depth to Big Boss. It’s dry as cardboard in the sun and drags an otherwise iconic figure such as Big Boss down, squandering both character and actor. The missions, story and acting all add up to what feels like a greatly uninspired package in spite of its great graphics and gameplay.
Metal Gear Solid at the very least has a great reputation for being one of the best looking game franchises out there, with each title pushing the current console’s capabilities to stunning levels. Ground Zeroes continues the legacy looking great on my Playstation 3 and running smooth. From the rain slicked cliffs to watching flags and canvas flutter in the wind it’s definitely a visual treat. You just kind of wish there were more to take in as cutscenes mostly amount to ‘big explosions’ and Camp Omega is a pretty small, mundane place with little to explore.
The game is far more action oriented than any of its predecessors. Big Boss’ movements now feel much more fluid, and he’ll automatically adapt to cover at the tilt of a control stick. Gun play has taken a few cues from first person shooters, how much? You’re awarded for headshots and Big Boss’ health automatically regenerates. While this can sometimes be a recipe for disaster it plays out well in Ground Zeroes. It adds to the overall “action movie” feel of the title, since at the very least Zeroes seems to take its direct cues from 80s blockbusters.
Stealth, naturally, is still a major component. You’ll be relying on a pair of binoculars to identify and “tag” enemies so you can keep track of them. Crawling and using cover is vital, weather effects such as rain will hide your presence while daylight makes you more visible, and being acutely aware of where foes, vehicles and cameras lay will overall make your life easier. Like combat and movement, stealth has been streamlined, complete with the HUD giving a reticule showing roughly where an enemy who may have spotted you is coming from, as well as an “Oh Shit!” button when spotted to quickly gun down, tranquilize or CQC an enemy.
The AI on the other hand isn’t exactly brilliant. A guard may look at you and not react, and they seemed pretty selective as to when they would detect my trudging footsteps. In combat their behavior is actually worse, amounting to “stand there and be shot by Big Boss.” With an AI that wasn’t particularly picky about stealth or combat, I found myself adhering to the rules of the game being a “sneaking mission” less than usual.
While it shows overall impressive promise for Phantom Pain, Ground Zeroes offers nothing you absolutely must see, especially since Phantom Pain is meant to return to the graphics and mechanics of this title. While it’s mostly technically sound there’s no depth, this isn’t just considering length but also taking into account the stale “been there, done that” missions and nonexistent story. Ground Zeroes is no more than a glorified demo or a stripped down DLC, it’s for these reasons and the very high price point that I don’t recommend you buy this game and treat yourself to something more substantial instead.
