A triumphant send-off for the series

Platforms: PC, PS4, XB1, PS3, XB360
Can you recall a time when a game has truly let you go and carve your own legend? Literally, spoil you for choices as to how you would approach every situation? Most games offer the illusion of freedom of choice but none do it as efficaciously as MGS V: The Phantom Pain.

My mission was to rescue a prisoner from the clutches of an enemy. I climbed the mountain ridge and as I reached the summit, my eyes fell upon a small village. Upon extensive surveillance of the area, I had decided that going in at daytime would be too risky as there were too many hostiles. So I used the phantom cigar to pass the time and fast-forward to night-time as guard duty would be light owing to the fact that most of the soldiers would go to sleep. As the clock slowed down to 8:36 PM, I was ready to continue with the mission.

I continued my surveillance and found security to be much lighter but the base was made nigh unapproachable by the searchlights which covered the frontal area. Upon assessment of my options I was at an impasse. Do I take the rocky side path and flank the enemy? Should I search for a power generator which I could use to disable the lights? Is it a better option to wait for a sandstorm to pass through so I can render the searchlights moot? Or should I take a huge risk and make a run for it from cover to cover? I considered using my sniper rifle but I forgot that I did not have a silencer attachment on it, thus I would be playing with the risk of waking up every single soldier in the vicinity if I started shooting away.

All these options and yet they are not the only ones. 

Big Boss' last foray into the world of Metal Gear Solid picks up after the events of Ground Zeroes with him waking up from a coma 9 years later after an attack on his main base of operations left him critically injured. The story is a fitting revenge fantasy and extremely well told through the usage of greatly fleshed-out characters. Although the MGS series is notorious for its use of overly long cutscenes, The Phantom Pain does not follow the traditional archetype. 

Big Boss starts rebuilding his main forces, the Diamond Dogs, on a new motherbase. This base can be customized and developed in the way you want. Suppose, for example, you may develop and upgrade an R&D platform so you can gain access to cutting-edge technology like sonar enemy detection and invisibility suits. Or you may invest in the support platform which will allow you to literally change the weather. All these decisions are for you to make to develop and build on your playstyle. 

Before you jump into a mission you will be greeted by a screen which allows you to select your loadout for that particular deployment. Thinking of going guns blazing? Equip the battle armor, a heavy machine gun and a rocket launcher. Or do you want to go the traditional route and use stealth? The sneak suit, silenced pistol and decoys will be a good fit. Other than this there are a multitude of various classes of weapons and equipment to choose from. You may also choose to have a vehicle or a companion via the buddy system.

The buddy system allows you to have an NPC accompany you during missions. These buddies can be a horse which will allow you to traverse large swaths of land quickly, or a dog which can mark enemies, prisoners and valuable resources for you or a deployable mech which will assist you in wreaking havoc upon the enemy. 

Hideo Kojima has always been a prodigy when it comes to making video games. In his last game for Konami, he demonstrates his genius and takes the series to new heights. Rarely have I been so engrossed in a game simply because of how less time it spends holding your hands through the journey. Most games nowadays have little notion that a player might be all too familiar with several gameplay mechanics. MGS V: The Phantom Pain demands of the player to make smart decisions and figure out which situation can be tackled most effectively according to the player's preference. It truly lives up to its moniker "Tactical Espionage Operations".

Shahrukh Ikhtear is a gamer who doesn't rage. A writer who doesn't read. A musician without a teacher. Full time procrastinator. You can reach him on twitter @sr_ikhtear and email: shahrukh.ikhtear@yahoo.com