Idon’t think I’ve ever been more excited for a videogame than the years I spent waiting for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Once it was finally out in 2015, the game shattered my expectations with its sandboxy stealth, rich toolset, wacky cast of characters, and reactive AI. It’s easily my favorite game in years, but after I’d sapped nearly 100 hours out of it, I never went back.
Seven years is a scary amount of time to be away from what I’ve considered the greatest stealth game of all time. I almost didn’t want to find out if I’ve been blowing smoke all this time. It’s time to face the 2022 truth: It isn’t quite the masterpiece I remember anymore, but it is still the gold standard for stealth game hijinks.
I hoped I’d fall right takes to get to the fun part.
