3 Reasons to Skip Metal Gear: Survive

Released in February 2018, Metal Gear: Survive is a highly anticipated game. This is probably because of the fact that it bears the Metal Gear name, which is a highly respected brand in the gaming world, and has been across generations of consoles.

The game is set in an entirely different dimension that is infested with zombie-like creatures. Players must strategize and fight for survival across a single-player campaign and an online portion.

Some of the game’s most important villains are designed by the world famous Masahiro Ito. He is the creator of Silent Hill’s bobblehead nurses and the fearfully iconic Pyramid Head. Chloi Rad of IGN Southeast Asia says that the Metal Gear: Survive’s most interesting moments usually involve Ito’s creations.

However, the game still does not get the approval of a lot of gamers, and may not be a good use of your gaming budget, at least until it goes on sale. Here are some of the most common complaints reviewers have with the most recent Metal Gear.

It presents a narrative that’s practically useless to the series’s storyline.

For thirty years, Metal Gear has been Konami’s prized offering to the gaming world. The very first Metal Gear game came out in 1987. It was created by artist Hideo Kojima, who was later involved in the production of other Metal Gear installments. However, the illustrious connection between the company and the artist met its bitter end in late 2015.

The release of Metal Gear: Survive is Konami’s first attempt at creating a Metal gear installment without Kojima. To many gamers, the attempt is a resounding failure. For one, it has a storyline that’s quite divorced from the overall theme and storyline of the series. Does this plot departure signal a sharp shift to an entirely different Metal Gear ‘universe’? No one really knows. If it really does, the transition is done in so much haste that it sounds silly and looks a little messy.

There is too much repetitiveness.

Set in a mercilessly hostile city, players are tasked with looking for survivors, gathering supplies, and protecting their fortress from enemy invasions. It has two parts. The first one is a single-player campaign wherein the gamer must employ a great deal of strategy to succeed. Part twi is practically the same, save for the fact that (at most) three other players can join in the fun. In the end, the game feels like a never ending loop of defending bases from basically the same enemies.

Michael McWhertor of Polygon puts it quite bluntly, “Metal Gear: Survive’s greatest fault is its lack of variety. It’s built on the bones of The Phantom Pain’s broad and deep gameplay structure, but does little to improve or remix that formula in interesting ways.”

The game is basically recycled.

Long-time Metal Gear fans might be offended by the fact that Metal Gear Survive recycles the game mechanics, settings, and assets of the previous Metal Gear releases. This makes fans question Konami’s move to let go of Hideo Kojima. If his ideas are so enduring and useful to the game, then he should have been allowed to stay to work on the development and further improvement of the series. The storyline would have unfolded in a much more creative and sensical way.

The game, of course, has redeeming qualities. For one, it has nice graphics. The elaborate imagery makes it a worthy canvas for Masahiro Ito’s creations. Pair it with high-powered laptops or gaming PCs, and the game will truly be a visual treat for the gamer. However, excellent presentations can’t really save something that his issues down to its core.

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