For example, you will have just played through four missions, which would equate to a little more than a few hours, with no cinematics and then all of a sudden the game will toss 10 or 15 minutes of cutscenes at you with little gameplay mixed in. "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain keeps you on your toes, guessing and wondering what will happen next, however, if I have one gripe with the game’s story it’s that the cutscenes are thrown at the player in massive helpings. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain doesn’t just respect my intelligence as a player, it expects it of me, putting it in league that few others occupy." Examiner - 5/5 There have certainly been sandbox action games that have given me a bigger world to roam, or more little icons to chase on my minimap, but none have pushed me to plan, adapt, and improvise the way this one does. Its lack of story focus is sure to be divisive for the Metal Gear faithful, but the resulting emphasis on my story, my tales of Espionage Action, easily make it my favorite in the series. "The Phantom Pain is the kind of game I thought would never exist - one where every minute gameplay detail has true purpose. The Phantom Pain may be a contender for one of the best action games ever made, but is undoubtedly the best Metal Gear game there is." IGN - 10/10 "When it comes to storytelling, there has never been a Metal Gear game that's so consistent in tone, daring in subject matter, and so captivating in presentation.