METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
We could have easily gone with basically any other Metal Gear game in this feature – and lord knows they’re all much better in so many aspects – but The Phantom Pain’s stealth mechanics are unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Putting intense gameplay in an open world may have seemed like a ridiculous thought not so long ago, but The Phantom Pain’s brand of emergent, interactive stealth mechanics put all those fears to rest when the game first launched. Yes, it has issues with its story and storytelling, but when you get down to the stealth itself, The Phantom Pain is the closest you can get to perfection. Smart A.I., solid level design, an impressive level of polish, and excellent emergent gameplay all make for what is without a doubt one of the greatest stealth games of all time.
