6. Fewer weapons
So many weapons, so little time
I never thought I’d hear myself complaining about this one. The Metal Gear series has always primarily focused on stealth, but it’s natural that later games in the series would attempt to keep increasing and diversifying the amount of usable weapons within the games. I felt with MGS4 however, that we were at the stage where there was just too much choice. I found myself thinking more and more about how to upgrade my weapons and less and less about sneaking, which is meant to be the focus of the MGS’ gameplay in the end. I’m not saying completely strip it down, but bringing the weapons back to basics may help the series’ classic espionage action shine through even more in MGS5.
5. Focus less on the stamina/psyche gauges
Another addition the the series that I’ve always had mixed feelings about. The stamina and psyche gauges from MGS3 and 4 respectively, despite their differences, serve a similar purpose of forcing the player to maintain the welfare of Snake in the field. I’m all for the sense of immersion this brings as you need to hunt for food and calm your nerves, all things that increase the game’s realism. The issue is once again one of pacing as, the more time you spend managing food in your inventory and decreasing your stress levels, the less time you spend sneaking around and enjoying the series’ trademark story and narrative. I’m not suggesting removing these concepts entirely, more adapting them to help keep the gameplay flowing.
4. More unique online multiplayer features
Metal Gear Online was a welcome addition to MGS4, but it offered a very standard online experience. It wasn’t bad by any means but, aside from the Sneaking Mission mode, it offered very little in the ways of Metal Gear uniqueness. If an online component is to feature at all in Metal Gear Solid 5, it would need to offer that special something to differentiate it from the wealth of online titles already available. That, and the login system needs to be sorted out. Seriously.
