#25. METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
The rabid Metal Gear fanbase has a complicated relationship with Hideo Kojima’s last contribution to the series. Veteran series fans have always been unable to deny the core mechanical strengths of The Phantom Pain, but still can’t help but be discontented with how different it was from its predecessors. But though the game’s unfinished state and its lack of a focus on storytelling are definitely things that bring down the quality of its overall experience, the sheer genius of its emergent, systems-driven open world gameplay and its incredible stealth mechanics make sure that it’s still – at the very least – a masterpiece of game design. That The Phantom Pain is still one of the best games of this generation in spite of its numerous and very obvious flaws should tell you something about how good its positive aspects are.
