Last week saw two open world outings worm their way onto our PCs: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Mad Max. Both might contain big open spaces to explore on foot or in vehicles, but the two could hardly be more different.
For our Topic of the Week, we want to know which, if any, captured your hearts. Did you dive in Mad Max’s post-apocalyptic playground or sneak your way into Metal Gear Solid’s arid Afghanistan. Or maybe you gave both a miss.
I’ll get the ball rolling.
I did port reviews for both games, but since I’m also in the middle of replaying the entirety of the Metal Gear Solid series, I lamentably had to put The Phantom Pain down after I’d tested it because I’d only reached Snake Eater. I’m now halfway through Metal Gear Solid IV, so I’m getting closer, but damn does The Phantom Pain seem like an eternity away. And that makes me terribly sad.
So I ended up playing a lot more of Mad Max, and with each hour I ended up enjoying myself less and less. You see, as wonderful as the vehicular combat is, and as compelling as the storm-battered (I really do need to write something about those storms, because, crikey, they are impressive) world is, it’s filled with rote busywork. Mad Max is as conservative as an open world game gets, seemingly content to tread in the footsteps of the multitude of open world games before it.
I find myself, then, longing for The Phantom Pain. After a few hours, I was hooked, and putting it down so I could continue my sequential journey through the series (for a second time) was bloody hard. But Big Boss and his menagerie are waiting for me, and it’s not like the earlier games don’t provide me with an immense amount of enjoyment.
Alright, enough from me. What have you lovely lot been playing, and why? Let us know in the comments.