What?
For starters, The Phantom Pain is indeed one of the most refined stealth games ever made. However, I have a bone to pick with a few of the statements made in the article.
"Whether fearing negative reviews, spoilers, or to wrestle back some control on reports of how much Hideo Kojima's name appears in the game, getting a copy of The Phantom Pain to review before it shipped was akin to striking black gold in the American West."
With regards to reviews, most major publications were allowed to release reviews more than a week before the game was released. This is extremely uncommon for AAA titles and shows a great deal of confidence in the product itself. If you had a hard time getting a copy to review, then I suppose a certain degree of trust in the gaming industry has not been attained.
Neither his name nor his production company (which developed the title) is anywhere listed on the box art of the game. Yes, Kojima-san is plastered all over the in-game credits, but this has always been the case for every title since 1998. Not worth reporting.
"Director Hideo Kojima toys with the player initially, offering up a heavily narrative-based, claustrophobic intro that sets certain plot lines into motion. However, this almost on-rails section has little in common with what you'll spend the majority of your time doing in The Phantom Pain."
Again, heavy narrative has been a staple of the series since 1998. This section of the game was previewed in 2012 at the Spike TV Awards. 9 years had gone by since Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain. I'd say taking the time to explain the story a little is not just appropriate, but necessary.
I didn't want to be all melodramatic, but this series has that affect on people. This isn't Call of Duty. If heavy narrative and avant-garde directing aren't your thing, then Metal Gear simply isn't your cup of tea. The fact you enjoyed it is a testament to how playable the new mechanics are.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
