KGB, CIA, Sandinistas, communism in Latin America, nuclear deterrence. Oh wait, I forgot this game isn't political because there's no black people or women with purple hair.
KGB, CIA, Sandinistas, communism in Latin America, nuclear deterrence. Oh wait, I forgot this game isn't political because there's no black people or women with purple hair.
Considering how bleak Ground Zeroes was I was expecting some stomach-churning shit out of Phantom Pain, but nope, that didn't happen. I was really looking forward to seeing Big Boss getting tangled in some actual 80s conflicts in a fun and interesting way after how 3 and especially PW weaved in real history but nope, the entire game is about tracking down Cypher who are a completely boring and generic all-powerful organisation in the Hydra mould. I mean yes, there is the Soviet invasion of Afganistan going on but it feels like a complete background event. There are no Soviet characters and no Afghan characters and neither faction factors into the plot at all. After characters like Amanda and Chico in PW I was expecting some interesting side characters but no, all you get is fucking Code Talker. Whatever's going on in the Africa portions and the generic mercs that patrol the map like giant spiders in an MMORPG is even less well defined
Also, I was fuming when I realised Kojima had brought back all the infuriatingly stupid nanomachine handweave magic bullshit from 4 and just find-replaced "nanomachine" with "parasite" while also somehow making it even dumber. My pet theory is that PW wasn't even actually written by Kojima or he delegated most of it to an intern while he was busy dreamily staring at pictures of Kiefer Sutherland and Norman Reedus
The Cipher thing is weird too cause they're acrually going after XOF who is also opposed to Cipher and they become aware of this pretty early on and still keep calling them Cipher. It could have been done better sooooo much easier too, cause now it also leaves questions in the backstory of other characters. Cause apparently Vulcan Raven was at Outer Heaven during the first game and Snake just didn't run into them according to Mgs1, same with Ocelot having been in Zanzibar land during Mg2. Ocelot's nickname Shalashaska was given to him when he was eith the soviets in Afghanistan, he says so when you get tortured. Sniper Wolf being an orphaned Kurd who Big Boss finds. Grey FUCKING FOX'S entire backstory now makes no sense and he used to be a really major character. Big Boss was a sympathetic villain but by the end of his day an absolutely unforgivable piece of shit and Solid Snake is the hero of the story. I resent the Big Boss mythologizing thst was done within canon and by fans he became what the stsr wars prequels made Darth Vader.