Yo, that break was AWESOME. Not only did we play SO much Ground Zeroes, but we also got a ton of work done on Tissue Box, Rock Cocks and other stuff. It was a very productive, pornographic day-off, and I thank you guys for letting us have it.

So, I played a lot of Ground Zeroes. A LOT. About 25 hours at least, and I'm not even at 60% completion yet. Granted, this has just been me replaying missions for better times and trying new strategies, but I've been having a lot of fun with it. I enjoy it, and if you're a Metal Gear fan, you probably will, too. A lot of people are complaining about the length of the main mission. I knew entirely what to expect, so I wasn't bothered by it. Leslie was totally caught off-guard with the credit roll ("Fucking Kojima with his fake credit rolls, it's just like Peace Walker...wait, it's really over?" - Leslie) and was furious...until we started playing the side missions and found out how deep they go. 

A lot of fears were alleviated. The new grim tone carries itself quite well (especially with some amazing sound design in the Chico tapes), yet the trademark Kojima humor is still well and accounted for in a way that doesn't clash with the main narrative. Gameplay is very streamlined with a lot of carry-overs from Peace Walker, but you're very mobile and there's definitely some fun to be had fucking with guards. The stealth is great and makes good use of the new lighting system. Keifer Sutherland...well, he's no David Hayter, but it works, I guess. The change makes sense, at least. This is a time in Big Boss's life where he is CLEARLY not the Snake we all know and love. I just kinda wish he had stronger delivery sometimes. Does a good warcry, though, and fuck, his facial expressions are amazing.

I will say, it's amazing how much replay value this thing has. I went in expecting something akin to VR Missions, but I got something very different. Even story-wise, things evolve the more you play it. Playing the main Ground Zeroes story and seeing all those events is already pretty heart-wrenching, but finding and listening to Chico's tapes and replaying the mission casts everything in a VERY different light. There's a surprising amount of depth in every element of this game, and I continually discover new shit every time I play it.

I bought the PS4 version, which was $10 more expensive from the $20 7th gen version. The trade-off is that it looks nicer, runs at 1080p and 60fps (which unfortunately, doesn't apply to the Xbox One version at the same price). If you're not a huge Metal Gear fan, this game probably isn't for you. If you're ONLY into Metal Gear for the plot, you'll be disappointed. If you 100% completed VR Missions, replayed Metal Gear Solid 2 to collect every dog tag and unlock every wig, and spent forever just exploring the environments in MGS3, then this is the game for you. For its price point, it's got a great amount of content, just not really in the plot department.

ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH GROUND ZEROES. See you on Sunday!