


Instead, you have to mark enemies with your. Jack never had a magic radar to keep track of where enemies were looking, so it's only right Snake doesn't have one here. He can sprint, dive, shoot behind cover: he'd become a regular ol' Jack Bauer-type. While avoiding gunfights is still optimal, this Snake is better equipped for battle, so it's not the end of the world if things don't go according to plan. At the beginning of the mission you know what you have to do, and where you have to do it, but how you get in there and complete your task is up to you. Like a more po-faced Hitman, Ground Zeroes lets you figure out your approach, rather than directing you down a set path. Then I saw a load of side missions unlocked and I started over again. Where were my oddly-timed codec conversations about how Jack met Rose? Why didn't I have to climb a giant ladder while an acapella version of the theme faintly played in the background? Why didn't a man that was clearly in disguise reveal his true identity by taking off his sunglasses?

I'd heard it was short before I booted it up, but I don't think I knew how short. I was so disappointed the first time I saw the credits roll in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. One a day, every day, perhaps for all time.

Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives.
