The hunt for closure in Metal Gear Solid 5 is its biggest fans' white whale

David Roberts:

"To say that Metal Gear Solid 5 feels unfinished - whether that feeling is intentionally designed or not - is an understatement. Broken into two chapters and a prologue, MGS5: The Phantom Pain tells the story of Big Boss, the creation of his private military organization, Diamond Dogs, and their quest for revenge after the events of Ground Zeroes. It's a fine story, if perhaps a bit one-dimensional, but it ends abruptly. Something definitely feels like it's missing, and there's a group out of hardcore fans that are scouring the game for the smallest hint of closure."

[cemelc]

What do you mean of closure?

I got my closure on 4... this is an incredible game, but metal gear is over... at least for me.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Agreed. In my mind , the MGS4 directors cut is Snake killing himself in the end lol.

We know Big Boss is a bad guy....we know Snake KILLS Big Boss in MG2, we know Zero wants his mind and wants him to suffer....we know Zero dies by Big Boss in Solidus's body....theses things happened folks lol

I love what MGSV is as you don't really need to have them tell you ALL that happens next.

Look at who Foxhound is, look at how Big Boss created Outerheaven, know why Miller HELPS SNAKE! Hal reveals his father created the first Metal Gear...I mean if you know this much, then you kinda know why the events happening in MGSV are actually happening.

The ending of Peace Walker very much shows Snake excepting the name Big Boss and even stating he won't go out for America like The Joy did ie he is now against them. As Miller states "no more JUST CAUSES" they are NOT GOOD DUDES LOL, I mean even hearing them in Ground Zeros goes to show you who they are, Miller and Huey making sure the nukes are hidden and Metal Gear Zeke is hidden under water so the UN wouldn't think they were terrorist.

As...if you play MG1, MG2...they sorta are LOL! I only wish they showed Big Boss in a more EVIL light, you sort get moments where he talks about Child Soldiers and his beliefs which I like.

https://i.redditmedia.com/h...

lolz..I mean..this is who Big Boss is, MGSV merely shows him building that sick army and WORLD POWER!!!

[Gran Touring]

...Except (SPOILERS COMING)

It's not Big Boss building that army, and neither Big Boss nor "Big Medic" undergoes any transformation. Did you not see that in the ending?

It doesn't even matter; the saga has been retconned to death at this point anyway (N313, completely ignoring Gray Fox in V, Mantis 3rd child seriously?!)

[morganfell]

@cemelc,

Agreed. MGS4 was the perfect closure with the one main character who was never meant for war, never designed for war being the one who walked away. A very very fitting closure indeed for all those memories. Playing MGSV, I wasn't looking for something Kojima provided years ago.

[MysticStrummer]

Yup. Long time fan here, and "closure" isn't something I was looking for in a game that takes place in the middle of the overall timeline. I finished the MGS5 story and honestly have no huge problem with it, though I would have done it a bit differently myself and it's obvious some things were cut out.

[solidboss07]

I disagree with you. The MGS games with Solid were good. But the games with Big Boss as the lead are the superior games of the series. 4 was the weakest. 3 and 5 are the strongest.
It ends when Big Boss says so.

[PR_FROM_OHIO]

I have a question I finished all 50 main single player missions but the ending was pretty much nothing am I missing something?? Bc I know that can't be the ending please help lol

[JackVagina]

You get mission 46? cause thats the "true" ending

[PR_FROM_OHIO]

Was that the 1 with Quiet??

[lashes2ashes]

46 is the ending, every other plot thread like Eli and the kids is never resolved. There seems to be a whole chapter 3 that was either cut from the game or never finished.

[PR_FROM_OHIO]

Ok thanks

[Vlasay]

It is at partially resolved. Try sesrching for it on YouTube. It was a part of the collectors edition and is quite interesting to watch - combination of artworks and some "rendered gameplay". I believe it's called the Phanom Episode. It is about Eli and is set on a new location.

[ThatEnglishDude]

The controversy surrounding the missing content post-release is the true phantom pain in all this. It's incredibly meta in a way Kojima never likely intended.

[_-EDMIX-_]

True, but I'm sure he is still happy at what we created. We know what happens after MGSV's events.

ie MG1-MG2 etc.

[goldwyncq]

Such a lust for a proper ending...

[DEEBO]

I'm ok with it because mgs4 is the end.

Now I'm demon blood snake building and stealing nukes

[TRASHBOAT___]

it's all about medicine

[refocusedman]

Im not big on remasters but i would love a mgs4 remastered edition.

[crazysammy]

My biggest complaint about the game is why is there no mention of Grey Fox? Seriously he was in Africa in the 80s when he kills Naomis parents and "adopts" her. Big Boss helps him escape to America. How is this not represented in AT LEAST a side op in the game?

[twiggytree12]

No.. that didn't happen happen in the 80's, all that happened in 1979 while big boss was in a coma

http://metalgear.wikia.com/...
"In 1979, during the Rhodesian Civil War,[9] Jaeger was responsible for killing the parents of a young girl, who would later take the name Naomi Hunter.[10] Feeling immense guilt upon discovering the near-starved child by the Zambezi River, he gave Naomi his rations and chose to adopt her, caring for her as a younger sister.[11] Military analyst Nastasha Romanenko would later speculate that these actions were the result of post-traumatic stress resulting from Fox's childhood experiences in war.[12] His killing of her parents, and his guilt for the action, would continue to haunt Jaeger for the rest of his life, although he kept the true reason for the loss of her parents a secret from Naomi.[10]"

But the part about Naomi meeting up with big boss in the 80's; resulting in him and gray fox taking naomi back to the states and them both returning to Africa rings true.

Though it doesn't specify which year in the 80's that took place, nor which big boss they interacted with.

[crazysammy]

Thank you for the clarification on that. I had read that specific wiki but must have glossed over the 1979 part. However he was still there in the 80s so it still bums me out that there isn't even a mention of it.

Anyway the game is still great but like a lot of people feel I just think its unfinished. I think he wanted to add a lot more and budget and time restrictions didn't allow it.

[Keregan]

I personnaly call it unfinished not because of the story, but more because of chapter 2 which is 75% made of the same stuff than chap. 1 (except harder). It's obvious that this was around the time where the shit hit the fan between Konami and Kojima which leads to rushed content. Still a very good game thanks to its gameplay, but nowhere near all the 10/10 it gets in many reviews.