The Phantom Pain’s Brand New E3 Trailer!
The latest footage from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain looks like it’ll be exactly what it says on the tin. With obvious emphasis on the ‘pain’ part.
The first trailer for the up and coming addition to the beloved tactical espionage franchise premiered at last year’s E3, more or less causing a mass awakening of the fandom akin to a kraken ascending from the darkest depths of the oceans and roaring in hunger. To tide us over until the majority of the game was actually finished and ready for retail sales, we got the opening chapter of the story, Ground Zeroes, earlier this year. It helped ease players into the new elements that were being implemented, such as open world level design and a more fluid control system. Ground Zeroes was also an introduction to the darker, more taboo places that Big Boss’ story would go compared to older games in the series.
This year’s E3 has a whole new trailer for The Phantom Pain, packed full of cinematics that promise lots of brutal asskicking and masochistic entertainment. The overall story of Metal Gear Solid V fits into the canon the timeline between Peace Walker, which follows the exploits of Big Boss and his private army during the mid-1970’s; and the original Metal Gear games for the MSX2 console, in which Big Boss was first introduced as an old man and unstable war-monger antagonizing the rookie Solid Snake, to whom he would eventually meet his downfall. The narrative of The Phantom Pain is intended to show us the suffering that Big Boss endured as a soldier and war hero, finally harnessing the pain of betrayal by his country and loved ones into a righteous path of revenge and bloodshed, and ultimately coming into his destiny as the madman he was originally conceived as.
Noteworthy moments from this new trailer include more screen-time for the youth Eli, who many theorize to be Liquid Snake during his childhood: his terrifying combat prowess as he faces off against Big Boss himself seems like good supporting evidence that the kid may well be who the fans think he is. The extent of Boss’ decreasing stability shine through, with more emphasis on torture and the sheer bloodthirsty brutality of his men. We also see more of the controversial bikini-clad sniper Quiet on her own murder spree – it’s a relief to know that she will be more than arbitrary cheesecake as fans feared. More shocking than near-nudity, however, is the fact that this game will depict child soldiers. While a number of characters in the series have pasts as children of war, the information has been mentioned, never before has the series actually shown it happening on-screen. However, it does fit into the overall subject matter of this new game to show more explicit examples of the oppression and cruelty that happen in war. The trailer only shows the children for a split second, likely to avoid backlash and also to save the suspense for when the game comes out. We also get to see the logo for Outer Heaven, the nation of soldiers that Big Boss founds later in his life as his ultimate paradise. Kiefer Sutherland also earns another mention – the dialogue he has in this trailer is minimal, but he makes it count with subtlety and the sheer weight of his personality – he truly does not deserve the hate he receives from the fanbase, as he was put on trial simply for not being David Hayter. Kiefer is bringing his best to the role and the change in voice actors makes perfect sense, considering the idea of Boss’ character development is that he is no longer going to be the war hero we know and love. It is heartbreaking that David Hayter lost his job, but this new game is also clearly intended to carve out your heart and feast on it right in front of you.
For what it’s worth, Misters Kojima and Sutherland, I’m pretty sure my heart would taste great garnished with some ramen noodles.
