Mark Buckingham: Admittedly, I haven't kept up with the Metal Gear releases lately, but the franchise has a tendency to push the envelope with visual luster, storytelling and other production values. Even the disappointing entries have been wacky, but still compelling and memorable. The big Metal Gear compilation that came out last year can get everyone up to speed pretty quickly and ready for the next iteration.

Redmond Carolipio: Doesn't it seem like ages ago when Kojima hinted at the end of the MGS lineage? Witnessing the Kiefer Sutherland-voice Snake engage in his brand of stealth-jitsu in an open-world setting is too tantalizing an idea to pass up. Throw in the Kojima signatures of thesis-level dialogue and the gang-of-freaks approach to antagonist characters (yes, like the half-naked sniper), and this is an easy sell.

Tony "OUberLord" Mitera: The legend of Snake is at its best when you put him back in the Cold War era, and doing so while having him fight in a war-torn Middle East while on horseback seems like a nice change of pace. Assuming that the stealth gameplay is as strong as it has been (and that half the game's length isn't spent watching cut scenes), the game looks to be a great return to form for Kojima and his crew.

Erik "NekoIncardine" Ottosen: The Phantom Pain is perhaps the most visually ambitious entry in a series that is noted for visual ambition. On top of this, the themes it explores continue to be in line with the classic norms and series' legendary writing. As the first entry to be written for multiple platforms right out the gate, it's going to be interesting to see how Phantom Pain turns out.