You should definitely play Metal Gear Solid V. I can’t speak much to the story (although in the context of the plot, Sutherland’s casting actually makes sense), partly because I’ve always found the MGS continuity to be…convoluted, at best. :P

Regardless, it’s worth playing for the gameplay. There’s just so much that MGSV gets right, and the freedom to approach missions in all sorts of crazy ways is really remarkable. There are so many ways to approach challenges that it’s sort of mind-boggling.

As for Survive, I never ended up reviewing it…but I did play it. I felt like I need to give it some distance before I write about it. But, suffice it to say…I think it’s a project that was worth doing. I’m actually glad it exists; it’s worth playing.

On a related note, I have plenty of game shames. I just started playing EarthBound last night for the first time. I’m not sure that it was ever released in Australia, so I feel like I have an excuse. Needless to say, I’m only an hour in, and I can already see why it’s so universally beloved. From the opening moments I could tell I was playing something incredibly special.