“Kept you waiting, huh?” says Big Boss at the beginning of MGS V: Ground Zeroes, almost as if Hideo Kojima is talking through him. Yeah, you bloody did. But I forgive you, because what a comeback. Ground Zeroes might be the hors d'oeuvre to The Phantom Pain’s kingly feast, but it’s a brilliant taster of the series’ new open-world stealth.

Kojima is, often, in dire need of an editor, and someone to put their hand on his shoulder and go “Woah, there.” But, at the same time, it’s this ability to do whatever he wants that makes his games so great. What other developer would devote time and resources to putting real-time melting ice cubes in a game, as he did in Metal Gear Solid 2? I expect, and hope for, similar forays into the realm of the absurd in MGS V.

I was concerned that, after a spate of dodgy ports of Japanese games, that Ground Zeroes would run badly on PC. But the Fox engine, developed in-house at Kojima Productions, works perfectly. Running around a rain-soaked Camp Omega at 60fps was a real treat.

The Phantom Pain is sounding really promising, especially the Dark Souls-esque multiplayer mode that lets you create your own base (essentially a level), then challenge friends to infiltrate it—stepping in to help your army if necessary. I’m surprised more people aren’t talking about this, ‘cause it has the potential to be brilliant. Mostly, though, I’m just glad Kojima is making games for PC again, because—despite his many flaws—he’s still my favourite game dev. A genuine auteur who seems to second-guess you at every turn.