(editor's note: This is a review I wrote June 28, 2008, shortly after the retail release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. The rating system I used doesn't match the PRoB system.)
The octopus' fleeting dream
in the trap
the summer moon
-Matsuo Bashō
It is said the warrior's is the twofold Way of pen and sword, and he should have a taste for both Ways. Even if a man has no natural ability he can be a warrior by sticking assiduously to both divisions of the Way. Generally speaking, the Way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death.
-Miyamoto Musashi
Act One
It seems that in our fast paced, modern society, there has been a shift away from an appreciation of craft in favor of quick thrills. As such, finely crafted things, whether it be art, cinema, television, prose, poetry, or music, appear to be few and far between. It is unfortunately rare these days to see something that was allowed the time, resources, and energy to properly come to fruition. This is particularly true of video games. While there is certainly room (as well there should be) for twitchy, shallow games that offer the player nothing more than a quick escape from reality and a rush of adrenaline, an overabundance of any one type of game is bad for all gamers. Variety is, as they say, the spice of life. And it's nice to occasionally slow things down and invest in a game as more than simple mindless killing and a way to rack up a body count.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is just such an opportunity. I chose my examples of finely crafted things above carefully. MGS4 is all of those things and, at the same time, more than the sum of its parts. I admit that I had fallen into the same trap that many gamers have. I was looking for the next quick fix of endorphins, the next mindless diversion from life's mundane and often disheartening routines. I'm cured now. And I owe it all to Hideo Kojima and the group of amazingly talented people with whom he has chosen to surround himself.
Lets get this out of the way before we go any further and have to sully the game with nits being picked and components of the experience being analyzed individually, minimizing the achievement that Kojima-san and crew have given us... MGS4 is a masterpiece. Metal Gear Solid was groundbreaking at the time of its release. It introduced a new genre of game to the masses. Metal Gear Solid 2 was a technical showpiece and a bit of post-modern social commentary that was lost on many players due to a risky decision by its creator to take control of the main character out of the players' hands. Metal Gear Solid 3 was a complex game, taking players back to cold war fears, introducing new gameplay elements to a franchise that could have very well have been stale, and pushing its console hardware to its absolute limits. Metal Gear Solid Four is all of those things and more.
With MGS4, Kojima-san has sent a love letter to fans of the Metal Gear Solid series. In doing so, however, he has also embraced gamers not familiar with the series. It's a tight rope to walk and, with Kojima-san's tendencies toward eschewing the popular for the profound, particularly treacherous for him. A misstep in either direction - too casual or too hard core - could spell disaster. And when you've invested the amount of time, money, and love that it's obvious he did in MGS4, a failure could be fatal.
In all of my roughly thirty years of gaming, I think that I have never seen a game that was handled with the level of care, née love, as is Metal Gear Solid 4. You can see it, hear it, and feel it in every detail. Which is a nice segue into...
Act Two
Previously, the king of console graphics was Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. I'm almost ready to hand the crown to MGS4, however. I say "almost," because there are definitely things that Uncharted does better than MGS4. However, the overall package of MGS4 squeezes out a slight victory over Uncharted. Uncharted has some of the most amazing texture work I've ever seen on a console. And it's not limited to one particular element. Every background of ever level is stunning. The character models are simply adequate, but well crafted. However, what MGS4 lacks in certain background textures, it more than makes up for with the character models, lighting, particle effects, and attention to detail. There are two cut scenes in MGS4 that are not rendered in real time. As far as I'm aware, they still use the in-game engine, but there is simply too much going on on-screen for the engine to push them in real time. You may have heard that there are a lot of cut scenes in MGS4. Keep that in mind when you mull over the two that aren't in real time. The technical accomplishment of MGS4 is thus far unparalleled in a console game.
During the remainder of the cut scenes in MGS4, you're able to control the zoom of the camera by pressing up on the d-pad. In an age when most games attempt to obscure their flaws using as much trickery as the developer can muster, MGS4 fearlessly begs you to look at it up close and personal. And you will. Because there are things you'll see that you won't think are possible. But you'll zoom in and, while you'll start to see the rough edges, they still manage to be incredibly impressive. It's obvious that a tremendous amount of resources were spent crafting the models. And it pays off constantly and consistently. I'm unsure how much headroom is left with the Playstation 3 hardware, but if there is any left, and some developers start to utilize it, we're in for some graphically mind blowing games in the future.
Graphical detail, modeling and textures, is only one part of a successful visual experience. Animation plays a large roll as well. And while certain aspects of the animation are not the leap that some had hoped for the series, many others are. Snake still has three basic animations - walking, crouching, and shimmying - but each of those animations have been expanded upon and improved. For instance, not only is there a second shimmy animation (one that, for people with their minds in the gutter, is hilarious), he can now flip over onto his back. From this prone position, Snake can shoot enemies and toss grenades. Also of note is the "play dead" option while prone. I didn't use it that often in my initial play through the game, but I've been exploring its effectiveness in my second play thorough. It's not a panacea; it won't make you completely invisible or uninteresting to all enemies, but it does serve as a valuable addition to Snake's sneaking arsenal. The boss characters have amazing animations, as do most of the main characters in the game. On a side note, during the initial introduction of any named character, when their name appears on-screen along with their voice actor's name, you can tap R2 and see the actor responsible for that character's motion capture performance. Kojima loves to give credit where credit is due.
Coupled with the superb motion capture during the cut scenes is cinematic quality direction. Although the ability of the player to control the zoom and focus on individual elements in the cut scene frame potentially obscures it, the direction in the cut scenes shows the experience and care of Kojima-san. If you play the game more than once - and you'll likely want to - make sure to set aside one play through to leave the controller alone during the cut scenes. It's worth it to see them as envisioned by their creator.
All of this sounds good, but what about the game play? Well, I'll get to game play in a moment. Having mentioned sound, it's important to examine this aspect of the game.
Act Three
For a long time, the only way to truly experience a movie the way it should be experienced was to go to the local cinema. It wasn't just because of the gigantic screen or the movie theatre popcorn (I could tell you the secret of movie theatre popcorn and why you can't make it at home, but then I'd have to kill you). It wasn't even because of the room full of people sharing the experience. In fact, sometimes that's a detriment. It was both of those things combined with a third, equally important factor: sound. Until the last half decade or so, there wasn't really any affordable way for the average Joe Sixpack to reproduce the sound experience one gets at a good theatre. And while theatres have grown more advanced in the sound department, home theatre audio equipment has gotten mighty close to what you get in a good theatre. Admittedly, I don't have the latest, greatest audio equipment. I have a 6.1 receiver (hooked up as 5.1), in-ceiling surround speakers, a really crappy center channel (which I'll replace next), a nice sub woofer, and a pair of excellent Polk Audio front channels. And Metal Gear Solid 4 makes my system sing.
A few months prior to the release of MGS4, Hideo Kojima was quoted as saying that the development team was running into storage limitations on a fifty gigabyte Blu-Ray disc. Considering that the cut scenes in MGS games are rendered in real time (again - other than the two mentioned above), this was initially perplexing. And then a theory developed about sound. Kojima used uncompressed 7.1 digital audio on MGS4. And I can tell you that, even 5.1 the 5.1 audio I hear coming out of the game is spectacular. As beautiful as the game is to look at, the sound is actually better than the visuals. MGS4 plants the player in the middle of a war zone. And it actually sounds like you're in the middle of a war zone. There are times you don't actually need the threat ring (a circle around snake that lets the player discern the position and alert level of enemies), because you can tell where they are aurally. And there is constant audio feedback that gives the game an immersive quality that one can only hope other developers mimic. I've seen blockbuster Hollywood movies that don't measure up to the sound design in MGS4.
But the quality of the sound in the game doesn't end at the effects. Harry Gregson-Williams and Nobuko Toda have turned in a score that is outstanding. If you bought the limited edition, you have a CD that contains the soundtrack. If you didn't buy the limited edition, I recommend wholeheartedly tracking it down and buying it. I hope to hear more of these two in both movies and games in the future, as I simply can't get enough of the score they created for MGS4. Borrowing from influences from Japan, the Middle East, and the West, this duo has put together a soundtrack that, again, rivals much of what Hollywood has to offer.
One other slight mention in the sound category is the in-game iPod. During the course of the game, you can collect MP3 tracks from several of Kojima Productions' previous works in including the previous Metal Gear Solid games. You can listen to these in-game via the iPod in the items menu. But the coolest thing about the in-game iPod is that there's an exclusive MGS podcast that will be updated regularly. If you've ever listened to the Kojima Productions Report, you'll feel right at home, as Ryan Payton is the host of both that show and the one in the game. You probably won't listen to it during your first play through the game, but it's nice to have for subsequent plays.
Act Four
Graphics and sound do not a good game make. There are plenty of examples of games that are pretty, but aren't fun to play. And in the end, gaming is supposed to be fun. Well, there's absolutely nothing to worry about in that regard with MGS4. As I stated previously, MGS4 takes bits and pieces from the last twenty years of MGS game play, adds some significant new twists, mashes it all up, and comes up with a concoction that should satisfy many gamers. In a broad sense, you can play the game however you want to play it. If you want to play it as a shooter (third or first person), go right ahead. The bonuses you'll get at the end of the game will take a hit - after all, MGS is about stealth - but it won't take away any of the enjoyment you'll get from playing (CQC also makes a welcome return). You can also play through the entire game without killing a single person. You can sneak and tranq your way through the whole game including the bosses. And, just as there are penalties for going on a killing spree, there are rewards for harkening back to the MGS of old.
There are multiple ways to achieve each of your goals. In my first play through, I stuck to the street levels almost exclusively. In my second play through, I've been exploring quite a bit more. And not only are there plenty of alternate paths to take, Kojima expects you to take them. Items and enemies are as plentiful on the less beaten tracks as they are on the obvious ones. In the very first area of the first level, Snake has to avoid some Gecko. Gecko are basically bio-mechanical tanks. They jump a lot. Since I played at street level the first time through, they were very planar obstacles, running around the streets, knocking down walls looking for militia (and me) to kill. I found a stairway in the second run through that took me to a balcony that was partially destroyed. There was enough left to hide behind what remained as the Gecko passed by, so I figured I was safe from them. But Kojima anticipated this, apparently, as, while I was in cover behind a bit of concrete, one of the Gecko leapt up to hang onto the balcony and surveilled it looking for me. It's moments like this during gameplay that inspire wonder at the care taken with this game.
The game starts with a monologue by Snake, now referred to as "Old Snake," rather than "Solid Snake," due to an advanced aging condition that has him looking more than a little rough around the edges, about the current state of warfare in the middle 20teens. War has become a market-based economy in and of itself. Wars are fought for profit rather than borders or ideologies. The technology of war, we're told, has changed as well. Soldiers have nanomachines implanted in their bodies that contain an ID tag. This ID tag, and the nanomachines that hold it, is used to control and enhance the soldiers. They can only fire weapons that are authorized by a centralized computer system for their specific ID tag. Their senses and abilities are enhanced. In essence, their only real purpose is to make profit for the corporations that employ them. And the corporations will do anything they can to ensure that profits stay high. Snake, being a bit of a relic in this new world, is a lone operative. As in previous games, he no longer answers to governments and certainly not to corporations. His mission, as laid out by the Colonel, is to track down and eliminate his brother, Liquid Ocelot, who has been sighted in the Middle East.
And so begins the final story of Solid Snake. Throughout the game, all of the loose ends and questions raised by previous MGS games will be tied up and answered. There are also ample nods to previous games for those with keen eyes. In fact, some of the nods don't require perfect vision (there's a great homage to the first Metal Gear Solid during that game that I couldn't possibly spoil - I'd hate myself if I did). You'll find out the origins of Liquid and Solid Snake. You'll see a lot of old friends and find out what they've been up to where they are and where they're going. You'll uncover the plans (and identities) of The Patriots. And you'll really, REALLY want to play as Raiden. But you can't. Because everyone complained about playing as him in MGS2. Let's just say that the character has grown up a lot since his debut.
One of the new characters, and easily the best and most seen, is Drebin. Drebin is an arms dealer. He, and hundreds of other "Drebins," (the name is a pseudonym) around the globe hack weaponry, stripping it of its ID tag, and sell it to the highest bidder. Once you meet him, you'll be able to unlock any weapons found on the battlefield. But it's not free. You'll need to collect Drebin Points to spend at the Drebin Store. In the past, this kind of system in an MGS game would come come complete with some difficult to navigate, arcane menu system (see: The Camo menu in MGS3). Not in MGS4. The entire sales system is automatic. Once you've picked up a weapon on the battlefield, the next time you pick up the same kind of weapon, it's automatically sold to Drebin for points. You keep the ammo, Drebin gets the gun and pays you a finder's fee. Drebin is also the source in the game for modifications to your weaponry. A lot of the guns in the game can be modified with everything from suppressors to flashlights, laser sights, dot sights, scopes, etc... All of which Drebin is more than happy to sell to you. He is also a source for some weapons you haven't found on the battlefield (there are over 60 weapons in the game) and ammunition. He, and his cigarette smoking, cola drinking monkey also happen to be interesting characters in their own rights.
Gameplay, while flexible in and of itself, is varied throughout the game. You'll have areas like the first area where it's basically a sneaking mission and vehicular areas, tracking missions, and boss fights. Again, you can choose quite a bit about how you want to play through each of these bits, so the game doesn't get old. But how much game play is there, you ask? You've seen reports on the Internet about ninety minute cut scenes and a horrible cut scene to game play ratio. There are a lot of cut scenes. There are long cut scenes. There are no ninety minute cut scenes. And most are shorter than what some would have you believe. I think a big factor in how long the cut scenes seem relates directly to how invested you are in the characters. Some people just want to blow through the game and skip the cut scenes (which is possible - you can also pause them). And that's fine. But if you care about the characters and the story of MGS that's been unfolding for twenty years, the cut scenes are like candy. You'll eat them up. And probably want more. More of an issue than the cut scenes are the installation and loading times.
Most of the intermissions, termed here as "Mission Briefings," take place aboard a secluded cargo plane. During these Mission Briefings, you'll get detailed information on the story and characters as well as an opportunity to find items for use during the game. You can control the camera or take the Metal Gear Mark II out for a spin to find hidden goodies. Trust me, you'll want to use the MK-II. These Mission Briefings normally take place after an installation between acts. Yes, you have to do an installation between each act. The initial installation (mandatory) is eight minutes. Subsequent installations, four more in total, are roughly three minutes. During the installations, Snake is on screen smoking like a stack and various, humorous tidbits flash on the screen. In addition to the installations, there is quite a bit of loading during the game. Sometimes it's not an issue, as with going from one area to another. Other times it tends to break up the momentum, as with some vehicle based scenarios. On par, while I wish they weren't necessary (the installations OR the loading screens), they're a small price to pay for such a great game. One tip, for some bizarre reason that I yet to discern, the very first Mission Briefing doesn't automatically play when you start the game. In order to see it (and get the items for use in the game from it), you'll have to check it out via the Mission Briefing menu item.
So yes, there are a lot of cut scenes and some of them are quite long. The final, post-credits scene being the longest. But at no point do they become boring or uninteresting. I wouldn't necessarily want every game to use the MGS system of storytelling, but it works really well in MGS4.
Act Five
Pros:
• Flexible gameplay
• Beautiful graphics
• Excruciating attention to detail
• Excellent story
• Great direction
• Some of the best sound in a game ever
• Plenty of replay value
• Ties up the loose ends of the MGS saga
• Tight controls
• Very good camera system
• Includes Metal Gear Online starter pack*
• In game podcast
Cons:
• Mandatory installations - between every act
• Lots of loading, despite said installations - sometimes breaking up the pace
• May be overwhelming from a story standpoint to players unfamiliar with the series
Epilogue
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a system-defining game. Beyond that, it's one of the absolute best games I've ever played. It isn't for everyone. Some may be completely confused by the story. For others, it doesn't offer the constant, fast paced action that many seem to crave now. But it really is refreshing to sit down in front of a game that takes its time to unfold. The languid pace is welcome in a feverish world of constant over stimulation. Which is not at all to say that the game is boring. There are some incredible action sequences that will have you on the edge of your seat. But at its heart, Metal Gear Solid will always be a stealth game and that's where it shines. And oh, does it shine. If you have a PS3, you owe it to yourself to play this game. If you don't have the system, it's time to start thinking about getting one.
10/10
*I won't review MGS Online as I've not yet launched it in the retail release, just in the beta.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Konami Productions
Konami
in the trap
the summer moon
-Matsuo Bashō
It is said the warrior's is the twofold Way of pen and sword, and he should have a taste for both Ways. Even if a man has no natural ability he can be a warrior by sticking assiduously to both divisions of the Way. Generally speaking, the Way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death.
-Miyamoto Musashi
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| Here comes Solid Snake... again |
Act One
It seems that in our fast paced, modern society, there has been a shift away from an appreciation of craft in favor of quick thrills. As such, finely crafted things, whether it be art, cinema, television, prose, poetry, or music, appear to be few and far between. It is unfortunately rare these days to see something that was allowed the time, resources, and energy to properly come to fruition. This is particularly true of video games. While there is certainly room (as well there should be) for twitchy, shallow games that offer the player nothing more than a quick escape from reality and a rush of adrenaline, an overabundance of any one type of game is bad for all gamers. Variety is, as they say, the spice of life. And it's nice to occasionally slow things down and invest in a game as more than simple mindless killing and a way to rack up a body count.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is just such an opportunity. I chose my examples of finely crafted things above carefully. MGS4 is all of those things and, at the same time, more than the sum of its parts. I admit that I had fallen into the same trap that many gamers have. I was looking for the next quick fix of endorphins, the next mindless diversion from life's mundane and often disheartening routines. I'm cured now. And I owe it all to Hideo Kojima and the group of amazingly talented people with whom he has chosen to surround himself.
Lets get this out of the way before we go any further and have to sully the game with nits being picked and components of the experience being analyzed individually, minimizing the achievement that Kojima-san and crew have given us... MGS4 is a masterpiece. Metal Gear Solid was groundbreaking at the time of its release. It introduced a new genre of game to the masses. Metal Gear Solid 2 was a technical showpiece and a bit of post-modern social commentary that was lost on many players due to a risky decision by its creator to take control of the main character out of the players' hands. Metal Gear Solid 3 was a complex game, taking players back to cold war fears, introducing new gameplay elements to a franchise that could have very well have been stale, and pushing its console hardware to its absolute limits. Metal Gear Solid Four is all of those things and more.
With MGS4, Kojima-san has sent a love letter to fans of the Metal Gear Solid series. In doing so, however, he has also embraced gamers not familiar with the series. It's a tight rope to walk and, with Kojima-san's tendencies toward eschewing the popular for the profound, particularly treacherous for him. A misstep in either direction - too casual or too hard core - could spell disaster. And when you've invested the amount of time, money, and love that it's obvious he did in MGS4, a failure could be fatal.
In all of my roughly thirty years of gaming, I think that I have never seen a game that was handled with the level of care, née love, as is Metal Gear Solid 4. You can see it, hear it, and feel it in every detail. Which is a nice segue into...
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| Snake getting up close and (very) personal |
Previously, the king of console graphics was Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. I'm almost ready to hand the crown to MGS4, however. I say "almost," because there are definitely things that Uncharted does better than MGS4. However, the overall package of MGS4 squeezes out a slight victory over Uncharted. Uncharted has some of the most amazing texture work I've ever seen on a console. And it's not limited to one particular element. Every background of ever level is stunning. The character models are simply adequate, but well crafted. However, what MGS4 lacks in certain background textures, it more than makes up for with the character models, lighting, particle effects, and attention to detail. There are two cut scenes in MGS4 that are not rendered in real time. As far as I'm aware, they still use the in-game engine, but there is simply too much going on on-screen for the engine to push them in real time. You may have heard that there are a lot of cut scenes in MGS4. Keep that in mind when you mull over the two that aren't in real time. The technical accomplishment of MGS4 is thus far unparalleled in a console game.
During the remainder of the cut scenes in MGS4, you're able to control the zoom of the camera by pressing up on the d-pad. In an age when most games attempt to obscure their flaws using as much trickery as the developer can muster, MGS4 fearlessly begs you to look at it up close and personal. And you will. Because there are things you'll see that you won't think are possible. But you'll zoom in and, while you'll start to see the rough edges, they still manage to be incredibly impressive. It's obvious that a tremendous amount of resources were spent crafting the models. And it pays off constantly and consistently. I'm unsure how much headroom is left with the Playstation 3 hardware, but if there is any left, and some developers start to utilize it, we're in for some graphically mind blowing games in the future.
Graphical detail, modeling and textures, is only one part of a successful visual experience. Animation plays a large roll as well. And while certain aspects of the animation are not the leap that some had hoped for the series, many others are. Snake still has three basic animations - walking, crouching, and shimmying - but each of those animations have been expanded upon and improved. For instance, not only is there a second shimmy animation (one that, for people with their minds in the gutter, is hilarious), he can now flip over onto his back. From this prone position, Snake can shoot enemies and toss grenades. Also of note is the "play dead" option while prone. I didn't use it that often in my initial play through the game, but I've been exploring its effectiveness in my second play thorough. It's not a panacea; it won't make you completely invisible or uninteresting to all enemies, but it does serve as a valuable addition to Snake's sneaking arsenal. The boss characters have amazing animations, as do most of the main characters in the game. On a side note, during the initial introduction of any named character, when their name appears on-screen along with their voice actor's name, you can tap R2 and see the actor responsible for that character's motion capture performance. Kojima loves to give credit where credit is due.
Coupled with the superb motion capture during the cut scenes is cinematic quality direction. Although the ability of the player to control the zoom and focus on individual elements in the cut scene frame potentially obscures it, the direction in the cut scenes shows the experience and care of Kojima-san. If you play the game more than once - and you'll likely want to - make sure to set aside one play through to leave the controller alone during the cut scenes. It's worth it to see them as envisioned by their creator.
All of this sounds good, but what about the game play? Well, I'll get to game play in a moment. Having mentioned sound, it's important to examine this aspect of the game.
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| One of the many, dastardly bosses |
For a long time, the only way to truly experience a movie the way it should be experienced was to go to the local cinema. It wasn't just because of the gigantic screen or the movie theatre popcorn (I could tell you the secret of movie theatre popcorn and why you can't make it at home, but then I'd have to kill you). It wasn't even because of the room full of people sharing the experience. In fact, sometimes that's a detriment. It was both of those things combined with a third, equally important factor: sound. Until the last half decade or so, there wasn't really any affordable way for the average Joe Sixpack to reproduce the sound experience one gets at a good theatre. And while theatres have grown more advanced in the sound department, home theatre audio equipment has gotten mighty close to what you get in a good theatre. Admittedly, I don't have the latest, greatest audio equipment. I have a 6.1 receiver (hooked up as 5.1), in-ceiling surround speakers, a really crappy center channel (which I'll replace next), a nice sub woofer, and a pair of excellent Polk Audio front channels. And Metal Gear Solid 4 makes my system sing.
A few months prior to the release of MGS4, Hideo Kojima was quoted as saying that the development team was running into storage limitations on a fifty gigabyte Blu-Ray disc. Considering that the cut scenes in MGS games are rendered in real time (again - other than the two mentioned above), this was initially perplexing. And then a theory developed about sound. Kojima used uncompressed 7.1 digital audio on MGS4. And I can tell you that, even 5.1 the 5.1 audio I hear coming out of the game is spectacular. As beautiful as the game is to look at, the sound is actually better than the visuals. MGS4 plants the player in the middle of a war zone. And it actually sounds like you're in the middle of a war zone. There are times you don't actually need the threat ring (a circle around snake that lets the player discern the position and alert level of enemies), because you can tell where they are aurally. And there is constant audio feedback that gives the game an immersive quality that one can only hope other developers mimic. I've seen blockbuster Hollywood movies that don't measure up to the sound design in MGS4.
But the quality of the sound in the game doesn't end at the effects. Harry Gregson-Williams and Nobuko Toda have turned in a score that is outstanding. If you bought the limited edition, you have a CD that contains the soundtrack. If you didn't buy the limited edition, I recommend wholeheartedly tracking it down and buying it. I hope to hear more of these two in both movies and games in the future, as I simply can't get enough of the score they created for MGS4. Borrowing from influences from Japan, the Middle East, and the West, this duo has put together a soundtrack that, again, rivals much of what Hollywood has to offer.
One other slight mention in the sound category is the in-game iPod. During the course of the game, you can collect MP3 tracks from several of Kojima Productions' previous works in including the previous Metal Gear Solid games. You can listen to these in-game via the iPod in the items menu. But the coolest thing about the in-game iPod is that there's an exclusive MGS podcast that will be updated regularly. If you've ever listened to the Kojima Productions Report, you'll feel right at home, as Ryan Payton is the host of both that show and the one in the game. You probably won't listen to it during your first play through the game, but it's nice to have for subsequent plays.
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| Raiden returns and now that he's a bad ass, he's not playable |
Graphics and sound do not a good game make. There are plenty of examples of games that are pretty, but aren't fun to play. And in the end, gaming is supposed to be fun. Well, there's absolutely nothing to worry about in that regard with MGS4. As I stated previously, MGS4 takes bits and pieces from the last twenty years of MGS game play, adds some significant new twists, mashes it all up, and comes up with a concoction that should satisfy many gamers. In a broad sense, you can play the game however you want to play it. If you want to play it as a shooter (third or first person), go right ahead. The bonuses you'll get at the end of the game will take a hit - after all, MGS is about stealth - but it won't take away any of the enjoyment you'll get from playing (CQC also makes a welcome return). You can also play through the entire game without killing a single person. You can sneak and tranq your way through the whole game including the bosses. And, just as there are penalties for going on a killing spree, there are rewards for harkening back to the MGS of old.
There are multiple ways to achieve each of your goals. In my first play through, I stuck to the street levels almost exclusively. In my second play through, I've been exploring quite a bit more. And not only are there plenty of alternate paths to take, Kojima expects you to take them. Items and enemies are as plentiful on the less beaten tracks as they are on the obvious ones. In the very first area of the first level, Snake has to avoid some Gecko. Gecko are basically bio-mechanical tanks. They jump a lot. Since I played at street level the first time through, they were very planar obstacles, running around the streets, knocking down walls looking for militia (and me) to kill. I found a stairway in the second run through that took me to a balcony that was partially destroyed. There was enough left to hide behind what remained as the Gecko passed by, so I figured I was safe from them. But Kojima anticipated this, apparently, as, while I was in cover behind a bit of concrete, one of the Gecko leapt up to hang onto the balcony and surveilled it looking for me. It's moments like this during gameplay that inspire wonder at the care taken with this game.
The game starts with a monologue by Snake, now referred to as "Old Snake," rather than "Solid Snake," due to an advanced aging condition that has him looking more than a little rough around the edges, about the current state of warfare in the middle 20teens. War has become a market-based economy in and of itself. Wars are fought for profit rather than borders or ideologies. The technology of war, we're told, has changed as well. Soldiers have nanomachines implanted in their bodies that contain an ID tag. This ID tag, and the nanomachines that hold it, is used to control and enhance the soldiers. They can only fire weapons that are authorized by a centralized computer system for their specific ID tag. Their senses and abilities are enhanced. In essence, their only real purpose is to make profit for the corporations that employ them. And the corporations will do anything they can to ensure that profits stay high. Snake, being a bit of a relic in this new world, is a lone operative. As in previous games, he no longer answers to governments and certainly not to corporations. His mission, as laid out by the Colonel, is to track down and eliminate his brother, Liquid Ocelot, who has been sighted in the Middle East.
And so begins the final story of Solid Snake. Throughout the game, all of the loose ends and questions raised by previous MGS games will be tied up and answered. There are also ample nods to previous games for those with keen eyes. In fact, some of the nods don't require perfect vision (there's a great homage to the first Metal Gear Solid during that game that I couldn't possibly spoil - I'd hate myself if I did). You'll find out the origins of Liquid and Solid Snake. You'll see a lot of old friends and find out what they've been up to where they are and where they're going. You'll uncover the plans (and identities) of The Patriots. And you'll really, REALLY want to play as Raiden. But you can't. Because everyone complained about playing as him in MGS2. Let's just say that the character has grown up a lot since his debut.
One of the new characters, and easily the best and most seen, is Drebin. Drebin is an arms dealer. He, and hundreds of other "Drebins," (the name is a pseudonym) around the globe hack weaponry, stripping it of its ID tag, and sell it to the highest bidder. Once you meet him, you'll be able to unlock any weapons found on the battlefield. But it's not free. You'll need to collect Drebin Points to spend at the Drebin Store. In the past, this kind of system in an MGS game would come come complete with some difficult to navigate, arcane menu system (see: The Camo menu in MGS3). Not in MGS4. The entire sales system is automatic. Once you've picked up a weapon on the battlefield, the next time you pick up the same kind of weapon, it's automatically sold to Drebin for points. You keep the ammo, Drebin gets the gun and pays you a finder's fee. Drebin is also the source in the game for modifications to your weaponry. A lot of the guns in the game can be modified with everything from suppressors to flashlights, laser sights, dot sights, scopes, etc... All of which Drebin is more than happy to sell to you. He is also a source for some weapons you haven't found on the battlefield (there are over 60 weapons in the game) and ammunition. He, and his cigarette smoking, cola drinking monkey also happen to be interesting characters in their own rights.
Gameplay, while flexible in and of itself, is varied throughout the game. You'll have areas like the first area where it's basically a sneaking mission and vehicular areas, tracking missions, and boss fights. Again, you can choose quite a bit about how you want to play through each of these bits, so the game doesn't get old. But how much game play is there, you ask? You've seen reports on the Internet about ninety minute cut scenes and a horrible cut scene to game play ratio. There are a lot of cut scenes. There are long cut scenes. There are no ninety minute cut scenes. And most are shorter than what some would have you believe. I think a big factor in how long the cut scenes seem relates directly to how invested you are in the characters. Some people just want to blow through the game and skip the cut scenes (which is possible - you can also pause them). And that's fine. But if you care about the characters and the story of MGS that's been unfolding for twenty years, the cut scenes are like candy. You'll eat them up. And probably want more. More of an issue than the cut scenes are the installation and loading times.
Most of the intermissions, termed here as "Mission Briefings," take place aboard a secluded cargo plane. During these Mission Briefings, you'll get detailed information on the story and characters as well as an opportunity to find items for use during the game. You can control the camera or take the Metal Gear Mark II out for a spin to find hidden goodies. Trust me, you'll want to use the MK-II. These Mission Briefings normally take place after an installation between acts. Yes, you have to do an installation between each act. The initial installation (mandatory) is eight minutes. Subsequent installations, four more in total, are roughly three minutes. During the installations, Snake is on screen smoking like a stack and various, humorous tidbits flash on the screen. In addition to the installations, there is quite a bit of loading during the game. Sometimes it's not an issue, as with going from one area to another. Other times it tends to break up the momentum, as with some vehicle based scenarios. On par, while I wish they weren't necessary (the installations OR the loading screens), they're a small price to pay for such a great game. One tip, for some bizarre reason that I yet to discern, the very first Mission Briefing doesn't automatically play when you start the game. In order to see it (and get the items for use in the game from it), you'll have to check it out via the Mission Briefing menu item.
So yes, there are a lot of cut scenes and some of them are quite long. The final, post-credits scene being the longest. But at no point do they become boring or uninteresting. I wouldn't necessarily want every game to use the MGS system of storytelling, but it works really well in MGS4.
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| Say hello to Snake's little friend |
Pros:
• Flexible gameplay
• Beautiful graphics
• Excruciating attention to detail
• Excellent story
• Great direction
• Some of the best sound in a game ever
• Plenty of replay value
• Ties up the loose ends of the MGS saga
• Tight controls
• Very good camera system
• Includes Metal Gear Online starter pack*
• In game podcast
Cons:
• Mandatory installations - between every act
• Lots of loading, despite said installations - sometimes breaking up the pace
• May be overwhelming from a story standpoint to players unfamiliar with the series
Epilogue
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a system-defining game. Beyond that, it's one of the absolute best games I've ever played. It isn't for everyone. Some may be completely confused by the story. For others, it doesn't offer the constant, fast paced action that many seem to crave now. But it really is refreshing to sit down in front of a game that takes its time to unfold. The languid pace is welcome in a feverish world of constant over stimulation. Which is not at all to say that the game is boring. There are some incredible action sequences that will have you on the edge of your seat. But at its heart, Metal Gear Solid will always be a stealth game and that's where it shines. And oh, does it shine. If you have a PS3, you owe it to yourself to play this game. If you don't have the system, it's time to start thinking about getting one.
10/10
*I won't review MGS Online as I've not yet launched it in the retail release, just in the beta.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Konami Productions
Konami
