Metal gear solid 4: Guns of the patriots.
Finally it?s here, the latest and last installment in the Solid saga. Some people have waited eagerly, myself included, like a band of starving dogs waiting for their next meal. Now that I have completed it twice and think that I get the story, I can say that this game is very different from the MGS titles.
Game play:
this aspect is the one that have changed the most, and it?s for the better. The shooting mechanics have been reworked to feel similar to those found in most western shooters nowadays with over the shoulder aiming and first person aiming. Movement controls has become more refined, with the Triangle button used to perform almost any interactive action there is. The infamous duck crawl button has been reworked so that you have to hold down the X button before snake will prone. Tapping X will result in snake going into a crouched run.
The camouflage system from MGS3 is still there but this time the boring chore of having to open your screen every time to change camouflage have been replaced by the wonderful Octocamo. A nifty little device, that allows the user to mimic any surface that the user touches. In order to change Camouflage, Snake has to simply lie or lean against a wall for a couple of seconds before blending into the environment.
The Stamina bar has been replaced by a psyche bar, which monitors your mental health, if running low Snakes aim and damage intake will be severely cut down, but it?s very easy to replenish it, just whip out a playboy magazine and Snakes psyche will curiously raise.
a new addition is the Stress meter, which as the name implies monitors Snakes stress level, if it reaches 100% Snake will go into a sort of combat high and his Aim and damage soak will increase for a short period of time, though when it stops his psyche will go down.
The cut scenes are still very present in the game, though the 90 minute cut scene rumor is a complete and utter lie, though one of them comes very close to the 45 minute mark, luckily you are able to pause in the middle of a cut scene. Codec Calls have been reduced severely and those few there are relatively short, compared to earlier titles. You only have two codec frequencies one being Otacon and the other being your Psychological Counselor.
Despite there still being cut scenes in the game, there are certain portions where you have to interact in those cut scenes, not the Simon says button mashing, but in he sense of the screen splits up and shows a cut scene on one side and Snake being controlled by you on the other, it does make it almost impossible to watch the cut scene but it gives the player a sense of achieving something instead of just sitting down idly.
Bosses that are overtop is nothing new to the MGS series and The Beauty and the Beast corps (B & B for short) is more of the same, each of their fight is Unique and they can take some time to figure out.
Story:
The story of Snakes supposed last mission offers a much more Personal insight into many of the staple characters, mainly Snake and Otacon, I personally felt that I saw a different of Snake, the more human side. Anyways the year is 2014 and the world is largely dependent on PMC?s (Private Mercenary/Military Companies) and Old Snake have been called to the battlefield by his old friend, Roy Campbell to carry out a hit on Snakes brother, Liquid Snake, who have merged with Revolver Ocelot. Liquid Plans to carry out an armed insurrection against the United States in order to throw the entire world into a state of chaos and anarchy in order to create Outer Heaven, a dream that Solid and Liquids father, Big Boss envisioned where soldiers always had a place. I?m not going to spoil the story more than that, because a lot of the thrill of playing an MGS game is its story.
For my view the story does sometimes go into what I would call: yawn mode where too much exposition is given at the same time, and a warning for those that haven?t played the previous MGS game, you are going to feel lost, because this game ties up EVERY loose end from the previous games, which can make it quite difficult for people who haven?t followed the story vigorously.
Personally the end for me was a little to sugar coated but I guess it counterbalances with the rest of the games that always ended on low note.
The story could have expanded a bit, you do get the feeling that the entire game is over just when you start to feel comfortable with the characters, but that?s just me.
Overall though the story is just as overtop and just as character driven with so much dialogue that it can make your ears bleed, but that?s how The Metal Gear series have been always, so that?s not much of a criticism as much as it was expected.
Graphics/Sound
The Metal Gear series have never been a showcase for Graphics, but I must say that these graphics are incredible. They aren?t going to blow you away as like Crysis, but they are certainly very beautiful. With the amount of detail in the environment as well as the level design gives many of the levels the right vibe, especially the first act which takes place in the Middle East and with little Frame rate dipping even though there are explosions and a lot of characters onscreen.
The Sound is some of the best aspects of the game, from the footsteps to Voice work to Musical Score, everything is done superbly and there is no game I have played to date that has the same level of sound quality as this game.
Overall verdict:
Now I know that I have praised this game pretty much beyond shame, but there are a couple things I would like to point out that I didn?t like, the shooting mechanics, you WILL have to use them. Even though they are improved, they still feel a little archaic, and it?s quite easy to finish the game with just your starting Gun. The amount of weaponry that you can obtain, I think it?s about 70+ weapons you can pick up in the game, does tempt the player to take a much more hands on approach instead of emphasizing on stealth.
The Drebin shop, a place where Snake can buy ammo and new weapons, does make the game piss easy as you can buy ammunition from virtually ANYWHERE you want.
Some of the cut scenes could have been shortened to make room for more interactive game play. The shortness of the game is shocking, especially since the game takes up 50 GB blue ray space.
This game is a fan game through and through, and it shows, if you are not a fan of MGS then you will not understand this game 100% and I do find that a little odd and saddening, because many players will get turned off by the fact that they don?t get half of the things that the characters are talking about.
If you like a stealth/Action game with multiple choice scenarios and complex story, as well as long cut scenes then I heartily suggest Metal gear solid 4
If you have a play station 3 and you don't know what games to buy, then BUY metal gear solid 4.
For me it?s a great game and it?s a buy I haven?t regretted yet.
Buy it.
Finally it?s here, the latest and last installment in the Solid saga. Some people have waited eagerly, myself included, like a band of starving dogs waiting for their next meal. Now that I have completed it twice and think that I get the story, I can say that this game is very different from the MGS titles.
Game play:
this aspect is the one that have changed the most, and it?s for the better. The shooting mechanics have been reworked to feel similar to those found in most western shooters nowadays with over the shoulder aiming and first person aiming. Movement controls has become more refined, with the Triangle button used to perform almost any interactive action there is. The infamous duck crawl button has been reworked so that you have to hold down the X button before snake will prone. Tapping X will result in snake going into a crouched run.
The camouflage system from MGS3 is still there but this time the boring chore of having to open your screen every time to change camouflage have been replaced by the wonderful Octocamo. A nifty little device, that allows the user to mimic any surface that the user touches. In order to change Camouflage, Snake has to simply lie or lean against a wall for a couple of seconds before blending into the environment.
The Stamina bar has been replaced by a psyche bar, which monitors your mental health, if running low Snakes aim and damage intake will be severely cut down, but it?s very easy to replenish it, just whip out a playboy magazine and Snakes psyche will curiously raise.
a new addition is the Stress meter, which as the name implies monitors Snakes stress level, if it reaches 100% Snake will go into a sort of combat high and his Aim and damage soak will increase for a short period of time, though when it stops his psyche will go down.
The cut scenes are still very present in the game, though the 90 minute cut scene rumor is a complete and utter lie, though one of them comes very close to the 45 minute mark, luckily you are able to pause in the middle of a cut scene. Codec Calls have been reduced severely and those few there are relatively short, compared to earlier titles. You only have two codec frequencies one being Otacon and the other being your Psychological Counselor.
Despite there still being cut scenes in the game, there are certain portions where you have to interact in those cut scenes, not the Simon says button mashing, but in he sense of the screen splits up and shows a cut scene on one side and Snake being controlled by you on the other, it does make it almost impossible to watch the cut scene but it gives the player a sense of achieving something instead of just sitting down idly.
Bosses that are overtop is nothing new to the MGS series and The Beauty and the Beast corps (B & B for short) is more of the same, each of their fight is Unique and they can take some time to figure out.
Story:
The story of Snakes supposed last mission offers a much more Personal insight into many of the staple characters, mainly Snake and Otacon, I personally felt that I saw a different of Snake, the more human side. Anyways the year is 2014 and the world is largely dependent on PMC?s (Private Mercenary/Military Companies) and Old Snake have been called to the battlefield by his old friend, Roy Campbell to carry out a hit on Snakes brother, Liquid Snake, who have merged with Revolver Ocelot. Liquid Plans to carry out an armed insurrection against the United States in order to throw the entire world into a state of chaos and anarchy in order to create Outer Heaven, a dream that Solid and Liquids father, Big Boss envisioned where soldiers always had a place. I?m not going to spoil the story more than that, because a lot of the thrill of playing an MGS game is its story.
For my view the story does sometimes go into what I would call: yawn mode where too much exposition is given at the same time, and a warning for those that haven?t played the previous MGS game, you are going to feel lost, because this game ties up EVERY loose end from the previous games, which can make it quite difficult for people who haven?t followed the story vigorously.
Personally the end for me was a little to sugar coated but I guess it counterbalances with the rest of the games that always ended on low note.
The story could have expanded a bit, you do get the feeling that the entire game is over just when you start to feel comfortable with the characters, but that?s just me.
Overall though the story is just as overtop and just as character driven with so much dialogue that it can make your ears bleed, but that?s how The Metal Gear series have been always, so that?s not much of a criticism as much as it was expected.
Graphics/Sound
The Metal Gear series have never been a showcase for Graphics, but I must say that these graphics are incredible. They aren?t going to blow you away as like Crysis, but they are certainly very beautiful. With the amount of detail in the environment as well as the level design gives many of the levels the right vibe, especially the first act which takes place in the Middle East and with little Frame rate dipping even though there are explosions and a lot of characters onscreen.
The Sound is some of the best aspects of the game, from the footsteps to Voice work to Musical Score, everything is done superbly and there is no game I have played to date that has the same level of sound quality as this game.
Overall verdict:
Now I know that I have praised this game pretty much beyond shame, but there are a couple things I would like to point out that I didn?t like, the shooting mechanics, you WILL have to use them. Even though they are improved, they still feel a little archaic, and it?s quite easy to finish the game with just your starting Gun. The amount of weaponry that you can obtain, I think it?s about 70+ weapons you can pick up in the game, does tempt the player to take a much more hands on approach instead of emphasizing on stealth.
The Drebin shop, a place where Snake can buy ammo and new weapons, does make the game piss easy as you can buy ammunition from virtually ANYWHERE you want.
Some of the cut scenes could have been shortened to make room for more interactive game play. The shortness of the game is shocking, especially since the game takes up 50 GB blue ray space.
This game is a fan game through and through, and it shows, if you are not a fan of MGS then you will not understand this game 100% and I do find that a little odd and saddening, because many players will get turned off by the fact that they don?t get half of the things that the characters are talking about.
If you like a stealth/Action game with multiple choice scenarios and complex story, as well as long cut scenes then I heartily suggest Metal gear solid 4
If you have a play station 3 and you don't know what games to buy, then BUY metal gear solid 4.
For me it?s a great game and it?s a buy I haven?t regretted yet.
Buy it.
