Be warned, the review does contain spoilers.
I finally opened up the box to the game i had been waiting on since I’d heard about it in 2006 (was initially announced in 2005 but some of us weren't uin the loop!). I felt anticipation build, that excitement you feel about getting your hands on what has been billed as a truly triple "A" title. With the disk in drive, the eight minute install was almost too much to take, I paced my room in front of my 37'' HD TV; reading the control setup in the game-manual provided. I should have probably read some of the install comments appearing on screen next to a giant, now smoking, Old Snake, but instead I found myself shouting at the screen: "Come on already!"
And then it began... a ten day saga of playthroughs, re-playthroughs, Metal Gear Online and a personal quest to pick up all guns, unlockables and find as many secrets as i possibly could. I am now on my sixth playthrough and what have I learned? I have learned that there is still so much more to get and that some of these unloackables may be beyond my "profound" abilities as a veteran metal gear player.
The Story:
A lot has been made of knowing the full Metal Gear history to even begin to understand MGS4. Guns of The Patriots is actually a standalone story. it is true that to get a true appreciation of the Metal Gear saga you need to have played the other games, but in principal you should be able to understand THIS story with only a little knowledge about previous titles. The story is about a computer system, a system designed by The Patriots that controls / influences almost ever aspect of society from the "War Economy" through to social norms. The most important of these controls is through the use of Nanobots input in every soldier / PMC to ultimately make them stronger, faster and better. Nanobots regulate everything a soldier does from healing wounds to removing battlefield emotions.
Of course: paramount to a soldiers success is his weapon and in MGS4 all weapons are "ID locked" to a single genetic code. Alas, The Patriots system also controls this, so if a soldier were to suddenly be blacklisted in the system, they'd find their gun(s) locked and thus, unable to use a firearm. Enter Liquid-Ocelot, who has made a personal quest out of trying to infiltrate The Patriots system and use it against them. Metal Gear hasn't survived 20 years and 4 incarnations on the Playstation brand without an intriguing story and this wouldn't be Kojima if there weren't several twists and turns, big revelations and ultimately cross's, double cross's and characters, that you just don’t know who’s side they are on. Needless to say - while fans will sit there and debate these issues and their meanings for years to come, others will just simply enjoy the game for its engaging storyline.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Metal Gear Solid is some of the best action/stealth out on the market at the moment and its quality lies in that it can be either. You can ultimately choose to play Snake as a Rough, Tough killer, or the cautious, stealthy soldier. The view can also be changed from third to first person - be it the occasions your looking through a scope on a sniper rifle, or simply walking around the various locations in true FPS mode - looking down the sights on whatever gun you've decided to use.
Snake can climb over things, lean against things, he can hang from ledges, lie down both on his front & back, crouch, roll forwards, roll sideways and ultimately, move in all these positions. You can fire your weapon when knocked to the ground for example or peer round walls to see what’s coming. you can even pop out and shoot from leaning against a wall or hang from a ledge and shoot a guy with the weapon in your other hand. The point? flexibility of play. While other games have utilized this cover system, few have mastered it and this ultimately means there is very little that snake cant do. My only biggie, is that a run button wasn't included in the game - though it could ultimately have changed the dynamic of the whole thing.
Snakes weapons are ultimately procured on site and then unlocked by Drebin – a global gun runner with an ability to provide you with “fake” ID's. Other weapons such as gun emplacements are found scattered around the various game settings but there is not really much need for them other than to basically have some fun. You'll also get a break-up in "standard gameplay" with various vehicle chases, "boss" fights and Cut scenes, which fully integrate you into the world Kojima has created. Because of this, along with the changes in location (there are five acts) the game never becomes repetitive. One minute you'll find yourself gunning down soldiers in great numbers, the next you’re creeping in the shadows following resistance members. It is not revolutionary gameplay I’ll grant you, but it is at the very top of its rung.
Graphics
The game graphics are nothing short of spectacular; this game is one of the best looking titles on ps3 currently. The environments are rich and detailed and unlike other games that spend a lot of time getting the feel for a specific environment type ("urban fighting" "jungle" etc) MGS includes several great looking environments. The character models are detailed and look realistic (not keen on Merryls hairstyle but it at least looks like real hair.) Throughout the game you can pick up face camouflage which ultimately mean Snake can change his face to look younger or to "become" some other character in the metal gear world, and these attributes will remain (when equipped) during movies. its cool and one of my favourite additions.
The Movies / Cut-scenes
I have no doubt that they are by far the most cutting edge, realistic movies that are found IN any game, nor do I doubt that the movies are beautifully crafted and directed, but there is also a great deal of them. I spoke on gameplay earlier and while fantastic the amount of time you are actually playing as Snake can be anything from 5-20 hours. Veteran MGS fans will know that to pick up some of the unlockables in game (namely: big boss emblem) you need to be 'rushing' the game in 5 hours. It also has to be said that this 5 hour scenario is on one of the hardest levels of play with only a tranquilizer pistol allowed should you be looking for the aforementioned emblem. Its not easy, and a lot of casual gamers wont manage this...but its doable. My point is that there is a total 8 hours of cutscenes/movies, which although skippable (should you want to miss out on some brilliant action)outweigh the theoretical 5 hours gameplay.
Regardless of where you stand on the issue however, cutscenes are a huge step up and a welcome addition from the hours of Codec moments in previous MGS's. The game is beautiful, and the movies are nothing short of epic, but i do wish there was more to the game.
Sound
A lot has been made of the sound in MGS4 and rightly so in my opinion. The soundtrack is beautifully orchestrated and sets the pace for what is happening on screen. the sound effects of weapons and explosions are spot on and Voice acting is superb. There is no doubt in my mind that the voice actors create mood and set the tone. A prime example of this is the boss fight with laughing Octopus whos voice (combination of male/female overlap) sounds truely chilling. i defy anybody playing the game for the first time to not feel trepidation when running into her for the first time and then fear when fighting her. I will also use this opportunity to mention the in-game ipod which you can pick up various tracks from previous games throughout MGS4. If anything, these will unlock various secrets, but also serve as a trip down memory lane.
Lasting Appeal
I have already mentioned that I have played through this game countless times. (by my forth run-through I was skipping a lot of the movie simply because it does count towards your final time). The bottom line on lasting appeal is that it does exist in bucket loads in this game.
1.) You'll want to play through countless times to pick up the various weapons/unlockables and secrets.
2.)You'll want to revisit certain gameplay elements and cut scenes solely for their enjoyment factor (Raiden vs Vamp anyone? REX vs RAY?
3. Metal Gear Online. Its more Metal Gear, but against players around the world and while setting it up is a b1tch (Konami, ultimately, make you create two accounts with separate names and logins,) it is fantastically good fun. I feel I should mention that MGO is a game that is quite difficult to get into and truly difficult to master. Those that have played the beta seem to have free reign in servers when it comes to CC, tactical play and just... ability. MY advice is get online quickly or you run the risk of being left behind.
Conclusion.
its hard to see what Kojima and Konami could have done to make this game better. ultimately its a well rounded and epic game and it wont fail the hype that seems to have been created around it. There were perhaps a few areas that needed some more focus - mentioned throughout this article, but in some respects they are knit-picking for the sake of criticism. The issue of in game movies come down to a preference, and regardless of whether you love or hate them, you'll watch all of them on the first playthrough simply because they tie up all the questions you've ever had about MGS. I do feel that online needs some more structure i.e "newbie only" servers, for those new to the online experience but genuinely, taken as a package, MGS4 is a grand example of what a truly next generation game should be.
Credit is due to A.Roy (my new editor-in-chief!) for his painstaking attention to detail. The review, undoubtedly, still includes some technical mistakes but a big thankyou nonetheless.
The PlayStation 3 may not have been the strongest generation for Sony, but there were still some diamonds in the rough that deserve a revisit as PS5 remasters.
Even if they could just remaster and put on PSVR2, some would still look great as VR titles and could do a whole lot to bolster the headset w these exclusives! I'd imagine the investment of reworking these titles into VR would be way less than building new games from the ground up, and they could be amazing experiences, and VR often makes flat games feel fresh again. The Resistance and Killzone games are particularly what I want to see!!
I played killzone 3 in 3d and it really changed the game per being immersive.
In vr, that would be even more awesome.
Funny you mention that... my son wanted to play some PS3 games in 3d on my PS tv and he was blown away by how good KZ3 was. It really was a great addition to the game. Im surprised there have not been more 3d games from that era being ported to the PSVR/VR2.
resistance 1-3, killzone 1-3, uncharted 1-3, uncharted golden abyss, folklore, socom 4 , motorstorm, twisted metal, MAG, heavenly sword
Killzone 2+3
Sly Thieves in Time
Crack in Time
God of War Ascension
Motorstorm
Modnation racer
Infamous 1+2
Killzone trilogy in VR would be amazing bonus points if they offer shadow fall.
There was a psvr1 Killzone project that supermassive was working on at one stage which wasn't up to scratch and Sony brand it back in house I was hoping we would see that on psvr2 eventually.
Personally I'd love to see some more love or acknowledgement of psvr2 from Sony in general it was a expensive headset and Sony barely acknowledge it's existence
The amount of work needed to remaster these games wouldn't be beneficial on a financial and business sense.. MGS4 would probably be the best bet as it would need the least amount of work!
The time is perfect for a resistance fall of man game campaign coop multiplayer
The resistance series is str8 trash to me. Socom 3 I would welcome. Or killzone MP.
Resistance was ok but Warhawk and Starhawk was better and kept me coming back for almost a decade of fun and petty revenge on the loud mouth unskilled players 🤣
Edit I loved capture the flag dropping the pot on the flag carrier was extremely satisfying as well as transforming your plane in bot form and stumping them to death 😱
An article looking at the symbolic meaning behind the cigarettes in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
Game creator Hideo Kojima is and probably will always be best-known for his creation and stewardship of the Metal Gear series at Konami, which since his departure has been more-or-less on permanent hiatus (don't mention Survive). In his almost three decades these games evolved to the point where they predicted certain problems of the information age (MGS 2), took aim at contemporary topics like Guantanamo Bay (MGS: Ground Zeroes), and ended on a profound sense of sadness about our species' inability to break the cycles of global conflict (MGS V).
It's not clear what sparked this reflection, but Kojima's been thinking about Metal Gear Solid 4, an entry that was (and unfortunately still remains) a PlayStation 3 exclusive. In that entry the player controls an aged Solid Snake in the year 2014, caught up in a civil war being fought between Private Military Companies (PMCs).
To this day, it's one of those games where I refuse to skip the cutscenes, no matter how many playthroughs I've done.
But if you ask me...MGS2 was bloody prophetic and has aged like fine wine. That game was blasted as the weakest entry, and yet it's so enduring. I replayed it some time last year and it was remarkable.
Heed not the lamentations of people that say that MGS2 is bad because of the Snake/Raiden bait and switch. Every MGS game has its own merits, and while most people consider 3 to be the best, they all shine equally in my opinion.
@sad
I would generally agree but with the exception of MGSV. It had truly excellent gameplay/combat, but dull and largely empty open world(s), and a narrative that is literally only half finished.
I really wish Kojima hadn't tried to go open world with MGS. It just wasn't right for the series. But I get it. He didn't want to make MG anymore but he wasn't allowed to make anything else. So he had to experiment within that franchise. Still, it was the wrong direction.
I have been thinking about this a lot, MGS2 being the weakest and getting blasted.
My conclusion, for some years now, it's my favorite game of the series.
Going from MGS1 to MGS2 was such a big leap, in graphics, mechanics, etc.
And now it's even more relevant for being 'bloody prophetic' as you stated.
Maybe dust of my vita and play it again...
It's a shame we never got a remaster of MGS4. The original game only rendered at 1024x768, and it ran anywhere from like 20fps to 60fps depending on the area. A remaster could have very easily cleaned up the visuals and performance. It's such a great game. I just want to play it again but in its best possible state.
I agree, but they did all sorts of tricks to make use of the ps3’s cell processor….they’d probably have to rebuild the game in order to make it run on another machine. And, if that involves remaking those cutscenes somehow, then itll never happen, unfortunately.
Nah. There have been plenty of remasters of PS3 games and they've turned out fine. It can be done.
War... war never changes. Or does it? The war has changed ...did it? The answer is no! Unless it is yes! No, of course it is! Is war! Yes! No! Yes?
He was always ahead with this series. MSG1 taught me about the importance of passing on our genes into future generations but in a responsible way, for they are bound to what we experienced in our lifetime. Sons of liberty taught me about global control and simulation runs to test society in a grand scale, the importance and dangers of control of information. MGS3 taught me about patriotism and how that can blind you into doing things you never would have otherwise, all for the sake of politicians who only see you as another pawn in their grand scheme of things. MSG4 taught me war is inevitable and always orchestrated because it's great for the economy. Soon simulation systems will start dictating who goes to war and why, all run through proxies. Privatization of military company are already here. We already started to see how a small group of elites dictates everything that happens. Nothing is done, nothing happens without strings being pulled.
All that was literally the themes and core story of each game, so not surprising he learned that from MGS. Metal Gear Solid 2 in particular is so relevant today, it was more than a decade ahead of its time and a work of genius. Kojima saw what the digital future was going to become when it was in its infancy. Even MGS 5 despite being unfinished and less of a traditional Metal Gear Solid game with regards to story, had a fair bit to say about language and control over it that is relevant today.
It's a highly acclaimed series for a reason, and one of my favourite.
I've watched my brother play the MGS games, but I only beat MGS1 myself on the PSP in 2014, and MGSV in 2016. I took the themes and plots as lore, tbh.. trying to piece together the story of MGS rather than relating them to our current times.
It's definitely social commentary, Eidolon. You should read the "themes and analysis" section of the Wikipedia page for MGS2: Sons of Liberty for a start! Game was heavy on this.
I'll take a look, thanks. Actually might pick up MGS2 again (PS Vita), It's been years since I last played. Might start a new game tbh.
MGS2 literally predicted digital manipulation of information that we see today all the way back in 2001. MGS2 became Zucc's playbook.
Yes back in 1998 when I was 13. Throughout the years more information has been shown on this subject matters, but go back to early 2000s and information wasn't as prominent. Kojima was ahead of the game
If it wasn't for the retconning of how FOXDIE works, including clunky scenes with Naomi and Liquid, MGS4 would be a perfect game. There are so many gameplay options. It felt like us PS3 owners got something truly unique and special.
Great read of a review. It's good to read reviews that are cohesive in nature and I enjoyed it. However, I must say the option to detail alot of the game and present a "Spoilers there-in" scenerio really does take away from the quality of the review as this one has a very nice quality to it.
I think a great review is one that can convey the general feel of how the game influenced the reviewer without detailing such intricate elements about the plot of the game.
The majority of people read reviews to help them decide weather or not the game in question is worth their gaming time. Your review seemed more for people who have already played the game and are viewing your review to decide if you got it right.
Reviews have to be informative without giving way significant elements of the game or else I feel they're kinda useless to the gamer who really wants to know if they should experience it; which is ofcourse the main reason for reviews in the first place I would think.
Great review though and I look forward to your other reviews.
Very nice review, although I would not have rated the gameplay anything above a 8.5. For me, there wasn't enough true interaction between player and the storyline for the gameplay to be 9.8. Also at times the aiming system and camera were a bit problematic. You mentioned that the game play was short and there were too many cut scenes yet you only deducted .2 for two short comings, which means with 7 or 8 simular short comings in the same category, you would probably still have rated game play above a 9.
Although I think you did a great job with your review, I would rate this game a 9 or 9.1 overall with a 10 only in the sound sub category. The graphics were nice, however not worthy of a 10. I guess for me a game needs pixar movie type graphics to be a 10, I just don't give 10's too easily.