[Timgt5]

Tim’s review of Metal Gear Solid 4

Hi, back with another take on blockbuster game title title: Metal Gear Solid 4, Guns of the Patriots. This is the fourth and last installment of the series to be directed by Hideo Kojima and the last to feature the series lead, Solid Snake. Does it live up to the hype?

Release Date: June 12, 2008
Type: Third person action/adventure
Genre: Military/Stealth/Sci-fi
Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Konami
Platform: Playstation Exclusive
Rating: Mature Violence, Rough Language, Crude Humor, Adult Storyline and Subplots

Highs: Spectacular Presentation, top notch graphics and sound effects, movie-worthy music score, Deep and engaging storyline, smooth controls, well designed game play, excellent voice acting and dialogue.

Lows: the occasional muddled texture here and there, lots of cinematic, not everyone’s cup of tea.

The Metal Gear Solid series has been for several years as one of the premier adventure titles on PS1 and PS2. The games are widely regarded for their painstaking attention to detail, excellent graphics, deep and engaging stories and first rate game play. Now we have the PS3 version, which is nothing short of a masterpiece.

The Story: Set a few years after the events in Metal Gear Solid 2,(the year 2014) the game lays out the story of how world conflict is carried forth. No longer do armies belong to nations, but rather privatized. Nations, businesses and even terrorists groups are fighting proxy wars by hiring out PMCs (Private Military Corporations) to wage war for them. Business is booming and these companies have become multinational conglomerates. Also war has evolved into a much more controlled event. Every soldier is tagged with nano-bots and monitored directly from the command center. All weapons are tagged and coded to the PMC that the soldier belongs too. It’s all very sinister stuff and very much likely to actually happen in the future. The largest of these companies Outer Heaven is controlled by Snake’s arch enemy: Liquid Ocelot. Liquid is planning to establish a major power base in the Middle East by launch a series of coup de tats throughout the region. Our hero Solid Snake is ostensibly sent into the region as a UN inspector to monitor PMC activity, his real mission is to assassinate Liquid Ocelot. As a result of the cloning process that led to his existence Snake is now suffering from the affects of accelerated aging (It also does not help that he chain smokes) this will be his final mission. Snake begins the hunt in the Middle East but goes to a number of locations throughout the world in his pursuit of Liquid. The plot is both deep and well presented and for the most part flows smoothly, though someone who has not played the prior games may have a bit of trouble following every aspect. There is a lot of interesting commentary about PTSD, and what it means to be a soldier. Kojima has really done his homework here. The game’s wonderfully directed cinematics move events smoothly. It’s an adept balancing act between cut scenes and game play, the execution of two elements is the best I have yet experienced in my 20 years as a gamer.

The Game Play: This is a third person combat game, which utilizes stealth elements. Those who have played this series will be quickly familiar with much of the mechanics, for those who have not, fear not the game play is fairly simple to learn. The player starts the game with a small amount of supplies, a couple of very basic weapons and battle armor that’s been enhanced for strength and is able to change its pigment to blend in with whatever Snake is standing next to, like a chameleon. As the game progresses Snake can acquire more weapons from neutralized soldiers. The weapons are trigger locked but Snake can get that corrected with the help of an arms merchant named Drebin. The “Drebin” store can be instantly accessed anytime during play. As you pick up excess guns you sell them to Drebin, who then will unlock one and give it back to you. Snake also comes equipped with a mini robot called the Metal Gear Mk II. MGM II can be used for recon and to transport ammo. In addition to gunplay Snake can utilize a variety of hand to hand moves know as CQC (close quarters combat) to disable enemies. Overall the mechanics and environment interactions are fluid and even though at first the game controls can overwhelm, they become second nature in less than hour or so. The game features four levels of difficulty, with lots of sub-goals. There is also an online component but I have not tried that one out yet.

Sights and Sounds: The production values are simply some of the best I have ever seen in a videogame. Character models are highly realistic; environments are expansive and extremely detailed (The best looking water effects yet) the texture modeling on people, buildings, vehicles and foliage is utterly fantastic and the sound effects in surround sound are phenomenal. The music score rivals some of the better action movies. The cut scenes are a marvel in themselves and since they are pulled from the game engine, they flow flawlessly into the game play itself. The whole thing feels “directed” rather than merely programmed. It has often been said that the PlayStation 3 would be about a truly cinematic gamming experience and this I believe is where it truly begins. Simply put, this game showcases just how powerful the PS3 can really be. The character lip sync is executed flawlessly. The voice cast led by David Hayter (Solid Snake) is well chosen, and each character is played with right tone, again a top drawer production rivaling anything produced by Pixar.. When these elements come together, you have what amounts to the closest that a videogame has ever come to feeling like a big budget Hollywood action thriller. I dare say that Hideo Kojima’s directorial skills could stand with that of a Spielberg, a Jackson or a Bay.

Kids Corner: This one is “M” rated so I would say not. Snake operates in live battlefields, so there is a lot of constant violence, some of it can be a bit graphic. The ‘boss’ characters can also be a bit disturbing to watch. The story also may be too adult and complex for most kids to follow. There is some rather “salty” language here as well and some crude humor which abounds with innuendo. Of course the main character chain smokes and in that sense he is not a good role model.

In Summary: MSG4 is Kojima’s last chance to show his prowess as a game director, and he has come through with a true tour de force. This title will garner a lot of awards and will be on most publication’s short list for game of the year honors. This title is simply grand in every aspect, if you have a PS3 and you like action gaming, close all this out, shut off your PC, go to your nearest retailer, BUY THIS!!! It will be unparalleled experience.

On one last note,

Just how good is this game? I let one of my Wii owning friends have a crack at this for a couple of hours, the next day he sold his Wii, and bought a PS3 MSG4 Bundle pack ( retail 499 includes the game and 80 gig hard drive) the next day. Yeah, it is THAT GOOD.

Here is a little video of the game:

enjoy

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permali...m31YDYE76E6TCP

If you have any questions about this or any other games for PS3, PS2 PS1 or Xbox 360 PM me. I will be happy to talk to you.

TJ