MetalGearSolid_4ever

User Score
9.9

Presentation - 10
Gameplay - 9.9
Value - 9.9

12-06-2008

Twenty years after the original launch of "Metal Gear" on the MSX an epic franchise concluded on the date mentioned above, dawning a new era for the PlayStation 3 by the launch of, undoubtedly, its best exclusive game.

Metal Gear Solid 4 : Guns of the Patriots is one of the best games I have ever played. The final part of the franchise created by Hideo Kojima launched under the heavy anticipation of gamers worldwide who had waited for the installment of the series that would tie up all loose ends in the story line.

At a time where war is the basis of economy, PMCs play a major role in wars around the world. Liquid Snake is ordered to be taken down by Roy Campbell while Snake battles accelerated aging. The whereabouts of the Patriots remain a mystery as Snake, along with Otacon engage in their final mission, meeting some old friends and enemies along the way, including Meryl Silverburg, Raiden, Vamp and Naomi Hunter.

At the time of launch, Metal Gear Solid 4 had the best graphics ever to grace the PS3. Character models, animations and textures stand out, along with jaw dropping in-engine cut scenes. Although some of these cut scenes are rather lengthy, for the Metal Gear fan, its heavenly. For anyone else, it depends on whether you enjoy video-game stories or not. Either way, the story centered, cinematic experience presents itself to the gamer wonderfully. Along with some interactive button presses during cut scenes that reveal flash backs from previous games. My only gripe is that it strays away from the single setting nature of other MGS games. For example, MGS had Shadow Moses, MGS2 had the Big Shell and MGS3 in a Russian Jungle/Scientific Complex. However MGS4 takes you from the Middle East to South America to Europe to Shadow Moses and finally to a place that I won't mention because you have to see it yourself. It is not BAD, but it takes away some of the EPIC feel and sense of achievement that the previous games had.

For the stealth game fan, MGS4 is pure stealth heaven. If you like action games, MGS4 is for you. There is even a FPS shooting mode for you FPS junkies, although it feels a bit mechanical. The stealth sections rely on the use of the Octo-Camo which can change the colour of Solid Snake's suit, similiar to the camoflague of an Octupus. Sneaking upto enemy soldiers can pave the way for many possibilities. Knocking him out clear, using him as cover, body searching him for valuable items and or cutting his throat with a knife.If you have a CQC enabled weapon, you can beat the crap out of enemies. There is a threat ring around Snake showing any movement around him.

If an enemy spots you , they will go to Alert mode and will hunt you down. If you escape their line of site for a certain amount of time, Evasion mode kicks in, at that point, you are supposed to find a place to hide from the guards who actively search for you. Finally, Caution mode will kick in, making guards more suspicious of movements than normal. when you get through this phase it will be over. You can follow an aggressive policy and shoot everyone in sight when you get to alert mode and hide after the initial guards are killed. However this would raise Snake's stress levels, causing his aim to be less efficient.

There are hundreds of weapons, ranging from tranquilizer hand guns and Anti-Tank missles. After you meet Drebin in-game, you can earn  Drebin points by finding extra guns of the same type by selling them to him (happens automatically). Drebin points can be used to customize weapons and  unlock id tagged weapons. You get discounts on certain days (based on the day set on your PS3 console).

Early on in the game, Snake receives the Solid Eye and Metal Gear MkII from Otacon, which are extremely useful in game. The Solid Eye can reveal all vital statistics about enemies. With a press of a button, you can switch between IR mode, Normal mode and Binos. MKII can be used to scout out areas, shock enemies and pick up items.

Helping out the militia against the PMCs will be useful as they will fight with you against the PMCs and may reward you in return for you favour. The warzone environments in the first two chapters of the game are truly immersive, its a shame they are not present in the later levels.

The revamped controls feel much better and more user friendly.The in-game ipod lets you play the song tracks scattered around the world for you to discover. MGS4 replaces the good old card board box with and oil barrel. :-)

Along this rather lengthy (20 hours +) game, you will face a couple of adrenalin pumping boss battles with the Beauty and the Beast brigade, REX vs RAY epicness and a couple more that I refuse to spoil.

MGS4 rewards you with emblems based on your actions in-game, it would take quite a while to collect them all. The lack of trophy support is an issue, but you can't let that get in the way of experiencing the utter epicness of this game.

For the Metal Gear fan, this is a must buy. For the general Action game fan, this is a must buy. For the stealth game fan this is a must buy. For every PS3 owner, this is the game to own. Utter epic moments, such as the return to Shadow Moses, made me skip a heart beat. Most unanswered questions are answered in this part of the series.

One flaw of the game is the installation process. It takes about 15 minutes to get started and there are also installs between chapters. 4000 MB off your hard drive is the least sacrifice you can make for such an epic game.

After I ended my first play through of the game and watched the final cut scene, I was left in awe.

The credits rolled.

The final audio only conversation played out.

The game returned to the start screen.

One of the best franchises ever created ended.

A part of me died inside.