Official Site: http://www.konami.jp/mgs4/us/top.html
Source: Youtube Channel pythonselkan
Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: Playstation 3
Release Date: June 12, 2008
Genre: Action-Stealth
Pros:
-Incredible graphics, cinematics, animations, voice-overs, etc. Top-notch development.
-Much more player friendly camera control in-game
-Appeals to a larger audience than just the hardcore
-Definitive story that brings all the games in the series together
-A lot of small things that pleases those who have played past MGS games
Cons:
-Cut-scenes are notoriously long (which can be a problem for those who suddenly needs to go stop)
-The story can be convoluted and possibly boring to those who don't know the background
-The change to a more direct, semi-linear level design might disappoint fans
-Some puzzles can be devilishly frustrating and confusing
I don't think I would've been able to appreciate the game as much as I did if I hadn't played the previous installments in the Metal Gear Solid series. The whole story and premise of the world within Metal Gear Solid is brought together in this one game. There are so many references and ties back to the first three games that it rewards the player for playing them before hand in order to fully appreciate all the little things such as phrases, characters, events, gameplay re-enactments, and many more that they integrated into the game. Aside from an incredible story, the gameplay is completely changed around to bring out the best that the series has ever seen. Casual players will find entertainment, hardcore players are challenged, and fans will have some of the greatest moments in the series brought to them in one of the most engrossing Action-Stealth game on the Playstation 3. If you haven't gotten MGS4 yet, you can probably find one for $15 at a local game store. And even if you've never played any of the Metal Gear Solid games, you'll be able to enjoy some great action.
Story
One of the greatest elements in the Metal Gear Solid franchise is Kojima's knack for creating a crazy, far-out story that involves something really big, usually about life. MGS4 did seem to have that trend going throughout most of the game, but it was different in that the plot focused heavily on the characters throughout the past 4 games including this one. It would be a shame to dismiss everything told in the first three games in this one (which MGS3 was like for many fans), but it didn't. Instead, characters, events, and past questions are brought altogether to tell the story of each character, the history of each one, and their involvement in this entire series. Events and places within MGS 1 are revisted (literally at one point), characters are brought back once again from MGS2 to assist in the fight and deepen their story from after the ending, and secrets and plots are revealed from MGS3 to explain the manifestation of MGS4's premise. The game is cut up into 5 chapters with about 3 hours of gameplay and cinematic in each one. Throughout the game, dialogue, cinematics, and flashbacks push the story along while transitioning from one event to another. What really got enraptured by the whole tale is the ending. There wasn't a vague philosophical speech about our lives (though it was hinting at it), but it was about the characters and Snake (the main character). It really brought it home for MGS fans to see such a conclusive ending that really satisfied a lot of story telling that the first three didn't want to do. Perhaps on its own, the story would've been weak and confusing. But with prior knowledge of the first three MGS (and even those before it such as Metal Gear on NES and Gameboy), the story really brought everything together and made it worth while to have played the previous games as well as paying close attention to everything that is said and told in this one. The story totally captivated me. Story: 10/10
Graphics
I'm playing this game three years after its release, and I've gotta say that Kojima Productions really knew what they were doing in the development of the game's look. Honestly, the first thing that caught my attention was the ability to move the camera around freely. It made me so happy to be able to look around and ahead of myself in order to position myself more effectively. One of the difficulties in MGS 3 for me was that it was in the jungle (which made it difficult to spot enemies sometimes) and the camera was still stuck to the tradition of seeing everything overhead and not ahead which caused me to trigger a lot of alarms. So I was worried when I saw that the first place I started in MGS4 was a desert like color with enemies wearing uniforms of similar color. Aside from the camera, I was excited to see so many familiar faces in incredible detail and realism. Along with the much improved voice-overs, the characters were really brought to life. The environment is both visually appealing and game-friendly in that the player knows what is cover/an item/a trap/etc. The beautiful graphics made it acceptable and much more tolerable to watch the 30-minutes to 2 hours cinematics. Character's animations moved with purpose and the art style was realistic, but not so much that it would make all the absurdities of the game out of place. The player will go through enviornments of drastic differences such as forests, snow storms, indoor corridors, and even through live towns with a war being fought (in the beginning of the game). The visuals are a great leap from its PS2 counter-part and some of the best the PS3 has to offer. Graphics: 10/10
Audio
The voice-overs for MGS4 is much better than the first 3 installments of the game. Although they're the same voice-actors from past MGS games, they have a lot more feeling and emotion in them. I always found the voice-acting in the MGS series to be sorta awkward and I liked them for being funny in that way. But the quality in the voice-acting is much better in MGS4. You can feel tension and emotion being emitted from the character through the talents of the voice-actor, and it had a huge impact in creating the premise of the game's world. There's a lot of attention to detail in audio throughout the game such as shouting from the enemies and allies, sounds from certain directions, and objects in collision with projectiles all have their unique cue. For the music, I know I'm very harsh with it but I never found the music from MGS to be exceedingly incredible. I do like the music, but it's just that they feel very "movie-like" to me. Meaning, they create the atmosphere, but it doesn't quite stick with me at all. The greatest songs in the "Solid" series (not the originals) are the main theme from MGS2 and "Snake Eater" from MGS3. So near the end when you have that epic fight against liquid ocelot, it was really cool to have all the songs from the past 4 games cycle through (which Snake Eater being my favorite). It's not a really big problem, but the thing is that I don't find most of the music to be interesting enough to listen out of the game. It's understandable that the music as that "movie-like" sound to it since Harry Gregson-Williams (the composer) is a veteran film composer and has most of his experience in movie music, but it's not my favorite (definitely no offense to Mr. Gregson-Williams, I have high respects for him). One of the other cool features in the game is the ability to use an ipod (in-game ipod that is) to listen to music from past Metal Gear games (even the retro ones from the NES). Overall, the audio was top quality. Audio: 9/10
Gameplay
Metal Gear Solid 4 was probably the most entertaining one out of the series for me. Aside from a few confusing puzzles, the level designs were straight-forward, the controls made much more sense, and the concept of action-stealth felt more feasible. I felt a lot more freedom in being able to make decisions to rambo my way out of a situation or to carefully approach my targets. One function that was added to the game was the ability to "unlock" weapons and be able to purchase add-ons, ammunition, and items that would help along the way. I remember playing MGS3 and missing a lot of weapons and items which made the later part of the game much more difficult. MGS4 can definitely be challenging, but it felt much easier than MGS3 and perhaps even 2 and 1 since everything is much more accessible. Some fans might be upset that the game isn't as non-linear and open as it has been in the past, but I liked how I was able to get right to juicy part of the game without the "obstacles" (lack of health, confusing levels, no ammo, etc.) in the way. Aiming is a bit different and a bit similar to past MGS games. You can still go to first-person view (and be able to move in this one), but you will be in a 3rd-person perspective when aiming to shoot by default. So even for those who doesn't want to go through a stealth route can play the game much like a 3rd-Person shooter. There's still a lot of puzzles and places the player can crawl through, and there's even a special item the player can get if they don't kill a single enemy and don't trigger any alarms through the game. So stealth is still a viable option and a very necessary one at the higher difficulties. The new controls and improved aiming system truly made it an entertaining experience. Gameplay: 9/10
Overall
There wasn't any huge plot twists in the story, but there was always tension and the feeling of "what's gonna happen next?" The graphics is some of the best that I've played with on the PS3. The audio has been an improvement (though past ones were never that bad) so it furthers its quality. Although I knew there were going to be a lot of cinematics in the game, I didn't think I would enjoy the gameplay as much as I thought I would. I had so much fun with MGS4 that I plan on replaying it again very soon. While I do that, I'll be patiently (as eager as I am) waiting for Metal Gear Solid Rising to release. Overall: 9.5/10
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