Review - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
PlayStation 3
2008
developed by Kojima Productions
published by Konami

Metal Gear Solid 4, hereafter referred to as MGS4, is the culmination of twenty years worth games starting with the original Metal Gear in 1987. The "Solid" series of Metal Gear games began with the release of Metal Gear Solid in 1998. MGS4 is a sequel in not only name but in story. The Metal Gear series relies heavily on the storylines from past games, and MGS4 is no exception. While the story may largely be impenetrable to new players, and even to some veterans in many parts, the gameplay and attention to detail create an experience that is spectacular.

Battling his way through the opening Middle Eastern area, Solid Snake, now aged and in pain, continues through South American Jungles, a European city, a memorable Alaskan island, and finally onto an enemy base that plays as the final stage. While MGS4 is definitely more run-and-gun and action friendly than previous games in the series, the game is still primarily a stealth game. Snake sneaks across the various stages eluding both human and robot guards with a wealth of moves and abilities that seem both fresh and completely natural. Snake can run, crouch, and crawl his way about and using his special camouflage suit he can blend into the surroundings. Metal Gear Solid series classics such as knocking to distract guards, leaving magazines and other items for the guards to look at, and the cardboard box return and supplement his various new abilities such as a tiny mechanical helper, a oil drum, and more. The control has been fine-tuned to the point that only a radical departure could fix the few remaining issues such as the still problematic targeting system and the difficulty keeping straight the sheer number of moves and abilities Snake has. The enemies are more intelligent than they have been in previous games and can be quite a challenge on the higher difficulty settings.

While not a free-form game in the same vein as Grand Theft Auto, MGS4 allows the player any number of ways to get through any given situation. Whether you want to use stealth and sneak your way through the game or if you wish to fight out almost every encounter there are various ways to do both options. Whether you kill the enemies or simply put them to sleep is also your choice, in fact in Metal Gear Solid tradition you can complete the entire game without killing a single enemy. The first two areas, the Middle East and South America, are best at displaying the multitude of choices the player has in tackling an area. In one of the few weaknesses of the game as you proceed further and further into the game the choices available to the player dwindle. That isn't to say that the later areas are not fun, but that the enjoyment of playing on your own terms gives way a bit as the story progresses, a product partly of the fact that the further into the story the few human enemies there are and the more machines and the machines can only be stealthily passed or destroyed as the sleeping ammunition so useful earlier falls to the wayside.

For those steeped in the storyline of Metal Gear, specifically the Metal Gear Solid series, the story does have many interesting twists and turns and Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear creator, is able to tie up almost every loose end in the entire series, which is no small feat considering the plots of previous games. The Metal Gear Solid series has long been criticized for the obscene length of cut scenes and dialog between the characters, and while MGS4 is not exception this reviewer found most of the exposition and cut scenes so interesting that it wasn't noticeable. While there are definite plot holes and a seeming Star Wars-prequel level of retcons, the plot stands up and can still please most of the obsessive fans of the series.

The graphics are spectacular and are truly a showcase for the PlayStation 3 hardware. The characters look fantastic and the environments are extremely well done. The attention to detail is unbelievable as areas within the same stages still feel unique and interesting. There is always something amazing around each new corner in MGS4. The voice acting is well done, as it should be after so many games in the series with the return cast. Of course, the voice acting can become a bit melodramatic now and then, but nothing that is out of character for the series. The music is also well done, though perhaps not as strong as previous games.

MGS4 walks a fine line between serious discussion of war, economics, genetics, and the future while still having puns, sexual innuendo, and toilet humor. This isn't out of the ordinary for the Metal Gear Solid series and the fact that much of the plot and characters are so bleak, broken, and serious is well balanced by the lighter side of the series. MGS4 has a copious amount of replay value as the story scenes are skippable and you can experiment in a multitude of ways with the gameplay. Items and weapons collected can transfer over from one playthrough to another and, in a series tradition, there are many secret items, weapons, and bonuses to unlock. Each subsequent playthrough will reveal more and more of the detail in the game and the nods and nostalgic throwbacks to previous games become more apparent. This is a game that is able to be almost completely fanservice, but still remain a compelling experience to those not steeped in the minutiae of everything Metal Gear.

Verdict: 5 stars out of 5.