Metal Gear Solid 4
The PS3 is a very unlucky console. Most of its best games appear on the 360 too, which has the advantage of a superior online service and achievements. So it’s about time that the PS3 does get an exclusive, a good reason to buy the console besides the excellent blu-ray and DVD playback.
Let’s hope the PS3 follows the same pattern as the PS2, as that too has a lack of quality exclusives until a special title arrived, a Metal Gear Solid title.
And so we come to Metal Gear Solid 4. The final instalment of the Solid Snake saga. Now I’m not one for Soldier games but MGS has always been different, offering a level of silliness that is always welcome. MGS4 is no different. I was sceptical of the open areas with much fewer hiding spaces that was originally announced but my fears were dumbfounded.
I will never doubt Kojima again, MGS4 is awesome. However the title does have some very noticeable flaws.
Mainly the cut scenes. 90 minutes cut scenes have been quoted by some, which is a bit of an exaggeration. There are some that come near 50 minutes, but they are more combinations of cut scenes rather than individual ones. All are pause-able and most have the option to save in-between them which eases the pain. There are also first person views and flashbacks that offer some very limited interactivity with the scenes, so it’s not entirely just watching.
Because the cut scenes are long the game seems long but really it isn’t. All cut scenes are skip-able, but you’ll find if you do that there isn’t much game left. Perhaps this is a good thing as the MGS games are usually intended to be played through multiple times. Like Dead Rising, replaying a short game multiple times works better than a long game.
Also why is it, in games, when you need to follow someone, that person moves so slowly that you’re practically brought to a halt for most of the sequence? Unfortunately one of those parts features in the middle of the game.
I started with the negative’s first as despite the very nice visuals, decent soundtrack and good voice acting you expect from a MGS title, all the best bits are spoilers. So it makes praising the game very hard. If I was to give it a score based on my first play through I’d probably rate it a strong 7, weak 8 out of ten.
I’m going to list the parts I really enjoyed now and the reasons why the game is so awesome, which are all spoilers, so you can stop reading now if you don’t want the game spoilt. Let me just say it is a quality title, a must own, but not one which will be topping your top ten of all time anytime soon.
# ! # ! # ~~~ WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD ~~~ # ! # ! #
ACT 1 – The moment you get the drum was pretty funny. I like how you can check the inside of the drum as Snake, fearing the worst considering someone was trying to take a shit in it.
Also Drebin and the Monkey were awesome additions to the already impressive roster of characters. Some of the interactions between the monkey and the other characters were real highlights of the frequent visits throughout the game.
ACT 2 – Awesome Boss Battles have always been a staple of the Metal Gear Solid Series and 4 is no exception. In Act 2 you face your first BB (Beauty and the Beast) battle which is definitely one of the many highlights in the game. Laughing Octopus isn’t too hard to beat but the way she uses the environment to her advantage is inspired.
I really like how the BB’s were given both a demonic male voice and a delicate female voice emphasising the beauty being consumed by the beast. Good to see that the male voice is the same throughout the BB’s giving the Evil in the game a little unification. Also nice to see a return to the MGS bosses, Octopus, Raven, Wolf, Mantis and Liquid. The whole MGS repeating itself might be getting a little old for some people but this is explained at the end of the game (why the events in MGS seem to repeat).
ACT 3 – I hated this act personally but it started linking all the games together in a way that makes sense.
ACT 4 – My favourite act as it contained the best moments. It’s a return to shadow moses with the game frequently referring to the classic masterpiece. The codec conversation with Otacon as you enter the blast furnace made me laugh out loud with the whole disk swapping thing.
Then there’s the quick dream Snake has where you play the first little part of the original MGS in the old top down style. Good to see just how far the game has come over the last ten years.
Finally the battle between REX and RAY was a long time coming. Getting control of a Metal Gear and destroying the so called superior model was an absolute dream, and no doubt what every fan wanted.
ACT 5 – In this one you fight Screaming Mantis, which was the second best boss fight after the metal gear one. Purely because of the link to the Psycho Mantis fight in the first MGS. Changing the controller doesn’t work and I guarantee you will do that before you get told it doesn’t work.
Then after you beat the BB you have a cool scene with Psycho Mantis who tries to do the things he did in the first game. It’s as if the PS3 was made for MGS4, as opposed to the other way around, as he can’t “read your mind” as there’s no memory cards and he can’t move your pad because of the lack of Rumble.
Let’s hope the PS3 follows the same pattern as the PS2, as that too has a lack of quality exclusives until a special title arrived, a Metal Gear Solid title.
And so we come to Metal Gear Solid 4. The final instalment of the Solid Snake saga. Now I’m not one for Soldier games but MGS has always been different, offering a level of silliness that is always welcome. MGS4 is no different. I was sceptical of the open areas with much fewer hiding spaces that was originally announced but my fears were dumbfounded.
I will never doubt Kojima again, MGS4 is awesome. However the title does have some very noticeable flaws.
Mainly the cut scenes. 90 minutes cut scenes have been quoted by some, which is a bit of an exaggeration. There are some that come near 50 minutes, but they are more combinations of cut scenes rather than individual ones. All are pause-able and most have the option to save in-between them which eases the pain. There are also first person views and flashbacks that offer some very limited interactivity with the scenes, so it’s not entirely just watching.
Because the cut scenes are long the game seems long but really it isn’t. All cut scenes are skip-able, but you’ll find if you do that there isn’t much game left. Perhaps this is a good thing as the MGS games are usually intended to be played through multiple times. Like Dead Rising, replaying a short game multiple times works better than a long game.
Also why is it, in games, when you need to follow someone, that person moves so slowly that you’re practically brought to a halt for most of the sequence? Unfortunately one of those parts features in the middle of the game.
I started with the negative’s first as despite the very nice visuals, decent soundtrack and good voice acting you expect from a MGS title, all the best bits are spoilers. So it makes praising the game very hard. If I was to give it a score based on my first play through I’d probably rate it a strong 7, weak 8 out of ten.
I’m going to list the parts I really enjoyed now and the reasons why the game is so awesome, which are all spoilers, so you can stop reading now if you don’t want the game spoilt. Let me just say it is a quality title, a must own, but not one which will be topping your top ten of all time anytime soon.
# ! # ! # ~~~ WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD ~~~ # ! # ! #
ACT 1 – The moment you get the drum was pretty funny. I like how you can check the inside of the drum as Snake, fearing the worst considering someone was trying to take a shit in it.
Also Drebin and the Monkey were awesome additions to the already impressive roster of characters. Some of the interactions between the monkey and the other characters were real highlights of the frequent visits throughout the game.
ACT 2 – Awesome Boss Battles have always been a staple of the Metal Gear Solid Series and 4 is no exception. In Act 2 you face your first BB (Beauty and the Beast) battle which is definitely one of the many highlights in the game. Laughing Octopus isn’t too hard to beat but the way she uses the environment to her advantage is inspired.
I really like how the BB’s were given both a demonic male voice and a delicate female voice emphasising the beauty being consumed by the beast. Good to see that the male voice is the same throughout the BB’s giving the Evil in the game a little unification. Also nice to see a return to the MGS bosses, Octopus, Raven, Wolf, Mantis and Liquid. The whole MGS repeating itself might be getting a little old for some people but this is explained at the end of the game (why the events in MGS seem to repeat).
ACT 3 – I hated this act personally but it started linking all the games together in a way that makes sense.
ACT 4 – My favourite act as it contained the best moments. It’s a return to shadow moses with the game frequently referring to the classic masterpiece. The codec conversation with Otacon as you enter the blast furnace made me laugh out loud with the whole disk swapping thing.
Then there’s the quick dream Snake has where you play the first little part of the original MGS in the old top down style. Good to see just how far the game has come over the last ten years.
Finally the battle between REX and RAY was a long time coming. Getting control of a Metal Gear and destroying the so called superior model was an absolute dream, and no doubt what every fan wanted.
ACT 5 – In this one you fight Screaming Mantis, which was the second best boss fight after the metal gear one. Purely because of the link to the Psycho Mantis fight in the first MGS. Changing the controller doesn’t work and I guarantee you will do that before you get told it doesn’t work.
Then after you beat the BB you have a cool scene with Psycho Mantis who tries to do the things he did in the first game. It’s as if the PS3 was made for MGS4, as opposed to the other way around, as he can’t “read your mind” as there’s no memory cards and he can’t move your pad because of the lack of Rumble.
posted by Master hunter at 12:40 am
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