Metal Gear Solid 4
Back on the TWC for a limited time it's VOP's reviews! *applause*
Alright guys so about a month or so ago I picked up a Playstation 3 for the first time and started playing through some of Sony's exclusive titles. By now I've knocked off Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted, Heavy Rain, inFamous, and Killzone 2. Now I know most of these games aren't anything new, some are even years old by now but they are new to me since I had never experienced them before a couple weeks ago. As such, I've decided to take this opportunity to release a series of reviews based around the aforementioned titles (and ones I have yet to finish). First up is the one I made sure to buy the same day I purchased my PS3: Metal Gear Solid 4...
Released in June 2008, Guns of the Patriots is the final chapter in not only our hero Snake's story but also director Hideo Kojima's. Unlike Sons of Liberty and Snake Eater though Kojima actually meant it this time and this is his final Metal Gear Solid game working as the driving force behind it. That being said Guns of the Patriots is a truly epic title from beginning to end.Metal Gear Solid 4:
Guns of the Patriots
Snake May Not Have Aged Well But...
Looking at Gun's of the Patriots you should notice one very large, impressive fact: for a game released over three years ago this title manages, graphically, to surpass even the most contemporary of titles being released on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. Konami's in-house engine must be some truly magnificent piece of technology to look this good this far down the road in an industry that is constantly improving and upgrading its visual performance. To further give praise where praise is due, the beauty of the game's graphics is equally matched by how well it works. Frame rate drops, delayed textures, clipping, anomalies, and other such annoyances are all but entirely absent (if they're even there to begin with). Environments, characters, items, weapons, and vehicles are masterfully created and bring an amazing amount of life to the world of Snake and "Tactical Espionage Action".
Tools of the Trade
If you've ever played a Metal Gear Solid game before then you more-or-less know what to expect out of the fourth installment. While the series boasts a tagline that makes it quite clear that this is a stealth-oriented title there's a surprising amount of support for the different ways in which to play. Snake has all the usual items and weapons at his disposal to keep things silent and efficient (camo, suppressed weapons, CQC, tranquilizers, etc) but he also has access to all his needs regarding a more uncouth nature. Guns of the Patriots easily boasts one of the largest weapon inventories of all the Metal Gear Solid titles. Snake has access to pistols, sub-machine guns, assault rifles, grenade launchers, anti-tank weapons, sniper rifles, and so on. Simply put, if it goes BOOM Snake can get his hands on it one way or another. In addition, Snake also has the option to customize most of these weapons - attaching everything from red dot sights and barrel mounted flashlights to foregrips and masterkeys (under-barrel shotguns). How you choose to customize and use Snake's weapons relies solely on how you wish to play the game. Obviously if you're going for a more kosher approach you won't end up using most of these things (outside of maybe boss battles) as a pistol and maybe an assault rifle or sub-machine each equipped with a suppressor should do the trick. However those who want to raise all sorts of hell and could care less about being sneaky can take comfort in knowing that the game's weapons and inventory system fully backs your choice to do so.
As far as how the game plays out it's much like the other Metal Gear Solid titles. You can expect large environments that will require Snake to sneak his way past enemies (or just kill them all) in order to get from point A to point B. How you choose to do so and what kind of path you take is entirely up to the player and as far as the game itself is concerned it doesn't matter either way. Guns of the Patriots also sports the usual string of epic boss battles which usually signify the end of an Act or level. Much as with the past games each boss is unique from the previous one and will have their own attacks, tricks, and specific ways in which to defeat them.
All in all, Guns of the Patriots' gameplay is on-par with what you would expect out of a Metal Gear Solid game: excellence.
War Never Changes - But the Toys Do!
As expected there are quite a few new additions to the gameplay and most are welcome. The camera has changed from an overhead view to the typical third-person shooter "over-the-shoulder". The new camera allows for the player to get a better idea of their surroundings which is especially helpful since most of Guns of the Patriots takes place in outdoor environments with plenty of wide open areas populated with enemies. Anyone who played Snake Eater can tell you that a top-down view provided quite a challenge in the outdoors as enemies that were located off-screen (and hidden from the player) could spot Snake fairly easily lest the player consistently went in and out of first-person view to check the environment for threats. The new camera also allows for a better shooting experience as it does not require changing to first-person to aim and fire your current weapon (though the option is certainly still there to do so). While the camera change may appear to provide evidence of Guns of the Patriots adhering to the mechanics of modern shooters rest assured that it actually makes things much easier and Snake can still be as stealthy as he wants to be.
There's also been a revamping of the camouflage system introduced in Snake Eater. Thankfully having to go in and out of the camo menu every time Snake crawled from high grass to dirt to rock is now replaced by an automatic system called "OctoCamo". Wearing this, Snake's new suit will automatically shift its camo pattern to match whatever the player is pressed against or laying on top of when Snake remains static for a few seconds.
Other new additions include:
The Solid Eye: a battery powered eye patch that when worn will outline and identify items, weapons, and enemies but also acts as NVGs, thermal goggles, binoculars, and provides a HUD map.
The Psyche Meter: a second meter aside from the usual Stress Meter, when the latter is depleted the Psyche meter will begin to dimish and affect Snake's ability to aim, will give him more frequent back pain (which causes him to grunt and reveal his location), and can cause him to pass out when he recieves damage.
The Metal Gear Mk.II: a small Metal Gear which camouflages itself and can be used by Snake to perform recon, stun enemies, and interact with the environment (aside from providing codec and in-game menu functionality).
The Drebin Menu: The character Drebin (and his soda drinking, cigarette loving hairless monkey...yes that's right) will act as Snake's own personal arms dealer throughout the entire game. By opening Drebin's menu the player has access to a shop that provides a vast array of weaponry, attachments, and items. Purchases in this shop are made with "Drebin Points" - a currency which Snake accumulates by picking up enemy weapons off the battlefield that get automatically sold to Drebin. Not all weapons are available to Snake at first though, most are, but quite a few require Snake to pay Drebin to make them accessible to him (the reason for which will be mentioned later). Furthermore, the cost of Drebin's wares will also depend on the battlefield which Snake finds himself. In many of the game's locations there will be two Private Military Companies (or PMCs) fighting one another. If the battlefield is especially volatile when you access the Drebin Menu prices will be higher; however if Snake decides to lend a hand and engage one of these PMCs prices will in turn be lower.
All of these new additions, the new camera, and the reworked camo system are extremely welcome in Guns of the Patriots.
So What's the Deal with the Old Guy?
In all likelihood one of the more challenging questions you could pose to a human being would be to ask what a Metal Gear Solid game is about. It wasn't easy trying to explain the events on Shadow Moses back in 1998 and it's still pretty tough to explain why Snake is now an old, wrinkling man now. And yet, I find myself trying to do so now so bear with me...
Snake is dying (no it's not a spoiler...)
Set nearly five years after the events of Sons of Liberty Snake experiences first-hand the unforeseen complications with being a clone of Big Boss: accelerated aging. Expected to live for only another year at best, Snake takes Roy Campbell's offer to embark on one last mission: the termination of Liquid. His mission will not be an easy one as the world in which Snake finds himself has changed dramatically over the last couple of years. The world economy now relies on perpetual warfare, particularly the establishment and use of Private Military Companies which now have come to outnumber government military forces.
As war itself changes so do the tools used to sustain it: PMC soliders are now outfitted with nanomachines that enhance their abilities and senses on the battlefield. The network used to control these nanomachines is called Sons of the Patriots - a system which regulates everything from soldier physical enhancements to if a weapon used by the soldiers can be discharged or not. It's this system, Sons of the Patriots, that Liquid hopes to hijack and use to carry out his own twisted agenda.
To stop Liquid, Snake travels to a series of vastly different locations ranging from the Middle East to Eastern Europe and even returns to Shadow Moses Island. Along the way many characters new and old make appearances to either help or hinder our grizzled hero.
Much like the rest of the series players can expect a deep, if not occasionally confusing, story and series of events which play out over numerous (and sometimes quite lengthy) codec conversations and cutscenes. Thankfully Kojima sticks to his typical level of quality so the cutscenes are like watching parts of a full fledged film and the acting is spot on.
In relation to the story of the game in its entirety players can expect Kojima to pull out all the stops. As this is Kojima's last Metal Gear Solid game this is the end of Snake's story. Snake, his friends, and his foes will experience love, loss, betrayal, death, and even happiness. Overall the story of Guns of the Patriots is quite an epic one and will not only bring sufficient closure to fans who have stuck with the series since the late '90s but the events which play out will remain engrained in your mind for some time.
The End of an Era
Guns of the Patriots is easily one of the best Metal Gear Solid games and is entirely worthy of all the critical acclaim and awards which it has received. Kojima seems to have made sure that his, and Snake's, last run was one of near perfection. In all honesty this is one of the hardest games I've ever chosen to review because of how good it is. If you're a fan of the Metal Gear Solid series and have not played this game do so - you're severely missing out. Even if it means going out and buying a PS3. If you're not a MGS fan and have not had the pleasure of playing the previous titles I strongly suggest that you go back and at least start with Sons of Liberty (or Metal Gear Solid if you can find a copy and have something that can run a PS1 game). Starting at Guns of the Patriots will in all likelihood cause your brain to explode due to you being incredibly behind in terms of the story and gameplay.
RATING: 10/10
Originally Posted by beckyolt
cares if it had 5-6 discs? If you can't stand up and change DVD's every like 5 hours you're in a serious situation sir. 
