Metal Gear Solid: Guns of The Patriots Callan5 Review - 10/10
SPOILER ALERT
Since PS3 launch last year on March 23 (November for the U.S), patient PS3er's have been waiting for that time, the time to show off a PS3 exclusive to the console competition, to unleash a game specifically designed for PS3 technology that would squash all critic/gaming journalist, claims who doubted the system and its graphical capabilities, a game that would literally crush any console game to date. Sure, Uncharted Drakes Fortune had a decent stab at the *PS3 exclusive to own* category, but this was only for a very short temporary time until the inevitable was on the rise, the inevitable being none other than Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots.
Even before the PS3 console was released, the only game on everyones mind was MGS4, MGS4 is the VERY reason to own a PS3 console. Everything was asked and pondered upon regarding the games outcome including comments such as these: How amazing it will be, Snakes final mission, Hideo Kojimas last title, will it be the end of gaming, is it going to be the greatest game of all time, the best video game in gaming history, will it live up to the monstrosity like hype it has build for itself? Gamers were nervous, excited, eager, happy, scared, sad. Nervous because the game could either be critically and commercially successful, excited because its the biggest concluding plot in Snakes saga, eager because the wait for Hideo's epic rich layered beast is on its way to a next generation console, happy because its simply another MGS inclusion into the world beating series, scared because of the very feint possibility of MGS4 failing taking the PS3 down with it, and sad because its Snakes last mission, thats right, the series comes to an end, it all concludes with MGS4, the plot twists explained, the characters further explored, and the ties from the many story aspects finally bind together resulting in every detail piecing itself together revealing absolutely EVERYTHING there is to ever know about Metal Gear Solid. The PS3's moment has arrived and its game, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots is now finally released. Next gen starts now, PS3's time is now, and now is its time to shine and show off what it is capable of, just watch the opening cut scene of MGS4, and you will know just how staggeringly beautiful PS3 visuals can be, and just how utterly jaw droppingly flawless MGS4 is as a video game.
MGS4, Solid Snake, is pretty much the definition of Sony's black beast, when you think of Playstation, you think of Metal Gear Solid, when you think of Playstation 3, you think of MGS4, simple as that. Not only is MGS4 the best game to come out on PS3, but its almost a savior exclusive,a game that saves the PS3 console from potential downfall. This epic, enormously cut scene driven game could sell PS3's by itself, it can shift units, millions of them. Why? There are a number of reasons why: the cutting edge, super enhanced visuals, the unforgettable masterful cinematic action packed set pieces, the steller cast of amazing characters, the mind blowingly puzzling yet captivating storyline, the weapons, the atmosphere, the perfect audio, the crazy secrets/extras that master Kojima implemented himself. MGS4 has everything going for it, it also has everything to lose if it fails, its the heart and soul of PS3's future as a console and im proud to say that its lofty, millions worth ambitions have been reached with staggering success. MGS4 is a reality.
The PS3 was facing some dark times, in its early empty days, everything looked dim, big games were getting delays (Killzone 2, Tekken 6, Heavy Rain), game releases were held back due to difficult programming from PS3's hardware, the low sales figures were hurting, the lifeless launch, the loss of exclusives (Assassins Creed, Devil May Cry 4), the cruel rumors that had hearts in mouths, (possible porting of Final Fantasy XIII and MGS4 to 360), the promising exclusives that flopped big time (Lair, Haze) and the recent cannings of possible big budget sony king hits, The Getaway 3 and Eight Days, the frightening truth at that time was looking like PS3 fading away, dieing out, failing, like Sega's Dreamcast. Excluding Blu Ray and the odd big titles ( Uncharted, Resistance, GTA IV), MGS4 has literally saved the PS3 console from potential death.
MGS4 even puts GTA IV in its place...in fact, i'd consider Snakes final mission as a far better gaming experience offering more "WOW, OMFG I cant believe i just saw that happen before my very eyes" moments, unbeatable graphics and sound, mesmerising cast of heroes and villians, and adrenaline, heart pumping lone soldier action that makes Kojima's Solid Snake conclusion the ultimate premium slice of stealth action espionage gaming. It is undoubted genius, and once you play through the entire game, you will begin to soon realise why this game will never see the light of day on any console except PS3, big thanks to Blu Ray, which MGS4 eats a massive 50gig of!
It is a gigantic artistic triumph, expanding depths of video game storytelling to unreachable heights, cut scenes that would match most big budget films, voice acting that betters those of movies and awe inspiring, action crammed gameplay that brims with Kojimas gaming vision, attention to detail and art form for video games as a medium. Essentially, MGS4 is the same, superbly scripted, contentious masterpiece that ONLY Kojima can achieve with his Everas high expectations, sheer class development touch, unparralled creativity and state of the art finishing execution. Its as if he enjoys toying with the gaming industry with his sheer design brilliance and effort to pull it all off. What we gamers are left with, is a breathlessly epic, stunningly crafted work of art, a final journey with super agent Solid Snake that will leave you utterly stunned, surprised, amazed, moved, breathless, emotional and heart poundingly excited. Kojimas lovingly created stealth behemoth concludes with MGS4, and by the time the final credits of Snakes legendary legacy have ended for good, you will question how often a game of MGS4's calibre will ever be created again, it truly is beyond words how masterful this game is. The final judgement: MGS4 is the greatest gaming achievement of all time, period.
Before starting up Kojimas monster, you will be forced to wait for an 8 minute install time, MGS4 is so big that there is an install before each act begins. Another dead give away to this being a massive heavily Blu Ray influenced title is the blu ray quality commercials at the beginning of the game, you can switch the channel viewing these amazing commercials, my fave being the robotic pray mantis chasing a man on a motorbike and the airborne sword fight between two futuristic female warriors is a pure diamond in Blu Ray quality. There is also the odd joke regarding 360's dual layer and required disc space.
Look back at Playstations archive, and Solid Snake/Hideo Kojima have always been the startling icons, the sole reason gamers invest in the Sony console. The gold MGS moments start flooding back when you ponder back at Hideos line of work with Snake and Co. Solid Snakes first introduction to the gaming world was a solo assault on Shadow Moses, a snow caked facility based in Alaska amidst sub zero waters and frozen glaciers, the mind boggling boss battle with Psycho Mantis (which forced the gamer to unplug the controller from port 1 to port 2 in order to read Mantis's mind), the massive battle with Metal Gear Rex, the ever evolving plot of the DNA/Clone/eggs of the Snake family, Solid Snake, his brother, Liquid Snake and Big Boss *whose remains were wanted by FOXHOUND* What happened to Big Boss in Zanzibar? What is the Les Enfant Terribles? Outer Heaven? Whats the deal with Snakes nanomachines? The genome soldiers? Naomi's FOXDIE program? All the answers are in MGS4.
In 2002 a year after PS2's launch, came along MGS2, the highly anticipated stealth title sequel of MGS, started on a Russian ship amidst Manhatten during a rain storm which showed us the unveiling of the new Metal Gear, Ray. We were then introduced to a new character, Raiden, a foppish blonde headed limp wristed kid with thighs like J-Lo (who wasnt well recieved by fans) Raidens mission took place on the Big Shell, an oil rig facility in the middle of the ocean consisting of struts. MGS2 came to an end, leaving many questions unanswered, Where is Ocelot? Who are the The Patriots? What is the La-Li-Lu-Lei-Lou? The S3 project? Arsenal Gear? GW? Again, all this will become clear furing MGS4. Finally, MGS3 Snake Eater was outed for PS2 in 2005, but instead of being a fresh continuation of MGS2, MGS3 was a prequel, which gave fans inside info on how it all began, introducing an earlier cast of characters, some which play apart in MGS4 (Eva in particular).
The current storyline of the legendary hero is indeed masterfully portrayed, Hideo's storytelling is at breaking point with MGS4. You will most likely be fairly puzzled with everything to begin with, but as you progress through the 5 lengthy acts in Snakes globe trotting journey, all the loose ends from previous games will begin to make sense and all the past scenarios and recent events will begin to come clear. MGS4 is going on 5 years past the events of Big Shell (MGS2), the story line is heavily to do with the military PMC's fighting the constant proxy wars that are occuring throughout the world, from the Middle East and so on. Liquid Ocelot is the big key figure here though, he has complete control over the SOP (Sons of Patriots) with the SOP in Ocelots possession, this enables him not only to amass an elite army of his own capable of taking out any American super power/military, but to launch an insurrection putting the entire world at threat and through crisis. This is when Old Snake comes into the fray (complete with his grey mullet, mow and cig). Roy Campbell deploys Snake into the dusty desert terrain of the Middle East during a warzone battle between rebel mercenaries and Ocelots elite. The goal here for Guns of The Patriots is simple: Eliminate Liquid Ocelot once and for all.
One of the shining beacons for any MGS game has always been the cast of characters, and MGS4 is no exception. Majority of them are returning characters from previous MGS games, but their are also some new faces in here too.
Old Snake (Solid Snake) - The man, the super enhanced bad ass agent, the legendary hero himself, Snake. The one man army is back, but is looking much older these days due to accelerated ageing. He still equips his cig, and his mullet and bandana still flow in the wind, and thanks to David Hayter, his gravel throat Smoke-a-pack-a-day vocal is back. But is our ageing soldier's body reaching its limit due to Naomi's injection from way back?
Otacon (Hal Emmerich) - The Japanese anime loving lab geek Otacon (Otaku Convention) assists Snake on his final mission. The creater of Metal Gear Rex wants to put a stop to the death mobile he created. Thanks to Otacons creation of the MK II (a cutesy robot on wheels complete with camera, flip monitor and camouflage ability), he makes Snakes mission that much more easy. Many fans will remember Otacon from pissing his pants from the Cyborg Ninja back in MGS, having a relationship with Sniper Wolf and sobbing over the death of his geeky, yet cute sister, Emma Emmerich (E.E)
Roy Campbell (Colonel) - the old war horse that assisted Snake way back in Shadow Moses returns as the codec buddy * Now married to Rose* He may have been a simulation in MGS2, but this time in MGS4, he is Snakes helping hand and connection from the U.S. Besides, his neice Meryl is involved in the story.
Mei Ling - The cute Japanese tech head and creator of Snakes Soliton Radar System returns as a fleet captain, she takes part in Snakes return to Shadow Moses Island.
Rosemary Smith - A smart, sexy, intelligent, interllectual woman, she had a relationship with Raiden (Jack) in MGS2 *Thanks to the frequent codec romance* But is now happily married to Roy Campbell. Rose assists Snake via codec and gives him advice regarding his stress levels and psyche frequency.
Raiden - The blonde feminine looking exoskeleton ninja. Raiden is a much more cooler character in MGS4. The stylish battle with Vamp and the acrobatic moves pulled off against the Gekko's are simply insane. Breakdancing on his own kitana, slicing Gekko mechs legs clean off and cartwheeling all over the place. He now shares a similar style to Grey Fox (Frank Jaeger) from MGS.
Sunny - Olga's daughter, a cheery, intelligent, computer knowledged girl who not only assists Snake in hacking data, but also likes to cook eggs. Her duck clock will get on your nerves at times though i can imagine.
Naomi Hunter - The incredibly beautiful, sexy and somewhat seducing scientist Naomi returns, shes the creator of FOXDIE, her injection is the reason Snake is slowly dieing. She lost her brother, Frank Jaeger years ago, and seems to want Snake dead. She sides with Ocelot and Vamp, betraying Snake once again it seems.
Big Mama (Eva) - Big Mama aka Eva from MGS3, is Snakes mother. She is still the same old motorcycle loving lady we all know and love, only she is much older. Snake meets up with her in London.
Liquid Ocelot - The most hated villian in the Metal Gear Solid universe, the silver headed Russian with the forked tongue and love for revolvers, with Liquids arm now apart of him and in charge of SOP, Ocelot is the figure head behind this final chapter, the owner of GW, and the Patriots. He killed Armstech presient, Baker in MGS, betrayed Solidus in MGS2, and we saw him at his youthful brazen cruelest in MGS3. He is MGS's soul villian.
Vamp - The knive licking, blood drinking, bearded dagger wizard freak, Vamp returns as one of Ocelots companions. Many consider him as an immortal blood sucking vampire and many want him dead (particular Otacon due to Vamp killing his sister, E.E) Vamp battles Raiden a few times during MGS4 in some of the most breathtakingly stylishly brutal fights ever leveraged from a video game.
Drebin - The Wesley Snipes alike Gun Launderer, when Drebin isnt drinking Cola from an ice bucket or hanging around with his pet monkey he is stalking Snake in his Armoured vehicle looking for guns to launder, PMC weapons to unlock and Drebin points to purchase. Always ending his convo with his trusty motto "Eye Have You"
Rat Patrol - (The new FOXHOUND)
Meryl Silverburgh - The spunky, red headed female commando from MGS, and the hot neice of Roy Campbell. Meryl is now the brave commander of Rat Patrol and still has love/feelings for Snake.
Johnny (Akiba) - The young, scared member of Rat Patrol. Akiba not only literally s***s his pants during battle but is also very nervous when the going gets tough.
Ed - A black baldy American marine, his tatooed arms, fearless attitude and brotherly friendship with Jonathon makes him a tough reliable member of Rat Patrol.
Jonathon - A mohawk giant, Jonathon isnt afraid of a few bullets piercing through his flesh and stands out as the big guy, the giant in the Rat Patrol.
Beauty and The Beast Corps - First it was the FOXHOUND folk, then Dead Cell and then the Cobra Unit, now prepare for yet another insane bunch of villians to fight against in MGS4, The B&B unit are four female super soldiers, all of whom suffer from stress disorder and have been tormented by the hells of war, resulting in them becoming war machines, walking death bringers. These demented babes robot armour represents their beast and within that armour lies their beauty. Each member is rendered as real life super models and voice acted by models. That is right, the B&B members are all sexy drop dead gorgeous babes that want Snake dead. Once you beat the beast form, you then have to fight their beauty form, which has them stripped of their gear.
Beast Form
Beauty Form
Laughing Octopus - The first metal clad freak you fight is Laughing Octopus, not only his she frighteningly scary in battle, she also has some nasty little surprises, wether it be camouflaging into the scenery, mimmicing objects within the environment, crushing the life out of you with her tentacles or impersonating Naomi and even the MK II robot. The way she eerily giggles, braying for Snakes death and the way she levitates around the corridors is just downright demented.
Beast Form
Beauty Form
Raging Raven - The winged witch that takes her fights through the skies, you encounter her during the hectic chase scene through the London backstreets and fight her in a crumbling old castle structure. Not only will she try and rocket launcher your ass, she will also hover around the windows, hunting her prey like an eagle.
Beast Form
Beauty Form
Crying Wolf - A massive metallic mech dog that gallops around like a doberman. This beast hunts you down during a blizzard storm within the woods, her distant cries can be heard in the distant and if you're not to careful, she will trample Snake to death if he is oblivious of her location.
Beast Form
Beauty Form
Screaming Mantis - This floating female freakshow is like a female Mantis, those dangling stringed up voodoo dolls can do bad things to Snake, she is a mind reader, she can manipulate your movements and mind predict your actions. Wether its bringing the dead back to life, controlling Meryls mind, crushing your bones with her telekinesis capabilities and generally just warping Snakes brain. She is absolutely insane, a mind menacing nightmare that takes patience to kill.
Now for the gameplay mechanics, in general, MGS4 is the same beast you have played before, in its core, its still MGS, but with a plethora of gameplay additions that add to the already intense gaming experience. Its the same MGS you have come to know and love, and prepare to love it even more, because there has been some superb enhancements to an already near faultless game design. The big eye gouger advancement in my opinion would have to be OctoCamo, a new advanced camouflaging bodysuit that Snake wears. This attire allows Snake to adjust to any environment, that is right. Just lie Snake face down, stay still, and he's suit will change to the exact colour/pattern/terrain form as the floor he is lying on. It is incredible. Crawl on a white cracked tiled floor, and Snakes Camo will turn to white, cracked tiled camo, lie on some desert rockey road or a checkered floor, and Snake's body will adapt perfectly to the environment pattern making him nearly invisible to the naked eye.
The same method applies to when Snake is leaning against a wall, tap the wall to alert a nearby guard, then just let your skin suit transform into the exact form of the wall you're leaning against, not only will you blend in perfectly and adjust to the colour/pattern of the wall surface, but the guards will not spot you unless your camo percentage is below 75% visibility. I spent literally hours just crawling all over the place watching my motion camo switch to the matching environment. It is absolutely genius and it just nuts to play around with, mainly because its so simple to do, besides, you wouldnt want to mimic the environment? The OctoCamo feature also acts as an escape route to avoid situations. Of course there are other ways of escape tools, such as the goold old *hide under a cardboard box* feature.
Thermal goggles and nightvision goggles are now a thing of the past in MGS4, no more hunting down floating boxes. Snakes snazzy new gizmo, the Solid Eye does it all for him vision-wise. The Solid Eye is like a super advanced eye patch that has 3 visions, ranging from bino, *binoculars with zoom in,out function* N.V.G *night vision* and normal *ordinary vision mode with radar and map capability. Be aware however that if you leave the Solid Eye equipped for too long, its battery will go low, unequip it and it will gradually recharge again.
The big gameplay advancement/improvement would also apply to Otacons MK II, this little rolly mech drone can be an utter joy to act. Lie Snake down in a safe place, then equip the MK II, that is right, you can control Otacons crazy little gadget, wether it be to scout out distant areas, to create diversions, or just to have fun in, by fun i mean using stealth camouflage making yourself invisible to guards cone of vision or just tapping on walls with the Mk II's inbuilt wire. I had an absolute ball of a time just racing this little guy around the area, under vents and just taking the guards on a wild goose chase. Its endless fun and the options at your disposal means their is plenty of replay value use in this solo gaming mechanic alone. This robotic metallic sidekick even acts as Snakes codec device, it also acts as a hub for alot of concepts, including Drebins gun shop,options menu and so on.
Finally, their is the new implemented stress/psyche feature. This acts similar to Snakes stamina in MGS3 Snake Eater, where had to hunt food to survive. This stress/psyche gauge gives the player on how Snake is feeling during the battlefield. if he is taking heavy resistance from PMC's or is in an alert phase, his stress level can reach 80%, if this happens, it can affect Snake in many ways, such as stamina, health and gun accuracy *aiming a sniper rifle will be very shakey and unsteady if Snakes stress level is high* Maintaining the right balance is difficult to maintain at times but this gives the player a real life sense of actually being involved in the horrors of a battlefield. Hideo Kojima has done a flawless job of giving us that realistic feel, which really adds to the atmosphere of the game.
Those of you who are fond of the old MGS gaming approach can breath deep also, everything you loved about the action before remains intact. Wether it be throwing a chaff grenade to disable any electronic device blocking your path, lobbing a stun grenade to sneak past a certain guard or perhaps its leaning against a wall, tapping it alerting the guards only to run away and hide in a locker, you can even rocket launcher air bound choppers out of the sky. The gameplay is so large and varied in options for approach, we as gamers almost feel spoilt for choice. CQC (Close Quarters Combat) also makes a return, you will adore some of the techniques Snake can pull off. Sneaking up behind an unsuspecting guard, tearing his throat open with your blade and stowing his lifeless carcass away in a locker, or grabbing a foe from behind and slamming them into the dirt. Are you low on rations and items? Sneak up behind an enemy, aim your gun in FPS view mode to take him hostage, he will shake, dropping boxes of toil that you require, job done, stick a tranquiliser dart in his neck, and while he is catching some Z's, make your escape. Snake even has some new tactics to pull off this time around, lie Snake down in a crawling position, tap the action button he will roll over onto his back whilst aiming his pistol at the enemy, if that doesnt satisfy your commando needs, then you can grab a guard and hold them in a judo style chokehold using them as a shield against enemy gunfire. Legendary Solid Snake espionage action right there, and you will simply never tire of it, in fact you will appreciate it to the fullest.
AI are far more intelligent and advanced this time around, if you're spotted, the old *explanation mark above the head* will appear, the scene will go into an Alert, Caution status phase, patrols of guards will arrive, flanking your position, blasting lockers, looking under beds, using teamwork and communication in order to capture and kill off Snake. They will call for backup if you have taken a few too many of them down, but if you shoot their radio out in time, that backup plan will become a plan B for the AI. New enemies are a big reason to why an improvement in enemy AI is so noticeable in MGS4. First of all, we have the Gekko's, lizard legged mech robots that gallop around making wild turkey sounds. During one scene in the sun soaked desert ruins of the Middle East i hid upstairs behind cover, the mech Gekko saw me go up there, however this area is too small for a Gekko to fit through, so what happened? I escaped and got a second chance right? Wrong! The Gekko mech's meaty legs transformed into arms, and it climbed up into my building sticking its head in my vision shooting at my hiding spot, it couldnt hit me with its shower of pellets, but instead of the Gekko giving up the chase, an inbuilt wire births from its inside and lobs a grenade into my small hiding spot. The result? Snake face down, dead on the floor. I had lost and the Gekko had won, this wasnt due to skill, this was pure design brilliance, perfect AI. The AI is so advanced at times it seems scarily life like. In fact, no game can match MGS4's AI, it is as simple as that.
Gekko's arent the only new addition to MGS4, you will also encounter the FROGS, *female leather clad ninjas*, these futuristic she-cyborgs are tougher than they sound. Not only are they fast movers but you will have a hell of a time trying to take them out as these FROGS can leap up walls, crawl across ceilings and flip around the area. During one part of the game, Snake has to track down Naomi, via tracking her footprints in the sand and her stripped clothing *bra, high heels, scarf etc*. During this scenario, i was spotted by a nearby FROG ninja, it took me atleast 5 minutes to escape the evasion phase. I got Snake to lie down in some long grass thinking i had avoided possible death, until i noticed the distant grass blades being trampled down by oncoming FROG's, using OctoCamo, i thought they slipped past me, until one of them stomped on Snake and discovered him. Resulting in the game over screen and Otacons cries of "SNAAAAKE!!!!!". Again, it was my own fault i got caught, it isnt a design flaw, its pure genius AI in motion, these guys are programmed to perfection, they're smart and if you're found, its simply because you as the player has made a wrong decision, forcing you to rethink your secondary tactic and way of approach. Going in all gun-ho isnt the way to go, for example trying to run past a GEKKO will either result in Snake being stomped into the ground or kicked aside soccer style. The AI isnt that kind.
The controls and camera angles have been giving a worthwhile make over as well, no longer do we have to get used to the top view camera angle. Snake now has a choice of an over the shoulder view, similar to Res Evil 4, and a FPS perspective making shooting distant guards much easier. Some die hard MGS fans may miss the departure of the good old fashioned helicopter view, but even veterans of the series will feel very comfortable with the angles on offer here. I personally think they match the Solid Snake experience perfectly.
Then we have the weapons, Hideo and the guys at Konami labs obviously love their arsenal. Their is atleast 20 weapons to play with here in MGS4. Ranging from a variety of rocket launchers, custom M4 machine guns, AK rifles, 12 gauge shotguns, SOCOM pistols, volt spitting railguns, stun grenades, petrol bombs, C4 explosives, claymore mines and so on. The greatest addition to weaponry is the ability to customise your gats, the gun detail is staggering, everything from the muzzle tip of your rifle, the silencer wear and tear, and light scope add ons can be customised to fit your needs, resulting in a custom made weapon to be proud of.
When we think about memorable gaming moments, Snakes final chapter is an absolute highlight reel, there is an abundance of showcase movie esque style sequences that will make you cry with joy. The fight with Raiden and Vamp is Matrix style spectacular, the motion capture in this battle alone is remarkable, Raiden breakdancing on his kitana, Vamp's stylish crushing trample dance on Raidens body, think thats far fetched? Just wait until you see Raiden carving Gekko's legs in half with his boot blade. It is an absolute pure show off moment on Konami's part and is on equal terms with most action movies. It is special indeed, an epic brutal ballet of blood, style, kitanas, and life like motion capture. Want more breathtaking action? Maybe Snake and Meryl's rat patrol being hunted down by FROG ninjas in a deserted building, or a full on assault on an old South American mansion? Perhaps its the nostalgic revisit of Shadow Moses *Psone style visuals to boot*, the breathtaking one on one mech battle between Metal Gear Rex and Metal Gear Ray? * Thats right, you get to control Metal Gear Rex!!!* Want a change of pace? Nothing is portrayed better than in Act 3, where Snake is walking around the quiet, rainy, back alley London streets at night during a rain storm, shadowing a Russian VIP, not only do you have to avoid being seen but you also have to dodge any patrolling armoured vehicles doing the rounds as you crawl past road blocks and sneak under the dim street lights staying out of harms way. Want something more hectic? Act 1 can offer you non stop frantic fracas straight up as Snake is stranded in the middle of a desolate desert based battlefield trapped between an endless gunfight war between Ocelots army and Arabian soldiers as well as trampling GEKKO's that are snooping about the dusty roads. But the big gaming moment that does it for me in MGS4 is the motorcycle chase scene with Big Mama in Act 3. This is, without hesitation, the most stunningly movie-like action sequence ever witnessed in any video game to ever grace earth. Picture the scene, Snake on the back of Big Mama's motorbike going at breakneck speed through the narrow London streets at night, being tailed by Russians on motorcycles and GEKKO's trying to ram you off the road as you try and protect the van in front of you..it gets better though, add huge stylish car stunts, FROG's jumping on top of moving vehicles and you have what i seriously believe is the most cutting edge atmospheric cinematic ever to be seen. You could almost mistake this entire energy inducing chase for an action film, until the chase comes to a halt under the London bridge over a still river, it looks UN-F***ING-BELIEVABLE, and that is putting it lightly. And dont get me started on the finla boss fight with Ocelot, this battle goes through four fight sequences, long amazingly stunning story short, final fights dont get any better. If you wanted an exhilirating unforgettable final fisticuff with Ocelot, your wish has been granted, probably even exceeding your own expectations of just how brilliant the last battle is.
Like previous MGS games, Mr Kojima has always been known to throw in the good laugh, secret and extra within MGS's game world. The best secert is the ability to view MGS flashbacks during cut scenes which helps refresh your memory on past MGS events. On the joke side of things expect to see photo like posters of Japanese models scattered about the area, playboy magazines to plant in front of guards, the odd enemy pissing over the jetti into the riverstream below and their is the odd comedy cut scene here in there *Akiba dumping his pants during a battle comes to mind* and of course there is...the digital cam and codec perv camera angles *Rose's breasts and Naomi's legs play a big role in this feature* The digi cam is best used when fighting the Beauty & The Beast Corp members, take a snap shot of each one in their beauty form and you will get the odd pose or two. Whats even more humerous is the variety of ways the B&B members can kill Snake, if you lie Snake face down, the Beauty member will either crawl towards Snake and touch him *burning him in the process*, casually stamp all over his body, or kneel on top of Snake kissing and stroking him, as your health guage depletes, if you want Kojima quirkiness, you have it in spades with MGS4, it only gets weirder from there.
On the replay value side, MGS4 is an ever lasting beast. Thanks the the large variety of ways of approaching a situation or dealing with an enemy. The big time eater can be found in Metal Gear Online mode, which has you taking your customised grunt across the battlefield fighting against other custom made troopers from around the world, add Solid Snake tactics and MGS mechanics to the gameplay and Metal gear Online is one of the best online games on PS3 since Resistance. Sadly however, MGO mode is suffering for some lag issues at the moment, i got disconnected from the server a number of times, wether this was a network error or simply a buggy patch in MGO im not sure, but a patch will soon fix this, so patience is a virtue.
Visually, the game is state of the art in every concievable way possible. The characters are deliciously life-lke in their appearance, Naomi Hunter is simply beautiful. Its the little details though, the skin pores, the tears, the rendered hair animation, lip synching, the motion capture and effects such as smoke from Snakes cig, the blizzard storm in Shadow Moses, the waterfalls, flowing riverstreams, wooden cabins and flora and fauna inhabiting the jungle environments, and the vintage old fashioned filmic reel style colour pallette in the London streets. Everything is utterly immaculate, the environments are impeccably designed, the over the top action is eccentric and the atmosphere is simply mind blowing. MGS4 Guns of The Patriots is the best looking game on PS3, it is visually unbeatable, a stunning, photo-realistic showcase that pumps out a staggering display of PS3 power. It's so bleeding cutting edge you will be surprised not to see smoke seeping from your PS3's vents.
Vocally, the game is also unsurpassed, the voice acting is high quality, top draw class talent. The soundtrack is eye wateringly gorgeous, even though some tunes sounds like Japanese kareoke, the music really is lovely on the ears, one word: just beautiful. Grab yourself a decent surround sound set up and you will feel as though you're apart of the battlefield, distant explosions, echoing gun fire cacophony, the eeire cries of a fallen FROG. Everything in the atmosphere is just bathed in ambience, you really feel as though you're apart of Snakes final mission.
Overall, MGS4 is PS3's ultimate weapon, this is the perfect game to convert people to the PS3. It is more than a killer app, it is an absolute masterpiece of epic proportions, a simply unforgettable, memorable, interactive, cut scene heavy, cinematic movie like experience that will blow you away with perfect graphics, steller audio, benchmark action heavy gameplay, a massive cast of superb characters and a captivating story brimming with romance, love, revenge, action and world related real life events all wrapped in Kojimas own artistic vision. By the end credits you will laugh, cry, curse and ponder as the MGS tale comes to a concluding finish packed with plot twists and surprises that will leave your jaw dropped and mind spiralling. Now that MGS4 has been and gone, its sad now that the moment is now over, the biggest Sony game in the world has passed, the magic moment experienced, it may be the end for Snake and Kojima for the MGS franchise, but rest assured, this is an adventure that we will never forget, its plethora of breathtaking set pieces and filmic moments will be cherished forever. Buy a PS3 just for MGS4, because it is worth it! This game is way ahead of any game this generation in terms of pretty much everything. I have a feeling that the next time something this dazzling and amazing comes out, it will be a game created by the man himself, Hideo Kojima. Buy MGS4 immediately!!!!
Submitted by callan5
19/06/2008
7820
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