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Prepare for Really Long Cutscenes

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 37 / 83
Date: June 16, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The final installment of Hideo Kojima's "Metal Gear" series has a lot to live up to. Besides its innovations in gameplay, Metal Gear Solid 4 has to worry about wrapping up and connecting the stories of 5 different Metal Gear games. As such, this long-awaited finale has its work cut out for it, but does it pull it off?

The story in this game is all but impenetrable if you haven't played every other game in the series, including the PSP-only Portable Ops. The game relies heavily on references and flashbacks from old games to tell its story, drawing from every other game to wrap up the series as a finished product. As a result, people who haven't played any of the games in the series before would do well to avoid the game and perhaps get the MGS Essential Collection for the PS2 first.

The new theme in this Metal Gear Solid game is "the battlefield". Working against mercenaries employed by various Private Military Companies, you attempt to sneak (or fight) through warzones as the PMCs engage rebel and militia forces. Instead of the simpler and quieter job of sneaking through areas where your enemies are not engaged, you must instead brave gunfire from either side and avoid being detected. In many areas it's possible to aid the rebels by attacking PMCs; since the PMCs are always your enemies, it's useful to have people on your side who are fighting them. Doing so will make the rebels friendly to you and make your job easier. If you choose to attack the rebels, or not fight the PMCs, you'll have a tough time moving through rebel-controlled areas as well as PMC-controlled areas because both sides will be hostile towards you. Your participation in the battle is not required, though depending on your style of play, the game may get easier or harder depending on how you "use" the rebels. There are many pitched battles in the game, often involving armored vehicles and heavy weapons being used by both sides, with artillery raining down from above. Atmospherically, these sections definitely have the feel of a dangerous warzone, where any cover can be destroyed and an ambush can come from any side.

Your main tool to avoid enemies is OctoCamo. A development of the camouflage system in MGS3, OctoCamo blends in automatically with any background you press against, granting you near-invisibility in almost any setting. Defeating the game's first boss grants you a mask addition that allows you to either camouflage your face (increasing your invisibility even further) or put on masks of human faces to use as disguises (it's purely a cosmetic change, though). Furthermore, there are certain uniforms that allows you to blend in with the crowds of militiamen and rebels and reduces the likelihood that Snake will personally be spotted. It also makes an ally out of any rebels that you happen to meet, since they assume you're on their side.

Another item introduced in the game is the Solid Eye, a multipurpose "eyepatch" that allows you an extra heads-up display over your regular one. This HUD highlights items for you to collect, adds informative statistics to NPCs within range (specifically things like their mental status, health, and how they feel about you). Furthermore, it also includes a binocular and night-vision/thermal vision mode, both of which are useful at spotting enemies at long range.

There are two "health" bars in the game - the first represents physical health, while the second represents your state of mind. Being in stressful situations, such as being pursued, being shot at, or having killed a lot of enemies, will raise your stress a great deal and lower your state of mind. The lower your "psyche" bar is, the less accurately you will shoot, and furthermore Snake will breathe heavily and move sluggishly. The health bar is restored by items like rations, while the psyche bar is recovered either through certain food items or by staying out of combat for a certain amount of time to gather your wits. The Psyche bar may be a relatively annoying development, based on how you play; if you are a gung-ho soldier who intends to run around and shoot everything, then the psyche bar will hinder you fairly often. If you avoid combat, move slowly, and don't get caught in major fights, it isn't much of a problem.

Weapons in this game are handled differently than previous games. In the past, weapons had to be found "clean" - you couldn't take weapons from enemies, but instead had to find them in certain areas at different parts of the game. In MGS4, a new character called Drebin is introduced. Drebin is a gun launderer - in exchange for "Drebin Points" accumulated by selling him weapons found on the battlefield, Drebin will remove the personal ID of any gun you find, which will allow you to use the formerly locked weapon. He will also sell you guns and ammo directly, though this tends to be more expensive. The sheer number of weapons is far greater than any other Metal Gear game: pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and anti-tank missiles are all included in the game's arsenal. The weapons in this game are in many cases customizable with a variety of items, including scopes, silencers, grips, laser sights, flashlights, and a wide variety of ammunition, both lethal and non-lethal. The effect of both the shop and the number of available weapons is to remind you that you are in a warzone, not a clean sneaking environment. As such, combat is often much more frantic and intense, and justifies the use of an RPG or a guided anti-tank missile.

The new gameplay and controls in the game have mostly been improved. Instead of previous MGS games' overhead camera, MGS4 allows either an auto-aim or a third person over-the-shoulder shooting scheme. The option for first person also exists, using scopes or iron sights. The over-the-shoulder camera should be familiar to anyone who's played Resident Evil 4, and is one of the most helpful additions, gameplay-wise, to the game. Snake can aim either from the right or from the left, which helps when peeking out around corners. The controls are different, but primarily intuitive. The option exists to press against certain walls, either to hide out of someone's line of sight or to blend in with OctoCamo. This also allows for the ability to lean out into doorways to shoot at enemies, a refined version of the ability used in MGS2 and MGS3.

In less gun-related combat, CQC has been brought over from MGS3, and for the most part it is the same. For some reason, it feels less smooth in operation, however. The option to hold enemies at gunpoint if they are caught unaware has been upgraded; instead of the somewhat nonsensical "point your gun at enemies and they will shake items out of their bodies" that previous games had, MGS4 goes with a more realistic "body check" as Snake pats down his enemies for weapons and ammunition. CQC and holding enemies up both can cause enemies to drop their weapons, unlike in previous games where enemies would hold on to their rifles and riddle you with bullets as soon as you dropped your guard. The items all feel much more realistic, and there are no more "floating item boxes". Some items are still contained in large boxes, but at the very least they no longer float and rotate anymore.

The main problem with the game, in terms of gameplay, is that there isn't enough of it. The game is divided into five acts. The first two are as I described above: fighting through a warzone populated by PMCs with the help of rebels. However, from the third act onwards, these features disappear. Only the first two acts of the game are really identifiable as "MGS4", while the rest is like a different game that uses MGS4's gameplay and engine. Act 3 has you tailing an informant through a PMC-controlled city, Act 4 consists almost entirely of fighting robots and unmanned vehicles, and Act 5 consists of only two areas.

For the most part, the game feels like wrestling with the cutscenes and story for control of the game. So many things happen in cutscenes that should have been done as actual gameplay sections. In fact, there are two cutscenes that occur while you are doing a gameplay segment, forcing you to rapidly move your eyes back and forth to the sides of the screen if you want to see what's going on in the cutscene. One character, returned from a previous game as a buffed-up cyborg ninja, has fight scenes that only occur in cinematics, and he never fights alongside you in actual gameplay. The sheer number and length of the cutscenes is overwhelming, as well. Early on I was willing to forgive it because MGS4 did have a lot of loose ends to tie up, but by the end it seems like unnecessary things were added or put in just so it would seem more like a Hollywood-style movie. I beat the game in 20 hours, and I estimate a third or a fourth of that was spent watching cutscenes. To be fair, they are well-directed and good overall, but they're just overwhelmingly long and poorly paced. The ending, for example, takes a good hour to complete, at least. Especially when you consider how many cutscenes would translate fine to regular gameplay, it seems way too excessive.

The bosses of the game - the "Beauty and the Beast" unit - are also somewhat disappointing. All four are meant to be shadows of earlier bosses - combining the animal names of FOXHOUND from MGS1 with the emotions of the Cobra Unit of MGS3 to create "Laughing Octopus", "Raging Raven", "Crying Wolf", and "Screaming Mantis". Out of all of these bosses, only Laughing Octopus is really enjoyable to fight, as she uses a lot of stealth and surprise tactics. The others are just gimmicky fights that tend to be more annoying than fun. The worst part is that these bosses have nothing to do with the storyline other than "they're an elite unit under the bad guy's control".

The graphics in the game are smooth and effective. The animation, in particular, seems very natural and realistic, with a lot more focus on how people actually move. There's no fault that can be found with the graphics; the characters and environments seem exactly as good and detailed as they need to be, and definitely help keep you immersed. The voice acting is great, with a lot of nostalgic returns from the original Metal Gear Solid's voice crew for characters that are returning in this new game. The music is usually understated, allowing the environmental noises - gunfire, yells, wind, and so on - to take center stage except in situations when Snake has been spotted, when tense and exciting music plays. The quality of the music is excellent, being thematic and evocative for each different area of the game. One of the items is an iPod that allows Snake to play songs that he has collected in the game. Some of these songs actually affect gameplay; certain battle themes will increase Snake's accuracy or health regeneration, while other songs will cause emotions in enemies that Snake has caught in a chokehold (presumably, that's where they have to be so that they are close enough to hear the music).

Overall, MGS4 is an incredible game, but there's not enough "game" to rate it that highly as a total package. The overwhelming presence of cutscenes was incredibly stifling, and the sections of the game that were working with the established rules of the game were remarkably short. It feels like the game got too caught up in the story and forgot it was supposed to be a game, deciding instead to spend almost all of its time expounding on philosophy and history from previous Metal Gear games. There were a lot of really good sections, but these were far too short and seemed more like exceptions to the norm. If it was being rated as a movie, it would deserve full marks, but to rate it as a game, it only deserves an 7 or 8 out of 10 at most.

UPDATE: The full walkthrough for both the regular and online components of this game are now done. We give the online component a 9/10 rating.

Wow! Just Amazing!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: August 02, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Before I start... I do my fair share of gaming, but I'am by no means a very obsessive gamer. So I never really knew about Metal Gear Solid until I bought this game. I'm a huge fan of first person shooter games like COD, Resistance, etc. So I saw the ads and thought it was another military type shooting game so I went out and spent the $59.99 and got the game. I put the game into the PS3 and after about an 8 minute wait (becasue the game is so amazing that it needs time to load some stuff on to the PS, but you still need the disk to play the game!) the game started and I was completely blown away. I have played some really good games in my time and on many systems, but this has, by far, been THE best game that I have palyed on ANY system before. The quick down low on this game... the graphics... I give a 10/10. The detailing of the all the characters, the details on the machinery and the surroundings, it was awesome. The thing that made is so spectacular was the fact that the developers did put so much attention to the details that they did a very good job of simulating real life as best as possible. Another big pet peeve of mine is the acting of the characters in the game. I feel like it plays a big part in the gaming experience and people don't give it much credit. So for the acting another 10/10: the character voices fit the characters, and the voice acting was done superbly. The animation was also done extremely well, my only fuss about the animation is that you can't really read how the character is feeling by looking at thier face: the pretty much always put on the same face... but no game has ever done that really well either so I looked over that fact. Finally for game play I give 9/10. I give it such a "low" rating because quite frankly this game is a bit tough to get accustomed to (all though once you do... you're pretty much ready to kick some MAJOR BUTT). I guess a more crazy gamer would have managed to get all the controls down quickly... but for me it took me a while to figure out how to use all the controls. At first the menu that shows all your items, weapons, and an array of other things was very difficult to figure out. Once you got past that you had to actaully figure out how to use the items, weapons, etc. It took me the longest time to figure out how to use Med-packs... but that could also be due to my inabilities :-p. So basically thats why the gameplay is 9/10... overall its just a confusing interface to get used to, but once you do it gets very fun. Also the interactions in the game is awesome. Like the bad guys can figure out when you are there just by bascially seeing you (obviously), hearing you (also obvious), and smelling you (Yea... thats a new one on me too). So its really fun trying to sneak around all the levels w/o getting spotted... but fear not my first person shooter fans... there are thrills here for you too... if the baddies spot you, you're gonna' be pulling out some very nifty guns to shoot them: my fav. is the p90. Just before I end here, if you don't know about the Metal Gear Series (like myself) you won't really know what's going on in the game. In that sense it really sucks because you're just shooting and sneaking around w/o really knowing what's happening. The developers just assumed that you played previous versions so they just build on the stories of the last one's so you miss out a lot of the stories and things like that. But, I went on Wiki and basically read the story like a book so I was all set! And lastly (I promise this time) the game does feel like its more of a movie with some player interaction becasue the cut scenes are ridiculously long... so if you are'nt a cut scene type of person... you might not like this game. As for me.... I loved it!!!So basically this game is wicked fun and if you haven't bought it yet... you HAVE TO!!!!!

Full circle... a seamless panorama of gameplay and film elements

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: August 03, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I will start with the obvious, the game looks beautiful. The graphical
quality does not change between cutscenes and gameplay. Kojima and his team pulled out all the stops on the beauty of this game, as they have always striven to do.

SPOILER ALERT
Then there is the story. A lot of people harp on the Metal Gear Series because the story is full of twists. One person even said that the plot was twists and only twists. That person missed the point completely. Especially by the end of this game, it becomes apparent what Kojima had been pushing for. The message about humanity is clear... the MGS series has always been anti-war, anti-genetic determinism, anti-environmental determinism, every mistake that humanity has ever made with regards to war and control of the populous has been addressed in some way. Consider the history through which Kojima derives his inspiration. His home country of Japan experienced an apocalypse during WWII while causing an apocalypse in mainland Asia at the same time.

In all situations of war no matter who begins the fight or where it starts or ends, the young will repeat the mistakes of the old, and the old will let the knowledge gained from their mistakes slip away with death. Even the most heinous actions, deception, murder, are a means to an end, and the end is all that really matters.
SPOILERS OVER

Gameplay was spectacular. The MGS franchise is one of very few that has made significant gameplay improvements with every subsequent release. Control of Snake feels much more fluid, yet at the same time you can feel his age in the way he performs. Though he is more agile and powerful than the average human could ever be, he isn't quite the same old Snake. He is THE Old Snake.

Old Snake gets a lot of neat toys in this game, too. Most notably is his chameleon suit. If he lays flat, his suit will automatically adopt the pattern of the materials that are on the floor. By pressing the "triangle" button while up against a wall, he will adopt those coverings as well.

The second great toy is Drebin's shop. Drebin is a weapons launderer who gives Old Snake full access to replacement ammo and other supplies. ID Locked weapons can be converted to old-world weapons that do not require nanomachine permissions. There are A LOT of weapons in this game. First time through you probably won't get to experience all of them, and that is okay. Just check them out on your next run. The game is only about 10-15 hours long depending on how you choose to play. Also, through Drebin's shop Old Snake can modify his weapon. The first weapon, the M4 Custom is a good all-purpose weapon. It packs a decent punch and holds 30 rounds. It can be modded with a shotgun attachment, grenade launcher, or foregrip for stability. Laser sights and scopes can also be added to the M4 and other select weapons. So play around and have fun.

Next up, the enemies. In this game, it is impossible to hate the enemies you fight (except for Vamp) because they are amazing, flat-out. Whether they are GECKOS (bipedal beast machines), FROGS (all-female supersoldiers), or Private Military Company militia-men (remnants of their humanity will keep you grounded), or the Beauty and the Beast Corps (best enemies in of all time in videogames?), enemies are not just targets. Kojima and his crew made the enemies in this game characters to be admired. They neither have names nor faces, but they will f*** your day up very quickly if you do not respect their power. From the top down, they are all capable killers.

The humanity of this game lies within Snake's allies. Meryl, Eva, Hal, the Colonel, Mae Ling, Raiden, Rosemary, Naomi, and especially Sunny represent the other side of life. Old Snake is a manufactured product of war, the only life he has ever known. No machine can imitate or destroy the compassion that these individuals shared. This is passion. I won't go on, can't explain much else without major spoilers.

Gameplay, people, visuals, this game is stunning. Metal Gear Sold 4 exemplifies why videogames deserve to be celebrated as art. It has the story worthy of novel publishing, breath-taking visuals, engrossing music, and an all-around realism that we celebrate in paintings such as the Mona Lisa. If only more videogame producers put this much time and effort into a game. Production for perfection... long hours, perspiration, and inspiration to produce the culmination of one's efforts... that is art... this is art.

If you are a casual gamer, this is not for you. If you have never played the other MGS games, this is probably not for you. Play through MGS1-3 in order to get the story and gameplay straight, and then play MGS4.

For everyone who has been trying to compare this game to COD and HALO...come on. MGS4 is not a pure shooter. They put it nice and bold on the cover, "Tactical Espionage Action". That means be sneaky and use force only as needed. Play a "shooter" and judge other shooters with it. MGS4 is NOT, I repeat, is NOT a shooter.

Could this go down as one of the best games of all time? Absolutely. Game of the Year? For sure. It is in a league of its own. Nothing else plays like it. Few other games are as engrossed in the mystique of political/sci-fi conspiracy. Too few have such dedicated stories. In most games, the producer's passion is not as apparent. MGS4 had a 105 degree fever with Kojima's ardor for gaming perfection. The game feels like he and his team cared.

Gameplay 5
Video 5 - Cutscenes are long but not at all boring
Audio 5
Story 5

BUY THIS GAME!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 14
Date: June 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I have never had an easier review to write. BUY THIS GAME!!!!
Everyting about the game, the controls, graphics, surround sound, vignettes are all outstanding and set the bar for PS3 experience.

Those familiar with the MGS franchise will notice extreme advances in game play. For those unfamiliar, MGS4 plays very much like Tom Clancey's Splinter Cell.

This game is awesome. Buy it!!!

So Far So Good

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: June 12, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Came home with the game hours ago and I'm currently in the second Act. I know it's considered early to post a review this early into the game, but wow is it great. The camo integration is so seamless, and it adds a new gameplay mechanic into the strategy.

I've been a big MGS fan since MGS2: Sons of Liberty, so I may be biased in favor of it, but I can certainly say I love this game.

Review from someone who hasn't played MGS in a while

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 15 / 26
Date: June 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I'll start off by saying that I have not played all of the previous titles (MG, MG2, etc.). I have played the original MGS and I enjoyed watching my friend play MGS2. It was hilarious since he's a button-masher and easily frustrated.

Having established that I'll give my objective review.

__Single Player__
The loading screen was clever, and wasn't as long as people complained about.
First starting off the game -- before the title screen even came up -- is interesting and a bit confusing at first. But when I hit the "X" button the "channel" changed; it's then that I realized what it was supposed to be. So I surfed these channels for a bit until the main title came up. They were hilarious and just amazing to watch in their brillant colors/graphics and clarity. I happened across a parody of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" where the lady had to identify one of the PMCs. Heh, there was even a cooking show that was cooking up snakes in a bunker.

The game then began, credits rolling over the occaisional cutscene still. Interesting to watch, but I was glad that I got caught up on my MGS before starting. I could see where someone picking up this title with no previous knowledge would become confused real quick. (Thank goodness there's a recently released MG Database!)

Gameplay is fun, especially adapting to your surroundings with Octocamo. It does take some getting used to, but it's basically 3rd person with the ability to shoot over-the-shoulder or in first person down the sights (ironsights, rail, red-dot, scope). Customization is huge. And very fluid after you bump into "Drebin" and begin utilizing the Drebin points system. I like how this was utilized. Sell off weapons that you can't use because of their ID tags (future tech disables other users) and then use the credits toward purchases of mods. Take your M4 and utilize the rails for a laser sight or Master Key. The environments in general look great and looking down the weapon sight has that realistic feel to it.

I like how they incorporated the iPod into your inventory, definitely some potential there.

__Multiplayer: Metal Gear Online__
This was utilized quite nicely. The only gripe I have is that you have to register for a Konami name, then a Game ID. Which can't match. Seems redundant, until you realize you can have multiple Game IDs to each Konami name. The first character you create is free. Customize your PMC soldier however you wish.
The Drebin Points are utilized differently, instead of picking up weapons, it's based off of kills, captures, achievements (Knock an enemy out and gain some points, # of headshots, etc.). Then upon your respawn, customize your inventory up to the amount of points you snagged, or retain them until the next time for even better weapons.

The controls are the same (Items/Weapons, 3rd person, over-the-shoulder, and first person) and there's a nice tutorial that you can go through to get you up to speed.

You can also customize your abilities. And the best part is that they're not "locked." You can change them inbetween matches so that you're increasing the stats on each one. You have your choice of 4 abilities, choose from all sorts of categories; from CQC, Knife Mastery, Sniper, Assault, "Trickery" and even some of the SOP specials. The SOP allows for teamwork on the network, utilized through the nanomachines, allowing for you to know where everyone is, and if they're under fire or perhaps just knocked out. The more you use an ability, the closer you'll get to advancing it to the next tier/level of mastery.

Definitely a lot of fun; looking forward to advancing the skill sets.
And definitely recommend MGO for gamers looking to play online, advance in skill, and utilize teamwork.

__Overall__
Definitely fun, and looks great. A great stealth title, plus a fun online experience for you and some friends.

Would recommend playing or reading/watching the previous titles to get up to speed on the background story.

MGS4 GAME OF THE YEAR!!! BUY A PS3 NOW!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 11
Date: June 12, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The story, graphics, weapons, online, customization, controls, and gameplay are aces. The cutscenes are HD and its like a movie. The graphics are better than Uncharted! It took me over 25 hours to finish the game, but that was including hours (yes many hours) of cutscenes.) But they're so breathtaking that you won't want to skip them from telling the great story.

SPOILER WARNING!!!

The storyline in this game was awesome including locations in South America, Middle East of course, Europe, and Alaska at Shadow Moses. The only thing I didn't like about this game is Otacon (he is really annoying when he falls in love with Naomi) and the MGS1 part didn't seem like it fit in for me (maybe for the previous fans). Graphics are the BEST on any console game thus far this generation until Killzone 2 releases, and the framerate is always stable except for the part when you're in Rex and you're escaping from the underground part of Shadow Moses. I have to say that the boss battles were not legendary like some other games make them to be, but I actually enjoyed them more because they seemed more realistic. Gameplay is solid, sound is incredibly well done. Buy this game now!

Snakes Last Stand...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: June 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is one of the (if not THE) greatest achievement in gaming history. It creates a new standard for not only stealth & action games but for all genres period. This is the last game where Solid Snake will play the main protagonist in the MGS series, and this proves to be his most heroris mission yet. The MGS series has always been knowned for its presentation, and this ones no different...the presentation beats the hell out of movies these days and no game I know has the kind of presentation that MGS4 does. The gamplay has changed and probably for the better, the new over the shoulder shooting style fits the game very well and its the best thing that could have happened to the gameplay in my opinion. The graphics and sound are the best I have ever witnessed, even Mass Effect or Halo 3 can't beat this. The game may not sell millions of copies like Halo 3 or GTA IV but it beats those games in gamplay and presentation bar none.

Things have changed, Solid Snake is aging super fast and has less than a year to live in the world. But B4 he dies he has one final mission to do and that is to stop Liquid Ocelot (his brother) from controlling the world. Snake cannot do it alone so characters new and old show up to his aid to help defeat Liquid once and for all. The Game is truly breathtaking and allows certain freedom that previous Metal Gear games didn't allow u to do. For example you can either choose to kill or not kill whoever you want and it effects the game completetly. The game is taking place in wartime between the PMC's and militia and if u so happen to help militia or the PMC's they will help you in favor. The game is so diverse in so many aspects that it is truly overwhelming, over 70 weapons and items at ur disposel, new gadgets like the Metal Gear Mk.II adds a new take on the game and allows players to strategize be4 they do anything else. The new weapon system is similar to Resident Evils system of weapons where you can purchase and sell items to a gun launderer named Drebin in real time whether ur in a boss battle or just walking around scouting the area, the new system really comes in handy. The Game is truly a masterpeice and will impact the gaming world without a doubt.

PROS:
PRESENTATION - The Metal Gear series has always been known for its gripping storyline and breathtaking cutscenes and this one is no different. From the minute you start playing you alrady feel like you are part of the game, thats how powerful it is. (10/10

GAMEPLAY - the game provides diverse gamplay for both practical and veteran players. The new over-the-shoulder aiming system to the new weapons system to the new gadgets like the Metal Gear Mk.II OctoCamo and even an "IPOD" the game is really fun to play and mess around with. (9.5/10)

GRAPHICS - the game is BEAUTIFUL in every aspect. To the character models faces to the shadow and particle effects. This is the best looking game I have ever seen, it has one of the most realistic water effects in any game, the dirt and snow effects are surreal. Every little technical detail is amazing, this game beats the rest out of the park in graphics, I haven't yet seen a prettier game. (10/10)

SOUND - This is where the game really shines, the voice acting is the best in the business. Long-time fans will never get enough of David Hayters voice (Solid Snakes voice) he improvises since Snake is now Old Snake emphasis on the "Old" part. The voice-acting is so natural that you would actually believe these characters were real-life people. The music by again "Harry Gregson-Williams" with Nobuko Toda is breathtaking, the orchaestra is masterful full of strings and piano and horns and really creates the atmosphere of the game. (10/10)

MULTIPLAYER - I haven't played the full versio yet because Im still playin the campaign but I was involved in the beta couple mothes back and it is pretty damn good. If you play the campaign than the multiplayer should be second nature because the gamplay mechanics is the same, even the drebin point system is involved in the multiplayer. If you played the old MGO (Metal Gear Online) that came with MGS3: Subsistence, it is nothing like that infortunately. Personally the old MGO was a lot more fun and faster with pretty simple mechanics but the new one is a little awkward. It is slower and a bit more complicated but technically its the same...kinda. Its fun thats all you need to know. (9/10)

CONS
-The hardcore fans (like me) will appreciate the lengthy cutscenes and the unveiling of the Metal Gear saga and story...but for newcomers I suggest you play the previous MGS games because you WILL get confused. The cutscenes are great and exciting but sometimes I wish I was more involved.
- The game is 60% cutscenes and 40% percent gamplay, its not as bad as u would think but since this is the conclusion to possibly the greatest video game series of all time, you would expect this kind of thing. Its better than MGS2's lengthy cutscenes because those were boring as f***.
- The new weapons system is great and convinient but it makes the game a bit easy, but it is fun.
- THE TRULY SAD PART ABOUT THIS GAME IS THE FACT THAT THIS IS POSSIBLY THE LAST METAL GEAR GAME AND IT REALLY BRINGS A TEAR TO MY EYES.

There really is no bad part to this game, but for newcomers they might find some flaws that they won't fully understand. The game is truly a masterpiece and for hardcore fans this is just as good as sex, this game summarizes the whole Metal Gear series and concludes it. Almost every question that has been asked in the MGS series is resolved and answered and it truly does conclude the series in a satisfying way where everybody has there somewhat happy ending. To Solid Snake you deserve a good salute

FAREWELL SNAKE ITS BEEN FUN!!!!

Solid Swan Song

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: June 17, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This review is going to make an assumption: that you've played at least one installment of a previous Metal Gear Solid title on the legendary PS2. In MGS4, reportedly the last game of the series, you take on the role of Solid Snake, now known as Old Snake, and attempt to do what you've done before: save the world from twisted people with deeply convoluted motives for being so nasty.

GRAPHICS
The MGS series has always tried to push the boundaries of what's possible with each console, and this game certainly follows in those (sneaky) footsteps. This is notable during the cut scenes, which are beautifully rendered. Often times these sequences merge directly into gameplay, with the camera rolling behind your back and the data for Old Snake fading up. There's no notable degredation of image during the move, which is a neat effect and really throws you into the game.

CONTROLS
Some slight shifts of button assignments makes sense, but may offset diehard MGS vets for a few minutes. Namely changing the X to align with the North American tradition of it meaning 'confirm' instead of the O button as is standard for the Japanese. Another huge change is that the L1 button (not the Square) is used to ready your weapon, while R1 functions as the trigger. Other than that, they should remain as familiar and slightly frustrating as in any of the old titles.

But don't think that you can't teach an Old Snake new tricks. One new move is being able to roll onto your back from a prone position and fire almost any weapon. Also, Snake can now perform a slow, undulating crawl that preserves your camoflauge rating whilst moving. Another feature is being able to 'play dead'. During one of my sessions I got pinned down close to the enemy line, and was hit by a random explosion that threw me out onto a road in view of enemy soldiers. To see what would happen I had Snake play dead. The enemy turned their attention to opposition forces, allowing me to equip a silenced sniper rifle and wreak havoc on them. Great fun!

GAMEPLAY
All very familiar, especially if you played as the source of all clones, Big Boss/Naked Snake in MGS3 Snake Eater. A fully movable camera allows you to get a 360 degree view of your surroundings. As far as actual gameplay, you know how this works by now. Many familiar weapons return, along with a few new CQC (close quarters combat) techniques. Of course, MGS titles have always been about temptation - telling you to elude notice and make it through without confrontations, yet giving you a sweet arsenal of weapons just begging to be used. This title is no exception, and even ups the ante by increasing the amount of available firepower and allowing players to customize some of the weapons. Adding a shotgun or grenade launcher to my assault rifle? Priceless.

Numerous and lengthy cut scenes have been a staple of the series, and this is no exception. One nice feature added is being able to pause it by using the Start button, so if you need to use the bathroom after that boss battle you don't have to miss any of the labrynthian plot or blow out your bladder. A new 'interactive' feature occasionaly featured during cut scenes is flashback memories, indicated by an X button prompt. Pushing the button repeatedly shows images of what he's thinking about, and awards Drebin Points at the end of each Act.

Drebin Points? Yep, you read that correctly. Drebin is a weapons dealer. After you first meet him, his shop can be accessed at any time through the menu. This is where you can go to buy weapons, ammo and upgrades using your Points. As enemies now drop their weapons, you can collect them to add to your arsenal. After the first time, Drebin automatically buys the duplicate weapon from you, and you get to keep the ammo. Woot!

SOUND
As always, this is well done and really puts you into the action. Whether it's the explosions, gunfire and ricochets of a battle zone, or the wind and birds of a woodland, you'll feel immersed in the enviroment. A new item to start the game with is an iPod, which has numerous songs to listen to while making your way through the game. You can, of course, also acquire new songs by finding them during the game, some of which have an effect on gameplay while you're listening to them.

OVERALL
A great installment in the series and a perfect ending to the MGS series. Many familiar faces from previous titles show up, or get a mention, during this final curtain call. This game is just plain fun, whether on a no-kill sneak through or a full frontal assault. Not to mention it's unique and quirky sense of humor. And I didn't even touch on the sweet Metal Gear Online where you can battle other players in various game formats (Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch, Sneaking Mission, etc.).

If you're a Metal Gear fanboy, you're probably already own this game. If not, it's definitely worth checking out to enjoy what the PS3 can do.

The Real Reason We Own a PS3

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: June 17, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The first Metal Gear Solid game is an iconic and legendary piece of software. Mention of it sends fans and critics in an all out fit. It's a game that is on everyone's favorite list. It solely defined the 32 bit era along with the Playstation 1 console, and after one direct squeal and one prequel later we the finally get the last installment of the "Soild" games.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a fantastic game it is the game of the summer and one of the must own games of the year. It's easily in contention for game of the year even with the rest of the year to come.

MGS4 follows Solid Snake, now old and awaiting death, as he terminates his long running foe Ocelot who is now under the influence of Liquid after graphing his arm on to his own body.

The story is much deeper then this and involves all counts of shocking revelations to plot twist after plot twist. But if you a first time player of the MGS universe you will not be missing anything as everything is explained to you. The story is what makes this game because sadly, more the running time relies on watching the story unfold in front of you. At lest they cut down on the Codec message with static pictures of people talking with text and more of it happens in real time now.

The game play of the MGS has progressed but not by much. With newer technology come different gadgets, but for the most part the game plays just the same as any others. You could not know a thing about swapping items, the OctoCamo, or buying weapons and still get through the game just fine. It's better off if you knew a thing or two about these new features but for the most part their simple improvements of existing features. For example, Drebin, is a new person that sells weapons but in actuality he's just a menu.

If there's one thing about MGS it's always been the graphics. All the games in the series have pushed the boundaries of their respectful console, and MGS4 is no different. Everything is textured nicely to the huge backdrops and detail of models on screen this game blows everything we've seen before it on a console. Anyone looking to impress their friends with graphics look no further.

MGS4 is a great game. Even if it has a few hiccups in development decisions like the long cut-scene, it's a game that everyone must play and experience.

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