Metal Gear Solid 4 Review

Note:  To preserve the game, this review remains as vague as possible.  Honestly, this is the vaguest thing I have ever written.

Jaw-dropping.  Chill-inducing.  Eye-popping.  Teeth-clenching.  All of these descriptions can be appropriately applied to Metal Gear Solid 4.  Solid Snake’s final journey is one worth taking.  Every moment in the game is better than I could have hoped for and I felt Snake’s struggle though to the end of the game (thanks to some great final gameplay moments.)

Let’s start with the eye-popping aspects of the game.  This would be the graphical presentation of MGS4.  Honestly, after playing through this game all others seem to graphically pale in comparison.  I was perusing some screenshots of Gears of War 2 and just thought they looked “last-gen” in relation to the fidelity of MGS4.  From beginning to end (and even in the boring Mission Briefings), this game shows the true power of the PS3 and just what hi-def gaming is supposed to look like.  Explosions, clothing, animations, and even the tiny print on the Mk. II (a new toy Snake has been given from Otacon) all look superb.  As previously posted, it reminded me of the dream I used to have on the PS1 of playing a game that looked just as good as CG cutscenes.  Thankfully, Kojima and crew have made that a reality.

That reality is also chill-inducing thanks to some amazing presentation of the game.  The game is divided into a total of five separate acts.  Each act plays completely different from the last (one act can have more focus on sneaking and the next could completely be about action.)  Preceding each act are separate mission briefings that do their best to summarize the story as well as introduce new elements.  Personally, I felt these were the most boring parts of the game.  Thankfully, they are only make up a small portion of the experience.  The meat of the actual gameplay is where the presentation truly shines.  There are instances of the game that seemlessly move from an action packed cutscene into an action packed gameplay.  One specific escape scene in Act 3 is just amazing.  For a while you are shooting at numerous enemies, then the camera will switch back into a small cutscene before the HUD pops back up and you are in control again.  This is simply the kind of action I have been waiting for for quite some time.  MGS4 pretty much delivers on everything you could hope for:  great sneaking, superb action, and dramatic duels (including a great Metal Gear escapade).  Each segment is presented in top-notch quality.

This high quality continues with the teeth-clenching gameplay.  For the first time in the MGS series, the player could choose to either continue with stealth gaming or switch it up and shoot your way through the entire level.  I liked to make a combination of the two depending on the situation.  However, there are later parts in the game where it simply is not feasible to continue the run-and-gun approach and stealth alone must be relied on.  Thankfully, the controls and gameplay have been updated to allow for a more action oriented approach.  This includes a third-person over the shoulder view as well as a first person view as well.  On thing that would have been nicer was a more efficient cover system, but what is given more than makes due.   However, in the event you do get placed into a sticky situation where you just can’t escape the enemy you could always just run into the next section of the level.  That is because in the world of MGS4 this causes your alert level to vanish.  Somewhat disappointing that this simple tactic could work throughout so easily.  There are some other neat gameplay tricks Kojima employs in the game.  My personal favorite was one of the final playable portions you go through with Snake.  The way in which you must complete the level is actually takes a physical toll on you and makes you feel Snake’s struggle.  Just amazing.

Finally, there is the jaw-dropping story.  This could be either a positive or a negative…or both.  At times, the story provides some closure on prior storylines from each of the Metal Gear games.  Other times, it just adds an unnecessary layer of confusion which shouldn’t need to be introduced in Snake’s final mission.  The story even causes some of the final movies to drag on a lot longer than I would have liked.  Once again, though, the positives outweigh the negatives and I am finally happy to have most of the prior plot points completed.  To do this, pretty much every surviving character in the entire Metal Gear series pops up throughout the game.  Most play major roles while others just make a brief appearance and have no material bearing on the game or storyline (*cough* Rosemary *cough).

In the end, Metal Gear Solid 4 seems like Hideo Kojima’s opus to the entire series.  It takes everything you would hope for and piles it into one game.  There is action, sneaking, and a great level of nostalgia (both literally and figuratively speaking).  Let us hope this really is the end for Snake and Co. and Hideo moves on to another series (I would love to see a new Zone of the Enders).  MGS4 is THE reason to own or buy a PS3 for the moment.  Let’s hope this greatness continues for Sony in the near future.

Next up, Lego Indiana Jones.  This might take a while since I don’t have the same desire to quickly get through the game, but it will eventually be completed.

As always, thanks in advance for your time.