Metal Gear Solid 4 is a love letter to fans of the franchise, notonly acting as the final chapter to Solid Snake's story but also as athank you to fans for their continued support over the years.
It's a game that didn't necessarily even need to exist, with MetalGear Solid 2's pretty concrete conclusion, it could have acted as afinale in of itself. However due to it's complicated storyline andsomewhat confusing delivery, the ending to what was perhaps one ofgaming's greatest sequels was misinterpreted and so fans cried outfor closure to the story. Hideo Kojima eventually delivered and whathe has provided is yet again one of the best cinematic gameplayexperiences money can buy and one of the biggest reasons to own aPS3.
Guns of the Patriots takes place in 2014, five years after the eventsof Sons of Liberty. Suffering from rapid ageing Snake is now an oldman and in the midst of a world that runs on the economy of war.Colonel Campbell gives Snake one final mission in hope that that theycan finish the mission they started back on Shadow Moses nearly 10years previous, to assassinate Liquid. After thatching Liquid Snake'sarm to his own body, Revolver Ocelot has now become permanently underthe control of Liquid, becoming Liquid Ocelot and is hiding in theMiddle East.
Liquid seeks to posses the body of Big Boss so that he can use hisbiometric data to access the Patriots systems. In turn allowing himto control all the weapons in the world via a system called SOP.
It's not a mission Snake can do alone, enlisting the help of newfriends and old allies, Snake, the U.S military and the reformedFOXHOUND set out on the hunt for Liquid that will take them acrossthe globe, ensuring one of the most explosive finale's in all ofgaming.
Metal Gear Solid is created with the fans in mind, so it can beplayed to a large extent however you want to play it. Whether that'sto go in guns blazing or to take the classic stealthy approach. It'sa good change of pace from the previous Metal Gear games as it givesyou much more opportunity to fight your way out of a situation if youare spotted. The story is also full of throwbacks to the threeprevious Metal Gear Solid games as well as the original Metal Geargames on the MSX2. In fact Act 4 of Metal Gear Solid 4 is one bignostalgic throwback for long time fans, but expect a lot more alongthe way than just that.
The pacing is superb, kicking things off in the heat of battle andonly escalating things until the extravagant over the top finish, yeteven with all it's typical Metal Gear humour and over the top style,it never becomes absurd or silly unlike MGS2, striking the rightbalance much like Metal Gear Solid did 10 years previous.
With a free moving camera taken straight from MGS3: Subsistence, MGS4permanently ditches the fixed camera of old. It allows for a muchsmoother, natural approach to gameplay without making it too easy orremoving the magic. You have access to a wealth of weaponry, thelargest arsenal in a Metal Gear game to date and controls have beenrefined for the smoothest and most natural Metal Gear game yet.
But it plays just like the previous games. Sneak around yourenvironment, avoiding guards and progress forward. Or take a more 3rdperson shooter approach thanks to the improved shooting mechanics andmore powerful arsenal. But be aware, make your presence known and theenemy will fight you with a strong resistance, they aren't going tolet you get away with it that easily.
The A.I is smart, working as a team, performing complex flankingmanoeuvres as groups rather than individual units and using theverticality of the levels against you. This is most evident in one ofthe final stages of the game aboard a ship, lots of narrowpassageways and overhead walkways, the enemy will utilise every routethey can to stop you.
With all this being said, it does also feel big for a Metal Geargame. For me it was the locations of Shadow Moses and Big Shell thatmade MGS1&2 so iconic for me, whereas MGS4 is a global affair.One minute you're in the Middle East, the next in Europe, SouthAmerica...it goes on. It cant stay still for one minute to allow youto take in the environment and as such it loses out on one of it'sbiggest characters.
Plus after the liberating feeling of prolonged gameplay that MGS3gave to you, MGS4 strips that away again with frequent, longcinematic sequences. Yet again the sequences are exciting andbrilliantly directed, but trying to give real world meaning to MGS2only makes the plot harder to follow and by the end will still leaveyou scratching your head, the only difference is that there is nowmore information to contend with.
Boss fights are also a big let down in MGS4. Gone are the creativeboss fights and instead we are given a series of battles that onlyrequire you to shoot the bad guy till they die. There is a feebleattempt at trying to recapture the magic of the Psycho mantis battle,but it serves only as fan service rather than an entertaininggameplay experience.
Visually Guns of the Patriots is stunning for 2008. Though it isheavy on the greys and browns as every game at the beginning of lastgeneration was, it character animations and environment detail aresuperb and give the game life beyond it's years. The game runs at ahighly impressive 60FPS, though this drops when things get hectic,its surprising to see a game of this level performing so highly onthe PS3, a system notorious for it's performance issues in comparisonto the Xbox 360.
The audio is of a superb standard yet again, with amazing new scoresand plenty returning favourites including the beloved Snake Eatertheme tune. This alongside top of the line voice talent makes MGS4 anaudio/visual masterpiece.
Metal Gear Solid 4 is a hard game to review because it's like tryingto review nostalgia. Everything in MGS4 has been created for the longtime fan, for the player who has seen Solid Snake's journey throughfrom small beginning's to triumphant end. Whilst it succeeds ingiving closure to a story that for many was confusing, it is also notthe crown jewel in the series.
Guns of the Patriots is an amazing game that deserves to be played byany self respecting gamer, though a game that lives only to pleasefans is not quite as entertaining as the ones that created them fansin the first place. Nonetheless, a fitting farewell to one ofgaming's icon's, Solid Snake.
MetalGear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – 9/10
+ThrillingEnd To Solid Snake's Story
+RefinedGameplay
+SuperbAudio/Visual Presentation
+FunFan Service
-ReliesToo Heavily On Fan Service
-RegularlyChanging Environments Makes The Game Lack Identity
