Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Game Info

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Kojima Productions

Platform: PS3

Genre(s): Third-Person Action

Players: 16

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: June 12, 2008

Intro: 
Before the game even starts, there is an odd commercial for a workout video and one for a weapons company.  Metal Gear Solid 4 then launches with Snake ruminating on the fortunes of war.  We find him in the back of a truck, traveling with other soldiers, and moving through a battle-worn village where we find a huge, new, robotic enemy.  From the very beginning we see Snake in new armor and with new abilities.  The battles are different now; the game draws you into a different kind of Metal Gear play.

Getting Going:
As Snake moves through the game, the player is introduced to the newer systems of play.  Snake is older.  The enemies are both human and far from human.  Nanotech enhancements allow for soldiers with more skills.  And Snake has some new technology of his own.  Much of the gameplay menus have remained the same, but some things have been changed or added.  Snake will be introduced to these things as the player takes control and moves through the war zone.

Fun:
I will discuss this more in "Ideas", but Hideo Kojima's delight with PS3 technologies shows through in gameplay which actually makes the game more fun to play.  I felt as if I were taking my PS3 out for a test drive at times, which is odd, because I've owned it for quite some time.  Also, the play has changed from an almost strictly stealth style of play to a full on war game.  This was a thrilling surprise.

Visuals:
One thing I generally look for in visuals for a game is a coherent theme in obstacles.  In other words, do objects in the environment belong there or are they odd?  Are they pasted throughout a level simply to block passage?  Metal Gear Solid 4 doesn't do such a great job of this.  There is furniture piled up everywhere in buildings simply to block the way.  MP3 players are left out on a table in a completely destroyed building overrun by enemies.  On the other hand, the camo options on Snake's armor are incredible.  Treasures have received a visual upgrade and there are such things as MP3 players in the game.  The environmental texturing is stunning and the sepia tone of the environment effectively creates the mood.  Maps are laid out incredibly well and are easy to follow.  Player animations, NPC animations and robotic movement all received a great deal of care and attention.  Visually, this game is amazing. 

Sound:
Snake is an old man in Metal Gear Solid 4.  When he pauses or moves for a time in a crouched position, he makes "old man" noises.  War gets a little loud and there is little ducking so, at times, background vocals or instructions are difficult to hear.  Also, while there is Dolby Surround Sound in the game, there are no sounds for enemy or friend movements, so you don't hear someone approaching.  Much of the sound is actually just chaos.  It's loud.  While this does lend itself to the chaos of war, it makes play a little more difficult and less realistic. 

Intelligence:
It seems that Snake is able to kill people without them knowing where the shots are coming from.  Also, enemies aren't in as big a hurry to keep chasing him as they were in past games, making it easier to escape notice.  As always, Snake manages to carry around a box and, now, a rusty barrel that he can roll around the streets in!  This has always defied logic, but is amusing nevertheless.  There were even times when I was running along with enemies who did not seem to notice me.  Metal Gear Solid 4 is intelligent in the story it tells.  It maintains and builds on previous games in the franchise. The Psyche meter and Snake's old age grunting reveal a new depth in character development.  Players must now pay attention to Snake's mental state as well as his physical state or health meter. The enemies here, however, are engaged in combat with other enemies and often are just too busy to notice Snake. 

Immersion:
There is a lot going on in Metal Gear Solid 4.  Snake is in the middle of a war zone.  He can pick up weapons and ammo.  Now, he can also sell it to an arms launderer and must deal with nanotech Id's.  The cameras and controls are smooth enough, most of the time, to allow the player to immerse himself in the moment and explore this world with Snake.  However, while cut scenes seem shorter and are tremendously improved, they are still long and plentiful.  You can still make popcorn or eat dinner while watching one.  Like it or not, cut scenes can never create immersive play because there is no "play" in them.

Rewards and Punishments:
I forgot to die, meaning, I don't know what the punishment for death is.  Rewards include a multitude of objects to find and pick up.  As play progresses, Snake meets new people to help him on his journey and gets extra helpers such as the invisible robot friend, Metal Gear Mk. II, which Otacon sends, and Drebin, who launders the weapons.  There are bits of humor and nostalgia throughout the game; including phrasing on boxes and vehicles, as well as MP3 music, with histories, from previous games.  Comic relief is also included in the form of Akiba, an NPC Snake comes to know through an old friend.

Cameras:
As with all of the Metal Gear games, there are times when Snake gets too close to the wall and all you see is wall or corner.  Occasionally, the camera fails to allow for the normal range of motion that a human character should, and would, have.  But, most of the time, the cameras offer a complete 360 degree view as well as some up and down motion. The camera angle has changed from a top-down view to a third person view with over the shoulder and first person views still an option using binoculars.  Maps fill in the blanks nicely, letting the player know exactly where he is and where he needs to go.

Controls:
In a step away from their norm, Kojima Productions has changed the controls to be closer to what average controls are on the SIXAXIS, making for more intuitive play.  Most things are now on the X button, while firing is located at R1.  Menu options are at L2 for items and R2 for weapons.  The map is in the Select menu and everything else is in Start, so the player should be able to play with a relatively low learning curve.

Ideas:
Metal Gear Solid 4 is a Hideo Kojima masterpiece.  Stepping away from the usual stealth game that made MGS famous, Snake is now allowed to shoot and there are plenty of weapons, and ammo, to allow for this play option.  This makes the game feel much more interactive than previous games.  With so much happening in the game, the cut scenes don't seem like as much of an intrusion as they did in other games.  And, Metal Gear Solid might just be the first real example of episodic play.  Each story builds on the previous one, unfolding and revealing a depth of story-telling rarely seen in gaming.  What makes this game Kojima's masterpiece, however, is the way it reveals him, Hideo Kojima.  At GDC 2009, Hideo Kojima spoke, in his Keynote speech, about overcoming obstacles.  He talked about the challenges he faced in hardware during the various development phases.  What is so obvious here is the delight this team experienced in putting the PS3 through it's paces.  It is as if they didn't want to leave a single feature of PS3 development untouched.  This shows itself in the sounds, music and the use of surround sound; the improved climbing mechanics; and the amazing visuals.  But, more than that, it is revealed in the incredible animations from the dancing movements of Mk II to the realistic animations of Snake checking his gear and on through enemy animation in the cyborg characters and in the armament commercial in the beginning of the game. 

Memory:
The Metal Gear Solid franchise is one of the best story-telling franchises in gaming history and is probably one of the best examples of episodic gaming as well.  It is worth it to keep and play through the entire franchise just to get the whole story and to watch a master story-teller at work.  For me, as a writer, I have much to learn from Hideo Kojima.  It's unfortunate that much of the story is told in cinematics, but there is much to be learned as a writer from that, as well.