Looking at: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

End of an Age

Age doesn't slow Snake down a bit, and he's still in fighting form.

Jesus fucking christ was that a long game to sit through.

I say "sit through" because the truth of it is, that despite being clocked at about 20 hours long, most of my time with MGS4 was spent in cut scenes, occasionally begging the game to let me play it again. Good god.

Regardless, MGS4 is the last of the Metal Gear games, chronically speaking, and serves as a way to tie up every loose end in the series. Does it succeed, or is this an OP not worth getting prepared for?

Endless War

Snake will routinely fight with companions against Liquid's insurrection.

MGS4 opens in a world that's been ravaged by almost constant war, to the point where war is no longer an isolated incident, but the driving force behind the global economy. Private Military Companies now employ millions of personal (the opening scene of the game reveals one company has more men then the combined population of Canada and Mexico) and battles are fought everywhere over anything. All of this is run by a complex system of AI that controls nano-machines in man and machine, making average soldiers super-powered and locking firearms to people's DNA.

Solid Snake returns to battle, now an old man, much older then he should be. As it turns out, while the FOXDIE virus he was infected with in MGS didn't kill him, it did accelerate his ageing ten-fold, and despite it only being ten years since the first game Snake now appears in his late seventies.

What follows is an incredibly intense and emotional journey as Snake hunts down Liquid Ocelot, a combination of Liquid Snake and Revolver Ocelot.

Ok, I'll be honest with you here, this game is fucking insane with it's story telling and script. Like, clinically insane. Probably best described as bi-polar, or even full on schizophrenic. It's like MGS4 is trying to be serious, much more serious then the previous games, and at times it goes to some really dark places, particularly Snake dealing with his age, or the various boss' back-stories. But there's still a sense of levity everywhere, constantly cracking jokes or doing dumb things. It's jarring to say the least.

In the end though, this is the most mature story I've seen in the series. It's a story completely and 100% aware of every moving part, even as it introduces new story elements. It wraps up everything, not only from itself, but MGS and MGS2 as well, and leaves nothing untouched. It's a dark story, dealing with the old VS the new, but it is a story worth listening to, as long as you have the patience.

Electronic Old Men

Drebin and his monkey, providing Snake what he needs, when he needs it.

MGS4's biggest strength is it's interesting wheelhouse of characters. Snake himself is probably the most interesting part, and this is the most interesting Snake we've ever seen. Not only is he dealing with his failing body, fighting against time, but it serves as a greater metaphor for Snake as a character. He's an old soldier fighting in a new soldier's war, and living in a world completely passing him by. It's an interesting deconstruction of the character, and it makes Snake actually interesting to pay attention to.

Not to say that any of the side characters are less interesting. Most of the cast is returning from the older games, like Meryl, Colonel Campbell, or Otocon. The new characters it introduces are great too, particularly Drebin, your personal gun launderer. All the guns in MGS4 are DNA locked to users, and Drebin can remove this lock, for a fee. More interestingly, he can sell you guns and ammo in the middle of a fight, reducing the need to scavange. Some people will find this distasteful, as it removes most of the need to avoid a fight, but his prices keep everything balanced, and you'll forget any misgivings when you order the silencer you need just in time.

MGS4 also carries on the series' tradition of character interaction, jilted and strange though it may be at times. Character talk to each other, and feel like real people with flaws. The relationship between the various characters is the most interesting it's ever been in the series, be it Snake and Otocon with their adopted daughter Sunny (don't ask), Meryl finding true love in the middle of a gunfight, or especially Snake and Liquid's strained and bizarre relationship the reaches a crescendo during the game's intense finale.

Grab the Popcorn

There is one major complaint I have above everything else in MGS4:

SIX FUCKING HOURS OF CUT SCENES.

True story, MGS4 broke and still holds a record for this, including two specific records: The longest continuous scene at 29 minutes, which itself is part of the longest sequence ever at 79 minutes long.
Simply put, MGS4 is not a game for the impatient, and admittedly I lost my patience with it during the overly long finale.

Most of the scenes are, however, not boring, which is a great far cry from MGS2's insane Codec conversations. There's things happening on screen that make watching it worth my time. The 79 minute sequence I talked about above features a great fight scene, and a scene that all but explains the entire game in a way that was interesting. Suffice to say, watching a man destroy an entire battalion of soldiers with his fingers is engaging to see. Even the finale, or at least the first part of it, features one of the most brutal hand-to-hand fights I've ever seen in a video game.

But it's not all great, and there were times where I stopped paying attention just because I wasn't engaged any more. When you're sitting there, not doing anything at all for forty minutes it can be hard to remember that MGS4 is classified as a video game for a video game console, something that people usually play.

Sneaking Mission

That's to bad, because the gameplay in MGS4 is the most refined it's ever been in the series. First and foremost is the camera. While MGS3 introduced a full 3d camera, that was added later, and it showed. MGS4, however, was built with the ground up, and its smooth and easy to use. Moving snake around too, is better then previous games, including the ability to crouch walk for added sneaking. There's no more dedicated sneaking controls like MGS3, but the PS3's controls handle better then the PS2, so it's not much of a problem.

The other major improvement is shooting. No more using a face button for firing your weapon, rather MGS4 plays like a more traditional shooter, and while the control change was jarring coming from MGS3 it quickly became a pleasant way to play. Aiming and firing a weapon felt good, especially with proper iron sights or scopes on all weapons, and it made combat engaging and fun.

Of course, combat is only necessary if you get caught, and thankfully stealth in MGS4 is at it's best too. There's a slew of tools you can use to remain stealthy, from an active camo-suit that changes dynamically to blend into the environment, to various items you can use to distract or knock out guards. All of it controls naturally and feels great to use.

Fading Sun

One of the Beauty and Beast boss battles.

MGS4 came out in 2008, but there's no doubt that it looks as good, if not better, then later PS3 releases. This is an amazing looking game, pushing the PS3 to it's absolute limits, and there were times where I forgot that it was animated.

Character models are stunningly good and detailed, from Snake's aging body, to Raiden's robotic ninja. Face animation is nearly perfect, making every character expressive and interesting. There's a million little details in everything, be it the environment, weapons, or characters, and it all looks great. The only problem is that the PS3 can't seem to keep up with everything all the time, and the framerate was as inconsistent as the story's tone. It never got to bad, but one scene looked like a slideshow, and another scene would be blazing fast.

Audio, however, never suffers, and it's the best it's ever been in the series. The music is amazing and matches every scene  perfectly, creating the perfect mood. There's even an in-game IPod (as well as a Mac Book. I guess Kojima likes Apple) to allow you to listen to music from the entire series.

Voice acting, and there's a lot, is great too. The cast is mostly returning from the old games, and they all give a stand out performance. Once again, top spot goes to David Hayer, doing his best work as Old Snake, and I have to imagine he was all but exhausted after all the recording he must have done. All the voice work is great, and the characters all come to life perfectly thanks to it.

Black Out

Liquid Ocelot, a clone of one of the greatest soldiers, in the body of another.

In the end, I did like MGS4. When I got to play it, the gameplay was amazing, and by far the best in the series. Despite the onslaught of cut scenes, more of them were interesting then those that weren't. And most importantly, it does tie up most, if not all, of the story threads weaved throughout the games. It's a mature and emotional journey through the past and future that demands patience to get through. I doubt I'll play it again, but I'm glad I played it through.

Next up: One more challenge from one of hand-held gaming's best, and a return to the past.

all images sourced from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmNpzP1JKvI