A while back i wrote my first review for this site - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and i thought it was the ****. At the time I had only played that one and i adored the game. Fast forward two months, I have completed Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and about ten days ago Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. I was eagerly anticipating my copy because it was coming with my PS3, and when i saw that package on July 31st I opened it up and started playing my copy of MGS4 in a matter of minutes and let me tell you...
The game really is marvelous, everything inside it is of a high standard. From sound, graphics, story, and gameplay MGS4 hits the mark and exceeds it easily. It's just epic and by the time I finished the game, i was just astonished at how Kojima could make such a masterpiece that delivers a cinematic feel that moves you with such force you can't help but feel like you are living such a touching tale.
These graphics are really something else. The openess of each level is astounding and they pull off many different styles effectively. From a middle east warzone to a snowy Alaskan control base the graphics never different disappoint and managed to make me drop my jaw in awe at the at the sheer beauty this game beholds. Also this game has 1080p/i supported HD output which is (to my understanding) the highest picture resolution you can get which adds to the overall look of this game. Mix that with the fact this alot of games (too many) don't support 1080p/i and only go to resolutions like 720 or 640.
Now that we know that everything looks good, how does it play? The gameplay is extraordinary. Though i would have liked more of it, instead of so much cutscene time the way they ended up doing it made the game epic. The controls work really well in this game and its a huge step up from the previous Snake Eater. Also the movable camera also makes gameplay much more accessible. There are many ways you can go about completing the game, different styles that can satisfy most people. The environments you'll also explore throughout each act are all different and make you bring a new approach to the game. Just the change of scenery from one act to another is so refreshing, and you're not getting overly repetitive stuff so nothing is a chore to complete. Though the gameplay isn't balanced throughout all the acts, the vibe they give off makes the player feel immersed in the game. Also when you complete the game you earn emblems and a rank, which all have meanings behind them challenging you to complete the game differently to earn others.
Being the legendary Solid Snakes final mission, this game had so much story to cover. Some didnt like the emphasis on cut scenes and whutnot, I on the other hand loved the story and every cut scene. The characters were presented very well, and they also brought back old characters from the past games. Just about everybody got a mention and the ending was spectacular. Personally i felt the ending in to Snake Eater was better then this but this games ending was still spectacular. Very movie-esque.
As always Harry-Gregson Williams makes a masterful score for MGS4. The music is on par with every other game in the series and helps deliver the dramatic feel throughout the game p very well done. As for the voices, all the voices work marvelously and it feels good to hear some old voices again.
This is truly a masterpiece in the making and being the first game i have ever played on my PS3 it sets a gigantic standard for every other title on the PS3 to come. Being a fan of Metal Gear Solid, i had too many expectations for this game and it lived up to all of them, I actually prefer it too other Metal Gear games ranking this as my favorite one ever. Like I have said, it can appeal to the most Rambo COD4 players or those hardcore stealthy Splinter Cell fans. But somewhere in the middle you get the unique Metal Gear Solid series which can't be beat and deserves one of the top spots of the best video game franchises ever.
The PlayStation 3 may not have been the strongest generation for Sony, but there were still some diamonds in the rough that deserve a revisit as PS5 remasters.
Even if they could just remaster and put on PSVR2, some would still look great as VR titles and could do a whole lot to bolster the headset w these exclusives! I'd imagine the investment of reworking these titles into VR would be way less than building new games from the ground up, and they could be amazing experiences, and VR often makes flat games feel fresh again. The Resistance and Killzone games are particularly what I want to see!!
I played killzone 3 in 3d and it really changed the game per being immersive.
In vr, that would be even more awesome.
Funny you mention that... my son wanted to play some PS3 games in 3d on my PS tv and he was blown away by how good KZ3 was. It really was a great addition to the game. Im surprised there have not been more 3d games from that era being ported to the PSVR/VR2.
resistance 1-3, killzone 1-3, uncharted 1-3, uncharted golden abyss, folklore, socom 4 , motorstorm, twisted metal, MAG, heavenly sword
Killzone 2+3
Sly Thieves in Time
Crack in Time
God of War Ascension
Motorstorm
Modnation racer
Infamous 1+2
Killzone trilogy in VR would be amazing bonus points if they offer shadow fall.
There was a psvr1 Killzone project that supermassive was working on at one stage which wasn't up to scratch and Sony brand it back in house I was hoping we would see that on psvr2 eventually.
Personally I'd love to see some more love or acknowledgement of psvr2 from Sony in general it was a expensive headset and Sony barely acknowledge it's existence
The amount of work needed to remaster these games wouldn't be beneficial on a financial and business sense.. MGS4 would probably be the best bet as it would need the least amount of work!
The time is perfect for a resistance fall of man game campaign coop multiplayer
The resistance series is str8 trash to me. Socom 3 I would welcome. Or killzone MP.
Resistance was ok but Warhawk and Starhawk was better and kept me coming back for almost a decade of fun and petty revenge on the loud mouth unskilled players 🤣
Edit I loved capture the flag dropping the pot on the flag carrier was extremely satisfying as well as transforming your plane in bot form and stumping them to death 😱
An article looking at the symbolic meaning behind the cigarettes in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
Game creator Hideo Kojima is and probably will always be best-known for his creation and stewardship of the Metal Gear series at Konami, which since his departure has been more-or-less on permanent hiatus (don't mention Survive). In his almost three decades these games evolved to the point where they predicted certain problems of the information age (MGS 2), took aim at contemporary topics like Guantanamo Bay (MGS: Ground Zeroes), and ended on a profound sense of sadness about our species' inability to break the cycles of global conflict (MGS V).
It's not clear what sparked this reflection, but Kojima's been thinking about Metal Gear Solid 4, an entry that was (and unfortunately still remains) a PlayStation 3 exclusive. In that entry the player controls an aged Solid Snake in the year 2014, caught up in a civil war being fought between Private Military Companies (PMCs).
To this day, it's one of those games where I refuse to skip the cutscenes, no matter how many playthroughs I've done.
But if you ask me...MGS2 was bloody prophetic and has aged like fine wine. That game was blasted as the weakest entry, and yet it's so enduring. I replayed it some time last year and it was remarkable.
Heed not the lamentations of people that say that MGS2 is bad because of the Snake/Raiden bait and switch. Every MGS game has its own merits, and while most people consider 3 to be the best, they all shine equally in my opinion.
@sad
I would generally agree but with the exception of MGSV. It had truly excellent gameplay/combat, but dull and largely empty open world(s), and a narrative that is literally only half finished.
I really wish Kojima hadn't tried to go open world with MGS. It just wasn't right for the series. But I get it. He didn't want to make MG anymore but he wasn't allowed to make anything else. So he had to experiment within that franchise. Still, it was the wrong direction.
I have been thinking about this a lot, MGS2 being the weakest and getting blasted.
My conclusion, for some years now, it's my favorite game of the series.
Going from MGS1 to MGS2 was such a big leap, in graphics, mechanics, etc.
And now it's even more relevant for being 'bloody prophetic' as you stated.
Maybe dust of my vita and play it again...
It's a shame we never got a remaster of MGS4. The original game only rendered at 1024x768, and it ran anywhere from like 20fps to 60fps depending on the area. A remaster could have very easily cleaned up the visuals and performance. It's such a great game. I just want to play it again but in its best possible state.
I agree, but they did all sorts of tricks to make use of the ps3’s cell processor….they’d probably have to rebuild the game in order to make it run on another machine. And, if that involves remaking those cutscenes somehow, then itll never happen, unfortunately.
Nah. There have been plenty of remasters of PS3 games and they've turned out fine. It can be done.
War... war never changes. Or does it? The war has changed ...did it? The answer is no! Unless it is yes! No, of course it is! Is war! Yes! No! Yes?
He was always ahead with this series. MSG1 taught me about the importance of passing on our genes into future generations but in a responsible way, for they are bound to what we experienced in our lifetime. Sons of liberty taught me about global control and simulation runs to test society in a grand scale, the importance and dangers of control of information. MGS3 taught me about patriotism and how that can blind you into doing things you never would have otherwise, all for the sake of politicians who only see you as another pawn in their grand scheme of things. MSG4 taught me war is inevitable and always orchestrated because it's great for the economy. Soon simulation systems will start dictating who goes to war and why, all run through proxies. Privatization of military company are already here. We already started to see how a small group of elites dictates everything that happens. Nothing is done, nothing happens without strings being pulled.
All that was literally the themes and core story of each game, so not surprising he learned that from MGS. Metal Gear Solid 2 in particular is so relevant today, it was more than a decade ahead of its time and a work of genius. Kojima saw what the digital future was going to become when it was in its infancy. Even MGS 5 despite being unfinished and less of a traditional Metal Gear Solid game with regards to story, had a fair bit to say about language and control over it that is relevant today.
It's a highly acclaimed series for a reason, and one of my favourite.
I've watched my brother play the MGS games, but I only beat MGS1 myself on the PSP in 2014, and MGSV in 2016. I took the themes and plots as lore, tbh.. trying to piece together the story of MGS rather than relating them to our current times.
It's definitely social commentary, Eidolon. You should read the "themes and analysis" section of the Wikipedia page for MGS2: Sons of Liberty for a start! Game was heavy on this.
I'll take a look, thanks. Actually might pick up MGS2 again (PS Vita), It's been years since I last played. Might start a new game tbh.
MGS2 literally predicted digital manipulation of information that we see today all the way back in 2001. MGS2 became Zucc's playbook.
Yes back in 1998 when I was 13. Throughout the years more information has been shown on this subject matters, but go back to early 2000s and information wasn't as prominent. Kojima was ahead of the game
If it wasn't for the retconning of how FOXDIE works, including clunky scenes with Naomi and Liquid, MGS4 would be a perfect game. There are so many gameplay options. It felt like us PS3 owners got something truly unique and special.
thank you
great,great review
this game is outstanding,amazing,legendary
in one who just call himself a gamer must play this instant classic
Another in a long line of scores that are just too high. A good game, but in no way is it perfect.
I agree with you all the way. I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I and many, MANY of us have. I think this game is an 11 on a scale of 1-10. I beat this when it came out, so this is not the "awe" factor speaking.
OF COURSE you have to rate games against other games.. you can't review games on some perfect-future-game-of-no-flaw s that does not exist. You may not enjoy it as much as some others.. but NO game does what MGS4 does.. not as many things as well anyway. Not a single game.
Some games have good stealth, some good combat.. This just takes the cake because this is the closest you'll come, up until this point, to be this immersed in a video game.