Metal Gear Solid 4 Review

From Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation to Sons of Liberty and Snake Eater on the PS2 the MGS franchise has always been one of the most highly regarded in the video game industry. With this franchise came unique gameplay, amazing storytelling and top of the line visuals. But how do you end a series that is beloved by so many? You do it in style and Hideo Kojima with his amazing development team have proved once again how great this series is. You will be absolutely overwhelmed with emotions as you take Solid Snake through his final mission. Our review after the jump.

The storytelling from the Metal Gear Solid franchise is one of the most complicated in the industry and so much emphasis has been placed on it throughout its twenty one year history. The experiences within the games could be compared with some of the best films out there. This may set some people off as minutes of gameplay can be sandwiched into hours of cut scenes, but that’s what the franchise is all about. Obviously if you weren’t a fan of that in the past than your opinion won‘t be changed this time around. Not to spoil anything but besides the ending cinematics there were several that advanced the one hour mark one even closing in on eighty minutes. The thing is though if you don’t know the storyline of this franchise or if you decide to boycott it in this game than you’ll only be having half of the experience. Of course Kojima along with his writers put a lot of effort into closing up the many plot lines in this series all of which should be satisfying to fans. Not to be bias but this is definitely the greatest story in any video game I have played thus far and I couldn’t be happier with the final result. Of course to tell this great story the cinematics must be amazing, and they are. To tell the truth the transitions from cinematic to gameplay are unnoticeable and the gameplay and story just compliment each other so well. All of your favourite, or not so favourite, characters return…cough…Mei Ling. Playing the game has a real purpose to it as you dwell deeper into their storylines and you really start to feel for the characters. Thankfully closure is brought to each of them. Overall the plot from the Metal Gear franchise has always been so deep and riveting and enough can’t be said about it in Guns of the Patriots.

As I mentioned before the gameplay within the Metal Gear franchise is one to its own. The emphasis throughout the series has been placed on stealth action rather than straight combat action. Besides a few occasions here and there you could essentially go the entire game without killing anyone. On the other hand though the game can be played essentially like any other FPS. This time around the latter experience has improved with more weapons and customizability being added to the gameplay. There are a huge variety of weapons that you can gain around the battlefield or from a man called Drebin. You can sell, buy and upgrade your armory straight from the start menu. This takes some difficulty out of the game as you won’t be hunting for or conserving your ammo. The storyline will essentially take you through five acts each with their own unique setting. These settings and environments vary greatly as you traverse through the ruins of an Middle Eastern town, to the jungles of South America or even to a nostalgic island covered in snow. The boss battles in this game are also terrific each of them being unique from the other and each of them a load of fun to play. From fighting a mutating creature in a laboratory to a mechanical wolf in a howling blizzard each of them is stunning. The stealth movements in this game also feel as real as ever. The addition of the OctoCamo suit is really great as you can blend into the environments around you. So overall its nice that you can take either route, advancing through the game in a stealth or combat oriented fashion. There are so many new gameplay moments that are added into this game that wouldn‘t be associated with the franchise. Whether it be the superb car chase through a European town or the fight between Metal Gear Rex and Ray, these moments are abundant and superb. With the success of online in Subsistence it was no question that it would be included in MGS4. A variety of modes with up to 16 players can be utilized. It seems like every game these days has to have online and its good to know that Metal Gear is pretty good and has set itself apart from other online games. When it boils down to it the Metal Gear franchise is the best stealth action series out there and you won’t be disappointed this one last time.

Guns of the Patriots is probably the greatest technical achievement in video game history. The Playstation 3 is pushed to its limits and every character, scenery, and explosion is perfect. The motion capture and combat is all so realistic and it is an amazing experience. Its hard to explain the graphics in this game but to put it simply Guns of the Patriots sets the bar and will probably go untouched for quite some time. The music in this game is quite good containing pieces from all previous Metal Gears to some new works as well. The music really sets the tone in the game whether it be a high adrenaline situation or some important dialogue. The voice acting is this game as usual is amazing. David Hayter provides some of his best work yet as he is also supported by an array of familiar characters. Metal…Gear!?

The fact of the matter is if you’ve never enjoyed the Metal Gear Solid franchise than your crazy. No just kidding but you won’t like this game as if follows the same road. That said though you’ll only be having half of the experience if you haven’t played any previous titles in the franchise. Questions that have gone on throughout the entire franchise have been answered. Solid Snake is one of the most legendary heroes out there and MGS is one of the most legendary series as well. To bring this series to a close and do it in such an amazing fashion speaks leagues about Hideo Kojima and his development team.