Since MGS4 is the culmination of a 21 year long series, a review of
several paragraphs seems inadequate. My first impression of the game,
on the other hand, spanned only three letters: Wow! Booting the game on
my HDTV, I was greeted by a stunning rendering of Solid Snake, casually
puffing a smoke as the game performed its initial install.
I have to pause here to mention that since so many PS3 games have hard
drive installs, I consider it a characteristic of the platform.
Therefore any praise or criticism should be paid to the system, not the
individual games.
This game begins, as one would expect, with a cutscene. The cutscenes
use the game's engine so I almost didn't notice when actual play began.
I say almost because unlike MGS3: Snake Eater, which deposited you in
an area devoid of enemies, Snake starts this chapter feet first into a
war zone.
This point is subtle, but important- especially to the criticism the
series has endured from people who simply aren't fans of the sneaking
genre. While this game's heart still beats in tune with the stealth
genre it spawned, there is plenty of action. The game's new
over-the-shoulder mechanic makes this possible. Gunplay is smooth and
very intuitive. Not once did I experience the frustrating, wonky alert
phases of previous titles. If there is still any room for improvement,
I sure don't know where it is.
The implementation of the new shooting mechanic, in turn, paved the way
for other gameplay options that helped add some spice to the MGS recipe
and effectively prevented monotony from rearing its ugly head. Entire
sections of action, with several enemies charging a room at once felt
natural and fluid. Even vehicle chases, with Snake manning the
weaponry, functioned so smoothly that the player was able to be
immersed in the tension of the moment.
And speaking of tension, there is no shortage here. One of my favourite
levels challenged Snake to follow an NPC to his hideout, which sounds
simple. Of course you must avoid being seen by the guards, but to add a
layer of complexity, the NPC can't be detected either! You also can't
let the NPC see you or he will be spooked and run off- possibly into
the waiting arms of the enemy. So you must move through the area,
incapacitating (or killing) enemy soldiers and clearing a path for the
NPC, all the while staying out of his way until he eventually makes it
to his hideout.
In most games, levels like the one I just described could easily drag
on and on, but not in MGS4. Here, each area lasts long enough to allow
you to get comfortable, but not to the point of boredom. Just when I
started to feel like I was finished with an area, I was finished with
that area. To have such perfect pacing was truly a refreshing feeling.
All of the game's play elements are flawless, from graphics to sound,
even the new Octocamo, which automatically matches your camo to your
surroundings like a chameleon. But the glue that holds it all together
is the storytelling. With this game, Hideo Kojima has outdone himself.
Sure, there were beautiful, moving (and long!) cutscenes but the icing
on the cake was how he managed to tie the entire series together in
such creative fashion. I was personally tickled by the ipod that allows
you to play music from previous games instead of the normal background
music. Beyond that there were flashbacks in the cutscenes, visits from
familiar but forgotten characters, trips to previous locales, and even
a few very satisfying surprises like... no, I won't ruin them for you.
During the 25 hours it took me to reach the end, I was so captivated
that I had little desire to play anything else. The ending itself was
moving and bittersweet. I found myself hoping that this was not the
final chapter for Solid Snake, but it is true that all good things must
come to an end- and what an end! If you have any love at all for the
stealth genre or the Metal Gear series, this is an absolute must-play
game. In every way, it is a perfect end to a truly outstanding series.
