Ten years ago, Metal Gear Solid was released, and gamers got to
experience a game like no other. It had a deep story, memorable
characters, state of the art gameplay, and beautiful graphics for its
time. Now, ten years later, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The patriots
has arrived, and it tells the end to this amazing saga, as well as
Solid Snake's final mission. And its absolutely incredible.
From
the opening cinematic, you can tell that this is one amazing looking
game. This is arguably the best looking game of this generation, which,
of course, makes it arguably the best looking game of all time.
Everything is incredibly detailed. Never before have I seen more
realistically rendered characters in a game before. The level of
emotion the characters convey in facial expressions is something most
of Hollywood's best actors cannot match. The environments are also
stellar. You may run into a nasty texture once in a while if you look
really close, but aside from that, everything looks gorgeous.
Metal
Gear Solid 4 also contains some of the best sound work in a game to
date. The voice acting is once again some of the best in the video game
industry. The voice actors help bring these characters to life and
express each character's emotions in a level of realism and
believability that is nearly unmatched. the music, like previous Metal
Gear games, is some of the best and most memorable in the business.
There's a wonderful blend of newly composed tracks as well as the most
memorable from the previous Metal Gear titles. And everything else
sounds incredible. From the roars of the Gekko's, to the gunfire and
explosions, and the chatter of various soldiers on the battlefield, it
simply sounds fantastic.
The biggest change in Metal Gear Solid
4 compared to the previous games, aside from the graphics, is the
gameplay, which has been refined to the pinnacle of perfection. Many
games have been claimed that you can play through them the way you want
to play through them, and Metal Gear Solid 4 is one of the few titles
that actually delivers on this promise. You can play through the whole
game in the classic Metal Gear way of using stealth, or you can play it
as a third person shooter. Combat was never a wise course of action in
the previous Metal Gear titles, but all that has changed in Metal Gear
Solid 4, as the iffy over the head shooting controls of the previous
Metal Gear Solid games have been replaced with a perfect over the
shoulder shooting mechanic. I can't stress enough just how responsive
and precise the third person shooting controls are, their just that
good. The first person shooting is also much more accurate and
effective than it was in the previous Metal Gear Solid games as well.
Taking the stealthy route is now more fun than ever, thanks to the
brilliant OctoCamo, which allows you to blend into any environment in a
matter of seconds. The CQC (That's close quarters combat), introduced
in Metal Gear Solid 3 also returns, and is much more streamlined and
less cumbersome. Put simply, the gameplay in Metal Gear Solid 4 is
about as perfect as it gets.
The story in Metal Gear Solid 4 is
arguably the third best in the franchise, it doesn't flow quite as well
as Metal Gear Solid or Metal Gear Solid 3, and it doesn't have the same
well structured pace those titles had either, it was also presented
just a tad choppier than I would have liked. That being said, it's
still one of the best written, most fascinating, compelling, and
emotionally moving stories I've ever seen in a game, movie, TV series,
anywhere. It also accomplishes the monumental task of answering every
single question that has been left lingering after the previous Metal
Gear games, as well as exposing many other revelations sure to shock
and surprise any Metal Gear fan. I was gripped from beginning to end.
Overall
Metal Gear Solid 4 is a gaming, and cinematic masterpiece. Hideo
Kojima's original goal of creating an interactive action movie has
finally been perfected, as the transition of cut scene to in-game is
absolutely seamless. You can tell just how much love, and attention to
detail Kojima Productions put into this game, the graphics are mind
blowing, the sound is incredible, the gameplay is as near perfect as it
gets, and it would be a sin to not mention the amazing boss battles,
which are among the best I've ever had the pleasure battling in a game
before. However the Metal Gear Solid games have always required an
acquired taste, and Metal Gear Solid 4 Is not going change the minds of
people who couldn't get into Metal Gear games before, and it's not
going to bring in many new fans either, and honestly shouldn't be
played by those that haven't followed the series since the original
Metal Gear Solid, but it delivers on its purpose, its everything a
Metal Gear fan could hope or want for, and its a fitting coda to the
series, as well as a proper and honorable send out for Solid Snake. In
conclusion, Metal Gear Solid 4 is arguably the best game available on
the PlayStation 3, of 2008, and of this generation so far.
