This is a game that impressed me a lot, being a fan of stealth games. I have to mention that I haven’t played any MGS before ( PS3 is the first console I own ) but i did a lot of research using the MGS database and cutscenes of previous games, from YouTube of course, to better understand the storyline of the game. This effort was worth it a lot, even if I lost many hours in doing so.
The Graphics
The characters are very well designed and detailed, 1080p resolution which is an upscale from a under-HD resolution, 1024×576 to be more precise. Do not worry, the game manages to look great. The textures, unfortunately are not high res but you will only notice if you look more carefully. There are other details that do not manage to look so convincing, but overall, no comment, excellent graphics. Do not expect wonders on the artistic side, this is not Final Fantasy or Uncharted.
Sound
A top notch voice cast, like we were used to in the previous games. I personally liked David Hayter, Patric Zimmerman and not least the wonder voice of Jennifer Hale. We can also mention Cristopher Randolph, Paul Eiding, and Quinton Flynn. The rest of the cast is also excellent, of course.
The music of the game is also top class, perfectly underlining each moment of the game, OST has a great quality and amazing sound resolution.
Gameplay
From what I have understood, the gameplay from Metal Gear Solid 4 is very different compared to previous versions, and I have also understood that it’s also easier. I liked the auto aim feature that I have found very useful because I am not very used gamepad aiming. The free camera is another advantage and of course very useful.
Snake now has more gadgets than ever, and I want to mention especially the OctoCamo and FaceCamo which are an interesting plus that managed to give Metal Gear Solid 4 something extra compared to other stealth action games. These two gadgets work like the natural camouflage of an octopus. In short, when you do not move for a few seconds on the ground or close to a wall you will take the texture and color of that surface, process that can repeat itself anytime you change the surface. FaceCamo also works like this.
Solid Eye and Metal Gear MK are other essential and useful gadgets. Solid Eye combines a radar, night / infrared vision and a binoculars, all in one. Metal Gear MK is a robot with stealth features that you can use to explore in advance, but also to distract the enemy’s attention.
The most important element is is to be less visible and detected, in this case you will spend more time crawling or glued next to walls to complete your mission without exposing yourself.
Metal Gear Solid 4 can also be approached without problems using the Rambo style, if you like something like this, but I think it’s more satisfactory to sneak and complete your missions without alarms and with fewer kills as possible. For those of you who like to use the force approach, you have to know that life doesn’t replenish itself only in quiet moments or when you are hidden, and Snake’s psychological welfare plays an important role in weapon accuracy.
The Enemy A.I. is pretty good and credible, although I wouldn’t call it amazing, in some moments it’s very smart and in some moments it’s just dumb, and this inconsistency is very obvious.
The boss fights are very intriguing and they offer a time out from the everlasting sneaking, in some cases, you will also have to use your brain. Difficulty on Solid Normal seamed to be good, boss fights in this cases were a challenge, but not very difficult.
The arsenal in the game is very rich, with detailed and accurate descriptions of the weapons. Many of the weapons can be customized with different add-ons like sights, lanterns, laser sightings, etc. I want to mention the new character, Drebin, the arms dealer from which you can purchase different weapons and accessories. The funds required you can get by selling the guns you may find. This Drebin character also has another significant role in the storyline, he’s not just an arms dealer.
I have rated the Metal Gear Solid 4 gameplay with a 9. Why? Because many times my sneaking attempts were destroyed because of some commands that didn’t quite worked as they should. For example, when you are down, Snake tends to move in circles instead of going where eyou want. Or the auto aim is a double jeopardy some time, turning Snake in the complete opposite direction if the target is too far for auto aim.
Metal Gear Solid 4 Storyline
From the start i was tempted to rate it with a 9 just for the simple fact that the story in the game is very hard if not impossible to completely understand if you haven’t played previous versions of the game, however the story is so good and it has a very satisfactory ending that I cannot help but give it a 10.
I can’t tell you much about the storyline because of spoilers, but i can tell you this: you will spend more time viewing cutscenes then you do playing.
Of course, this is a matter of taste, although I wasn’t very thrilled with the multitude of cutscenes, but eventually it has provided a special cinema experience.
What I can say is that we now have an old Solid Snake, in his last mission. You will go all over the world, in places like The Middle East, South America, Eastern Europe and you will also go to a surprise location. Many old or newer characters will make an appearance in Metal Gear Solid 4, and also some unexpected ones.
It is important to mention that, if you haven’t played the previous versions of the game, the story might appear to be a little far fetched, without sense or just too complicated. I this case I recommend you visit YouTube, where you can find all the cutscenes from previous versions in HD format.
Personal impression and approach
As I said at the beginning of this article, this is the first Metal Gear Solid game I have played, and I can look at this game with a more objective state of mind than the “veterans” of the series. My experience in the stealth genre is limited to Hitman ( Hitman 2 and Blood Money ). When playing Hitman, and Metal Gear Solid, my gameplay approch was to use as much stealth as I could.
Conclusion
I think that I have said everything I could about this game above. I consider this game to be a stealth genre masterpiece. And, like all good things, Solid Snake’s mission how receive a proper ending, or so it may seam…
MARKS
Graphics: 9; Sound: 10; Gameplay: 9; Storyline:10; Impression: 10
Final Mark: 9.6
Metal Gear Solid 4 – Guns of the Patriots Pictures and Gameplay Screenshots
Am fost tentat din start sa dau nota 9 aici doar pentru simplul fapt ca povestea din joc este foarte grea daca nu chiar imposibila de inteles complet daca nu s-au jucat (sau in cazul meu vizionat cutscene-urile) jocurilor anterioare, insa povestea este atat de buna si mai ales o incheiere extrem de satisfacatoare a seriei incat nu m-a lasat inima sa nu dau 10.
