Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Metal Gear Solid 4 represents a first for me. It was the first time while playing a video game that I actually dozed off. My slumber wasn't encouraged by the action, which can be very intense, but by the longest cutscenes I've ever seen. How long? Really long.

Because this is the "concluding" chapter of the Metal Gear franchise, at least with Snake as the main protagonist, it should be expected that all the loose ends - four games and many years worth - get tied up in a neat bow. As a result the exposition can be very lengthy.

political overtones involving government control, nanomachines, and the end of the world or plain silliness.  Really, it's a seriously silly drama.

The cinemas are skippable but then you're even more in the dark as to what's going on but the trade-off is that the flow of the action remains a lot smoother.  The latter part of the game has a lot of cutscenes and, though the movies can be an exciting thing to watch, I'd rather be playing.

As much as I think the cutscenes are elaborately and expertly produced - the production values across the board are excellent - they didn't hold much of my interest unless it was a fight. (For a couple of areas, the screen splits with a cinematic on side and action happening on the other, which is ridiculous because you can't look at both at the same time.)  The battlefield is much more interesting and positively brimming with all sorts of little extras and Easter eggs all over the place. (So brimming in fact, that during my first play through I didn't even know Snake could acquire a camera; an item that can only be fully realized if you have a second controller activated.  In a feature that Halo 3 really brought to the fore, pictures can then be exported to the hard drive then transferred to a USB memory stick and from there they can be unleashed on the Internet.)

Snake is inserted into the middle of a raging war, complete with moo cow Gekkos, and a stealthy approach is encouraged but it is not the only option.  In fact, I spent most of the game running and gunning so much that when the plot forced me to use a stealth grab I had to flip open the in-game menu that explains all the moves because I hadn't actually used any stealth tactics.  With the early introduction of Drebin, an arms "launderer", Snake is never without a constant stream of bullets, grenades, or gun mods, so I never felt the need to conserve ammo or use less lethal means of dropping enemies.  Just start shooting and keep shooting, retreating only when necessary. This also tends to apply to the boss battles though you still need to figure out their patterns and weaknesses.

Integral to the game and fighting through some great set pieces is the very good cover system and you'll make use of it no matter how you're playing.  It's a simple matter of being next to something then pressing the triangle button. (Stay that way for a couple of seconds and Snake's Octocamo kicks in to neat effect.)  This ease of use is in contrast to preconceived notions I had going into the game about the series' notoriously clumsy controls.  Everything connected to what Snake does is deftly handled.

As good as the action is, possibly my favorite parts of the game were the three vehicle sections spaced evenly throughout the game, which provided thrilling, on-rails shooting experiences.  They all succeed in being fun but they're over too soon (which is probably what Kojima Productions was aiming for - it leaves you wanting more).

For some reason I felt it was important to play this "final" chapter of the Metal Gear Solid series - mainly to see what all the fuss was about - and I have to admit that I did have fun with the game even without a background rooted in MGS lore.  There are still problems with Metal Gear Solid 4, like the clumsy, ham-handed final boss fight (even if it makes sense within the context of the game) and forever spawning enemies, but there's enough to keep the scales weighed the other way that it's still worth adding to your game library.

- Omni

(July 4, 2008)