I will start with the obvious, the game looks beautiful. The graphical
quality does not change between cutscenes and gameplay. Kojima and his team pulled out all the stops on the beauty of this game, as they have always striven to do.
SPOILER ALERT
Then there is the story. A lot of people harp on the Metal Gear Series because the story is full of twists. One person even said that the plot was twists and only twists. That person missed the point completely. Especially by the end of this game, it becomes apparent what Kojima had been pushing for. The message about humanity is clear... the MGS series has always been anti-war, anti-genetic determinism, anti-environmental determinism, every mistake that humanity has ever made with regards to war and control of the populous has been addressed in some way. Consider the history through which Kojima derives his inspiration. His home country of Japan experienced an apocalypse during WWII while causing an apocalypse in mainland Asia at the same time.
In all situations of war no matter who begins the fight or where it starts or ends, the young will repeat the mistakes of the old, and the old will let the knowledge gained from their mistakes slip away with death. Even the most heinous actions, deception, murder, are a means to an end, and the end is all that really matters.
SPOILERS OVER
Gameplay was spectacular. The MGS franchise is one of very few that has made significant gameplay improvements with every subsequent release. Control of Snake feels much more fluid, yet at the same time you can feel his age in the way he performs. Though he is more agile and powerful than the average human could ever be, he isn't quite the same old Snake. He is THE Old Snake.
Old Snake gets a lot of neat toys in this game, too. Most notably is his chameleon suit. If he lays flat, his suit will automatically adopt the pattern of the materials that are on the floor. By pressing the "triangle" button while up against a wall, he will adopt those coverings as well.
The second great toy is Drebin's shop. Drebin is a weapons launderer who gives Old Snake full access to replacement ammo and other supplies. ID Locked weapons can be converted to old-world weapons that do not require nanomachine permissions. There are A LOT of weapons in this game. First time through you probably won't get to experience all of them, and that is okay. Just check them out on your next run. The game is only about 10-15 hours long depending on how you choose to play. Also, through Drebin's shop Old Snake can modify his weapon. The first weapon, the M4 Custom is a good all-purpose weapon. It packs a decent punch and holds 30 rounds. It can be modded with a shotgun attachment, grenade launcher, or foregrip for stability. Laser sights and scopes can also be added to the M4 and other select weapons. So play around and have fun.
Toy #3 is the Metal Gear Mark II, Hal's minature Metal Gear Rex that is mostly harmless...mostly. When you need a buddy to turn the corner and remain unseen for you, Mark II can cast an invisibility cloak and make sure the coast is clear. If things get sticky, it has a shock wire function to incapacitate unsuspecting foes. The same tool can be used to knock on surfaces to distract your enemies and guide them away from Old Snake's true position. It is a neat little gadget that you may or may not find to be useful.
Next up, the enemies. In this game, it is impossible to hate the enemies you fight (except for Vamp) because they are amazing, flat-out. Whether they are GECKOS (bipedal beast machines), FROGS (all-female supersoldiers), or Private Military Company militia-men (remnants of their humanity will keep you grounded), or the Beauty and the Beast Corps (best enemies in of all time in videogames?), enemies are not just targets. Kojima and his crew made the enemies in this game characters to be admired. They neither have names nor faces, but they will f*** your day up very quickly if you do not respect their power. From the top down, they are all capable killers.
The humanity of this game lies within Snake's allies. Meryl, Eva, Hal, the Colonel, Mae Ling, Raiden, Rosemary, Naomi, and especially Sunny represent the other side of life. Old Snake is a manufactured product of war, the only life he has ever known. No machine can imitate or destroy the compassion that these individuals shared. This is passion. I won't go on, can't explain much else without major spoilers.
Gameplay, people, visuals, this game is stunning. Metal Gear Sold 4 exemplifies why videogames deserve to be celebrated as art. It has the story worthy of novel publishing, breath-taking visuals, engrossing music, and an all-around realism that we celebrate in paintings such as the Mona Lisa. If only more videogame producers put this much time and effort into a game. Production for perfection... long hours, perspiration, and inspiration to produce the culmination of one's efforts... that is art... this is art.
If you are a casual gamer, this is not for you. If you have never played the other MGS games, this is probably not for you. Play through MGS1-3 in order to get the story and gameplay straight, and then play MGS4.
For everyone who has been trying to compare this game to COD and HALO...come on. MGS4 is not a pure shooter. They put it nice and bold on the cover, "Tactical Espionage Action". That means be sneaky and use force only as needed. Play a "shooter" and judge other shooters with it. MGS4 is NOT, I repeat, is NOT a shooter.
Could this go down as one of the best games of all time? Absolutely. Game of the Year? For sure. It is in a league of its own. Nothing else plays like it. Few other games are as engrossed in the mystique of political/sci-fi conspiracy. Too few have such dedicated stories. In most games, the producer's passion is not as apparent. MGS4 had a 105 degree fever with Kojima's ardor for gaming perfection. The game feels like he and his team cared.
Gameplay 5
Video 5 - Cutscenes are long but not at all boring
Audio 5
Story 5
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