camrachI
06-16-2008, 02:16 PM
REVIEW:
Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots.
I was expecting great things when I heard of this game. I thought PS3, The series was progressing nicely. Kojima seems to be on the road of finding himself as a game creator, and is undoubtedly setting his sights on the ranks of Miyamoto.
What did I get? Well… I’ll put it this way. This game is a masterpiece. The one game that made me feel this way recently is Bioshock, and only other game is Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time/Twilight Princess.
MGS4 is a great game. I don’t say that lightly. In fact I feel the need to repeat. It is a great game! I will break it down systematically, not to reveal anything.
Graphics:
Like what Gears of War meant for the Xbox 360, MGS4 is what is making the mark for the PS3. I’ve said it a couple times before, I feel like this is the first real PS3 game. That said, it looks phenomenal. All the stills you’ve seen does it no justice. None! Texturing is ridiculously awesome. Here’s a tip, pick up the game, go to the camo setting screen and take a look at Snake’s character model. Take a nice slow, close look and you will see exactly what I mean.
Audio:
Just like every previous game, the score is superb quality. The sound effects are crisp. The music drives the mood of the game just like that of a movie. Beautiful soundtrack. If you’ve played the previous games in the series you’re going to feel right at home. Right at home. Harrison-Williams is very good at what he does, the music really plays a tremendous part in fueling this title.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is that of the first 3 titles, just multiply the sum of those three by ten. Lets see how that looks as an equation, just for kicks: MGS + MGS2sol + MGS3se x 10 = AWESOME! A bit of tweaks that will feel odd in the first 30 seconds, that is if you’ve played an MGS title before. Example: they’ve changed the control scheme to match American style. If you didn’t know, the symbols on the Dualshock 3 actually have a meaning. Simple breakdown:
X (X/cross) = Batsu (no good) sort of like in Western style of an X means negative/don’t go/ etc…
△ (Triangle) = Sankaku means Mediocre or average.
O (Circle) = Maru means Good, pleasing, satisfactory.
In a lot of Japanese titles, including every previous MGS O was used to advance and X to back up. It’s now been swapped to match Western style.
Another change is in simple game mechanic, where in previous games, you tape x to duck, you move while ducking, the character will go prone. Since Snake can now move while he’s crouching, you now have to hold X to go prone. Minor changes, but you won’t feel out of your element. In fact, you will notice that almost all the changes are for the better. I don’t want to reveal anything too much. So I will leave it at that.
GAMEPLAY:
a. STORYLINE:
The Storyline is phenomenal. The main thing to me is how they tied all the loose ends together and it does not feel half-assed. You definitely won’t finish this game with that bitter taste that The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions left you with. At times it may feel a little convenient how things fall into place, but it’s almost like they planned it all early. The twists are easier to follow as long as you pay attention. Pacing is a little odd at times. Seems like it’ll slow down a bit, then BAM! A torrent of storyline bombs. Not so much a complaint. But it’s a little odd in it’s execution.
b. CUTSCENES:
Long and entertaining. Those early reports of 90minutes are definitely correct. They are all well done, tho. Well acted, well animated, well choreographed. Very well done. Beautiful editing, cinematography and photography.
c. CONTROL
Well done, very tight and accurate. You don’t feel like it’s too loose, you don’t feel like it’s too tight. You don’t feel like you’re moving a tank. The FPS controls are well done as well. All in all very smooth.
To sum up, MGS4 is fantastic. It was worth the wait, and any time you can achieve that feeling it means you’re project has been well executed. I’m proud of what Kojima and his team. MGS4 feels like this is what the series has definitely been leading up to, it does not feel phony, it does not feel forced, it does not feel half-done. All the changes feel like an evolution rather than an arbitrary change. There are so many ways to attack this game, so many styles. There’s a lot to see, a lot to do, a lot to swallow. Please do enjoy. Take your time and savor the wine. This isn’t a beer.
I give MGS4gotp 9.8
Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots.
I was expecting great things when I heard of this game. I thought PS3, The series was progressing nicely. Kojima seems to be on the road of finding himself as a game creator, and is undoubtedly setting his sights on the ranks of Miyamoto.
What did I get? Well… I’ll put it this way. This game is a masterpiece. The one game that made me feel this way recently is Bioshock, and only other game is Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time/Twilight Princess.
MGS4 is a great game. I don’t say that lightly. In fact I feel the need to repeat. It is a great game! I will break it down systematically, not to reveal anything.
Graphics:
Like what Gears of War meant for the Xbox 360, MGS4 is what is making the mark for the PS3. I’ve said it a couple times before, I feel like this is the first real PS3 game. That said, it looks phenomenal. All the stills you’ve seen does it no justice. None! Texturing is ridiculously awesome. Here’s a tip, pick up the game, go to the camo setting screen and take a look at Snake’s character model. Take a nice slow, close look and you will see exactly what I mean.
Audio:
Just like every previous game, the score is superb quality. The sound effects are crisp. The music drives the mood of the game just like that of a movie. Beautiful soundtrack. If you’ve played the previous games in the series you’re going to feel right at home. Right at home. Harrison-Williams is very good at what he does, the music really plays a tremendous part in fueling this title.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is that of the first 3 titles, just multiply the sum of those three by ten. Lets see how that looks as an equation, just for kicks: MGS + MGS2sol + MGS3se x 10 = AWESOME! A bit of tweaks that will feel odd in the first 30 seconds, that is if you’ve played an MGS title before. Example: they’ve changed the control scheme to match American style. If you didn’t know, the symbols on the Dualshock 3 actually have a meaning. Simple breakdown:
X (X/cross) = Batsu (no good) sort of like in Western style of an X means negative/don’t go/ etc…
△ (Triangle) = Sankaku means Mediocre or average.
O (Circle) = Maru means Good, pleasing, satisfactory.
In a lot of Japanese titles, including every previous MGS O was used to advance and X to back up. It’s now been swapped to match Western style.
Another change is in simple game mechanic, where in previous games, you tape x to duck, you move while ducking, the character will go prone. Since Snake can now move while he’s crouching, you now have to hold X to go prone. Minor changes, but you won’t feel out of your element. In fact, you will notice that almost all the changes are for the better. I don’t want to reveal anything too much. So I will leave it at that.
GAMEPLAY:
a. STORYLINE:
The Storyline is phenomenal. The main thing to me is how they tied all the loose ends together and it does not feel half-assed. You definitely won’t finish this game with that bitter taste that The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions left you with. At times it may feel a little convenient how things fall into place, but it’s almost like they planned it all early. The twists are easier to follow as long as you pay attention. Pacing is a little odd at times. Seems like it’ll slow down a bit, then BAM! A torrent of storyline bombs. Not so much a complaint. But it’s a little odd in it’s execution.
b. CUTSCENES:
Long and entertaining. Those early reports of 90minutes are definitely correct. They are all well done, tho. Well acted, well animated, well choreographed. Very well done. Beautiful editing, cinematography and photography.
c. CONTROL
Well done, very tight and accurate. You don’t feel like it’s too loose, you don’t feel like it’s too tight. You don’t feel like you’re moving a tank. The FPS controls are well done as well. All in all very smooth.
To sum up, MGS4 is fantastic. It was worth the wait, and any time you can achieve that feeling it means you’re project has been well executed. I’m proud of what Kojima and his team. MGS4 feels like this is what the series has definitely been leading up to, it does not feel phony, it does not feel forced, it does not feel half-done. All the changes feel like an evolution rather than an arbitrary change. There are so many ways to attack this game, so many styles. There’s a lot to see, a lot to do, a lot to swallow. Please do enjoy. Take your time and savor the wine. This isn’t a beer.
I give MGS4gotp 9.8