Where to begin? The first thing to get out of the way is that this review will contain spoilers. It's nearly impossible to review a game like MGS4 in the way your average game is reviewed and still have it be totally relevant. In most cases, you'll be able to skirt around important plot points and gameplay surprises with some decent writing, and people will still be able to get a feel for the game. Where MGS4 is concerned, the plot points and the gameplay go hand in hand. I would call this more of a discussion about MGS4, rather than a strict breakdown of it's plot and gameplay intricacies.

The next thing I'll need to get out of the way is that I'm “new” to the Metal Gear series. When the first in the Solid series rolled around on the PS1, I never got the chance to do more than watch a friend play it for a few minutes at a time. When MGS2 hit, I didn't understand the excitement, but went ahead and picked it up anyways. After the end cut-scene following the Tanker chapter, I felt utterly bewildered, and anyone who's picked up a series at it's mid-point knows that confusing story elements often lead to boredom, and eventually abandonment. This is doubly so for the MGS series, as so much of the experience is in the story itself. Needless to say, I felt MGS2 was a write-off, and never touched the series again.

Recently, Konami released the Metal Gear Solid Essential Collection; a set of the first three Solid games, clearly aimed at people exactly like me. As my interest in the happenings of MGS4 continued, I felt it was necessary to take the plunge and play through all three previous games. What started as a friend betting me I'd never finish the original MGS, ended in what can be easily be called one of the longest and most mind-numbing marathons I had ever put myself through, as I not only played through all of MGS, but at two o' clock in the morning, I popped in MGS2 and played it to near completion. Exhausted, I finally succumbed to sleep around nine in the morning. When I awoke five hours later, I continued on to beat MGS2, then quickly followed it with MGS3. In three days I had finished the entire Metal Gear Solid saga, in two more I had gone on to finish the original MSX Metal Gear games as well. I went in a skeptic and detractor, and came out a serious fan of the series.

Which leads us to Metal Gear Solid 4, Hideo Kojima's magnum opus, a game that carries so much weight, not only in terms of fan expectations and ammunition for Sony zealots the world over, but in the continued success of the Playstation brand overall. In this way, I can picture Kojima in the classic Atlus pose, the burden of the Earth replaced by an 80gig Gunmetal Grey PS3. One shrug, and the expectations of fans and critics alike could be crushed.

MGS4, once again, pushes the boundaries of cinematic story-telling in videogames, as if that line comes as a surprise to anyone who's followed this industry at all for the past ten years. The sheer length and volume of cinematic cutscenes in the game could pad out several feature-length films, although, with exceptions, they probably wouldn't make for the most interesting ones. We're once again treated to what can sometimes seem like hours of endless exposition, and while less prevalent than in previous games, you'll still have to sit through the old Powerpoint-esque cutscenes used to explain more complicated matters in a visual way.


Snake is old now, but he's still a complete bad ass.

Kojima continues to run as many themes through these games as seems possible, and while some come off entirely heavy-handed, (We get it, PMC's. We know.) some are a little more subtle, and much more emotionally effective. In particular, the entire theme of age and becoming obsolescent can, at times, be extremely powerful. Snake is constantly struggling to be useful in a world where he's becoming less so. You can see the frustration and resentment in him as he watches and learns how the newest nanomachines give soldiers the abilities that used to come from living a life of war, without them ever having experienced it. Metal Gear REX, at one point the most dangerous weapon on earth, is found a rusted husk in the basement of Shadow Moses, completely forgotten, superannuated. Snake, once the most dangerous soldier on earth, is forced to man it, eventually taking on the newer generations of weaponry in the Gekko's and Metal Gear RAY.

It seems entirely possible that Old Snake is nothing but a metaphor for Kojima himself, as he continues to get older and moves on, allowing younger talent to continue creating Metal Gear games. The idea of passing on ones knowledge to a younger generation and allowing them to continue on is spoken of quite often in MGS4, and accurately mirrors Kojima's stance on the MGS series. Even old people have a purpose, as Snake so often shows as he's thrown through the ringer that is MGS4.

The afore mentioned sequence involving Metal Gear REX is one of many terrific moments MGS4 will be known for in years to come. While previous Metal Gear Solid games had certain sections that needed to be played a little differently, MGS4 throws several exhilarating action sequences out across the entire span of the game. In a clear throw-back to the Shagohod motorcycle chase with Big Boss and Eva in Snake Eater, MGS4 puts you, once again, on a motorcycle with Eva (Big Mama) a sequence that blurs, and sometimes erases, the line between gameplay and cinematics. Another line blurring sequence, and what could be the most memorable sequence in the game, is the final fight with Liquid Ocelot on top of Outer Haven. As the two old men throw down in what is easily one of the most dramatic and brutal fist fights in videogame history, you're treated to what amounts to pure fan service, as the old school MGS1 health bars fill-up on screen, and each subsequent health bar is pulled chronologically from each game in the series, complete with the most memorable theme from each. As the fight wears on, the difference between your actions and the actions in the cinematics become one and the same, culminating in a couple of what will surely become legendary Metal Gear series moments.

The epic nature and closure of the last playable portion of the game is dragged down somewhat by what follows. The last scene atop Outer Haven and the last lines of dialogue from Ocelot will no doubt leave you scratching your head for a good solid hour, at the end of which, you still won't have a clue what just happened. The wedding sequence that follows is much more fulfilling, and the final shot fired by Solid Snake, the shot made to protect the world from the mutated FOXDIE in his blood stream, felt extremely powerful. It gave the feeling that Snake, with his ultimate sacrifice, made the happy scene prior to his death possible. It was a tragic end to what amounted to a tragic life, and it was an utterly fitting conclusion. Unfortunately, someone at Kojima made the decision that this wasn't a good note to end on. What we get following a short credit roll may be some of the most angering and blatant loose end tying I've ever seen. I won't say anything specific about this scene, as it really needs to be seen to be understood, but needless to say, the unsatisfactory revelations made about various other characters during the game (particularly Vamp) seem like works of genius compared to the final scene of the game, and sadly, the entire MGS series.


This graveyard is where the Metal Gear Solid series comes to a close...in the worst way possible.

The gameplay of MGS4 mirrors the story pretty accurately in that while some portions are highly entertaining and rewarding, others can come of slightly clunky and less satisfying, and still others come off absolutely brutally. In particular, Act 3 of the game has you on a tailing mission, following a spy back to his base of operations. I don't think anything has ever stuck out so poorly in a game of this magnitude. Aside from the fact that many portions of it are broken or don't make sense, (the guy you're tailing will wait for you to dispose of guards, but will still freak out and run away if he sees you) it drags on far too long, gets extremely tedious, and just feels entirely unnecessary in every way.

More entertaining are the areas of the game where you're just left to do what MGS is all about - Sneaking. With the OctoCamo, you'll be able to blend into any environment, and easily fool enemies, as long as they don't get too close. If you do get caught, and you will, the game allows you to run-and-gun much more easily than any other entry into the series, and even features a few sections where that is your sole intent. Clearly taking a hint from Western developed third-person-shooters, MGS4 employs the now all too common over-the-shoulder view for it's shooting mechanics. You still have a first-person camera, but the guns takes up far too much of the screen, making the option all but worthless. It certainly works, and often better than most games where shooting is the only mechanic, but with the conversion to more Western friendly set of controls, the game does loose some of it's eccentric charm.


More third-person, over-the-shoulder shooting! Fantastic!

The most impressive thing about the enhancement of the MGS control scheme are the various additions made to the sneaking and CQC. You have now have more control of Snake's ability to avoid combat than ever before. While initially confusing, and with no help from the game itself (read the manual) the various options you have for avoiding detection and silently eliminating threats are not only more varied, but much more satisfying than they previously were. Abilities such as being able to play dead, roll across the ground, disarm opponents, and even go in for a consciousness stealing crotch grab. Helped along by the fact that being spotted doesn't necessarily mean instant alarm, (if you're quick enough to silence the seer) the ability to avoid detection has taken a significant upswing for the better.

And really, that's what MGS4 is. It's just better than previous games in the series. The cinematic quality continues to be unmatched in the industry, (didn't take long for GTAIV to lose that bullet point) and with the enhanced and less finicky controls, the game plays better than it ever has. While certain areas leave problems that still need fixing, (and what game doesn't?) Metal Gear Solid 4 is an extremely worthy addition to one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed series in videogame history.

MGS4 continues the tradition of the series, but breaks that tradition in ways that only serve to make the game better. Clunky, complicated controls get the boot in favor of a more streamlined experience, and added abilities add to the depth of the gameplay. The story is as good as it ever was, but the epic scale and varied environments lets Kojima run wild with more inventive plot points than ever before. Fans will no doubt be happy, and the simpler gameplay will allow newcomers to feel comfortable, but the highly self-referential and complicated plot line will leave them in the dust.