Upon request by many roaring MGS4 fans: The MGS4 fan user review thread.

[masteratt]

This is my 10,000th post (I saved for this occasion) and I'm sure mods will allow such a thread for one of the biggest franchises on PlayStation.
I even think it needed it's own sub-forum.

Anyway, Metal Gear Solid 4 user reviews.
Please put a spoiler warning if your review goes into story depth or just use Spioler tags.

Review:

"Kept you waiting did I?" Says Snake after the longest 8 minutes of your life.
That phrase has so many meanings, it simply made me laugh with joy when I heard it.

Yes, you kept us waiting for MGS4.
You kept us waiting for a reason to want to hug our PS3s in love.
You kept us waiting for a hyped game that EXCEEDS all hype and expectations.
Snake you kept us waiting for too many things for too long.

But now that it's finally here, does it make me giggle like a small boy again with joy and does it remind me why I fell in love with videogames?
Hell yes it does.

This game has more heart, attention, genius gameplay in it's first 20minutes than 99% of other "next-gen" games put together.
This is the first time after playing for 5 hours straight I thought to myself "okay, THIS feels like next-gen, THIS feels like what a $400 console should feel like."

Let's get one thing out the way first, is it "just" a improved MGS game?
In all honesty, yes.
But this is Hideo Kojima so his meaning of the word "improved" is a lot more in depth than yours (or mine). This is not improved as in "new maps and a new gun".
It's improved within it's story telling, dialogue, atmosphere, music, directing, better character design.....Basically everything that was in ALL MGS games is here now and it's all PS3'ed up beyond....Well, belief to be honest.

The bosses and mini-boss battle set-pieces are sheer genius, the way the game flawlessly switches from a cut-scene to a game makes sure you are not taken out of the character for one second.
You are ALWAYS Solid Snake and believe me, you couldn't ask for a better man to be on a battlefield.

Oh and one thing to mention, you know you are playing on a PlayStation 3, so make sure your DualShock is DualShock3.
Now I don't want to dishearten people without DualShock3 controllers but it adds a lot to the game in my opinion and you can clearly see it was a big part of the game design in some aspects.

Well I will end by simply saying THANK YOU!
Thank you to Hideo Kojima, all at Kojima Productions, to Sony, to Konami and of course, thanks to all of us.
After all, we ARE the MGS franchise.

[curryking1]

Reserved!

God damn you have it already?

Hats off to you :)

Thanks masteratt for being such a good happy sport man XD

And of course... thank you Kojima. We all thank you so much for volunteering yourself to making Metal Gear Solid 4 - Guns of the Patriots.


But now that it's finally here, does it make me giggle like a small boy again with joy and does it remind me why I fell in love with videogames?
Hell yes it does.

This game has more heart, attention, genius gameplay in it's first 20minutes than 99% of other "next-gen" games put together.
This is the first time after playing for 5 hours straight I thought to myself "okay, THIS feels like next-gen, THIS feels like what a $400 console should feel like."

That's really all I needed to hear, even though I still read the whole thing ;)

Makes the wait all the more worthwhile and amazing to anticipate. I can't wait, but I want to wait almost at the same time. It's like... I can't explain it. Oh the day of tomorrow, how I will love you... :D

[masteratt]

Man seriously it's just.........*sigh* :cloud9:

[Hisham]

Here is the beginning of my review.. It is actually a retrospective of the MGS games through my eyes.. I'll add an actual review for MGS4 when I finish it.
_________
Now before I start this review, I should give you a back story about my Metal Gear history. It started when I was 10; I got Metal Gear Solid for the PSX. Now, while my family did have a computer, and we did have the internet (eww, 56K), I only used to use it for gaming back then. I didn’t really follow gaming like I do today, and I basically got my scoop about good games from friends and my brother. Anyways, one of my best friends had told me to check out Metal Gear Solid, and lent me his copy. What I remember from the first time I put it in my PSX, was the awesome cutscene in the beginning where Snake emerges from the water, and is briefed on what to do next (get to the elevator). While the rest of my first play through of this game is a blur, I do remember the excitement when I realized this game was voiced really well. It had the best voiced and written cutscenes of the time, and I got that from the opening minutes. And as I played through it, even at the age of 10, I was hooked. I had to know more about this game, and where it originated. That is when I started searching on the internet for other Metal Gear Solid games. After finishing the first one, I found out there were 3 retro games, Metal Gear, Metal Gear: Snakes Revenge, and Metal Gear 2. Being the stupid 10 year old that I was, I decided not to play them, and just wait for MGS2 to come out. I was 13 at the time the second one came out, but I didn’t get to get it right away because funds were lacking (parents discontinued my allowance at 12), so I had to wait on it. While waiting, I decided to give MG1, MG: Snakes Revenge and MG2 a go. The three games, while great games, didn’t measure up to MGS for me (understandably because of the technological limits at the time.) When I finally got MGS2, it was 2003, I was nearing my 15th birthday, and my favorite movie at the time was Matrix: Reloaded. Anyways, when I finally got MGS2, it was everything I imagined and more….

….until the first hour finished. Afterwards, being put into the hands of a bishōnen bitch called Raiden, I felt betrayed. I was cursing Kojima, even though I had already read that the game made you play as this dude for the rest of the game. Still though, I decided to go full steam ahead and see how this travesty of a game would end. I caught some nice little touches towards the end, and I really enjoyed the whole insanity thing that was happening, but something happened at the end. The first time around, for the final cutscene, I was going WTF the whole way through. I mean, I considered myself pretty smart for my age at the time, because I was one of the only people my age (that I knew) that actually understood the meaning of the conversation between The Architect and Neo in Matrix: Reloaded. Seriously though, I was ready to give up this beloved franchise after this game because of this experience. And because of this, I decided that I wasn’t really looking forward to MGS3. I mean, at the time, I had very little disposable income, so I decided it would be best not to buy another game like this.

But something very weird happened a few months later. I didn’t have much to do, I decided for the hell of it, to replay MGS2, because even though the story was incomprehensible to me at the time, I did enjoy actually playing the game. And it was this second play through that gave me a love for the game. I caught things in codec conversations I didn’t remember before, I saw the cutscene’s in a different light, and then when the ending came around, it just all clicked. And that is when I decided to play through MGS1 again as well.

After realizing all the details I had missed in my previous runs of both games, I gained a even greater appreciation of the world that Hideo Kojima laid out with these games. I opted to try and get MGS3 on launch, but funds kept me from doing that once again. This time though, I made sure not to get any spoilers about the game till I got my hands on it. And when I got my hands on it, boy was I impressed. The story was possibly the best yet, but there was a bad taste in my mouth, and that was the gameplay. It seemed to have taken a step back, and by trying to make it more realistic, it ended up hindering the experience for me overall. First, the 60FPS of MGS2 got pushed to 30FPS in MGS3. Then, all the pausing to switch camo gear got annoying, and healing your wounds was just a time waster. Even with these flaws, the game was still enjoyable, and that left me salvating for the time MGS4 came out. And with me never owning a PSP, I never got to play portable ops, but I pretty much got the lowdown on the story from the Gametrailers retrospective, so I feel I know the MGS universe in and out by now.

And this is all the stuff I remembered when I started playing the game. Seriously, I had high expectations right from the get go. Before I continue, I will not be rating the game overall out of 10 because I feel that you can’t numerically represent a complex opinion, so this review will just have a recommendation and a Pro’s and Con’s list. Also, I WILL BE USING MINOR SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW, AND I AM NOT SPOILER TAGGING THEM. SO DON’T COMPLAIN IF YOU GET SPOILED.

Right from the opening of the game, you get the feeling you are in for something great. The introduction cutscene plays, setting the fairly grim tone of the rest of the game. Snake, who has been afflicted with a mysterious condition and is rapidly aging for a reason unknown (for now), is sent on his final task of putting an end to his brother Liquid. Throughout this journey, you learn several things about Snake’s past missions, past enemies, and every character from past games that is still alive in the Metal Gear mythos is be brought in to bring the series to its final point, and the end of the saga of snakes.

Presentation:
The presentation of this game is impeccable. Everything is done from the in game engine, and going from gameplay to cutscenes is smooth, and it makes you appreciate the little things in the game. The user driven flashbacks and the small things, such as playing through a part of MGS1 while Snake is dreaming is what pushes this game to a seemingly film like level of presentation. Furthermore, during cutscenes you can zoom in and out with the d-pad, and notice every little detail of the current scene. You can attempt to look for a flaw in the cutscenes this way, but you will find none. The level of detail gone into the games overall presentation is inspiring, and shows how much of a cinematic experience gaming can be, rivaling even the best animation studios.

Graphics:
The graphics of this game are no slouch either. All the environments you go to and characters you meet look beautiful. There is such detail in the environment, especially when you make your way to a forest base to find a certain scientist who will go unnamed. Hands down, this is the best looking game out right now, and that is no small feat, especially when some of the areas in this game are so big. Shadows of certain objects, however, suffer noticably at times but these are few and far between and you will hardly even notice them.

Gameplay:
Now the gameplay on the other hand, while greatly improved from the previous outings, still has little nuisances that can turn out annoying, and cause many accidental slips. The reason for this being is because of how many options that you have while playing the game. There are many more ways to do things, and while this opens up options for great personal choice while playing, there is a lot to learn before you can accomplish it. This pushing the learning curve up, and makes mastering the game that much harder. Now, I did not mind this extra depth, but I can see how it would hinder the game experience for somebody who does not appreciate all the time and effort put into the new combat system. Of course, there is always the option of running and gunning, and this is where the game has made its biggest improvement. In previous installments of the series, the fixed camera hindered the shooting experience, and even when the fixed camera was discarded for MGS3:S, there were some issues with it. This time around however, it plays as good as any other third person shooter on the market, and getting headshots is easier than ever. Sneaking has also been heavily improved. Gone are the annoyances of the healing and camo system of MGS3, and in comes in Octocamo, which is derived from the camouflage that an octopus uses. If you lie still on the ground as Snake, your suit automatically changes, and you blend into your surroundings. Much more intuitive then the camouflage system of MGS3, and it doesn’t break up the action this way either. However, if you were a fan of MGS3’s style of camo, there is an option to change the octocamo to manual, if that is your cup of tea. I’ll be sticking with the automatic Octocamo.

Sound:
The soundtrack of this game is nothing to slouch at either. Orchestrated music is played, and it sets the mood for an overall epic story. Some themes from previous games return, and there is an option to play different songs on your IPod (provided you find them in the game world).

THE BOTTOM LINE:
This is basically the ultimate game for Metal Gear fans. If you have not played it, you are committing a travesty by not playing this game. If you haven’t liked any Metal Gear game you have played so far, I am sorry, but this game is not for you.
My recommendation, it is a must buy.

Pro’s:
Unrivaled cinematic gaming experience, New codec, Greatly improved gameplay, Presentation on the level of a PIXAR movie, Octocamo, No healing wounds, Cool weapons that you can customize to fit your style of gaming, greatly improved shooting mechanics, Raiden, Humorous breaking of the 4th wall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_wall#Breaking_the_fourth_wall), Mark MK II

Con’s:
Easy to accidently slip, Act 3, Story can be a bit much for some people

[Raitei]

yeah, this one too. nobody reads past the first few reviews :P

[frosty]

OK, I really like this idea. I am going to add this thread to the main page, so people can come here and read a variety of reviews rather than trusting one schmuck's opinion about the game. I'd like you all to create a score for the game on a 1-10 scale, and be as critical and honest as you can.

[GTAce]

I will play it this weekend in 1080p.
Expect a review from me sunday or monday, i will make one for sure.

[julps31]

Good thread masteratt. Congrats on the 10,000th post lol. CAN'T WAIT to get my hands on this game.

[Segitz]

OK, I really like this idea. I am going to add this thread to the main page, so people can come here and read a variety of reviews rather than trusting one schmuck's opinion about the game. I'd like you all to create a score for the game on a 1-10 scale, and be as critical and honest as you can.

So here it is... the Unboxing of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Limited Edition

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/4811/dsc03666fs5.th.jpg (http://img340.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03666fs5.jpg)

The main packaging... (sadly, mine was a bit damaged through shipping... but nothing major, just a slight dent in the plastic)

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/4575/dsc03667sc2.th.jpg (http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03667sc2.jpg)

The back of the main packaging. (note, the package says "720P", but the game scales to 1080P)

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/3236/dsc03668zp6.th.jpg (http://img264.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03668zp6.jpg)

The contents of the package...

Old Snake Figurine, Extra Blu Ray and Soundtrack, The Game, and the back again (sort of a flyer)

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/8039/dsc03669dp0.th.jpg (http://img407.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03669dp0.jpg)

Inside of the Extras Blu Ray Case... (Note that the Sound Track CD is only one CD, opposed to the one in stores, which has 2 cds)

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/6283/dsc03670yc4.th.jpg (http://img502.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03670yc4.jpg)

The Game case... Man, that looks sweet... (Note, the manual is REALLY fat... like 60 pages... and it is designed VERY VERY cool... but I won't spoil it, see for yourselves!)

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/487/dsc03671ff1.th.jpg (http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03671ff1.jpg)

The Figurine

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/4859/dsc03672th9.th.jpg (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03672th9.jpg)

The Head of the Figurine...

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/6462/dsc03677tg6.th.jpg (http://img179.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03677tg6.jpg)

Me saluting EVERY ONE of you, who got MGS4 on release day!!

Now I am off playing...

Btw. the install screen has nice "warnings"... especially one I found VERY funny... read them, you won't be disappointed!

[LaLiLuLeLo]

So....awesome..... Full review after it is completed.

[section]

Congrats for everybody who have spare time in their hands to play this masterpiece!

[Chrome]

Woot I have my MGS4 and I'm not playing it until I have some time to appreciate this masterpiece fully. I was going to wait till Sunday but I can't !!!!, I have my playing time planned, and it's today at 6PM I haven't been this excited since I got my Limited Edition Audi :D.

[yoshaw]

Reserved for review!

[acousticvan]

Please don't make this thread sticky. Sticky-ed threads are not usually visited by a lot of people. I know it's ironic but its very true.

[gibmonster]

I got mine this morning. There were quite a few people waiting for EB to open. A pretty damn good sight if I must say so.

This game is awesome...I only played for about 10 minutes due to exams, but this game is just gripping. I wish a lot more games had characters this well thought out and that you would actually care about.

Imagine if Kojima made a movie. Transition from games to film would be so effortless for him.

[ddaryl]

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/6462/dsc03677tg6.th.jpg (http://img179.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03677tg6.jpg)

Me saluting EVERY ONE of you, who got MGS4 on release day!!



LOL I think you are saluting from mid ear. I believe a salute is supposed to come from the forehead, but I admit I've never been int he service so I may be wrong here

I'll post my .02 after I finish as well

[OmniCloud]

It came out??!! Man...I hope they will have some for me this weekend when I goto pick it up...

Metal Gear is here, should make for a lovely weekend;)

[Segitz]

LOL I think you are saluting from mid ear. I believe a salute is supposed to come from the forehead, but I admit I've never been int he service so I may be wrong here

I'll post my .02 after I finish as well

I've been to the German Military^^ But other than that, the salute actually differs from country to country, so... I dunno^^

[jaxmkii]

after 1 hour i say its a 10/10 game THAT DESERVES IT.

[Hisham]

After 4 hours or so, I can safely say best game so far this year. However there are some annoying things that keep this from being a 10 out of 10 experience IMO.

I'll flesh out my thoughts on this when I finished the game in a fully written review.

[Gummy]

that salute is fierce.

start writing folks, i'd like to read some. =]

[Smokey]

:cry2: i want the Snake figure :(

[Segitz]

:cry2: i want the Snake figure :(

Try Ebay

[Hisham]

Bump, I added a MGS retrospective to lead into my review in the first post... I'll add the review to it when I acutally finish the game.

[Passive]

Well now.. i've been keeping my mouth shut all this time. Just finished the game on Big Boss Hard. 29 hours straight. and i have only 4 words to describe what i just sat through.

Best game ever made.

[CARTIER90]

Just out of interest - is 29 Hrs excluding cut scenes ?....anyhow, played a few hrs last night - in total agreement - awesome. Key word QUALITY...menus - gfx - sound ! ( SOUND! ) - altogether mucho pleased.

[Segitz]

Well now.. i've been keeping my mouth shut all this time. Just finished the game on Big Boss Hard. 29 hours straight. and i have only 4 words to describe what i just sat through.

Best game ever made.

I have "just" reached chapter two... man you are hardcore^^

[Jay Gee]

Same here. After waiting so long for this game, savoring it is the only thing I want to do.

[Passive]

Haha i savoured every second. I got awarded "Eagle title" at the end. I made alot of headshots apparently :P

Now I'm gonna start playing it on The Boss Extreme tomorrow after i've actually slept haha! I'm not sure if its the same as Euro Extreme but im guessing so. If it is i don't think i'll rush into it haha i might go through the game on veteran normal for a speed run or something. I know i said i'd do a review on the game for my 3000th but i really can't find the words right now that will truly do this game justice. After sleep and some food i'll write a long one. it'll be spoiler tagged in som parts though :P as there are bits i must talk about.

If any of you get stuck anywhere, ask for help =D i'd be glad to lend a hand. But spoiler tag it :P as others might not be to the point yet.

I hope you're all having fun with the game ^^ it's amazing. Kojima pro has truly made a masterpiece.

[Segitz]

Something strange happened to me though...

When chapter one started and the mission briefing was supposed to be shown

after the Sunny puts the eggs in the pan

it just skipped that part and threw me back into the game, and I didn't know what to do... Well, since you can rewatch the briefings in the main menu, it's not a biggy^^

[my name is Nobody]

Yea ok the greatest game ever made but that pretty much goes without saying. Any journalist that doesn't
state that in the review is a intelligence quotient test failing disease carrying cockroach. The diseases
they carry are stupidity and tastelessness so stay away from them.

I didn't buy this game to be my nursemaid I don't care if it is 2 in the morning if I want to sleep I will and
don't need to stretch every hour for 15 minutes and if I want smoke people should be considerate of me not
me of them.
I had a heck a time getting my copy I had relapse of my back injury from a few months ago but I did manage to get mine.

Anyway if you have the camo on during the cutscenes you can shake the sexyaxxis to go back to original form also you can use during codec conversations.

About the camera you can save the pix to an album in the xmb also you can use a second controller to take them. I was told you can wait to pick up it untill the fourth act you get enexclusive pic of Noami is that true an if it is can someone upload it please.

there is more I want to discuss but after taking a bottle of motrin I need to take a nap since I finished the game after playing it twenty hours straight without food or sleep.

[Hisham]

Yea ok the greatest game ever made but that pretty much goes without saying. Any journalist that doesn't
state that in the review is a intelligence quotient test failing disease carrying cockroach. The diseases
they carry are stupidity and tastelessness so stay away from them.

Yes, because everybody enjoys stealth gaming and cinimatic games.

Seriously, this is fanboy comment to the extreme. I just beat Act 4 (which was the greatest shit ever) and even I can acknowledge that this game isn't for everyone. 30 min cutscenes do tend to piss some people off you know. And the whole storyline isn't for everyone either.

Just adding a little perspective. I love the game, but seriously, it isn't going to be everyone's cup 'o tea.

[Nameless]

I'm about 7 hours into the game (Big Boss difficulty) and it's definately an amazing experience.
From a gameplay perspective it's pure MGS with some nice tweaks and additions to improve the gameplay mechanics. It's actually fun to run and gun in this game and that's a huge statement considering the gameplay limitations of previous MGS titles from a shooting perspective. I'm still trying to use stealth, but the gun play is a lot of fun in this title... The presentation is off the charts and truly what you envision for a next-gen title. I'm going to put in a long session this evening so I should have some more detailed thoughts tomorrow.

[Nameless]

Yes, because everybody enjoys stealth gaming and cinimatic games.

Seriously, this is fanboy comment to the extreme. I just beat Act 4 (which was the greatest shit ever) and even I can acknowledge that this game isn't for everyone. 30 min cutscenes do tend to piss some people off you know. And the whole storyline isn't for everyone either.

Just adding a little perspective. I love the game, but seriously, it isn't going to be everyone's cup 'o tea.

I completely agree with this statement...
I know several people who would not dig this game, but if you are a MGS fan this is the ultimate MGS experience period!

This game is not for every gamer especially if you are new to the MGS series, but any MGS fan should be shot for missing this masterpiece.

[Segitz]

I just reached the installation of chapter three...

cool thing is, the installer complained that it was later than 2am and I should get sleep^^

[Hisham]

I just reached the installation of chapter three...

cool thing is, the installer complained that it was later than 2am and I should get sleep^^

Haha, same thing happned to me at 4AM this morning. It told me to quit and get some sleep lol.

[Segitz]

Yes, because everybody enjoys stealth gaming and cinimatic games.

Seriously, this is fanboy comment to the extreme. I just beat Act 4 (which was the greatest shit ever) and even I can acknowledge that this game isn't for everyone. 30 min cutscenes do tend to piss some people off you know. And the whole storyline isn't for everyone either.

Just adding a little perspective. I love the game, but seriously, it isn't going to be everyone's cup 'o tea.

I completely agree with your statement, but if that really was the case, then all reviews would be idiotic, as everyone has different tastes...

To explain what I mean is... Many people don't like sandbox games, yet GTA4 got rave reviews by every freaking one... And now Eurogamers comes in and gives the (imho) best game every made an 8/10... I just doesn't seem right... Not that I complain or anything, but what do they want? They even gave MGS3S a 9 (although it was basically a souped up re-release (the original also got an 8).

[Nameless]

^ I'm still in shock that Gamespot gave the game a 10! :shocked:

[Kiosko]

Don't forget IGN!!

[Smokey]

to me the ULTIMATE 2 games would be MGS4 & MGS1 in these Graphics... like OMG

by the way im playing on pussy normal lol

[julps31]

Don't forget IGN!!Yea. IGN gave it a 10...in every department lol.

[Matt]

by the way im playing on pussy normal lol

Heh, I'm playing it on pussy mode too :-D

It's been so long since I've played a Metal Gear game that I needed to start on that one to get used to it all again. I must say that my stealth skills are pretty unrefined at the moment. I've just finished the first act, and I've killed 106 people. At least my aim is OK, 102 of those kills were headshots (P90 FTW)

[jaxmkii]

lol being my first MGS game im on pussy setting.

im glad cause as a noob to MGS the controls are megahard to learn.

[Passive]

pft, pussy mode ftl :P

btw im up to act 3 on extreme. ITS FUCKING HARD

[Matt]

Is it the same as the other games on Extreme? Like having no radar, being spotted from further away etc.?

[Nameless]

to me the ULTIMATE 2 games would be MGS4 & MGS1 in these Graphics... like OMG

by the way im playing on pussy normal lol

A MGS1 remake would be cool, but it was already done on the Gamecube so I doubt it will ever happen again. If MGS4 has some huge sales numbers and the fan community demands it you never know...

[TimmyJ]

Shadow Moses DLC?

[cliffbo]

i've seen up to the graveyard but stopped there because one day i will own this diamond. i just can't get over the production value in this game... i'm speachless

[Matt]

Go out and buy it, NOW!!

[Hisham]

I completely agree with your statement, but if that really was the case, then all reviews would be idiotic, as everyone has different tastes...

To explain what I mean is... Many people don't like sandbox games, yet GTA4 got rave reviews by every freaking one... And now Eurogamers comes in and gives the (imho) best game every made an 8/10... I just doesn't seem right... Not that I complain or anything, but what do they want? They even gave MGS3S a 9 (although it was basically a souped up re-release (the original also got an 8).


They are. No review can ever be perfectly objective. A review will always have the persons personal feelings. And even if they try to be objective, who gets to govern what is a good game.

Reviews are just the opinions of the reviewers and perhaps the company the reviewers work for. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Hisham]

Bump, my subjective review is on the table in my first post in the thread if you would like to read it.

http://forums.e-mpire.com/showpost.php?p=1895625&postcount=4

I can't believe I actually wrote a full review on the game. Coupled with my mini experience with the series, it is almost 2000 words lol.

Hope you guys enjoy. I enjoyed writing it.

[Sephiroth_VII]

Reserved.

Yeah, I'm late, so what? :p

[jaxmkii]

Go out and buy it, NOW!!

No JOKE! best game EVAR!!!

[masonite]

Just finished it then! took me 18hrs, 22 mins... bloody hell, what a game!

Pros:

- Atmosphere.... just amazing, manages to turn a computer game into a big budget movie. Never have i rushed through gameplay to get to the next cutscene the way i did with this game.

- Weapons system - camera makes shooting a cinch, and the customisation is mind boggling - i'm surprised snake could even carry my m4 by the end of the game ;) the range of weapons to use is also incredible, possibly the first time i played through a game without actually using them all....

- ....which demonstrates just how open the game is. The game truly gives you freedom to attack a situation the way you want it to - either turning into an action game (along with realistic consequences) or sneaking your way through the landscapes.

- The best story and ending of any computer game, ever. To have been able to have constructer such a deep and involving story over such a large time takes incredible vision, but to finish it off in a way thay makes people both happy and sad, feeling real emotion and empathy for the character, and actually hoping that this is his last mission, is absolute genius. Makes Lord Of The Rings look like Halo.


Cons:

- Complete freedom to choose your way of playing means some gamers without morals may find the game short - its possible to rambo your way through some areas (on normal difficulty at least) with relatively little difficulty.

- Movement system doesn't feel any different from previous games, movements are basically the same.

- in some areas, the suspense of sneaking was somewhat ruined by everyone ignoring you while they try and kill each other.


Conclusion:

I know i've got three cons in there, they're extremely small issues that fade in comparison to the pro's, but they're still there. This isn't a perfect game, and i don't think any game will be, but it is by far the best out there, and it will take a great deal many years for that to change, if it happens at all. It also accomplishes something that very few games manage to pull off - it actually makes you want to go back and play the older games, rather than forget them. To relive the story, rather than dismiss the poor graphics and flawed mechanics. It is a sequel that embraces its forebears, rather than trying to stomp all over them.

There are definate feelings of the predecessors in this game - just watching snake run around the screen (in a fashion which feels no different to mgs1) makes you realise it carries the DNA of the original. But it'll take more than foxdie to make people forget about solid snake...

Score: 9.8/10

[Theo]

^ Good post masonite.

The possibility to "rambo" through the game is cool, but I most definately did not allow myself to play it through that way lol. MGS has always been about sneaking for me and that way I kept it till the end. The tranquilizer(s) is my weapon(s) of choise as you can imagine, but I had to give the "rambo" style a chanse after I completed the game and it's great as well, especially with so many weapons at hand. Very difficult with harder settings :). And yeah, if you play on easier settings you can pretty much run and shoot through the levels, but then again you can do the levels quite quickly almost without any shooting on easier settings as well if you have aleast some talent. I guess it's just a matter of finding a well balanced difficulty level for your self. The best thing is that atleast there is no lack of variety at any level, so you can choose to go faster (or pretty much do what you want if you have some talent) through the gameplay sections with easier settings if you wish...

[GTAce]

I have a PC monitor here so here is my "review":

I cant say much because the experience this game has is too intense to put it in some written words for me.
I must also say i just WATCHED and didnt played through the game for myself.
The game is from my buddy and he brought his 1080p monitor to me so i cant complain and i actually think it was a good idea, because he rocks at MGS and just suck.

The install screens just alone are the pwnage.
And if you first see the intro sequences youre completely blown away.
Just alone the first 15 minutes of it are worth paying 150€ for MGS4.

Like i said i dont write much.
Everyone should play or see this "game", no thing in a videogaming console made me almost cry like MGS4, none of all the games i played made me feel so sick, none of those games was so beautiful and no single videogame i ever saw changed my thoughts and feelings so much like Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

I also never was a huge MGS fan or something, i always liked the games MUCH (well i loved MGS1) but i wasnt a huge fan.
With MGS4 that changed, now i could play through all the other games again and i really dont give a fuck anymore about the complicated controls.

Just like how EVERYTHING gets together in the MG universe, all the stories of the characters from MG1 to MGS3 evolve and end.
No movie made me love and hate FICTIONAL charas that much.

Im still speechless.
MGS4 isnt just a game that should get compared to other games.
MGS4 is a playable piece of art.
Kojima said "games are not art" and MGS4 isnt a game anymore.
I think thats what he wanted to achieve and he did it.

MGS4 has everything a story driven game needs plus things no game did before.
I wish i could buy it now, no, i wish i could buy every passionated story lover a PS3 with all MG games, but i dont have the money right now for both, which makes me sad.

Thanks Hideo Kojima and all of the guys that made this possible.

Pros and cons to make that at least look a bit like a normal review:

+Story/characters
+Cutscenes
+Weapon system
+Sound
+MGO
+Almost every feature MGS4 offers
__________________________________________

-Movement
-Some animations
-Level design sometimes doesnt match the quality of the rest

[jaxmkii]

just started act 3... this game keeps getting better

this is what 50gigs of awsome looks & sounds like! LIKE NO OTHER INDEED!

[VG Aficionado]

MGS4 is better than an hour long orgasm.

Yeah, that's my review :norris:

[Hisham]

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/99-Metal-Gear-Solid-4

Haha, some very vaild points, and funny as ususal. But I do disagree with some things he said.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

It wasn't that funny. Nevermind my love of the series, this week's zero puncutation was a little weak.
I put up a review for E-mpire (last week, no one's made a front page graphic for me yet!), not that any of you guys' are less valid. Hope you enjoy it at least a little bit.

Here's teh review. (http://psinsider.e-mpire.com/index.php?categoryid=6&m_reviews_action=displayreview&id=55&gameid=84)

[masteratt]

Yeah I dunno if it's because I'm a fan or something but that really wasn't funny.

[Passive]

Yeah i really didn't like it. at all :P Must be the fanboy in me

[GTAce]

MGS4 is better than an hour long orgasm.

Yeah, that's my review :norris:

I need a one hour long orgasm before i agree with you.
If you want to give me one....... :queer: