Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Review
- Posted June 16th, 2008 at 04:11 EDT by Mike Harradence
- 27,938 views
- 68 Comments
Review Score
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- PSU Review Score
- 10.0
- Avg. user review score:
- 9.7
Summary
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a stellar entry in the series and ultimately one of the most rewarding videogame experiences of the decade. Absolutely essentially, regardless whether you are a fan or not.
We like
- The engaging and varied gameplay
- The gripping storyline
- The unprecedented audiovisual presentation
We dislike
- The minor framerate and visual inconsistencies
See PSU's review on Metacritic & GameRankings
(continued from previous page) ...pot shots at his foes. Furthermore, despite age catching up with him, the legendary warrior is still highly agile, capable of performing a number of evasive techniques, including forward and sideways rolls, in addition to rolling on his back and stomach when in the crawl position to escape from danger.
Make no mistake, although the game contains some heated action segments, MGS4 doesn’t abandon its stealth roots in the least, and remaining undetected undoubtedly remains the safest method available. An intrinsic part of this comes in the form of Snake’s innovative camouflage system, Octocam. Utilizing this technology, players are able to adapt to their surroundings in mere seconds, simply by pinning Snake against a particular object of surface; the Octocam will then replicate that particular pattern, allowing Snake to blend into his environment, decreasing his chances of being discovered. Additionally, all patterns are saved into the camouflage menu, allowing Snake to adapt to any condition necessary. Naturally, wearing the wrong type of camouflage in certain areas can cause incongruous results, thus greatly increasing chances of you being detected. Amusingly, Snake can still take refuge in his trusty cardboard box, although this time, he’ll also have access to a battered drum can, affording him better protection against bullets, as well as the ability to roll into his enemies, knocking them over briefly, which is ideal for when you need to make a quick getaway in the event your position is compromised. Rather than have Snake risk being spotted, you can instead play it safe and chose to scout the area ahead with the Metal Gear Mk II; a robotic drone that can also be used to scan the area ahead, in addition to briefly neutralizing any nearby enemies using a small electrical discharge. Although fragile and not capable of wondering off too far, it’s a handy tool for pin-pointing the location of a group of nearby foes, as well as scouting out any alternative routes Snake can take to circumvent a major threat. Still, you may find it a somewhat forgettable asset in the games more heated moments, and I myself admit it was rarely used, choosing instead to scout out the local area using the Solid Eye’s zoom functionality.
In order to capitalize on your chances of sneaking by opponents unnoticed, players must also keep an eye trained on the Threat Ring, located in the upper right hand corner of the screen. This feature tracks where your enemies are in relation to your position, and also keeps track on how ‘alert’ they are at the time. As with previous games, if an enemy spots Snake, he will be required to evade on-going patrols for a set amount of time before the alert phase is canceled. The game’s artificial intelligence is extremely competent, and will search ruthlessly for Snake during this time, turning over objects, checking in dustbins, lockers and any other conceivable hiding place in an effort to locate him at all costs. Unlike previous installments, enemies no longer follow a specific pattern, and this arbitrary method of patrolling can lead to some nasty surprises for Snake if he isn’t quick to take action. It also proves highly effective in cranking up the tension as you wait with baited breath for your enemies to finally abandon the search. As with previous installments, your adversaries don’t have to actually spot Snake in order to initiate a search; soldiers will generally react to anything suspicious, such as the sound of footsteps, gunfire, sudden movement, and proceed to radio HQ and commence search operations. Needless to say, this makes it all the more gratifying when you successful infiltrate enemy territory unnoticed under the watch of such intelligent foes, especially in some of the quieter moments when you’ll be encouraged not to engage the enemy.
In another Guns of the Patriots addition, Snake must also now cope with the stress of battle, which can negatively affect his performance if not carefully monitored. If Snake is exposed to intense combat for prolonged periods of time, his stress level will raise, which ultimately lowers his Psyche Gauge. When this happens, Snake will begin to exhibit decreased performance in battle, such as an inability to aim properly, as well as his Life Gauge recovering far slower than normal. These attributes ... (continued on next page)
Comments
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Shin-Karazu |
shinkarazu- 9:28am BST - June 20th, 2008
- 53
I really didnt have any frame rate inconsistance, but the only -con- i would give the game is that if you want to go back and play a act that already past, you have to intall it.
@ultakin2me - How the h*ll could have you beaten the game in 11 hours if the game has slightly 10 hours in movies. If you skiped them, then you didn't focus on the story nor did you even try to enjoy the experience.
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smallvillefreak
- 5:11am BST - June 22nd, 2008
- 56
Well, I just finished beating this game. It was two days of totally awesome entertainment. I have to say that this was totally worth waiting 4 years and I don't think I could have asked for more. Here's looking to the future with MGS5 and hopefully Raiden back in the driver's seat.
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Lopaz_14
- 2:50pm BST - June 24th, 2008
- 58
To Unlock The Corresponding Emblem, You Have To Successfully Complete The Indicated Task Below:
Assassins: Complete The Game In Single Player Mode. You Must Have Killed More Than 50 Enemies With The Knife, Or Have More Than 50 Cqc Holds, Or Not Get Discovered For More Than 25 Times.
Big Boss: Complete The Game In Single Player Mode On The Hardest Difficulty Setting Without Using Any Continues, Instigating No Alerts, No Enemies Killed (which Includes Bosses), Making Use Of No Life Recovery Items, Making Use Of No Stealth Suits Or Special Bandanna Items (you May Possess The Item But Not Use It). Lastly, You Should Have Completed The Game In Not More Than 5 Hours.
Fox: Complete The Game In Single Player Mode On The Naked Normal Or Higher Difficulty Setting Without Using Any Continues, Instigating At Least Five Alerts, Without Killing Any Enemies (including The Bosses), Making Use Of No Life Recovery Items, Making Use Of No Stealth Suit Or Bandanna Special Items (you May Possess The Item But Not Use It). Lastly, You Should Have Completed The Game In Not More Than 6 Hours.
Fox Hound: Complete The Game In Single Player Mode On The Big Boss Hard Or Higher Difficulty Setting Without Having To Use Any Continues, Instigating At Least Three Alerts, Without Killing Any Enemies (including The Bosses), Making Use Of No Life Recovery Items, Using No Stealth Suit Or Special Bandanna Items (you May Possess The Item But Not Use It). Lastly, You Should Have Completed The Game In No More Than 5 Hours And 30 Minutes.
Hound: Complete The Game In Single Player Mode On The Naked Normal Or Higher Difficulty Without Using Any Continues, Instigating At Least Three Alerts, Without Killing Any Enemies (including The Bosses), Making Use Of No Life Recovery Items, Using No Stealth Suit Or Special Bandanna Items (you May Possess The Item But Not Use It). Lastly, You Should Have Completed The Game In No More Than 6 Hours And 30 Minutes. -
shazly84 |
Shazly84- 12:40am BST - June 25th, 2008
- 59
A great ending to an outstanding saga...
MGS4 is more than i expected, and has deffinately lived up to the hype.
Rumors have already started circulating on the internet about a "prequal" MG... I say this: Mr. Kojima, you have provided the public with an unforgettable saga, along with the perfect ending. Everything came together...everything was just so clear at the end. Dont ruin it. stop while you're way ahead.
Thank you Mr.Kojima....for all the Metal Gears :)
Looking forward to the movie!
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singlestrike
- 5:10pm BST - July 24th, 2008
- 62
This is the best game I've ever played by a longshot the size of the universe, and I own GTA IV. There is no experience quite like MGS4, but it can be appreciated even more if you've played through the series.
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supamariobrotha |
supamariobrotha- 5:53pm BST - July 24th, 2008
- 63
this game was a true masterpiece but truthfully i already knew this was gonna be epic i laugh at those xbox fanboys who said this game would fail LOL!!!!!!!!
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Ocelot1987 |
METSTM- 12:16am BST - July 28th, 2008
- 65
This is the best game any console has to offer. With the best protagonist ever made. This game's character development and story development is simply amazing. It has perfect graphics, sound, game play. You name it this game dishes it out. My only wish is that there will be more Metal Gear Solids. A fitting ending to one of the best series ever made.
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Nayr_Ikoljah |
Nayr_Ikoljah- 9:27am GMT - February 15th, 2009
- 66
i sold my copy of this game that came bundled with my 80gb ps3, because i hate this game, ( take that mgs4 fanboys, cry your eyes out )
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el_rika
- 4:12pm GMT - February 23rd, 2010
- 68
@ Nayr_Ikoljah - OH NOES !!!! ok, that's it, i'm commiting suicide -_-
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