Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Review
- Posted June 16th, 2008 at 04:11 EDT by Mike Harradence
- 69 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
[Editor’s note – PSU will be covering Metal Gear Online in a separate review in the near future]
As the latest installment in Konami’s critically acclaimed stealth franchise, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots arrives on the scene accompanied by a substantial weight. By this, I'm referring to the weight that manifests itself in the form of the sheer level of anticipation maintained by its adoring (if slightly rabid) fanbase, and indeed anyone consciously aware of the reputation this venerable series has sustained with each subsequent release. With that said, Metal Gear Solid 4 is unimaginably far from your rudimentary sequel.
It’s not just the importance of the game’s PS3 exclusivity; rather, that’s simply part and parcel of the whole Metal Gear Solid experience, which has remained virtually synonymous with the PlayStation brand for past decade. No, what MGS4 brings is something far more poignant, as the game represents the culmination of two decades worth of story telling chronicling the events of one of videogames’ most iconic stars in one spirited, mammoth globe-trotting finale. The question remains, however, can Kojima and his team possibly deliver on this seemingly insurmountable task?
Metal Gear Solid 4 kicks off approximately five years following the events of the Big Shell Incident, which was depicted in PS2's Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Set in the year 2014, warfare has become like a well-oiled business transition, fueled by the dominance of Private Military Companies (PMCs) engaging in an endless series of proxy battles around the world, willing to sell themselves to the highest bidder. Enter Solid Snake -- now referred as Old Snake, due to the effects of his accelerated aging process -- who infiltrates a middle eastern battle zone posing as a UN PMC inspector in his attempt to neutralize the notorious Liquid Ocelot. While we won’t spoil what lies in wait, let us divulge that the events in the game aren’t restricted to the confines of this warn-torn, dilapidated combat zone; the wheels of fate soon begin to turn, and Snake is propelled on a journey which sees him reacquainted with a number of familiar faces -- some friendly, others not -- as he visit a variety of locations across the globe, including South America and Eastern Europe.
Fundamentally, Guns of the Patriots retains many of the core elements of previous Metal Gear Solid titles, rather than completely revamping the entire gameplay mechanics (as witnessed by other popular franchises such as Resident Evil). This design philosophy has allowed Hideo Kojima and his team to utilize the best elements of previous titles, creating a sequel that is instantly accessible to both fans and newcomers alike, as well as introducing some new components exclusively for this final chapter. At its heart, though, the basic concept remains the same; Snake must get from his starting position in a given environment and reach his objective by whatever means necessary.
This time around, things aren’t so clear-cut, as the majority of locations will place Snake in the middle of an on-going battle between the PMCs and local militia, making traversing the area an extremely difficult, and more often than not, a highly detrimental task. However, therein lies one of MGS4’s most rewarding elements, allowing players to chose the manner in which they accomplish their task. Players can opt for the traditional stealthy approach, sneaking quietly past the battle without attracting any unwanted attention, or can chose to aid the militia in their efforts by dispatching any nearby PMC soldiers. While you aren’t obligated to help out at all, the militia will more than often reciprocate your actions by handing you some extra ammunition or healing items to take with you, and will acknowledge your presence in future battles – a handy feature when you need to dispose of a large contingent of enemy soldiers. On the flip side, if you chose to remain indiscriminate about how you attack, Snake will find himself under attack from both parties, making his mission all the more difficult, which may appeal to gamers seeking a greater challenge.
Regardless of your preference -- stealth or action-orientated -- Snake has a wide variety of moves to facilitate whichever method you wish to go about ... (continued on next page)
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Comments
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dj_sup3r1or
- 11:15pm EDT - June 15th, 2008
- 2
Iam still not sure whether to pick this up or GTA4, I know they are both great, but my fincances allow only 1 now. I played for 20 minutes in the ship, the only thing I hated same as the MGS3 is the colour gama everything is great so its hard to distingush enemies in a surrounding.
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Limmex
- 11:18pm EDT - June 15th, 2008
- 3
Get both games if you can... I was hyped about playing GTA4 and love it, still not completed it due to time constraints. Picked MGS4 up as an impulse buy, not played the series since the PSone. Trust me, I'm not going to play anything else now, it truly is an experience not to be miseed...
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m29cool
- 12:37am EDT - June 16th, 2008
- 5
I have never played any of MGS games before. I was skeptical whether I should get it or not, being occupied with GRID. I got it and started playing. I have to admit, I was confused at the beginning and didn’t know what and how to do things. After ten min of trying, searching the menus and familiarizing myself with the controls I began to grasp the concept. MGS4 is amazing, it pulls you towards the story, action, music and graphics and never lets go. I totally lost any interest in any other game I own. I cannot stop playing it and thinking of the twists and characters it reveals. The game is great and on parallel with nothing I have ever played.
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hesmanes
- 12:45am EDT - June 16th, 2008
- 7
ive played and completed mgs a number of times now, (now i wish i played 2 and 3!) i swapped GTA4 for MGS4 for £15 @ GAME, got home, and ........................ i cant put the F*****G thing down!!!! im stuck at work now dammit! roll on 4pm so i can get back on!!! an amazing game, ive was in awe when i played the first level, deep in story, has really pulled me in!
buy it now anyone who is having second thoughts about it.
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itr855pr
- 1:12am EDT - June 16th, 2008
- 9
well in my opinion this game is a Masterpiece of a movie... cause you spend more time watching than playing... this game is excellent... in everyway... BUT! you play like 40% of the time and the other 60% you are watching a movie... thus making the actual game very short...and even with the movies the game is short... But i believe that is what next gen means.. better graphics + more detail + better gameplay = shorter games ;) that is todays math.. So the 45 gig used by this game was spent on gameplay, detail, grafix (which i dont mind at all lol)...and we ended up with a game that you only play for about 10 hours...
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Ryosukekun
- 2:47am EDT - June 16th, 2008
- 11
This is the best game I ever played could not stop playing it and end up finishing it in 1 day.
@ dj_sup3r1or
Get Metal Gear SOlid 4 if you can't decide between GTA 4 or MGS4.
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funItalian
- 2:54am EDT - June 16th, 2008
- 12
I've played all 3 previous MGS games and I have to say by far, that Guns Of The Patriots is the BEST game in the series...No! make that THE BEST game I've ever played on the PS3!!
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Cesarcsrf
- 3:08am EDT - June 16th, 2008
- 13
dj_sup3r1or hard to distingush enemies in the surrounding?? men don't pick GTA IV i could have fun with the game but u well get boring.. trust me i can't tell u more because i will spoile some things.. buy MGS4 is best gamer ever, nothing who release this year will be better then this don't loose this masterpiece
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regissreg
- 3:25am EDT - June 16th, 2008
- 14
I have played every MGS game and loved every game. But this one just blew me away. Graphics, Story & Game. The online is not bad either except for the long process of just getting started with creating a konami ID, but besides that its the best game I played so far on the PS3 & the only game that makes me want to stop playing my COD4 & GTA4. Other Game Developers need to take note and step it up a notch, all the games for the PS3 should be this good. Lets make the 360 fans regret not having a PS3.
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Heppy_2oo6
- 3:40am EDT - June 16th, 2008
- 16
@hesmanes
that deals at blockbuster i was gonna take it but they were sold out so jus got it at tesco:D
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Odium_Generis_Humani
- 4:41am EDT - June 16th, 2008
- 18
I could not agree more. This game (for fans especially) is nothing short of a masterpeice of offline gameplay.
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iplayonlysony
- 4:47am EDT - June 16th, 2008
- 19
This game is the ****, enough said. I have had much more fun with this game, than GTA4. I just couldn't put the game down this weekend.
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fraznez
- 5:18am EDT - June 16th, 2008
- 20
the game was just simply spectacular. maybe some people will not like the cut scenes a bit lengthy a times but you know what, it fits with the character of the game. it ends the story of a old legend and it could get annoying that some characters that you think were dead from the last series just reappear again; or when such a character (*big boss*) was lead to beleive he was somewhere but in actuality he wasnt this whole time, that can turn many people away from what we are used to seeing (SHOOT AS MUCH BULLETS AS YOU CAN AND MAKE THEM COUNT)
i appreciate everything that was in this game, just in awe at how a studio could have such talent of making an epic game, series for that matter. for anyone that hasnt played any metal gear, you could be lost along in the story but they do a pretty good job at kinda speeding you up to understanding the plot. the game is truly amazing and after all this fuc.king typing i just wanted to say that hands down BEST GAME I HAVE PLAYED YET. so @dj_sup3r1or: having both gta4 and mgs4, i will recommend mgs4 without a doubt in my mind. you cant not play this game!!!!!!!
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