One of the benefits of the bumper crop of AAA games in 2008 is having a few left over for the long summer months of 2009; so with that in mind, here comes the most belated review of MGS4 yet to feature on the intertubes.
Never has a title blurred the lines between interactive storytelling and videogame quite like Metal Gear Solid 4. Proponents of previous iterations will find much to enjoy, from the slightly refined combat mechanics to the ninety minute cut scenes; an air of inevitability propels Old Snake slowly towards a suitable dénouement for the series. It’s a tightly-woven tale that wraps up nearly every loose end from an almost indecipherable canon; lurching schizophrenically between human drama, Hollywood action, social commentary, mecha fetish, war philosophising and stealth gameplay stoically entrenched in 1997.
Picking up the plot nearly five years after the events of MGS2, Solid Snake is in dire straits. The nanomachines that once empowered his athletic ability have turned master into slave, accelerating the aging process with seemingly irreversible results. As this evolution reaches its uninviting conclusion, ‘brother’ Liquid Snake turns up the heat on a plot to gain full access to the ‘Sons Of the Patriots’, a control program for the genetically-engineered PMC troops and weaponry that keeps the war economy churning around the globe. Responding to a call from old friend Colonel Campbell, Snake sets out to draw the MGS saga to a close; taking in cameo appearances from almost every major and minor Metal Gear character along the way.
Shorn of his ‘natural’ ability, Snake resorts to a newly-developed ‘Octocamo’ muscle suit to help plunder the Middle-Eastern battlefields and South-American jungles that make up the initial acts. Cleverly doubling as automatic environmental camouflage, Octocamo represents the first of several small steps towards streamlining and westernising the MGS control scheme; unfortunately most of the additional tweaks amount to little but window dressing. Naysayers beware.
Viewpoint alterations make the experience comfier in 3rd and 1st person, tighter CQC controls enable smoother transitions from ranged to close combat, gunplay feels weightier and Snake responds gracefully; but this is fundamentally the same game as every variant that came before it. The animation is occasionally jarring, environments are built around distinct height levels that Snake is unable to traverse with any degree of fluidity, and enemy AI adheres to strict PacMan-like movement and short line-of-sight alerts. There are multiple approaches to each of the battlefield scenarios, guerrilla troops to fight alongside and factions to be won or lost, but these are essentially diversions that add little to the overall experience.
Indeed, such is the propensity to dwell on the series’ stealth roots that these initial acts err on the side of familiarity a little too often for comfort, but that isn’t to say MGS4 treads an altogether predictable path. Project director and videogame auteur Hideo Kojima has never been in such a playful mood, frequently mixing soul-searching diatribes and fourth-wall breaking videogame anecdotes with the abandon of a man finally let off his creative tether; and it isn’t as if Konami kept that rope particularly tight in the first place.
Later set pieces and style alterations need to be seen to be believed, and unfortunately defy description without spoiling the inherent surprise in each. It’s safe to say that fans of the more esoteric moments in the series’ history – such as the Psycho Mantis controller-swapping or mid-game switch to Raiden – will simply fall in love with MGS4 after the opening few hours. If MGS3 was a game too far for Kojima, Guns of the Patriots represents the crazed death throes of a captive prisoner; aptly mirrored on-screen by some baffling twists and head-spinning plot developments.
Of all the fever-pitched narrative arcs in this fourth instalment, perhaps the greatest triumph is the beauty and the beast unit, with each of these genetically-enhanced female soldiers encapsulating the MGS microcosm to a near pitch-perfect degree. The traditionally lavish character design process has worked wonders here, with all four members featuring a distinct mechanised identity built around the premise of post traumatic stress disorder. Serving as both metaphor and physical entity, each member is thrown into a memorable boss battle infused with clever mechanics and well-worked nods to past encounters. One snow-covered sniper-themed battle in particular stands out as a contender for the most tense and engaging firefight yet to grace any action game, let alone this series.
Attention to detail, environment design and production value have a large part to play in creating the stage for those battles to shine, and on that front MGS4 simply reeks of money. Unlike your average Michael Bay film however, hardly any of that cash seems to have been misspent. Complex character models, industry-leading lighting and well-choreographed motion capture provide the tools for Kojima to indulge his every directorial whim, and whilst the editing process was apparently forgotten along the way, the in-engine cut scenes are presented with an appreciation for cinema that so rarely translates into videogame form. Like them or loathe them, those 90-minute semi-interactive clips serve the purpose of stirring debate over the merits of cinematic or gameplay-driven storytelling (a theme knowingly referenced in-game), and you have to applaud the tenacity at the very least.
With all that said, this has to be the time for the series to finally move on. Regardless of the successes here, MGS4 – much like its main protagonist – comes across as the peak of achievement for an outdated generation, but looks bewildered and lost as the modern world overtakes the sensibilities it once held so dear. No doubt that was Kojima’s intention all along (certainly aided by the 3 ½ year gestation period), and it’ll be interesting to see where the promised Raiden-based ‘lightning action’ game moves the series in the future; but when all is said and done, as a swansong, MGS4 performs fan-service on an almost extraordinary level. On those merits, it can only be judged as a resounding success.
Old Snake, we salute you.
Professional enthusiast, videogame "journalist" and all-round spectacular sofa dweller. "
3 Comments
this was and is the best game on the PS3, and for me the best of the MGS series. the story, the graphics the gameplay, all of it was so fluid, and jaw dropping, i was totally hooked from the start! i really cared about the characters and found the whole experience of this game something for other game developers to aspire to, could well be one of my fave games ever.
if it was the last in the series then it went out on one hell of a high
Daz
this was and is the best game on the PS3, and for me the best of the MGS series. the story, the graphics the gameplay, all of it was so fluid, and jaw dropping, i was totally hooked from the start! i really cared about the characters and found the whole experience of this game something for other game developers to aspire to, could well be one of my fave games ever.
if it was the last in the series then it went out on one hell of a high
Daz
Well, we have got MGS: Rising to look forward to, but I can’t imagine MGS5 being anything short of a total overhaul.