In the fourth and final installment of the “Metal Gear Solid” video game series, creator, director and mastermind Hideo Kojima has crafted an absolutely perfect gaming experience. Yes, you heard it – “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots” is by far the best video game of all time.
Hero Solid Snake has seen a lot of action in his life. He’s fought battles on numerous systems including the original Nintendo Entertainment System and all three Sony Playstation systems. He even traded in his guns for playing cards in a title on the Playstation Portable system. However, in the “Solid” chapter of the Metal Gear saga, Snake has earned quite the reputation for blowing up giant, nuclear-toting weapons of mass destruction, hiding in cardboard boxes and saving the world.
Snake was first introduced back in 1987 in his debut game “Metal Gear” for the NES. However, it wasn’t until 1998 when “Metal Gear Solid” for the original Playstation was released that Snake earned his well-deserved iconic status in the video game world. The game followed our hero as he made his way through an Alaskan military base, interacting with colorful characters and making yet another attempt to save the day. The game played out like a Hollywood movie with hours of cinematic sequences and voice acting. Not to mention the actual gameplay itself was something entirely new to a video game. Even though Snake has quite the arsenal of weaponry to choose from, the whole idea of the game is to make it through to the end while killing as little as possible. In other words, it’s a game of stealth, a tactic that would be heavily focused on in every subsequent “Metal Gear Solid” game.
Three years later, Snake made his way from the Playstation to the Playstation 2 in “Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.” The game received mixed reviews from critics. The graphics received a major overhaul, as did the gameplay. Snake could do much more this time around including holding guards hostage, and hiding their unconscious bodies in empty lockers, among other things. The game was complete with more cinematic scenes, more voice-over work and more colorful characters. And yes, you could hide from guards in a cardboard box until your heart was content. So what was the problem? You only played about an hour as Solid Snake. Kojima and crew introduced Raiden, an extremely whiney character who could do pretty much everything Snake could, but it just didn’t feel the same. Also, the story was so convoluted it pretty much did everything except make sense. At least it was fun to play.
Then came Snake’s final romp on the Playstation 2 system, “Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.” Released in 2004, the game was a prequel to the first entry in the “Metal Gear Solid” series and, unlike the games before it, took place in the vast reaches of the jungle. Fans rejoiced as protagonist rights returned to Solid Snake. Raiden was nowhere to be seen in the game, except once as a crafty joke pulled by Mr. Kojima. Gone was the headache-inducing story of the previous game, but all the good things from “MGS2” were present in full force. The evolved gameplay from the second game was there, and had been heavily tweaked once again. This time around, players had to catch food in the wild (you guessed it, snakes!) to feed Snake as well as heal his injuries. Cuts had to be treated with ointment, leaches had to be burned off, bullets had to be extracted and so on. All in all, it was a lot of fun and everything made sense this time around. Hell, even some of the mind-bending story of the second game was explained as a bonus! Needless to say, Snake was back and better than ever.
Four years later, Snake ends his legacy on the glory of the Playstation 3 in “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.” Now known as Old Snake, the visibly aged hero has tracked the villain who has plagued him three games prior to the Middle East. “War has changed,” Snake claims as the opening sequence shows what the Playstation 3 hardware can really do. Obviously Snake has changed too. He has a sweet, white mustache.
The basics haven’t really changed in 10 years. As Snake, players sneak around, moving from point A to point B – even if it means blowing up giant robot-like tanks and shooting a few guards in the process. This time around, Snake has almost a hundred weapons to choose from. Players can now buy and sell guns from Drebin, a nomadic gun launderer who seems to know more about what’s going on than Snake does. Just because you’re not supposed to use the guns doesn’t mean you won’t end up in a situation, or two, or three that you might need them. That’s one of the great things about the “Metal Gear Solid” series. Players can play the game however they want. If they want to go through it how it’s intended, they can. Or they can stock up on weapons and go through the game, guns ablazin.’
Every game in the “Metal Gear Solid” series plays out like a movie. The fourth installment is no exception. There are hours upon hours of cinematic sequences and dialogue to move the story along. Fortunately, the story is good enough that it’s actually compelling. Fans of the series will not be let down as plot holes are filled and most things are fully explained. The sequences themselves are nothing short of breathtaking, and the voice acting is the opposite of cheesy. But with hours of these movie sequences, there has to be a game in there somewhere, right? Oh, there’s a game all right.
The shift from cinematic sequence to in-game action is so subtle that it may take gamers a few seconds to realize they need to start pushing buttons. Never has a game looked or felt as much like a real movie than “Metal Gear Solid 4.” Game mechanics have evolved yet again. No longer do players have to feed Snake or tend to his wounds, but there’s plenty to do. In this installment of the game, players must keep an eye on Snake’s psyche gauge, apart from his life gauge. When Snake gets too cold or finds that he’s not allowed to smoke cigarettes during one of the cinematic sequences, his psyche gauge drops. When his psyche gauge is low, Snake moves slower, can’t hold his gun steady and so forth. It doesn’t happen too often in the game, but it’s a nice addition that adds to the story and overall package of the game.
All in all, there’s nothing bad to be said about “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots,” except it ends. The game is fun to watch, play and experience. After an almost 40-minute closing cinematic sequence (or it might even be longer), the credits roll and just like everything else, the game must come to an end. Hopefully it won’t be the last time we see Solid Snake thwart a nuclear strike or military takeover. Heck, I’d even be glad to watch him fight bad guys in retirement home.
Did I mention this game has already sold over a million copies worldwide?
