Metal Gear Solid 4 is the most polished and ambitious finale to any video game series and easily one of the best games.
This game is easily one of the most beautiful video games to grace consoles. While Gears Of War may have the high poly models and insane textures, Metal Gear Solid 4 brings about a complete graphical package that is unsurpassed by any game before it or after. This game truly brings an epic blockbuster movie feel to its presentation. Everything from the greatly emotive player models and the scenery looks beautiful. While there may be some dull textures here and there, the overall games looks amazing. Characters all look and react realistically and the animations are spot on. The game world is filled with small details that truly make it seem far more vibrant and the visual effects are in full force. Depth of view is in full force in this game and some well placed motion blur smoke and lighting are all carefully placed to give the game an artistic and beautiful feel to it. Cut-scenes are expertly choreographed and directed making every single one a blast to watch. This game clearly blurs the line between video games and movies when it comes to visual presentation and artistic value.
Gamep-lay:
The game-play borrows from the previous iterations and manages to evolve it to the next level. The stealth we have all become so accustomed to is still there in full force, except this time the game gives you far more options. Its completely possible to play the majority of the game as a Third Person Shooter much like Gears of War or to take the more tactical stealthy approach of the previous Metal Gear games. This game is all about choice. Each objective has multiple routes of varying difficulty and the game even implements a weapon customization aspect. As you play the game, snake will automatically pick up any weapons on the ground which are automatically sold to your resident gun launderer "Drebin". With the currency you get from selling weapons (Drebin Points (DB)) you can unlock new weapons, purchase ammo and buy customizations to your current weapons. This leads to a lot of game-play options depending on which weapon you chose to use and what customizations you chose to have on it.
Another game changing aspect is the Octocam. The Octocam brings back the idea of camouflage introduced in MGS3 but makes it far more intuitive and less cumbersome. Just by leaning up to an object or lying on the ground still, Snake's Octocam suit will automatically change pattern to blend in with the environment. The game also introduces Metal Gear Mk.II which is a small remote controlled robot that can help to knock out enemies or take weapons from the battlefield and even scout ahead for the player. These are just a few of the improvements that make this game vastly superior to the previous iterations. The game also takes on many different game-play elements to keep the gamer interested at every turn. Each Act tries to shake things up and through the course of your journey you will have done some sneaking, all out gunning and even some truly amazing chase scenes and even get a chance to pilot the might Metal Gear Rex!
Controls:
The controls are tight and responsive and you even get an option to change sensitivity and whether or not you want the X and/or Y axis inverted. The controls are intuitive and you will have them down in a matter or minutes despite all the various game-play elements and things you can do. The CQC maybe a little too sensitive at times and you might mess up a few times when trying to accomplish something, but its a minor gripe.
Sound:
The sound is spectacular. This game has one of the most touching and beautiful soundtracks to ever grace video games. Each song is carefully placed to produce the right emotional response at the right time. Everything from the eastern sounding theme song "Old Snake" to Middle Eastern sounding "Love Theme" is beautifully composed and well placed within the game. The weapon sounds sound perfect and the ambiance sounds are also very well done. Everything sounds very crisp and lively. Apart from the music, the true show stealer is voice acting. The voice acting in this game puts every other game to shame. The people actually understand the characters they are portraying and each voice lends a sense of individuality to each character. In short, you couldn't hope for any better!
Story:
Oh boy...the story. This is what the whole game is about, the story and let me be the first to tell you that it does not disappoint! MGS4 manages to do what everyone thought was possible, tie up all the lose ends from the entire series. Every major character from the past decade of Metal Gear Solid gets a mention in this game. Everyone has a role and they are all connected to the larger story of the MGS universe. This game is truly a game that's meant to entertain and thank all of its loyal fans. Throughout the entire game, many references to previous MGS games are made and various characters from Metal Gear games finally get their well deserved conclusions to their story. No one feels left out and nothing feels rushed. This game shows respect to every single character it has ever introduced and its overall story. Its hard for anyone to come away from this games story and feel disappointed. The story also happens to be a major emotional roller coaster. By the end of the game expect to have shed many tears as we see our heroes confront each dilemma head on.
Replay:
MGS4 is a great game and very replay-able. After beating the game once, and super hard mode (The Boss Extreme) is unlocked allowing you to try again. Also the general open aspect to the game-play means you might replay the game just to try another tactic, so maybe you could go guns blazing rather than stealthy this time around. To be quite honest, its worth replaying the entire game again just to watch the amazing cut-scenes again. Also MGS4 ships with Metal Gear Online. Despite the arduous sign-up process, it it quite enjoyable. The multiplayer uses the same mechanics as the single player through various game modes which have you killing, sneaking and so on. Overall, its a solid and enjoyable addition, but pales in comparison to the excellent single player.
Conclusion: This game is what every other game tries to be. This game redefines video games position as artistic media. This game is a finale that excels at at everything and easily trumps the competition. Its one of those rare gems that manages to be spectacular and also add extra goodies for long time fans. While fans will get more enjoyment from this game, everyone will enjoy it. This is a game that shouldn't be missed, no matter who you are. Its a milestone in video game making.
Scores:
Graphics - 10/10
Game-play - 10/10
Controls - 9/10
Sound - 10/10
Story - 10/10
Replay - 9/10
Final Score - 10/10