SW Rewind: Did Metal Gear Solid 4 deserve a 10/10?

I remember it was summer of 2008 and I was super hyped for MGS 4. It was pretty much the reason why I bought a PS3. The game was supposed to support a whopping 1080p resolution, of which my tv could not support. But I was pumped for this game. It was also a year when the PS3 started picking up momentum in its library. Long story short, MGS 4 released to critical praise. Many reviewers including Gamespot gave the game a 10/10. Critics of the game (mainly Xbox fans that actually used to exist) called it a movie. There was definitely a ton of fan service in the game, and at the time, I was a staunch fanboy, but I did feel that there were way too many cut scenes. I think looking back the game had some awesome features, but the 10/10 was a bit much. It's no way near being close to perfect, especially after all these years and when you compare it to previous games. I still like the game though and it does have its moments (returning to Shadow Moses was awesome, and fighting as Metal Gear Ray). It's more of a 9/10. What about you, SW? What is your overall assessment of MGS 4? Did you play it? Enjoy it? I find it odd that it's still only available on PS3. Konami should bring it to PC.

No

Yes. Loved the game and one of the handful of games I've played multiple times.

you have to keep in mind standards change over time. For it's time 9 years ago a 10 was appropriate, now not so much looking back on it...hence those standards, but even then nothing till this day has a story like MGS4, but it might lack in the gameplay department, animations and graphics when compared to the competition up until that time, etc. So that being said i would have given it a 9/10. just because i thought the core-gameplay needed to be redone much like it was done later in mgs5...it showed it's unrealistic age.

Probably not.

@soapandbubbles: 10 is never appropriate for a game with more cutscenes than gameplay.

No

Yes it did and MGS4 push the PS3 to it's limits taking advantage on the Cells & Blu-Ray thus which is why MGS4 could never ever run on Xbox 360. The game is still looks good on PS3 to this day. (And this is one of those games you gotta turn off your brains to look past the motion blur)

If the entire game was based in the first act, sure. But then the second, third, fourth and lolfifth acts happened. The pacing change to the second act really deviated from the first, so much so that it really upset the flow of the game. The third was just laughably bad. The fourth had way too much fan service and no substance. And the fifth was just Kojima throwing up onto paper (I understand he wasn't the main reason the game was the way it was, but he put his stamp on it).

If I could go through life, not acknowledging the existence of MGS4 as a canon MGS title, I would.

@primorandomguy: Salty much?

I also have it scored on my personal list as a 9/10. It's 1 meager point of difference doesn't bother me too much.

I find it more bearable than most of GameSpot's 10/10s.

when I first played it back in 2008, it felt like they perfected the underlying mechanics of metal gear solid. now yeah not really. I would say it deserves a 10 more than 5 did as that game was far more repetitive in nature and was unfinished. Also MGS4 online >>>> MGS5 online

Ocarina is the only 10 to me that still holds up from a fundamental game play standpoint.

I loved that game so yeah.

Nope, edge review got it perfect

Yes loved every minute.

I hope you're joking because 360 didn't have build-in Blu-Ray thus why MGS4 can't run on the 360 back then.

It was declared as having the best graphics ever.

When Crysis existed.

The only reason it wasn't released on 360 was Sony likely paid Konami a shit-ton of money to keep it exclusive. The 360 was more than capable of running the game, HDD installs just weren't standard at the time, so shipping on two discs was a foreign concept (Forza 4 was one of the first two-disc 360 games IIRC, and that was 2011). It wouldn't have needed more than two discs had the team not been lazy and actually added some compression to their files.

And honestly, the only reason it was likely uncompressed on the PS3 was because the PS3 was so heavily bottle-necked already. Having to preload entire chapters AND textures/audio? PS3's would have melted at the thought.

@Chutebox: Really? I play most games I buy more than once.

On topic, MGS4 is a great game Imo. 8-9/10. I don't mind cutscenes but some were 45 minutes long. That's out of control.

yes, it's a 10.

Whenever I question a score that high, I ask if the game succesfully got me to engage with it more than I really needed to. If I say yes, then I can't be offended by how high the score is.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 is a great example. On the surface it seems kind of silly to give that game a 10, but when I think of the way I over-extended the gameplay, I can't fault a reviewer for being generous for it.

Remember that a 10/10 is not perfect. No art could be. 10/10 just means it's one of the best games of the generation. Nothing more.

I agree, but a score should also include a game's staying power. Will it be outdone in 2 years? Will it be copied numerous times? Or is it a truly special game- the best of its kind, that will be looked to by other devs as something to strive for, but rarely outdone.

it's really hard to judge that at the time. MGS4 had a lot of replay value. Not only that, but it was the first worthwhile game on the ps3 (not sure of the timing of GTA4). The ps3 had a pathetic start, so much so that Gabe Newell said Sony should scrap it and start again. After MGS4, it was the console to own. It was the ultimate exclusive at the time.

Metal Gear Solid got it right imo. Hokey story? Yes. But easy to follow and comparatively lean compared to later games.

Afterwords it basically ego run amok thanks to ass kissing ass.

No.

Not to mention it aged like milk.

Absolutely not. Not with that writing, not with how Act 3 plays out, not with how most of Act 4 n 5 play out. Yeah that game some dope ass moments. The fight on type of Outer Heaven is lit, the Rex v Ray fight is dope, and yeah the game's got some heart. But it's so bat shit n stupid n inane, and large stretches of it aren't even fun to play. The Raging Raven fight sucks, ditto Screaming Mantis, and the stuff with Vamp is a really bad gimmick. Plus the story told is badly written, nonsensical most of the time, relies on a plot device in nanomachines, undermines the one interesting part about MGS2's story which is the meta stuff, and pretenses of tackling grander themes, but it handles it with the grace of a system wars poster.

It's a good game. On a real scale it's a 7/10. But it's not as good as 3, I'd rather play 2, and I'm a much bigger fan of 5. ALbeit 5 by having no story is still somehow dumber, but its gameplay is significantly better even if it lacks Metal Gear Solid boss fights. I'd probably take 4 over 1 as well, but that's because those first 2 acts of gameplay are hot fire.

Absolutely not. MGS4 is the worst MGS game by far, a definition of style over substance. And it runs like crap on PS3. MGS3 was so much better in everything except controls. And now MGSV has shown how it should be done. MGSV is a treat to play, while MGS4 is good only for nostalgia.

I loved some of it. But many of the 'levels' were actually real bad. The one where you sneak around in some european small town following a whistiling resistance fighter was just so lame. Urgh. And the vampire. Come on, a vampire. Lame-o!

Also, I was really disappointed by how Shadow Moses Island looked in the game. Really looked forward to the place, but once I got there, could not see anything due to the blizzards. Not very fun homecoming.

Things I absolutely love in the game are the egg frying scenes. So zen. And the supermodel bosses were real bad ass stuff. And raiden's swordfights. And snake's stealth suit. But that's about it.

All in all 7/10 is what I'd given it back then, and what I'd give it now.

not even close

it was an abomination but at least it wasn't as bad as 5

@ShepardCommandr: 5 is the best of them tho, unless you prefer cutscenes over gameplay.

Metal Gear is the most over-rated franchise ever. People's obsession with Kojima is not healthy either.

When I first played it, I would have rated it an 7. I was really annoyed by the install times between levels. Looking back at it, I remember it more like a 8. But I would have never given it a 10.

Suffered from the same pro-bias as Zelda.

Just as BOTW, MGS4 is overrated and a very mediocre game. (BOTW is much better, still overrated)

@soapandbubbles: "MGS4, but it might lack in the gameplay department,"

Bingo. But the last 10-12 years, games are now more judge on story telling/cinematics than the actual gameplay.

MGS4 online was a 10 but the single player sucked. It was a movie. Anybody who denies it is lying. Act 3 is a perfect example.

We can make the same topic about any game that got a 10; In my opinion, the amount of details put on it gave it the praise and scores it got.

7/10.

It started out really strong, but fell flat on its face after Act 2. But Act 1 and 2 were brilliant.

Nay

It deserved a 10/10 more than MGS V did, that's for sure. What a disappointment that game was...

LOL

lol... Says the guy that gives RE4 10/10 with its amazing story and gameplay mechanics. Those double standards of yours killing me dude

Anyways , game wasnt a 10/10 but was a good one.

Absolutely. Some series get special treatments because they are very popular.

Call of Duty, Uncharted, Resistance franchises exist, ya know :p

No not at all. I used to love Metal Gear games. MGS on ps1 was the game that really pulled me away from my n64 and caused me to use my ps1 alot. MGS 2&3 were reason enough alone to own a ps2. When MGS 4 released, I played about 6hrs of it. Hating every minute of it. I played that long hoping it woukd get better. Its the game that caused me to lose all interest in the franchise. The same way Final Fantasy 13 caused me to lose all faith in that series.

I love MGS4, so ya

Metal Gear Solid 3:Snake Eater/Subsistence deserved a 10.Easily on of the best MGS still till date.

@reavis86: Try MGSV its amazing, easily the best game in series and one of the best third-person games in gameplay.

I loved it at the time. Not played it since it came out so I would probably have a different opinion. I tried MGS: Ground Zeroes and thought it was woeful so didn't even bother with V. Shame, cos the first four were amazing games.

Yeah I think that it's deserving of a 10/10, I loved it myself.