My thoughts on Metal Gear Solid 4

[Kudistos Megistos]

So, I watched MGS4 recently, and I felt like ranting about it. Spoilers abound.

Something I found quite annoying about the game is the inconsistent and irrational difficulty levels. The first act was one of the hardest in the game (possibly the hardest) when you leave out the bosses. I'm not just saying this because I wasn't used to the game when I first played it; when I went back for a second playthrough, I still found it harder than the other acts.

The BBs felt very tacked on. In the other games, the bosses one had to fight had something to do with the story; they'd be part of the group to which the main villain belonged. In MGS4, they seemed to exist for no reason other than giving the player something to fight towards the end of the act. Their gimmicks weren't very convincing either. The same could be said of the bosses in MGS3 as well, but they didn't seem quite as forced. Even though they had little role in the main story of the game, they had a major role in the back story and had a strong link to the main villain.

The product placement was ridiculous. I have difficulty believing that an independent-minded hacker and anti-corporate environmentalist like Otacon would use exclusively Macs. He'd do his hacking on a Thinkpad running Gentoo.

I didn;t really like the way that they changed the story behind the Patriots to one in which they were a small gang of people who took part in Operation Snake Eater (the original FOXHOUND, essentially). How is it that a small motley crew like that, whose leader isn't even American, could wrestle control of the US government? I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I preferred the "Wiseman committee" nonsense from MGS2.

Liquid Ocelot was the worst of both worlds. I'd much rather have had Liquid do everything on his own or Ocelot do everything on his own. Liquid Ocelot was just a horrible mess who wasn't one or the other. He also didn't have Liquid's sex voice. He did, for some reason, have Liquid's physical strength despite having Ocelot's old body. I know he did have a bionic arm, but that hardly accounts for complete physical superiority over a muscle-suit-clad Snake.

The timeline seems inconsistent. Actually, this is more a criticism of MGS3, but I didn't realise it until I played MGS4. In MGS, Liquid says that Big Boss was in his fifties when the clones were made. That would mean that he was born in 1922 or earlier. He would, therefore, be the same age as the boss (according to MGS4's DLC). However, the Boss is by far his senior. He'd also have been in his forties in MGS3, but the game gave the impression that he was still proving himself during those two missions.

[Bosola]

I'm just upset that Solidus' return was so underwhelming, not least after he was such a badass in MGS2. He attempted to restore democracy, restore the right of individuals to try and pass on their values and memes, deflected vulcan cannon fire with a pair of katanas and jumped onto a harrier mid-flight. And they make him come back as a spare parts bag?

[DLPB_]

MGS4 was a turd.  I will post a long winded review (not really, more a rant, it is all it deserves) when I get the time.  MGS4 and FFXIII between them made me sell my PS3. I don't like where games are going with these new generation consoles, it seems to be graphic graphic graphic and the sad thing is, it's working.

[Kudistos Megistos]

He attempted to restore democracy, restore the right of individuals to try and pass on their values and memes, deflected vulcan cannon fire with a pair of katanas and jumped onto a harrier mid-flight.

This may be true, but he was booorrrrriiinngggg

I don't like where games are going with these new generation consoles, it seems to be graphic graphic graphic and the sad thing is, it's working.

It isn't working at all. Which console is the highest selling in this generation? I'll give you a clue: it's not the one with the best graphics. The HD consoles have been an abysmal failure.

[DLPB_]

Of course it is working, have a look at the sales for MGS4 and FF13, I will give you a clue, they are mega successful and there is more to come.  I am not talking console war, I am talking successful games which are being successful purely on blind fanbase and graffix.  I remember when FF7,8,9,10 were amazing games in their own right with decent stories, now we have FF13 and all these cash in spin offs.  MGS4 was the ultimate graphic fest, blowing a 50GB blu ray disc.

I have been forced to play older games and the only thing on my list from newer consoles is Lost Odyssey.

[Kudistos Megistos]

They aren't mega-successful. FF13 was something of a flop and MGS4 only sold well because the PS3 had no other games. The most successful games in this generation are nearly all made by Nintendo and all have a gameplay>graphics set of priorities..

[Bosola]

Too bad they achieve neither.

[Kudistos Megistos]

Too bad they achieve neither.

I don't have a Wii, so I wouldn't know. What I've played of NSMB, however, (the DS version) makes me think that it's a good, enjoyable game, and it's a perfect example of a game which blows all the HD FPS games with a million shades of brown and grey out of the water when it comes to commercial success.

[yoshi314]

MGS4 only sold well because the PS3 had no other games. The most successful games in this generation are nearly all made by Nintendo and all have a gameplay>graphics set of priorities..

mgs would probably sell as good anyway.

i think mgs games make fullest use of consoles they run on. i don't really mean graphics by that, but all the actual features of the console people do not notice.  if you remember psycho mantis fight from mgs1, you'll understand what i mean - it took advantage of vibration, second controller port, scanned your memcard for other konami games, analyzed your mgs1 saves and play statistics etc. (it's a bit similar in small scene in mgs4).

msg3 even took advantage of system clock. if you saved in the middle of The End boss battle, loading that save few days later would end the battle.

i wish more games would try to take advantage of those "obvious" features of gaming hardware. i'd say mgs4 had very big emphasis on graphics, but it also packs a lot of various well hidden features.

[Covarr]

As someone who isn't hyperpretentious, I liked MGS4. Sure, the story had flaws, but the character development was great (particularly for Akiba and Meryl), the voice acting was phenomenal, they somewhat redeemed Whiny McRaiden, and overall it was just plain fun.

The engine and level design gave real freedom to play it with a focus on stealth OR action. Some people complained about it being too easy to barrel through the game with a machine gun, but it's still plenty possible to go for NOT BEING SEEN. Much of the real fun comes from repeat playthroughs. You can easily skip the cutscenes, making the game fairly short, and try to complete different challenges, etc. Going for zero times being spotted, or zero enemies killed, is all kinds of fun.

All you have to do to enjoy this game is not be a cynic, a pessimist, or a spoilsport.

[Kudistos Megistos]

As someone who isn't hyperpretentious, I liked MGS4.

All you have to do to enjoy this game is not be a cynic, a pessimist, or a spoilsport.

Oh you!

I liked the game overall, but it's always easier, and less controversial, to talk about the things one hates. The good things are also expected when one plays a MGS game, so they're harder to notice.

However, you did remind me of some other things that bothered me

Raiden. Nothing can stop him being a faggot.

And the voice acting. It was mostly very good, as one expects from MGS. However, Mei Ling was terrible. She also doesn't come out with as many proverbs any more. And she's become more American and less Chinese. I can see her losing her accent a little, but apparently her race has changed as well. That's an unusual phenomenon.

[Armorvil]

I don't know... ...I kinda agree with KM here. I don't know if I'm being "hyperpretentious" by saying this, but it's true that I had more fun playing MGS1, MGS2 or MGS3, than MGS4. The whole game feels less epic, to me. Heck, once I finished it, I never even felt the urge to play through the game again. There are some parts of the previous titles that I have fond memories of, and thus wouldn't mind to experience them again, but no boss battle or anything was unforgettable in MGS4. Of course this is just my opinion - so no need to insult / flame me if you disagree.

And I agree that FFXIII sucks by the way. And god knows I tried to love it.

[DLPB_]

Covarr, I am all for character development if it is good.  They got Meryl who wanted nothing more to do with war in MGS1 going with the comic relief guy "Johnny" and even had a WEDDING.  Call me nuts but that doesn't strike me as fun.  I would be happier pulling my teeth out with pliers, the dialogue was embarrassing, the plot a joke, and cut scenes lasting well over 15 minutes, even this ridiculous wedding....  I don't know how that can be fun.

[Kudistos Megistos]

no boss battle or anything was unforgettable in MGS4.

No battle other than Metal Gear vs Metal Gear; that was awesome

But yeah, the rest were pretty meh. I suppose the battles with Mantis and Vamp were OK, since they required the player to think (I had one of those wonderful "Aha!" moments when fighting Vamp and realising what I needed to do). The biggest problem with the boss battles was that it was possible to spend 90% of the time hiding and regaining health; I spent almost the whole fight with Raven hiding on the top floor and occasionally popping out to shoot her and the situation was even worse with Wolf. On my first try I immediately saw that the best course of action would be hiding underneath the van and sniping away. Those two bosses required lots of patience and no strategy.

MGS4 only sold well because the PS3 had no other games. The most successful games in this generation are nearly all made by Nintendo and all have a gameplay>graphics set of priorities..

mgs would probably sell as good anyway.

i think mgs games make fullest use of consoles they run on. i don't really mean graphics by that, but all the actual features of the console people do not notice.  if you remember psycho mantis fight from mgs1, you'll understand what i mean - it took advantage of vibration, second controller port, scanned your memcard for other konami games, analyzed your mgs1 saves and play statistics etc. (it's a bit similar in small scene in mgs4).

msg3 even took advantage of system clock. if you saved in the middle of The End boss battle, loading that save few days later would end the battle.

i wish more games would try to take advantage of those "obvious" features of gaming hardware. i'd say mgs4 had very big emphasis on graphics, but it also packs a lot of various well hidden features.

But unfortunately it didn't have those features we loved from the old games. They even lampshaded the inability to swap controllers.

Oh and I've remembered yet another thing that bothered me. In the fourth act, Otacon makes a big deal about not having to swap discs. Technology sure has come on, n'est-ce pas?

Unfortunately, one had to reinstall five times during the game, and installs take a helluva lot longer than disc swapping. Progress indeed!

[Cupcake]

Personally, as an MGS nut, I ADORED MGS4.  I'm one of the few people who thought the whole storyline made sense (although there were some canon changes between 1 and 4).  As far as the Wii goes...  I fucking love it, I think people don't give it the credit it deserves, because they don't look for the diamonds in the rough within all the shovelware.  Either way, to each their own, so I'm not going to force my "OMG WII IS AWESUM" view on you.  I also adore the homebrew scene =)

[Kudistos Megistos]

I also adore the homebrew scene =)

I've heard that NSMB Wii has a level editor already...

[Cupcake]

I also adore the homebrew scene =)

I've heard that NSMB Wii has a level editor already...

Yep, 2 actually.  One of them was even released before the game was (in the USA)

[Clodus]

Raiden. Nothing can stop him being a faggot.

LOL.

Anyway, I really enjoyed MGS4. I think they decided to go along this route only to show that everything's coming to an end. Think about it... How long will it be before a game like MGS comes out, ever even? Kojima probably wanted us to realize that the series was just epic.

[DLPB_]

MGS2 was a very good game for gameplay but the idea that MGS should be the only good game and we should be happy with it doesn't cut it for me.  They had plenty of time and money and if they can't beat a game that was on 2 CD's in 1998, they best quit.

The only thing I seem to hear about MGS4 is excuses for this that and the other. 

[Cupcake]

MGS2 was a very good game for gameplay but the idea that MGS should be the only good game and we should be happy with it doesn't cut it for me.  They had plenty of time and money and if they can't beat a game that was on 2 CD's in 1998, they best quit.

The only thing I seem to hear about MGS4 is excuses for this that and the other.

I loved all 4 of them.  I found them all to be great games.  I have no excuses for MGS4, it was a great game.

[titeguy3]

MGS1 was gold
MGS2 was fun
MGS3 was epic
MGS4 was the only one of the series that I bought, then lost interest in and still haven't beaten yet.

...

So, I watched MGS4 recently, and I felt like ranting about it.

I lol'd.

[Cupcake]

imo

MGS1 was gold
MGS2 had a GREAT story
MGS3 was epic as epic gets
MGS4 ...words cannot describe the win

[Tekkie.X]

MGS4 ...words cannot describe the win

Because there wasn't any.

Played through 3 times, first was on normal, 2nd was a speed run and the third run though was on Big Boss Extreme after that I'd lost interest and MGO was a haven for campers and exploiters.

I bought my PS3 because of it, and then sold my PS3 because I got bored of it and the various other region locked games I couldn't play with friends(MGS4 included).

[DLPB_]

MGS4 ...words cannot describe the win

Because there wasn't any.

Played through 3 times, first was on normal, 2nd was a speed run and the third run though was on Big Boss Extreme after that I'd lost interest and MGO was a haven for campers and exploiters.

I bought my PS3 because of it, and then sold my PS3 because I got bored of it and the various other region locked games I couldn't play with friends(MGS4 included).

Amen same here   I really don't see what's great about MGS4.  It is just a generic shooter with a crap over bloated story relying on fanbase to see it through  (see FF13).

[Masa-Buster]

I really liked MGS4, just not what they turned into. I'd like it alot more if it was the good old traditional MGS feel, like MGS2/3.
Tho 1 did have the same, MGS1 was completely unique. MGS1 is probably one of the best games of all time, always #1 on any of my favorite video game lists. MGS4 was bleh, toke 2 playthroughs to get the story 100% for me.  Then the end with *** **** really surprised me. Over all I'd give MGS4 and 7/10. Was on the verge of perfection, but just not quite. The sudden gameplay change really pissed me off, and Snake suddenly becoming OVER 9000!!!!!! was too much of a What the **** moment. Either way as an MGS Fan-Boy, it was great.

Now onto MGO.
MGO is...AWESOME! Love it. But the Lobby Rooms have to be able to hold more people -_- Highest Lobby I think is 750 or 900 not sure. Maybe if it could hold like around 800 on EACH Lobby and if possible 1000 that'd be great. Another problem is some of the bugs or "Easter Eggs" I guess you could call them. While on fire in MGO if you equip the BOX you won't be on fire anymore. Another problem is the lag switches and such. Kill steals I can deal with because me being a Sniper I do it constantly, so I can't really complain when I do it also from time to time. Still, MGO2 will never be as good as MGS3's MGO. That was pure awesome.

EDIT: Oh and anybody play MGO? XD