# Metal Gear Solid 4: My First Impression...



## Commonmind (Jun 12, 2008)

...is that I totally suck at this game.

Okay, so my geek-confession is that I've always sucked at MGS, despite being totally enamored by the series. I play them because I love to, but I'm about as skillful at controlling Snake as I am at licking my own ear. Needless to say, I possess absolutely no finesse, whatsoever. In fact, my wife once told me, while watching me play MGS3, that I appeared as if I were being tortured; my face contorted, my hands twisted around the controller as if stricken with rheumatoid, my eyes bulging in a very "Total Recall, face-shield smashed and broken while trekking across a Martian landscape" sort of way.

Yet year after year I go back to MGS. I'm often confounded by the plot, confused during cut-scenes; there are times after sessions of play where I'm left questioning whether or not I possess the intellect to understand exactly what's going on -- I'm seemingly baffled by the number of younger gamers who know the premise of the series as if it were as clear cut and unsophisticated as a pop-up book.

I reiterate, I suck at (understanding) this game...

...but I don't care, one bit. Call me a fanboy, call me a Kojima-bot (at the very least call me a masochist, I deserve that much); I'm absolutely in love with MGS4 (and I hope that Hideo's next trick involves a numbered sequel [3 please], space, mechs, and prepubescent children who are inherently good at piloting them!) and so far it's been well worth the wait. Maybe by hour 10 I'll be somewhat adept at hiding correctly and getting out of sight. As it stands right now I'm being spotted so much I'm no longer surprising the PMC's; instead of the exclamation mark popping up above their heads there's now a "><" or sad face, followed by a noise I can only describe as a grunt of annoyance. In fact, they don't even call for backup anymore; they've started closing their eyes and counting outloud and giving me a chance to hide again... And I think one of them may have actually whistled and turned away after he'd seen me.


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## Sylvetra_Snake (Jun 12, 2008)

Lol, it can't be that bad.  I really hope Hideo does a 5th one...

Spoiler----

...but i have heard rumours about the end of the road for Solid Snake.


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## Commonmind (Jun 12, 2008)

I should've clarified a bit more. The sequel I was referring to was actually Zone of Enders. I believe it's common knowledge that this will be the final chapter for Snake; it's actually written right on the back of the box, so I have no hopes for an MGS5 (though that makes me sad to say).


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## Connavar (Jun 12, 2008)

Heh i loved Zone of Enders too.  I always hope for a new one.  Good gameplay,awesome animations,story.


Common you wont suck if you have the patience to sneak around and learn the moves. Specially if you are a longtime fan.

Also i dont think this is the last MG, it might be though the last Metal Gear *Solid*.

Its one of the best series of gaming and too big moneywise for Konami not make a new series without Snake and/or Kojima.


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## Durandal (Jun 13, 2008)

It's always a curious thing when a MGS game comes out. I think I'm of the same mind as Gabe and Tycho at Penny Arcade about it:

Penny Arcade! - Whoops (newspost)

Penny Arcade! - Whoops (comic)

These are obviously well-made games produced by a very smart man. They deal with philosophical issues I find fascinating. But, God help me, I just hate the damn things. Every time a new one comes out, I so desperately _want_ to like it and I just don't.

Well, I think this is the one I'll pass on, simply because I don't have a PS3 or the intention of buying one. Maybe the next thing Kojima gets up to will interest me more...


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## Commonmind (Jun 13, 2008)

Connavar said:


> Heh i loved Zone of Enders too.  I always hope for a new one.  Good gameplay,awesome animations,story.
> 
> 
> Common you wont suck if you have the patience to sneak around and learn the moves. Specially if you are a longtime fan.
> ...



I don't doubt we'll see more Metal Gear games, just not an MGS5, as I believe it's the end of that particular arc. And trust me when I say I'll never get better. I've been playing these games since the NES Metal Gear. The only sneaking I've learned to do involved sneaking out of my bedroom to play them while my mom was asleep (ironically I'm now sneaking out of my bed to play while my wife is asleep).


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## Commonmind (Jun 13, 2008)

Durandal said:


> It's always a curious thing when a MGS game comes out. I think I'm of the same mind as Gabe and Tycho at Penny Arcade about it:
> 
> Penny Arcade! - Whoops (newspost)
> 
> ...



The opposite is often true for me; while I'm not that fantastic at them, don't always understand them and at times want to dislike them for those very reasons, I find myself enjoying them immensely. I can't explain it, and I'm definitely not going to defend the franchise in any way, because it's not without its faults, but I can't help the way they make me feel when I play, despite their shortcomings. I guess I can equate this to the same feeling I get when I play my old Intellivision games -- they're difficult to control, not very intuitive and are nothing special to look at, yet I can play them for hours on end and have a blast doing so.


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## Durandal (Jun 13, 2008)

Commonmind said:


> The opposite is often true for me; while I'm not that fantastic at them, don't always understand them and at times want to dislike them for those very reasons, I find myself enjoying them immensely. I can't explain it, and I'm definitely not going to defend the franchise in any way, because it's not without its faults, but I can't help the way they make me feel when I play, despite their shortcomings. I guess I can equate this to the same feeling I get when I play my old Intellivision games -- they're difficult to control, not very intuitive and are nothing special to look at, yet I can play them for hours on end and have a blast doing so.


 
I think the thing that frustrates me most with the MGS games is the fact that there's a kernal of really awesome stuff there. It's just buried under horrible gameplay and Kojima's longwinded postmodern philosophy lectures.

The original MGS had such tremendous promise -- crazy surrealism, great story, top-notch production values -- that I figured Kojima would get the bugs worked out of the gameplay by the second iteration.

Needless to say, MGS2 was just as clunky to play, but now had these interminable cinematics that really could've used some editing. By the third one, I wasn't really interested anymore -- I didn't even bother to finish.

The thing is, I hear so many people complain that they love the gameplay of MGS but either don't like or don't understand the story. I'm just the opposite -- I understand the story and I love it. I just can't stand to play the games.

I really think Kojima should move into cinema. It's clearly what he's most interested in, and I think what he does would work better in film than in games.


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## Cayal (Jun 13, 2008)

Speculation is MGS4 sold 1.8 million on the first day.


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## Cayal (Jun 15, 2008)

All I gotta say about this game is - Wow.

This game is epic (anyone seeing the end of Act 3 will agree). It is beautiful. Even though there are a lot of cut scenes you hardly notice because they are mostly action packed.


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## Commonmind (Jun 15, 2008)

I've gone back and restarted; I was just a little way into Act 3 when I decided I was going to learn how to sneak once and for all. I do miss the cone camera; I liked being able to see the patrols and their line of sight, but the Solid Eye works well to substitute at times.

So far, for me, best PS3 game yet (sorry GTA, our love affair has ended).


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## Cayal (Jun 15, 2008)

Commonmind said:


> I've gone back and restarted; I was just a little way into Act 3 when I decided I was going to learn how to sneak once and for all. I do miss the cone camera; I liked being able to see the patrols and their line of sight, but the Solid Eye works well to substitute at times.
> 
> So far, for me, best PS3 game yet (sorry GTA, our love affair has ended).



Took me ages to realise the Solid Eye was also a radar and then I realised how it worked.

But man, the end of Act 3 was amazing.


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## Commonmind (Jun 15, 2008)

That sucks, cause I was probably right there before I started over (and I erased over the file like an amateur!).


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## Cayal (Jun 15, 2008)

It'll be waiting for you.


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## Lucien21 (Jun 16, 2008)

I've just started Act 2 and although the bits you control are brilliant it is broken up by too many cutscenes as usual.


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## Commonmind (Jun 17, 2008)

Just have to get a few things off my chest here. Second time around, completely different experience. I've learned how to use the threat ring coupled with the Solid Eye and have gotten much better at sneaking; I dare say I might actually be darned good at it. I killed absolutely no one through the entirety of Act 1.

I don't want to spoil anything for anyone still playing, but let me just say that the first real "boss" fight and the vehicle section following it were amazing and now that I'm back in Act 3 with some better bearings, the first bit (the little cat and mouse section) is so much more fun -- and because I'm less worried about getting caught, I can take the time to look at the environment and really soak it all in. For those who haven't seen the beginning of Act 3 yet, it's absolutely amazing -- simple, but quite amazing nonetheless.

And because I'm not rushing through the stages and I'm taking my time to do each section as cleanly as possible, the frequency of the cutscenes haven't been an issue. The first time through while running and gunning they did seem to happen too often and go on far too long, but now that my playing pace matches that of the game's intended pace, everything feels much more fluid and consistent.


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## Lenny (Jun 18, 2008)

You killed absolutely no-one minct 1?! I've just met Drebin, and so far I have on my list - four PMCs I knee-capped because they kicked me, five perfect headshots on PMCs who were shooting the rebels, and the entire rebel underground camp. What? I was sneaking around and one them shot at me! I shot him back, and suddenly everyone underground was baying for my blood.

First impressions - I suck, too! I've had to turn Auto-Aim on because I have a nasty habit of aiming for the legs. I did it all the way through Resistance, I ended up doing it to a degree in Uncharted, and I purposefully do it in GTA4 because it's harder to shoot a moving target cleanly. I don't know why, but my aim circle always drops down to knee-level.

Oh, GTA4 isn't going back in for a few weeks - that last 50% can wait.  And when I opened the parcel and took out the box (mine came with a cardboard sleeve, for some reason) I stood and held it for a few moments just letting it sink in. I so love the look of PS3 game cases, and I was in awe of the fact that I was holding 50gb of data! 

Right, back outside go I, and let's see if I have the patience to sneak some more.


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## Commonmind (Jun 18, 2008)

Yeah, went through without a hitch my second time. (And what's really nice is if you don't kill anyone, including the Frogs -- no spoilers, so I'll be cryptic here -- you get a nice little reward; well worth it). I was doing horrible once I started utilizing my threat ring with the Solid Eye. And if you kill enough PMC's the rebels will just exam you in their base, but since I killed none they tried to shoot at me too when they saw me. So I just kept my tranq-gun handy and if I got in a tight spot I used it, dragged the body out of sight and kept moving.

A little trick, if you knock them out, they'll wake up and look for you (stars above their heads) if you simply put them to sleep (using a tranq; Z's above their heads) it's as if you were never there, meaning less alert phases, etc.

But, rest assured, my glorious newfound skillfullness only last through Acts 1 and 2. By the end of Act 3 I had probably died too many times to admit openly without feeling ashamed of myself. So worth it though; the end of Act 3 has got to be one of the most climactic and well-scripted pieces of entertainment in video game history -- no exaggerations; one scene in particular went far and beyond anything I had expected (Kojima really should start producing movies; Durandal is 100% on-the-money in that regard).

I love the boxes too; they fit in very well with the Blu-ray/HD-DVD's and just exude next-gen'ness (though sadly, they make my DVD collection look archaic).


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## Cayal (Jun 18, 2008)

Told ya Act 3 was brilliant.


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## Commonmind (Jun 18, 2008)

It was well worth the wait, that's for sure


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## Cayal (Jun 18, 2008)

I haven't moved much past Act 4 though, been so tired and busy with work and uni.
Frustrating to say the least.


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## Commonmind (Jun 18, 2008)

Same for me, actually. Wife has been sick so I've been watching the kid during my normal "me" times...
_
Spoiler:_

...so I'm still at the very beginning of Shadow Moses and haven't actually gotten to the base yet.


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## Lenny (Jun 18, 2008)

I can't believe you didn't even pop _one_ FROG. I kept on going back for more. 

Methinks the FPPS maniac inside me is trying to take over. Not a good thing for MGS.


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## Lucien21 (Jun 20, 2008)

I'm in Act 3 now.

Just killed Raging Raven this morning and saved it before I went to work.

The beginning of Act 3 was cool with the spy feel and the creeping around, but I was always wondering why he never got suspicious that the PMC's suddenly spouted blood from a headshot and dropping down dead in his path. Whistling the theme tune was a cool touch.


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## Commonmind (Jun 20, 2008)

You actually find out why they weren't acting suspicious near the end. (Although it's a little inconsistent because if the rebels spot you they run away.)


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## Cayal (Jun 20, 2008)

Finished it tonight and I got one word for it.

Wow.

It is simply the most amazing game I have ever played. It's vaulted past FFVII, MGS3, KotOR to numero uno


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## Commonmind (Jun 20, 2008)

I was just coming here to post the customary "I finished" message (I'm getting slow in my old age).

That ending...simply amazing. I think I unloaded a full quart of tears (yeah, I know, I'm supposed to be macho; married life has softened me quite a bit -- I cried during Finding Nemo too; anyone got a problem with that? ). No spoilers here, but the way it was tied together, the cameos at the very end, the entire sequence was so worth the wait and the confusion.

So far, I'd have to agree with Cayal on this one; it's officially surpassed my favorite console titles and has taken the top spot.


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## Cayal (Jun 21, 2008)

While I would love to see a MGS5, I don't think it could surpass this piece of art.


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## Commonmind (Jun 22, 2008)

So far early reports are that Kojima is interested in doing MGS5 (though that contradicts his earlier sentiment) but, like you, I highly doubt anything that's done will come close to this opus. I literally cannot pick up and play any other games at the moment, because everything else seems like dull tomatoes by comparison...

...okay, I lie a little; I totally bought some Rock Band Oasis tracks and played those to death the other day, but that's different. (And I'm more or less playing Rock Band on the 360 when I can to keep the darned thing alive; I'm afraid if I don't turn it on everyday it might just roll over and give up on this crazy thing called life.)


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## Cayal (Jun 23, 2008)

Rumour is a prequel too.

I dunno, I want another Metal Gear, I want to see Raiden (perhaps between Metal Gear 2 and 4 where he saves Sunny) and all them but I think the story is done.


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## Commonmind (Jun 23, 2008)

I think the Raiden story is probably the only really feasible story that can still be told. I mean, I'm sure there's tons about Snake we don't know, but MGS4 was definitely his swan song, and I think it would be a mistake to build another game with him as the main character.


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## Lucien21 (Jun 23, 2008)

Ok finally finished the game.

Act 4 was by far my favourite. It was nice to go back there and the gear fight at the end was cool.

For me though the game is a solid 8/10 game.

The story fluctuated from pure genius (End Act 3) to pure tedium (The overblown epilogue) and there were far too many cutscenes as usual (17 hrs to complete and must have been about 8 hours of cutscenes).

The game is brilliant when you are actually playing it, but it becomes less of a game when you are just sitting watching the spiffy graphics.

Game of the year.......Nah...Not a patch on Grand Theft Auto 4 IMO.


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## Lenny (Jun 23, 2008)

17 hours to complete?

I'm starting to wonder if I've been blacking out for long periods whilst playing! In 16 hours and 40 minutes, I've just been whisked away by Drebin in Act 2 (near the end)?

Saying that, I had a friend over yesterday who got to exactly the same point in 5 hours and 15 minutes by running and gunning as if he was playing CoD4, and on the Naked Normal difficulty setting (I'm on Solid Normal).


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