Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Discussion Thread

[Cloud Constructors]

I bought the game at lunch today and have so far played through the first act and my early judgment is this game was way overhyped. I can see why the game reviewers were limited to topics and Kojima said he was disappointed with it. This game essentially feels like Soldier of Fortune: Payback except someone went the extra mile to write a semi-interesting plotline and develop cutscenes for it. The gameplay is linear and absent between overextended cutscenes that go rambling on about a plotline that makes little sense to someone who has not played the original titles. I don't even think GTA IV was this overhyped, seriously consider this as a rental if you are only interested in the singleplayer, I haven't dove into multiplayer yet to see if redeems the rest of the pricetag.

sounds harsh I am going to start playing now

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

A few initial observations upon just checking it out for the last hour or so...

Quite possibly the best opening sequence (combined with gameplay) to a video game ever. Wow. Just Wow.

If not #1, easily Top 3. And I have seen some damn doozies.

Easily among the best graphical games of the "next generation" on any console. Any.

The amazing choice of the visual style and approach is just impeccable.

This game makes me realize as great as the Unreal Engine is, and it sure does make some amazing looking games, 90% of the time you know it is the Unreal Engine being used. MGS4 game has such a distinct look, which is almost hyper realistic, and just runs so damn smooth, I just cannot see it getting much better than this visually.

Truly and sincerely as far as I am concerned anyone who ever says from this point on the PS3 is not capable of the visual side of things look no further than this game. If this is what the PS3 is actually capable of, owners such as myself are going to be just fine. And FTR, I was worried there for awhile.

Naturally all of the above is my opinion, but with that said I do not say things like the above lightly, and it still is a rough choice between this game, Bioshock, COD4 & Halo 03 for best graphics, but at least right now there is something about this game that is literally a site to behold visually.

Finally, I suck at Metal Gear Games, and I am still not sold on the gameplay since I do suck at them. I think this time around though I will indeed get good at it just to enjoy what I have seen so far and even more.

So some questions for the MG Noob.

What is optimum camouflage percentage? I have been at 75% a few times and still get spotted.

I swore I saw in the trailer Snake hanging from his feet off of a ledge (so upside down). Did I see it? How can you do it.

[sanctified Veteran]

The gameplay is linear and absent between overextended cutscenes that go rambling on about a plotline that makes little sense to someone who has not played the original titles.

Just this line made evident this game its not for you.

[Budious]

Just this line made evident this game its not for you.

That argument can be made. However, it prohibits sales growth to potential new fans such as myself who find the storyline too embedded in past characters and events without proper explanationon. If the developers wanted to shoot themselves in the foot, they have succeeded.

[sanctified Veteran]

That argument can be made. However, it prohibits sales growth to potential new fans such as myself who find the storyline too embedded in past characters and events without proper explanationon. If the developers wanted to shoot themselves in the foot, they have succeeded.

Do you really think that all game makers have the same priorities? Some want to make easy to diggest games for the mainstream, that its valid. Others want to follow an already defined vision and have an already stablished niche, that its valid too.

Metal Gear games (Since the NES days) have the stablished fame to follow a well constructed storyline that heavily relies on the other games in the series, you knew what was comming, this is not only the 10th game in the series (Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Acid, Metal Gear Acid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, Metal Gear: Portable Ops) but also its the final one and you expected a diluted game that should (in the american way) explain every little thing in the past games, playing the patronizing card.

I think the problem here is not its a bad game, a vast majority out there its calling it the masterpiece in the series, the problem its that you were expecting something that its not MGS.

[Cloud Constructors]

Wow, this game is breath-taking. Truly a quality video game. I'll have tons of fun with it over the weekend! To those who are disappointed with it, keep playing. ACT 1 = full of cutscenes but ACT2 is when it really starts to jump off. Satisfied with MGS4 but I want IN GAME XMB now!

[American Ninja]

forgot to link to the IGN review: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/881/881472p1.html

[Flash]

I have a friend who is unwilling to play MGS1,2,3 but he was so hyped about MGS4 that he ordered the gunmetal special edition of the ps3...

Sigh...

[Guest]

Wow this is certainly harder then the first. The lack of radar showing their range of vision I miss. The controls are slightly different so I need to learn how to adapt. I've died about 6 times so far at the very start of the game.

Why do I have to work. I want to play more! :(

[offroadaaron]

I have a friend who is unwilling to play MGS1,2,3 but he was so hyped about MGS4 that he ordered the gunmetal special edition of the ps3...

Sigh...

So! More sales the better!!

Edited June 13, 2008 by offroadaaron

[PL_ Veteran]

In case you haven't seen Penny Arcade have posted up some MGS4 comics...

I do have to kinda agree with the last one, it's hard not to get excited when everyone around you is, but I know I simply don't like MGS, yet I have to keep reminding myself that :laugh:

[morficus]

so I just finished playing about 4.5 consecutive hours of MGS4 and I'm 100% satisfied with my $60 purchase :yes:

just about everything is amazing... the visuals, the animation, the cut scences, the graphics, the music, the default control scheme, automatic camera angle - the only thing I feel they could have done better... is that the brightes adjustes too slowly.

Like when you're in a shadow room and walk into the sunlight.. it take about 3-4 sec for it to brighten up. Same for the other way around... you run out of the sun in to a room and expect the lighting to stay.. then like 4sec later it's just super dark. Maybe I need to adjust the brightness in the game, idk - I'll mess with it tomorrow... since it's 3:30am and I need to be at work by 9am :p

[Scazza]

Well after making the biggest school ever and getting to the end of Act 1, not saving at all and then shutting down the console thinking you have saved.

I played through the 1st Act again (1.47 Hours according to the game) and watched the mission breif for Act 2, that was at 1.30am and with work at 9 I had to unfortunately go to bed.

However I just cannot wait to get back home at 5 and start playing again!

The game is simply breath taking.

[ReAnimation]

I spent around 4 hours playing MGS4 last night, still on act 1 at the moment (I'm taking things slowly, checking everywhere for things).

Everything about MGS4 is absolutely amazing.

Can't wait to get home later and get back on it!

[Lingwo]

I've just done act 1. To start with the controls were really akward, i couldn't work out how to punch, i like to do my usual tactic i did in past MGS's is knock them out cold, pop a bullet in their head and then drag them somewhere out of sight. Also looks like i will be playing it all weekend. I've found my optical cable so i can set up my PS3 on my PC monitor (has HDMI) :)

[popisdead uk]

The controls are almost identical to the other MGS games on the PS platform aren't they? As soon as I picked the pad up they all felt 'normal', if you know what I mean

[+shift. MVC]

I am at a friends house playing this all night long as I speak. Seems like I need to adapt to the new controls, but otherwise everything is pretty awesome.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

I bought the game at lunch today and have so far played through the first act and my early judgment is this game was way overhyped. I can see why the game reviewers were limited to topics and Kojima said he was disappointed with it. This game essentially feels like Soldier of Fortune: Payback except someone went the extra mile to write a semi-interesting plotline and develop cutscenes for it. The gameplay is linear and absent between overextended cutscenes that go rambling on about a plotline that makes little sense to someone who has not played the original titles. I don't even think GTA IV was this overhyped, seriously consider this as a rental if you are only interested in the singleplayer, I haven't dove into multiplayer yet to see if redeems the rest of the pricetag.

Keep going (Y)

It kills me a little inside to see people axe it off after Act1 seeing as I know what's coming ;)

As you aren't a big MGS fan things might not change much, but I'm sure you'll appreciate some of what you see later on.

Act1 will cause the biggest amount of controversy in the MGS series IMO as it does a lot different from typical MGS games, and the pacing off the Act is up and down like a yo-yo. Especially the start of the game where it's fairly cut-scene heavy.

However if cut-scenes are your biggest flaw in the game, as a newcomer, in a way that's a "positive" thing - MGS has and will always be cut-scene heavy, and usually the fans love that :laugh:

[WelshBluebird]

The controls are almost identical to the other MGS games on the PS platform aren't they? As soon as I picked the pad up they all felt 'normal', if you know what I mean

I can't comment myself as I haven't really played the other games, but my friend was complaining a fair bit yesterday about the controls being different. He said its not that different, but its enough to put you off a bit.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

I just started Act 1 where the girl was singing and it showed the eggs then that was it ( I had to go into the main menu to see the rest of the cutscene, from her bringing the eggs down and what not)....I then started over thinking it was bugged and the same thing. Does it start "acting" normal after Act 1?

Yeah it only happens with Act1.

If you read the manual it would have told you to start in the mission briefing menu ;)

After you complete the game you can view all the briefings from that main menu!

[+shift. MVC]

IMO that's what sets it apart from everything else. The fact that it IS so cutscene heavy.

I wish they had continued using the tap R2 twice to reload your weapon function though.

I find myself doing that a lot (especially in Act 1 when everything's just all over the place) and finding that my weapon isn't actually reloading.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

A few initial observations upon just checking it out for the last hour or so...

Quite possibly the best opening sequence (combined with gameplay) to a video game ever. Wow. Just Wow.

If not #1, easily Top 3. And I have seen some damn doozies.

Easily among the best graphical games of the "next generation" on any console. Any.

The amazing choice of the visual style and approach is just impeccable.

This game makes me realize as great as the Unreal Engine is, and it sure does make some amazing looking games, 90% of the time you know it is the Unreal Engine being used. MGS4 game has such a distinct look, which is almost hyper realistic, and just runs so damn smooth, I just cannot see it getting much better than this visually.

Truly and sincerely as far as I am concerned anyone who ever says from this point on the PS3 is not capable of the visual side of things look no further than this game. If this is what the PS3 is actually capable of, owners such as myself are going to be just fine. And FTR, I was worried there for awhile.

Naturally all of the above is my opinion, but with that said I do not say things like the above lightly, and it still is a rough choice between this game, Bioshock, COD4 & Halo 03 for best graphics, but at least right now there is something about this game that is literally a site to behold visually.

Finally, I suck at Metal Gear Games, and I am still not sold on the gameplay since I do suck at them. I think this time around though I will indeed get good at it just to enjoy what I have seen so far and even more.

So some questions for the MG Noob.

What is optimum camouflage percentage? I have been at 75% a few times and still get spotted.

I swore I saw in the trailer Snake hanging from his feet off of a ledge (so upside down). Did I see it? How can you do it.

(Y)

Good to hear you like the slightly different intro :laugh: Word is you can change channels or something with the intro by pressing x :/ I'll need to check that out.

As well with the graphics, they aren't the best display of textures we've ever seen, but there are a lot of subtle effects that make things look nice - And character models are pretty damn good.

I'll be interested to hear your opinions as a newcomer as acts play out, and the story starts to get quite heavy.

As for the camouflage in the Act you're in just now, 75% will be the highest you get in the sunlight, and I think it creeps to 80-85% in the shadows. You'll find out how to get higher to 100% as things go on, I won't spoil anything.

Later on in the game, you can use the octocamo against some strange stuff :laugh: Made even better by real-time cut-scenes as snake appears in them with whatever camo you have active!

Edited June 13, 2008 by Audioboxer

[+shift. MVC]

Good to hear you like the slightly different intro :laugh: Word is you can change channels or something with the intro :/ I'll need to check that out.

I loved the intro. I found the channel changing idea to be quite creative.

The graphics are by no means revolutionary, but they're not neccessarily bad looking either.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

I loved the intro. I found the channel changing idea to be quite creative.

The graphics are by no means revolutionary, but they're not neccessarily bad looking either.

Ahhh so you can change the channel!

Looks like I'll be starting a new-game just to try that :p

By the way, there's some stuff later on that'll make you appreciate the graphics even more!!

[+shift. MVC]

Yeah! I don't think I'm going to be going back to my own house until this game is finished.

As far as plot goes, how would you rate it (without giving any spoilers of course) as to the ending? Do you think the ending to this game gives the series justice as being the "finale", or do they just leave a whole bunch of loose ends again and keep you begging for a fifth game. :p