Fulfilling conclusion to an otherwise convulted franchise
The crux of the issue with a triple A title such as Metal Gear Solid 4 is that fan expectations intersect violently with Sony's need to bring more casual gamers to the fray. Sony's immense market share lead has dwindled, and with a last-place-in-the-standings ranking (at least in the American market), MGS4 presents to the public the first major title that cannot be bought on a rival system. Well...yet.
Gone are the clumsy stealth mechanics that made immersion a chore. The core of MGS4's gameplay instead includes a mix and mash of third person shooter along with simplified sneaking abilities. Players used to being forced to sneak around will find themselves able to do this at a much more highly refined rate thanks to the new OctoCamo system as well as blissfully simple pick-and-play controls. The controller, for the first time in the series, deserves none of the blame when you make a screw up.
The major change is the essence of Tactical Espionage Action: in its place is the ability to run and gun without always running into heavy punishments as a result of death. That isn't to say that stealth should be foregone, but there are periods of this title that play more akin to sequences from a Rambo film rather than the traditional style of sneaking around corners and hoping that the guy you are about to choke does not use a sixth sense to sense you are right there. Keeping with the Rambo parallel, the player will find their selection of weaponry to be extremely high in this title. The collection of guns you receive throughout the game can be customized, from adding grenade launchers or shotgun barrels to rifles, to laser or optical sights, to mounts to stabilize Snake's aim. Guns that are ID Locked can be cleaned by Drebin, a gun launderer with a peculiar companion at his side. Like is the case in the entire MGS series, Drebin falls into the same pratfalls of having external knowledge of situations and becomes quite arduous to listen to during long diatribes. And you WILL have to brave long diatribes to complete this title. Excess weapons are cashed in for currency, called Drebin Points, which allow the player to buy new parts for guns, ammunition, and bulk numbers of silencers.
The Drebin Point schematic can be accessed at any point of the game save Codec sequences or cut scenes. If you run low on ammunition in a fire fight, no need to fret: just access the menu and purchase as much ammunition as you can afford. Collecting as many Drebin points as possible also avails itself as a way to get your fetch on, or to kill as many enemy PMCs as possible. You can take these points with you after you complete the title, so if a player wants to purchase some of the more expensive weaponry, they can take what they had from their last run through the game with them into a new one.
The story is simple. In that Hideo Kojima way.
While others may be more equipped to speak on all the things going on in this franchise's forth installment, it is a safe bet that this title will answer a majority of the questions players have as to the meaning behind what has been going on throughout Metal Gear's twenty year history. Like puzzle pieces trickling down like Tetris blocks, the story both informs the player yet at the same time drives up the intrigue of what they are playing for. Needless to say, you will feel the need to discuss what you just witnessed once you have completed the title.
The graphical prowess of the PlayStation 3 is at full force in this title. While some textures lack details, the depth of the palette is inarguable. During my play through of the game, I suffered no choppiness in frame rate, and the details with the characters was immense. The XBox 360, at this stage, seems incapable of duplicating the small finite details on the characters, as is displayed throughout the title. The game is the prettiest out there for our current systems.
That said, the game is not without flaws. With new mechanics comes a level of refinement, but at the same time, Snake quite simply feels like an overpowering character. Perhaps too overpowering. A draw to the series has been the opportunity based combat, the need to survey and execute. In this title, punishment is usually not severe enough to stop a player from breezing through heavily guarded areas because Snake has enough weaponry to sustain the Iraqi insurgency. While this is appealing at times, at others it makes the game far too easy to beat. During major boss battles, and retro-goodness moments involving Metal Gear on Metal Gear carnage, the gameplay is not punishing enough to force the player to step up to the level of what is on screen.
Which makes the game feel even more like a BluRay DVD you sometimes hit buttons on rather than a completely engrossing gaming experience. The second half of the game becomes belabored by more and more cut scenes which seem to grow in length. Some major conflicts become split screened as well, making keynote moments extremely hard to follow without failing the mission. It is as if Hideo Kojima was unsure of just how much control to give players of his game, or top not take their eyes off the story he is trying to weave. This sort of pandering makes for a scatterbrained experience.
Also making the trip back into the Metal Gear Solid series are the Codec conversations that not only break the forth wall (SNAKE! Press the Action Button on your controller!), as well as the labored need to explain every single item or character's backstory to painstaking detail. You will be amazed how a discussion on diazepam can go on for five minutes with explanations of the properties it has, but this problem is magnified that I have had to sit through this sort of conversation with Snake three times over the course of the MGS series. Rather than let the world or the mythos speak to you, Kojima chooses to bludgeon the player in the skull with slices of the world and the war economy and rations rather than allowing interplay between in game world and the player. Again, this sort of storytelling belabors the points of the game that the player should at least have some awareness of.
The AI also poses issues by falling into pratfalls that never seem to change in the franchise. I found myself during Act 1 pulling off headshots within the ruins of a building, only to have support come to the aid of fallen computer opponent. I would shoot him in the head. I can forgive this in this first instance, as it may be a logical way to approach the battlefield. But when guy number three comes down the pike and gets shot in the head, and then number four, I find myself wondering if I should feel a strong sense of shame because it feels exploitative to do something like this to poor AI opponents. I did nothing that complex, just shot. And the bodies hypothetically would have pilled up like the Tower of Babel if dead computer combatants not dissipated all Matrix style from the battlefield. I cannot praise enemy AI that allows this level of simplicity to the player.
That said, the game has moments of fun, moments of introspection, and some rewarding play within the mythos of the franchise. Refinements and tweaks make for impressive improvements that hopefully can be improved upon in future Metal Gear titles. But do not be persuaded that this is somehow gaming perfection. AI gaffes and unbalanced storytelling mechanics are turn offs, and the relatively easy difficulty makes the game seem too brief. Then, speeches about the Beauty and the Beast Corps member's backstories make the game seem too long. Metal Gear Solid 4 is still a solid purchase though, especially if your fandom of the franchise has not waned over the span of the sequels.
