Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Structure

Unlike the previous Metal Gear Solid games, MGS4 follows a six Act structure. Five of the acts are gameplay levels, each taking place in different locations. The sixth act is a two-part epilogue, the first part showing the marriage of Meryl and Johnny, while the second part shows the final confrontation of Snake and Big Boss. In between the acts are mission debriefings, which take place on Otacon's ship the Nomad. These debriefings are semi-controllable, allowing the player to change camera angles and control the Metal Gear Mk. II.

Plot

Logo

Act One (Liquid Sun) - Snake infiltrates a camp in the Middle East where Liquid Ocelot is located. Along the way, Snake encounters Drebin 893, an arms dealer that specializes in selling weapons and removing ID tags from them. Drebin injects Snake with nanomachines due to the fact that the weapons were unusable due to Snakes older form of Nanomachine. When Snake reaches the rendezvous point, he is surprised to learn that his informant is non other than Meryl Silverburgh. Shortly after reuniting with Meryl and meeting her new squad, Rat Patrol 01, they are ambushed by Liquid's personal, elite soliders - FROGS.

Afterward, Snake and Meryl part ways and Snake catches a quick glimpse of the Beauty and the Beast Corps wreaking havoc upon some militia men. Then, Snake finally catches up to liquid only to find that Naomi Hunter seems to be held captive by Liquid just as he unleashes a loud frequency-based attack that incapacitates all users of Nanomachines in the area. Snake is saved by Johnny, who is seemingly uneffected by Liquids attack.

Act Two (Solid Sun) - Snake receives an encoded message by Naomi, decoded by Sunny, that reveals that she is being held captive by Liquid and that Snake needs to rescue her. Snake travels to South America to rescue her when he is exposed to the first member of the Beauty and the Beast Corps. Later, Drebin informs him of the nature of the members of the BnB Corps and how they are traumatized female children turned soldiers who were enchanced by Nanomachines. He also informs Snake of the AI Cores that control the Nanomachine-using PMC troops.

Militia Attacked by BnB

Naomi Hunter is found by Snake in a small lab, and she tells snake how Liquid planned to take control of the AI core controlling SOP (Sons of the Patriots). Snake also learns that the FOXDIE virus inside of him is what is responsible for his rapid aging and will end his life in six months. Naomi goes on to say that, before that, the virus would mutate and Snake would spread the virus around, basically becoming a biological weapon. Then, Naomi is kidnapped and Laughing Octopus, the first member of the BnB Corp attacks Snake. After defeating her, he goes on to escape the area with Drebin and his Anti-Personel Carrier. He then finds Raiden, now a cyborg ninja like those in Snake's past, and he fights with Vamp and defeats him, saving Naomi. However, Raiden is badly injured after the battle and is in recovery on the Nomad when Snake decides to find medical help for him.

Act Three (Third Sun) - The act begins on the Nomad with Naomi becoming friends with Sunny, and becoming intimate with Otacon. She explains that the remains of Big Boss were in the possession of Big Mama (EVA). When Snake goes to the European country where Big Mama was he meets up with Meryl. Meryl tries to dissuade Snake from continuing on, insisting that his time is over. Snake disagrees and proceeds to find Big Mama who reveals herself to be his surrogate mother through the Les Enfants Terribles project. They are then attacked my Liquid's PMC and they escape on EVA's motorcycle. When it crashes, Snake fights and defeats the second member of the BnB Corp - Raging Raven.

Big Mama then shows Snake where Big Boss's remains were, but Liquid defeats Snake in CQC and takes it. Liquid is confronted by U.S. Military forces, but uses their nanomachines against them through SOP, and throws Big Bosses remains into a fire. Big Mama jumps after it and Snake goes to try to save her, but fails and ends up with a large scar on his face. Liquid escapes with Naomi, but Otacon sneaks the MK.II metal gear onto the boat with them.

Metal Gear Rex

Act Four (Twin Suns) - Otacon and Solid Snake learn receive a transmission from the MK.II revealing Liquid's plan to destroy and replace the Patriot's AI Core with Metal Gear REX's nuclear capabilities so that he could control everything. He needs a non-ID tagged nuclear weapon that could only be found on the once-abandoned Shadow Moses Island.

Shadow Moses Island is infested with Gekkos, and snake makes his way toward the nuclear device when he's confronted by Crying Wolf. He defeats her and she is carried away by a wolf (a reference to Sniper Wolf from MGS1). When he reaches the Metal Gear, the nuclear weapon has been removed and Vamp attacks Snake. However, Raiden steps in and fights Vamp while Snake fights off dozens of suicide Gekkos. Raiden kills Vamp, and Naomi reveals that nanomachines were keeping both her and Vamp alive all this time and that she has been close to death for a long time. She, then, disables her nanomachines, thus, ending her own life (and Otacon cries like a baby). Snake and Raiden then divide to leave the facility to find Liquid and pilot Metal Gear REX out of the facility and through many more Gekko.

Snake finds liquid, who is now piloting Metal Gear RAY, and they have a Metal Gear battle that ends up destroying both Metal Gears. Liquid then reveals the legendary Outer Haven, a submersible warship which he plans to use to fire the warhead from. He uses Outer Haven to try and ram Solid Snake, but Raiden cuts off his own arm and stalls Liquid, allowing Snake to escape. The act ends when the SS Missouri fires upon Outer Haven. Liquid attempts to destroy the SS Missouri, but as an older ship it is immune to SOP, and causes Liquid to retreat.

Act Five (Old Sun) - The act begins with Snake and others aboard the Missouri, which uses Outer Haven's need to surface to fire the nuclear weapon to get Snake aboard the vessel. Countless FROGs and one more BnB Corp member - Screaming Mantis are all defeated by Snake on the way to stop Liquid, accompanied by Meryl. A humorous cameo by Psycho Mantis is seen after, then Meryl and Snake are attacked by FROGs. Meryl urges Snake ahead as she and Johnny, who is revealed to not have nanomachines, hold off the FROGs and apparently fall in love.

A Legend Returns

Snake is aided by Raiden who holds off even more FROGs as Snake has to enter a hallway of microwave emitters which burn snake alive till he almost dies. He collapses inside the room containing the Patriots AI Core. Otacon's new MK.III uploads a virus created by Naomi which she called FOXALIVE. To their surprise, a message from Naomi plays and explains that FOXALIVE stops everything from halting all war economy and activity to destroying all of the AI cores and stopping the Patriots completely. Snake then realizes that he has one more goal - to stop Liquid Ocelot. Snake and Liquid fight in hand-to-hand combat and Snake defeats Liquid once and for all.

Act Six (Naked Sin) - This act, being more of an epilogue, contains no gameplay and is all cutscenes. In it, it is shown that Meryl and Johnny marry, she accepts Campbell as her father, and Raiden reunites with his family. However, Snake stands at the grave of Big Boss and attempts to kill himself, pistol in mouth.

Just then, Big Boss appears, with Major Zero, before Snake and tells him that the real person in that grave is Solidus Snake. He explains to Snake that none of this was his original intention. All of the control, nanomachines, and AI cores were misconstrued and used in ways that Solid Snake had stopped. Big Boss then tells Snake that he will end the last piece of the Patriots by killing Zero, and he removes his life support. He also told Snake that the nanomachines that Drebin gave Snake killed the mutated virus and stopped Snake from becoming a biological weapon. Big Boss dies due to the Fox Die, and Snake vows to live the rest of his life in peace; to see the new age off.

Gameplay

The core gameplay philosophy of Metal Gear Solid 4 remains the same: Snake is more effective when he remains hidden. But Kojima Productions have taken this standard and refined it in a few different ways.

Progression through previous Metal Gear Solid games has always been based on the concept of sneaking through enemy territory. MGS4 changes this by shifting the settings away from enemy bases and terrorist-occupied buildings and to contested battlefields and firefights with multiple paths available from the player's starting location to the location they need to go to next. Many areas are defined by a series of conflicts between PMCs and militias. The player must think on their feet to cope with the constantly shifting conditions on the ground.

While the player can still sneak through an area undetected as per previous MGS games, they may also join the surrounding firefights if so desired by aiding the militias in battle to make it easier to reach the end of the area.

How many of you guys are out there?

The camera in MGS4 is an upgraded version of the Third Person View introduced in MGS3: Subsistence, with the angle and height of the camera now able to be freely controlled. The player can also switch to First Person View at any time to assess the surrounding area, to nail a more precise shot, or to move around.

OctoCamo

Can you see me?

Guns of the Patriots equips Snake with a new optical camouflage called " OctoCamo" which allows him to blend into any background in a matter of seconds, rendering him invisible even to the infrared cameras mounted on the unmanned Gekko Mechs. This is a similar mechanic to the camouflage elements from Snake Eater. Also available is FaceCamo, a mask worn over the head that is based on the technologies of OctoCamo. FaceCamo automatically blends into Snake's environment like the OctoCamo and has additional preset variations that can replicate someone else's face. The player can unlock various NPC's faces to wear including Otacon and Young Snake.

• Metal Gear MK.IIMetal Gear MK.II is a small, mobile, remotely operated terminal developed by Snake's long-time comrade, Otacon. The Mk.II is equipped with stealth capabilities and is suited mainly for scouting and reconnaissance, but can also knock opponents out with an electric shock, carry Snake's gear, and serve as a communications link with Otacon.

Snake using the Solid Eye

• Solid EyeAnother device developed by Otacon, the Solid Eye combines the capabilities of binoculars, night-vision goggles, and thermal goggles into one device. Moreover, the Solid Eye amplifies the data collected from Snake's five senses and projects it onto Snake's field of vision. It tells Snake where the enemy is and how stable or unstable things are in battle, while also letting Snake know how easy he is to spot.
• Friend or Foe
  By choosing to fight alongside the militia, the player can slowly build confidence with the warriors. This can be advantageous, because if the player can convince them of their intentions, the resistance soldiers will provide covering fire, hand you ammunition and even provide health items. However, while your new allies will turn on you if they sense something suspicious, all of the other soldiers will immediately know if you've betrayed their comrades.

Drebin

Drebin

Weapons taken from defeated enemies are ID-locked, forcing the player to find a method for removing this lockout feature. In MGS 4, this is handled via Drebin. Every weapon that Snake comes across is immediately translated to Drebin points, representing its current world value in the theater of war during a given day. The more violent the conflict in the world, the more Drebin points the player receives. Players can then use these points to unlock these collected weapons for their use, or can save their points up to purchase ammunition or items in Drebin's shop, such as laser sights, hand grips and flashlights. These additional items can improve the accuracy or stability of a weapon, improving its effectiveness in combat. The Mk.II acts as your conduit to Drebin, automatically converting any weapons into Drebin Points while saving the ammunition for Snake.

Psyche Gauge/Stress Gauge

The psyche gauge represents Snake's psychological well being, which has a direct effect on his performance. The psyche gauge can be refilled with certain healing items such as noodles, while other items temporarily increase the rate at which it is replenished. The major effect of a low psyche gauge is that it will severely hamper Snake's ability to aim accurately.

Snake's stress level is represented by a number that appears below the psyche gauge. The stress level is affected by many factors, such as adverse weather conditions, carrying too much equipment, or Alert Phases. High stress levels can have detrimental effects on the psyche gauge and combat effectiveness.

Weapons

As with all the games in the Metal Gear Solid series, the weapons play a large part of the game. The game features various different classes of weapons ranging from handguns, sub-machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and explosives. Each individual gun has its own characteristics including power, weight, range, CQC compatibility, firing modes, and more. Almost all of the weapons are ID locked at the beginning of the game and you need to pay Drebin a small fee to have them laundered for use.

New Characters

Beauty and the Beast Corps

The Beauty and the Beast Unit

Five of the eight bosses of Metal Gear Solid 4 are newcomers to the series. One of the bosses are the FROGs unit, female soldiers part of Liquid's army. The other four are members of the Beauty and the Beast Unit, another group of female soldiers, however they have no connection to Liquid's army. All suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of war. After each of their boss fights, Drebin shares to Snake their story. Each of them have two forms: Beauty and Beast. The Beast forms are destructive, emotional suits with the Beauty forms inside. Once defeated, the Beauty come out of the Beast, and try to approach Snake. If Snake defeats the non-lethally, he receives a Face-Camo of their Beauty. All of them have an avid hatred of Snake. The members include:

• Laughing Octopus - Fought mid-way through Act 2, Laughing Octopus utilizes FROGs as well as her camouflage. She also targets Snake with her tentacles. Her emotion is Joy.
• Raging Raven - Raven and her drones attack Snake and Big Mama on their motorcycle ride. Snake fights Raven on a large clock tower. Raven and her drones also made several appearances in the Middle East during Act I. Her emotion is Rage.
• Crying Wolf - In Shadow Moses Island, Wolf uses her Rail gun to attack Snake during a blizzard. She also has several FROGs fighting alongside her. Her emotion is Sorrow.
• Screaming Mantis - The final B&B, fought in Act V, Mantis takes control of Meryl via her nanomachines. Snake must knock her dolls. modeled after Psycho Mantis and the Sorrow, and use them to destroy her. Once defeated, her suit materializes into a disembodies psycho Mantis. He attempts to rumble the controller, but is unable to, and is defeated for good.

If Snake hides during their Beauty boss fight for a determined amount of time, both him and whatever Beauty he is fighting, will be taken to a white room. Snake can take out his camera and they will pose for him, or his Ipod, and they will dance for him. During this, a three minute timer appears and counts down. When it reaches zero, the Beauty dies.

Rat Patrol Team 01

Rat Patrol is a special force team, led by recurring character Meryl. Along with her, Rat Patrol consists of another recurring character Johnny, along with newcomers Ed and Jonathan. Rat Patrol was sent to the Middle East to act as a contact for Snake. They join him to fight Liquid. During the epilogue, Drebin reveals the RAT PT 01 is an anagram for PATR10T.

Sunny

Sunny with her apron

Sunny is the daughter of Olga Gurlukovich, but Otacon currently acts as her guardian. Sunny is a child prodigy and helps Otacon with his and Snake's current mission. She has a strong relationship with both Otacon and Naomi, who teaches her how to properly cook eggs. In between missions, Sunny cooks sunny side up eggs, while singing.

Camouflage

In Metal Gear Solid 4 Snake has the OctoCamo, but also has the option of equipping different disguises similar to the system that was in-place in Metal Gear Solid 3. These are unlocked through different means for each one.

Full body camouflage

Altaïr - Earn Altaïr's outfit by obtaining the Assassin emblem (Finish the game with 50 knife kills, 50 CQC holds, and 25 or less alerts.)

Corpse Camo - A reward for dying too many times (51 or more deaths). The Corpse Camo does have its uses as it's the only way to fool unmanned weapons such as Scarabs or Gekkos if they are looking directly at you. If you lie completely flat, enemies will assume that Snake is dead and ignore him - automatically getting rid of an alert after finishing their investigation. In addition, if you hide in a box while using it, you can frighten an enemy when they pull the box off of you.

Middle East Rebel Disguise - Explore the northeast section of the rebel's headquarters in Act One. There is a locker that contains this camouflage. Also this is the first thing you see Snake wearing in combat, as he has it equipped to blend in with the rebels at the start of the game.

South American Rebel Disguise - Explore Cove Valley Village in Act Two to find this camo. If Snake creates chaos in the village guards will come to investigate and the building that it is in, which is usually locked, will open and Snake can obtain it from the formally locked building.

Suit - As with other games in the Metal Gear series they will make this "camouflage" available after completing the game once. The same suit is worn by Snake when he visits the Graveyard.

FaceCamo

Big Boss - Earn the Big Boss emblem (Beat the game on The Boss Extreme difficulty with no deaths, no alerts, no kills, no recovery items, no stealth suit, no bandanna items, in under 5 hours.. While wearing this camo, enemies that see you will become terrified or pass out.

Colonel Campbell - Bump into Roy Campbell with the MK.II during Act One's mission briefing.

Crying Beauty - Defeat Crying Beauty using non-lethal tactics.

Drebin - Acquire more than sixty weapons in the game.

Laughing Beauty - Defeat Laughing Beauty using non-lethal tactics.

Otacon - Bump into Otacon with the MK.II during Act Three's mission briefing.

Raging Beauty - Defeat Raging Beauty using non-lethal tactics.

Raiden A - Bump into Sunny with the MK.II during Act Three's mission briefing.

Raiden B - Bump into Naomi with the MK.II during Act Three's mission briefing.

Screaming Beauty - Defeat Screaming Beauty using non-lethal tactics.

Multiplayer

Metal Gear Solid 4 contains a Metal Gear Online starter pack, which allows 16 players to compete in multiplayer stealth battles.

For full details, see the Metal Gear Online Page.

Downloadable Content

Konami has released DLC for the game on a consistent basis since its release, including updates to Metal Gear Online, music, OctoCamo, and Integral Podcasts for the singe-player game.

Metal Gear Online Updates

Metal Gear Online has had a few various updates and downloadable expansion packs.

For full details, see the Metal Gear Online Page.

Music

All DLC music can be downloaded digitally through the "Extra" option on the main menu, and can be played in-game by using Snake's iPod. The last DLC music track was released June 4th, 2009.

Format: Release Date - Song - (In-Game) Description

• 2008/06/12 - Conclusion
  A song representing Old Snake's will to fight as he pushed forward to end Liquid's insurrection.
• 2008/06/26 - Hind D
  The Hind D music from Metal Gear Solid
• 2008/07/10 - Battle of Highland
  Designed to accompany battles in South America. Different from the game's South American Combat music, is possesses more ethnic lore.
• 2008/07/24 - Harrier
  A New Harrier theme composed by Norihiko Hibino for [Metal Gear solid 2: Digital Graphics Novel].
• 2008/08/07 - Love Theme ~hum version~
  MGS4's "Love Theme" without lyrics. A Guitar version arranged differently from the original.
• 2008/08/21 - Battle
  From Metal Gear Solid 2 . Battle music from Plant Chapter. The percussion parts were phrase-sampled to bring out a sense of speed during battles.
• 2008/09/04 - Forerunner
  A track that depicts Old Snake joining an intense battle as militiamen's savior. An original track made for MGS4.
• 2008/09/18 - The Pain
  From Metal Gear Solid 3 . Music from the battle with The Pain.
• 2008/10/02 - On the Edge
  A song for Snake, a solider who's fought his way through battlefields in every corner of the world.
• 2008/10/16 - Policenauts Medley
  A medley of intense battle music from Policenauts.
• 2008/10/30 - War has changed.
  A original track produced for the MGS4 trailer at 2005 Tokyo Game Show.
• 2008/11/23 - Escape Through the Woods
  Background medley from the escape with Eva in MGS3 . Feel the urgency of their fight to survive.
• 2008/11/27 - Balance Lost
  A track inspired by the chaos of the battlefield.
• 2008/12/11 - Mantis' Hymn
  Psycho Mantis theme from Metal Gear Solid.
• 2008/12/25 - View of Deep Snow
  A song that resonates throughout the snowy battlefield, almost a prayer to soothe the souls of soldiers. A Christmas song, dedicated to all fans and to Old Snake, from everyone at Kojima Productions. Composer : Tomoaki Hirono.
• 2009/01/15 - Leo! Leo!
  From Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner , the battle theme from Leo, the protagonist of the previously released Z.O.E. and the pilot of the Vic Viper . A tune using the classic Gradius motif.
• 2009/1/29 - Chair Race
  Announced in 2005 at E3, this track was produced for MGS4's first teaser trailer with musical chairs taken as the song's theme. Composer : Norikhiko Hibino.
• 2009/02/12 - La Clown
  La Clown battle theme from Metal Gear Ac!d .
• 2009/02/26 - Enclosure (MGS4 version)
  An arranged version of "Enclosure" from Metal Gear Solid . A track that recalls MGS1 as well as the world that has entangled Old Snake.
• 2009/03/12 - Arsenal's Guts
  Arsenal Gear infiltration background music from Metal Gear Solid 2 .
• 2009/03/26 - Everything Begins
  This song from Metal Gear Solid 4 has "Blessing" as its theme.
• 2009/04/09 - Ray
  Theme of Metal Gear Ray , an original, new track for [Metal Gear Solid 2: Digital Graphic Novel] by Norhikio Hibino.
• 2009/04/23 - At Dawn
  The song from Metal Gear Solid 4 has "The dawn of a frightening new world" as its theme. Part of the title track from the original Metal Gear Solid is used as a motif.
• 2009/05/07 - VR Training
  VR training background music from Metal Gear Solid. An arrangement of infiltration track, known as "Tara's Theme" from Metal Gear Solid".
• 2009/05/21 - Father and Son
  Raiden vs. Solidus background music from Metal Gear Solid 2. A cool drum and bass track that captures the grandeur of the epic last battle.
• 2009/06/04 - Confession
  The final downloadable song for MGS4 players from Kojima Productions. Composer : Nobuko Toda.

Octocamo

In addition to the default and unlockable camouflage patterns included on the disc, several DLC Octocamo patterns were made.

Format: Release Date - OctoCamo - (In-Game) Description

• 2008/06/12 - Digital Red
  Red colored OctoCamo. No Special Effects.
• 2008/06/19 - Digital Blue
  OctoCamo pattern that resembles water/ Increased Camo Index when in or near water.
• 2008/07/03 - Laughing Camo
  OctoCamo pattern imbued with the emotion "Laughter". Enemies' laugh emotion will increase when they spot you.
• 2008/07/03 - Raging Camo
  OctoCamo pattern imbued with the emotion "Rage." Enemies' rage emotion will increase when they spot you.
• 2008/07/17 - Crying Camo
  OctoCamo pattern imbued with the emotion "Cry." Enemies' cry emotion will increase when they spot you.
• 2008/07/17 - Screaming Camo
  OctoCamo pattern imbued with the emotion "Scream." Enemies' scream emotion will increase when they spot you.
• 2008/07/31 - Snake Camo
  OctoCamo pattern that resembles snakeskin. Flowing with power, it allows you to knock normal solders unconscious with one hit. Eliminates stress from carrying heavy weapons and items, back pain, and screw ups when rolling. However, your Camo Index will decrease by 10%.
• 2008/08/14 - Beauty Camo
  OctoCamo pattern the same color as Beauty body suites. Absorbs enemy Psyche when your grab normal soldiers with CQC. However, your stress will increase at twice the normal rate when in the sun.
• 2008/08/28 - Metal Camo
  A Metallica OctoCamo pattern. Causes Life and Psyche Gauges to decrease at only half the normal rate. However, your Camo Index will decrease by 10%.
• 2008/09/11 - Gear Camo
  OctoCamo pattern hat that resembles mechanical gears. Causes Psyche Gauge to decrease at only half the normal rate. Retains a higher Camo Index than normal.
• 2008/09/25 - Fly Camo
  A smelly OctoCamo pattern. Increases stress while worn and causes flies to gather around you. Normal soldiers will be knocked out instantly when you grab with CQC because of the stench.
• 2008/10/09 - Haven Camo
  Guarantees 100% Camo Index when still, but causes life and Psyche Gauges to decrease at twice the normal rate.

Integral Podcasts

The MGS4 staff released several 'Integral Podcasts' to be played during Metal Gear Solid 4 on Snake's in-game iPod. These podcasts mostly cover certain sections of the game, with the staff walking the player through the level or act and also talking about the challenges of designing that specific section. The final podcast was about sound production. The first Integral podcast is included on the MGS4 disc. All subsequent podcasts are available of digital download, with the final podcast being released on May 28th, 2009.

Format: Release Date - Podcast - (In-Game) Description

• 2008/12/18 - MGS4 Integral Podcast 02
  MGS4 Integral Podcast - Release Notification Program
• 2009/01/09 - MGS4 Integral Podcast 03
  Secrets and hidden elements from the making of the games told by the MGS4 staff, as well as an introduction to strategy are all in this show. This is the fist episode.
  Recommended listening location: Act 1/ "Advent Palace". (The building where Snake meets with Rat Patrol) 1F Lobby.
• 2009/01/22 - MGS4 Integral Podcast 04
  Secrets and hidden elements from the making of the games told by the MGS4 staff, as well as an introduction to strategy are all in this show. This is the second episode.
  Recommended listening location: Act 2 / South America "Mount Trail" (Part 1) (After the fight with Laughing Octopus) Starting point.
• 2009/02/05 - MGS4 Integral Podcast 05
  Secrets and hidden elements from the making of the games told by the MGS4 staff, as well as an introduction to strategy are all in this show.
  Recommended listening location: Act 2 / South American "Mount Trail" (Part 2) (Stage where Snake is pursuing Naomi) From the boulder in front of the water fall in the river.)
• 2009/02/19 - MGS4 Integral Podcast 06
  Secrets and hidden elements from the making of the games told by the MGS4 staff, as well as an introduction to strategy are all in this show. This is the fourth episode.
  Recommended listening location: Act 2 / South America "Power Station".
• 2009/03/05 - MGS4 Integral Podcast 07
  This is the fifth episode.
  Recommended listening location: Act 2 / South America "Saltpan". From the south entrance to the saltpan in the confinement facility.
• 2009/03/19 - MGS4 Integral Podcast 08
  This is the sixth episode.
  Recommended listening location: Act 3 / Eastern Europe "Midtown". From the start of the Eastern Europe stage just after leaving the station.
• 2009/04/02 - MGS4 Integral Podcast 09
  This is the seventh episode.
  Recommended listening location: Act 3 / Eastern Europe "Midtown". From the entrance to the underground passage of the waterway in Midtown North West Sector in the Eastern Europe stage.
• 2009/04/16 - MGS4 Integral Podcast 10
  This is the eighth episode.
  Recommended listening location: Act 4 / "Shadow "Moses" From nearby the truck at the heliport in the Shadow Moses stage.
• 2009/04/30 - MGS4 Integral Podcast 11
  This is the ninth episode.
  Recommended listening location: Act 4 / "Shadow Moses". From the first floor entrance to the nuclear warhead storage building in the Shadow Moses stage.
• 2009/05/14 - MGS4 Integral Podcast 11
  This is the tenth episode.
  Recommended listening location: Act 5 / "Outer Haven". From the Ship Bow at the start of the Outer Haven stage.
• 2009/05/28 - MGS4 Integral Podcast 12
  This is the eleventh episode about sound production.
  Recommended listening location: Unspecified.

Screen Codes

Konami has released passwords for unlockable items in the game. These codes can be entered under Extras > Password.

Soundtrack

Harry Gregson-Williams and Nobuko Toda led the effort to compose the music for Metal Gear Solid 4, though Konami employees Shuichi Kobori, Kazuma Jinnouchi, Akihiro Honda, and Sota Fujimori also contributed to the score.

Norihiko Hibino 's GEM Impact team created roughly 90 minutes worth of music for the game's numerous soundtracks, but only about 15 minutes of these compositions are on the official soundtrack.

A remixed version of the 'Love Theme' was provided for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and can be heard on the Shadow Moses stage.

Ironically the main theme for Metal Gear Solid, composed by Tappy "TAPPY" Iwase, was not included in the soundtrack. The iconic theme was accused of being plagiarized by several Russian composers from Georgy Sviridov's "Pushkin's Garland". Norihiko Hibino denied the allegation and said that Konami was "too sensitive about the situation" and dropped it from the game.

Disc One

1. "Old Snake" Harry Gregson-Williams
2. "Love Theme" Jackie Presti
3. "Gekko" Harry Gregson-Williams
4. "Haven Troopers" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
5. "BB Corps" Harry Gregson-Williams
6. "Drebin 893" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
7. "Vista Mansion" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
8. "Laughing Octopus" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
9. "Breakthrough" Harry Gregson-Williams
10. "Endless Pain" Harry Gregson-Williams
11. "White Blood" Harry Gregson-Williams
12. "Call Me Hal" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
13. "Midnight Shadow" Harry Gregson-Williams
14. "Paradise Lost" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
15. "Great Escape" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
16. "Desperate Chase" Harry Gregson-Williams
17. "Raging Raven" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
18. "Confrontation" Yoshitaka Suzuki (GEM Impact Inc.)
19. "Mobs Alive" Harry Gregson-Williams
20. "Violent Ceasefire" Yoshitaka Suzuki (GEM Impact Inc.)

Disc Two

1. "Next-Gen Control" Harry Gregson-Williams
2. "Crying Wolf" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
3. "One More Reboot" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
4. "Sin" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
5. "Atonement" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
6. "Infinite Loop" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
7. "Everything Ends" Norihiko Hibino x Takahiro Izutani (GEM Impact Inc.)
8. "At Dawn" Yoshitaka Suzuki (GEM Impact Inc.)
9. "Screaming Mantis" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
10. "Guns of the Patriots" Harry Gregson-Williams
11. "No Place To Hide" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
12. "Sorrow" Harry Gregson-Williams
13. "Full Circle" Takahiro Izutani (GEM Impact Inc.)
14. "Everything Begins" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi; Yoshitaka Suzuki (GEM Impact Inc.)
15. "Father & Son" Harry Gregson-Williams
16. "Metal Gear Saga" Harry Gregson-Williams
17. "HERE'S TO YOU from the film Sacco e Vanzetti" Lisbeth Scott

BONUS : In-Game Battle Tracks

1. "War Zone" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
2. "A Rebellion Rests" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
3. "The Hunter" Nobuko Toda; Kazuma Jinnouchi; Sota Fujimori
4. "The Hunted" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
5. "Forced Hand" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
6. "Under Curfew" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
7. "Unmanned Army" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
8. "Cold Memories" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
9. "For Liberty" Nobuko Toda; Shuichi Kobori; Kazuma Jinnouchi
10. "Surrounded" Nobuko Toda; Kazuma Jinnouchi; Sota Fujimori

Reception

The game was very well reviewed with a Metascore of 94 and won numerous Game of the Year/ Best of awards from various publications. It was also the best selling game during the month of its release U.S. and Europe, and has since sold over 4.5 million units worldwide.

Awards Won

2008 Spike Video Game Awards

• Best Graphics
• Best Original Score
• Best Performance by a Human Female ( Debi Mae West As "Meryl Silverburgh")

GameSpot's Best Games of 2008

• Game of the Year
• Best Action Adventure
• Best PS3 Game
• Best Story
• Best Graphics, Technical
• Best Voice Acting
• Best Boss Fights
• Most Memorable Moment

Giant Bomb's Best of 2008

• Best PlayStation 3-Only Game
• Best Graphics
• Most Improved Sequel

IGN: Best of 2008 Awards

• PS3 Game of the Year
• Best Action Game (PS3-specific)
• Best Graphics Technology
• Best Original Score

Readers' Choice

• Overall Game of the Year
• Best Action Game
• Best Story
• Best Use of Sound
• Best Voice Acting

X-Play Best of 2008

• Best Action/Adventure Game
• Best New Character (Drebin 893)
• Best Original Soundtrack
• Best Sound Design

1UP 2008 Readers' Choice Awards

• Game of the Year
• Best Action Game
• PS3 Game of the Year
• Best Audiovisual Experience

12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards

• Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Compilation