Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

It's Kojima's last MGS (then so was MGS2 and MGS3), but is it a masterpiece or a convoluted mess?

	Version PlayStation 3	Developer Konami	Publisher Konami	Genre Action

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Beyond that, what can I really talk about when it comes to the gameplay of MGS4? It's all the same as everyone is used to, or on the other hand it's just as fiddly and initially-confusing as everyone who hasn't played it isn't used to. I could talk about how in this modern world of everything being totally open and physics-based, the comparatively linear experience on hand in MGS4 could prove enough to annoy. Only idiots, mind. The game does a job, but there really isn't anything that different in the world of Old Solid Snake - certainly nothing world-changing. Yet it's still a masterpiece of design. Weird.

I could go on about how Drebin's weapons shop shows how the game leans more towards an action slant; how his monkey is stupid and annoying as opposed to funny; how the 20 percent discount on Wednesdays and Sundays is a nifty little touch; how customising weaponry is neat, though you're only likely to ever use a few set weapons with one or two mods on them. But... well... there isn't much that can be said beyond that. Things really are the same as before, polished up with bits and bobs tacked on for good effect.

Once again Kojima goes mad on two fronts - his heavy-handed moralising and his penchant for breaking the fourth wall. His shovel-smacking-you-in-the-face approach to subtlety is most notable when it comes to the boss fights against the four Beasts/Beauties/whatever. Each has a story behind them, telling the player how they were forced to become the beast they are - and each is presented in exactly the same way by being told to you in a completely straightforward manner. Like a kid's book. "They are bad because some bad things happened to them, now they are free of the badness because of you Snake!" When looked at that way it's very easy to laugh or dismiss them, but there are certainly underlying tones and a moral grounding that keeps things interesting. Even if players are treated like moronic children.

It's the breaking of the fourth wall that Kojima manages the best though - it's typically ham fisted in how it is carried out, but that approach works perfectly well with the material used. Otacon asking you to change disc, one particular boss fight moment and an incredible dream sequence are all fantastic additions and, far from ruining the immersion, actually help hold things together even more. Love it.

Oh, I forgot one element in which Kojima really goes that little bit madder than anywhere else throughout all of MGS4: cutscenes. Yes, fans of incredibly long scenes in dire need of a strict editor and a strong cutting arm are catered for incredibly well. While the reported 90 minute cut scenes weren't apparent, some were certainly pushing that kind of length - especially towards the end of the game. The plot is thrown up all over the player, as if they're supposed to understand what in Christ is going on, a lot of the dialogue is so incredibly, incredibly bad it's laughable, and it's all very convoluted.

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