Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (rather late)

Monday, 18 August 2008

Right, first off apologies for how bloody long this has taken to do (computer problems last couple months, mainly my family! Feel free to stone me) but I have finally got the chance to do this review/general chit chat about MGS4: Guns of the Patriots, which by the way I felt was awesome. Even if I had never played an mgs game before this one I would still say the same as well, and before I go any further I definitely give this game a full 10/10. Probably predictable but still very truthful. By the way I am avoiding any spoilers for any crazy person who still hasn’t played this game, so don’t worry!

As I said in my first look of the game, this is a fucking amazing looking game, an now I’ve completed it (several times) I can follow this up with that I believe it’s the best looking game out on the market, and even mgs-haters cant deny that.

Playing as Old crusty Snake was slightly shocking, but still oh so very enjoyable, and seeing other characters from all the others games was a pretty damn nice touch, even (yes I’m going to say it) Rosemary. Otacon and Raiden were even more cool then before, especially Raiden, and Liquid Ocelot was pretty damn brilliant. New characters such as Drebin and Sunny also weren’t as annoying as they might appear……well not Drebin anyway. And the Beauty and Beast Unit were a set of disturbingly good bosses; my personal fave was Crying Wolf.

It was also a slight shock when playing the game and realising that some of the controls that have stayed fundamentally the same since MGS1 had changed, such as how to use the guns and now having to press X instead of O to confirm stuff, but I got over that, learnt to get used to it, an now they’re just second nature. Also it would’ve been rather difficult and frustrating using the same controls for guns from previous MGS’s in this, as they play a much heavier role.

Gameplay itself was just brilliant. Adding dives an a crouch walk an such now makes Snake move so much better, an makes playing it even more enjoyable, especially when u get that good feeling of dodging a load of shots with a well placed dive. Finding CQC had changed as well made it much more fun to use, and it felt easier to use than in MGS3 too. The button-bashing prompt bits when getting choked by Haven Troops for instance were very pleasing as well, and looked pretty damn stylish. Also customizable guns = thumbs up! Although half the time didn’t really feel it was necessary.
In fact if I had any criticism of this game, it wouldn’t be too long cut scenes (which I loved, and besides you could pause them!), it wouldn’t be that I felt they traded stealth for combat (you could do what you wanted to, so it was in fact made more open for those crap at stealth), it wouldn’t even be how vamp was still an immortal bastard and how liquid ocelot still said ‘BROTHER!!!’ every time he clocked me……ok I’m going off a bit here.

What I was leading up to was that I felt that there might have been a tad too much equipment for one player to use. This was a problem I had with MGS2 as well, that you were given so much equipment to use of which I only really use about five or six things now, unlike MGS1 and MGS3 where I used almost everything given to me, because it was definitely needed. Not that it really matters though in the scheme of things, and I of course tested everything!

In the end this is the biggest and most impressive chapter of MGS, and such a way to finish of Solid Snake’s story. There are so many twists and turns (CLICHÉ!) and in every act there is always something different and fresh thrown in. And Act 4, well…..that’s all I’m going to say. This is one of the extremely few games that have touched me emotionally and made me believing the characters are real and wanting them to succeed, keeping me gripped till the very end. Oh and the ending? What an ending it is, just what an ending…..want to know more? THEN PLAY IT!!

And here is the stats for my second time, in which I got the FOX emblem, which I was rather proud of.

Now I feel its time to get DW round to play it, as he has been wanting to and I’ve unfortunately kept him waiting.

10/10

Labels: 10/10, Metal Gear Solid 4, PS3

Author: ElKarlos! | Comments: | Leave Your Response?

GTA 4: The Review

Friday, 30 May 2008

This review is going to contain spoilers. Character names wont be included, but either way, I want to discuss the ending of the game. You have been warned.
Game of the decade? Defining game of the generation? A masterpiece?
With all the hype and reviews buzzing around GTA 4's release, it was hard to find a source to trust, luckily the game mostly lives up to its hype.

That's not to say it isn't without flaws, there are more then a few instances of "pop up" in the game, and there are a few minor issues with the lock on targeting, and the cover system, and its irritating to fail a mission and have to complete a long boring driving sequence again and again because of a lack of in-mission saves, but, by and large, these are all minor concerns, and were the other aspects of the game any less then stellar, then these flaws would still barely show up.

The game has stripped out an armful of the less popular aspects from San Andreas, and plays like the previous peak of the series Vice City. It's a far more intelligent beast however, and the whole experience feels a lot more realistic than its forerunners, and the better for it. I mean, sure, I sorta miss flying harriers from the desert, or doing crazy stuff like using a jetpack to land on a speeding train, but its a worthy sacrifice for set pieces where you jump across rooftops escaping swat teams. The same can be said of the game world, It's certainly not as big as San Andreas', but as a trade off, the area we have got is far more varied, and incredibly detailed. this is a trend in GTA4, in every area you get less than San Andreas, but everything you do get is of a far higher quality. Cars dent like they should, bullets leave holes in cars, windscreens, even people, and you cant escape the fact it just feels so real.

And that's its main selling point, to me, is that it is in a living breathing city, everything just has an air of authenticity about it, from the people walking down the streets, to the occasional traffic wreck as you pull up to a junction. Everyone in liberty city is living a life, and for better or worse, you have the power to intervene in that, that's a major draw to me, and without a doubt one of the games biggest strengths. You can visit comedy clubs [with some excellent bits of stand up from Ricky Gervais], watch TV, go out to a fast food restaurant, all of the things you would do in real life. Unlike real life for most of us however, you're always free to cut loose and annihilate an entire street with an assault rifle. It IS real.

Its not just the city that is more realistic, the cars handle better too, the steering is heavier, and driving in general is slightly more difficult, but this is good, its more rewarding when you get used to it, and are evading the police with ease.

Past the gameplay, there's a storyline that can only be described as epic, taking you from Niko's arrival in the country, as a nameless goon, to "Niko Bellic" an ex-soldier forced into a life of crime, surrounded by bodies. Niko is by far a more likable character then those that came before, and there's a lot more to his personality. This makes the ending even more bleak when it rolls around at the end of the 30-40 hours gameplay.

"We won man, we won!"

That's the last line of real dialogue in the game, and it didn't ring true, sure, you've finished the game, the bad guys are dead. But the ending proves that there isn't an exit for people like Nico. As a result of his actions, people he cares about have to suffer. It's a tragic ending that finishes an amazing storyline, and you genuinely feel for Nico when he realises revenge won't right the wrongs. At this moment, the journey is complete, and you realise the story of GTA is far more than its usual "Rise to the top" crime story.

I played through both of the endings on offer, and both are equally as tragic.

All in all, I'd give this game a 10/10 and if it doesn't win Game of the Year, I'll eat my own underpants.

Labels: 10/10, GTA4, Review

Author: DW | Comments: | Leave Your Response?