Yup, it’s time to buy a PS3. We know, the PlayStation 3 costs big bucks and if you’re going to hand over that sort of cash you’ll want there to be a special game that makes it worth it. Metal Gear Solid 4 is that game.
MGS games have always been really good, but MGS4 ups the bar with its cinematic effects, artistic flair and sheer depth. It takes everything you’ve come to expect from the MGS series – a great plot and in-depth cutscenes, with a mix of slow stealth stages and fast-paced action scenes – and seriously ups the budget on it all.
So Solid crew
You play as Solid Snake again, who’s now called Old Snake as a result of accelerated ageing. At the start of the game you hit the Middle-East in search of his nemesis brother, Liquid Snake, who’s cooking up a plan to mess up the world by controlling the tech behind modern warfare.
The setting is brilliant because, unlike previous MGS games that have you sneaking through corridors as a one-man army against a bunch of terrorist, there’s all sorts of shit going down in the Middle-East. Opposing armies are fighting over God-knows-what all over the place and you’re placed slap-bang in the middle of it.
This means that, as you do your best to avoid confrontation and stay hidden (as usual), there’s a war going on around you, with rockets flying by, gunfights and people dying all around – with tanks rumbling through streets and all sorts of madness. And you can choose whether or not to get involved. You know, like sneaking through the sewers to get past that helicopter, or if you decide to break out a rocket launcher and blow the hell out of it.
That black suit Snake’s wearing is brilliant, too. It’s new tech called OctoCamo which, in normal English, basically means it automatically changes colour to match any surface that you press Snake against. It means that, if you stand still for a few seconds, you can blend into any surface, and a camo counter tells you how hidden you are. You’re never truly invisible though, but it does give you a real edge on the battlefield.
Each chapter is different
All this is great, but what really tops MGS4 off is the fact that each of the game’s five chapters throws you into a completely different part of the world, and surprises you with new gameplay mechanics. It’s the sort of game that, 10 hours in, will still be throwing new stuff at you that makes you love it a little bit more.
We’re talking about putting on a disguise and fighting as a rebel in a raid on an enemy base, racing through a town on the back of a motorbike as you shoot at chasing enemies, or taking control of Metal Gear Rex in a massive robot fight, wrecking the place with giant rockets and lasers. We won’t spoil it all for you – it’ll blow your mind.
But above all, everything about MGS4 is high-budget. It looks incredible, has the best surround sound we’ve ever heard and has so many stunning gameplay nuances that it’s unbelievable – some of these that would be the focal point of lesser games.
Don’t get us wrong, it’s not perfect – shooting from behind cover can be awkward at times, and unless you totally adore the (over-complicated) MGS story you probably won’t be happy with
some of the hour-long cutscenes in the game.
But for sheer style, polish and extravagance, MGS4 is as near to perfect as any game on PS3, and with a bundle that packs the game with a new console, now is definitely the time to pick up a PS3 if you haven’t already.
Words by Daniel Alan