Jango’s First Impression of Metal Gear Solid 4

Right now I’m still enjoying my MGS4 high from last night. Is this game that good? Yeah. It is better than I have imagined? Fuck yeah. How do I rate this game so far? Somewhere between Holy Fuck and Jesus Christ with 3 1/2 hours of pure AWESOMESAUCE. A real shocker, right?

It’s been a long while since I’ve picked up a controller and played as Snake but it sure feels good creeping and killing everyone again. I’ve only played all the way through the first act and I must say this game is impressive. It’s living up to my expectations and for the most part: the hype. Metal Gear Solid 4 looks and sounds gorgeous. You really get the feeling of being stuck in a battlefield which can get pretty hairy at times.

The game is difficult if you don’t think ten steps ahead of yourself. I was having a hard time trying to get past both armies because I keep getting caught by either side which in turn forces me to make a stand in an alley way. Too bad because it’s always fun to try and do a no kill play through. Apparently, towards the end of the act, I aligned myself with the rebels. Damn.

It took me a little while to get use to the new control scheme. I haven’t been reading too much about the game so I didn’t realized the control scheme was drastically changed. I quietly sneaked up behind my first victim and finally got close enough to attack then nothing happened. I repeatedly hit the “square” button. Nothing. I then hit the “X” button. Nothing. I panicked and began to hit every button on the controller, Snake began to spaz out, of course by the time I figured out that the R1 button is attack, the guard turned around and spotted me. I finally had to turn him into swiss cheese with my AK because my close quarter combat (CQC) skills were lacking and it was becoming too much of a hassle. After about an hour of finally getting accustomed to the new layout, I slowly got into the rhythm of the game, this is when the game started to get good. The game is great and I’m glad that the few random videos that I have watched on the ’net have mostly been from the first act making me anticipate the rest of the game that much more.

Quick Rundown of the Pros & Cons.

Pros:

• The new cameo system rocks! It’s very easy to use and easy to pick up.

• The new control scheme is nice. Feels like I’m playing an FPS game because of the constant use of the “L” & “R” buttons.

• The transitions between movies and gameplay are smooth as silk. Wow, just wow.

• Smart enemy and friendly AI.

• The audio is top notch. Everything from the quality voice acting to the ricochet and bomb blasts, this game is defiantly utilizing every speaker in my surround setup.

Cons:

• The initial required load is quite annoying and so is the 3 minute load between acts, but why, why is there loading between each and every event sequences? Then after the loading, you have to hit start to begin the next part. It’s not a game breaker but it is annoying. Blu-ray is true failure for videogames.

• The FPS mode is quite clunky and slow. Useful in close quarters but the whole comment that a person can play this game completely in FPS mode is bullshit.

• The cut sequences are long. No shit right? I’m not complaining about their length but I do have issues with its frequency. I wish Hideo Kojima tone down the movies a bit and learn to implement the Valve’s Half Life 2 school of thought on active narration during gameplay. I still like the movies though.

• You really need to invest in a DualShock 3 controller to appreciate the game. It is a disappointment that most PS3 users will need to spend an additional $50 to play the game properly. Shame on Sony for the rumble fee.

All in all I don’t really have too much to complain about this game. Every “fault” that I find with the game is drowned by the sheer fun I’m having shooting, stabbing and generally creating havok with this game. It’s exactly what I expected and it’s delivering the sequel that I wanted after playing the first Metal Gear solid. If you have a PS3, go get this game now! This is truly Sony’s system seller and is worth investing your time and energy into.

I’m still holding onto the hope of an Xbox 360 port because, so far this game needs to be played by everyone; not just the 5 PS3 owners out there.

–Jangofatt

Posted by Jangofatt