Its been two decades since Metal Gear debuted on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Ever since we've enjoyed sneaking though jungles, military outposts, nuclear warhead disposal facilities, and taking out nuclear equipped walking battle tanks. But now, the time has finally come. The end of an epic journey has arrived, as the legendary solider Solid Snake takes on his final mission in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

     Its been the Metal Gear Solid franchise's legacy to continue to reshape, and change the way a player looks at the stealth based action genre. Ever since Metal Gear Solid was released, its tag line has been "Tactical, Espionage, Action" and the series has always lived up to that very statement. Being the final chapter in the Metal Gear Solid saga, Hideo Kojima and Konami games along with the technical prowess of the Sony Ps3 platform have created a masterpiece that will be remembered for years to come.

     Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is set in the near future, in the year 2014...and war has changed. The world has descended into full out proxy wars. War itself has become the global economy, and not even civilians are safe from the growing war machines. As you guessed, it's up to one man and one man alone to set the world straight. The legendary solider Solid Snake is up for this mission and finally put a stop to Liquid Ocelot's reign of terror, but there's a catch. Thanks to some accelerated aging, Solid Snake isn't exactly a young guy anymore. Aged well beyond his years, Solid Snake is now Old Snake. With Snake's current physical condition, his final mission isn't going to be a cake walk. If he is going to succeed Old Snake is going to need a few more tricks up his sleeve, and not to mention a little bit of help from some familiar faces.

     That brings us right into Metal Gear Solid 4's game mechanics, which have been completely redone but yet are familiar to veterans of the franchise. The name of the game is still stealth, even though Old Snake can still hold his own in a fight. Anyone who has played Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (previously reviewed here on Ethos), will surely remember the camouflage meter as Big Boss literally disappeared into his jungle environment. The premise of the camouflage meter has returned to in MGS4, but with a futuristic twist. Being dropped into active war zones, Old Snake doesn't have time to be constantly pausing the game to change camouflage outfits, oh no. Thanks to Otacon new design, Old Snake's new Octocamo is universal and changes instantly to match its surroundings. The Octocamo is an essential key to survival in Metal Gear Solid 4. Just by lying on the ground, or pressing up against a wall Old Snake will vanish and the roaming guards will never know you are there. With a quick shake of the Ps3 controller, the player can reset the Octocamo to its original color scheme (even during the cut scenes), which is useful when trying to blend into your surroundings quickly as it saves a few seconds on the transition time. This will come particularly useful when trying to get away from the incredibly tough unmanned war machine called the Gekko. Anyone who has seen a screen shot of MGS4 will also notice Old Snake's high tech eye patch called the Solid Eye. The Solid Eye is an upgrade from Solid Snake's old school binoculars, night vision goggles, and radar system as now they are all combined into one. Although the Solid Eye can't be used limitlessly as it runs on battery power that recharges when the Solid Eye isn't in use, it is a helpful tool when trying to remain hidden. It will help you spot guards from a distance, tell if an enemy is friendly or not and even highlight item locations for you. This same battery power that runs the Solid Eye also effect the use of Old Snake's Ipod which allows the player to use customizable themes throughout the game as their found, and more importantly the Metal Gear Mk. II. The Metal Gear Mk. II is just as its name states, a small Metal Gear designed by Otacon to aide Snake in his mission. This smaller Metal Gear follows around Snake in invisibility mode called stealth camouflage, and can be controlled to stun guards or retrieve items where Old Snake can't get to.

     With all of Old Snake's technological upgrades out of the way, all that remains is CQC and armed combat. Like the camo meter, CQC has survived the Snake Eater mission and returned for Guns of the Patriots. However that too has been completely revamped with an entirely new control scheme for MGS4. Unlike its predecessors Metal Gear Solid 4 does not use the O or square buttons for combat. O simply reloads your weapon, while square has no use at all except for switching your Solid Eye into night vision. Instead, in Metal Gear Solid 4, the L1 and R1 buttons do all the work by utilizing different combination, and pressure sensitive controls between the two. To aim a weapon and fire it, the player must aim with L1 and shoot with R1. To add in first person, the player must hit L1, triangle, then shoot with R1. And all CQC is now controlled with R1 alone. Sounds a bit complicated, but works smoothly. With more CQC moves available, players will have no problem taking out the roaming patrols with lethal or non-lethal maneuvers. Weapons are also highly customizable this time around. Players will be able to outfit Old Snake with a large arsenal of weapons, and attach accessories that fits their needs. For example the Old Snake's starting pistol, a .45 Operator 1911 can be outfitted with a suppressor and weapon light. All of which are optional, but gives the player another measure of control for that "Tactic-cool' experience. Although sneaking in the Metal Gear franchise, Metal Gear Solid 4 also functions as a typical shooter. Players can easily take out any enemy they see in Run and Gun fashion, with excellent combat controls, and advance through the game as they please. With large level designs, there are numerous ways for Old Snake to complete his objectives.

     Story wise, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is more cinematic in nature than many action movies released over the passed few years. With beautiful graphics, and gripping cut scenes, MGS4's plot is possibly the best of the franchise. As I mentioned before, the world has descended into full out war. Thanks to the Patriots controlling the aspects of human thoughts, and ID control through the SOP system, Liquid Ocelot finds a way to take over the system. It's up to Solid Snake to stop him, and put an end to this mindless war. What makes Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots so ambitious is how the story is told. Players will progress through 5 unique acts that will bring Old Snake around the world, and to some old battle grounds. It is an emotional journey as Old Snake is reunited with many of the characters from the previous titles, and all unanswered questions are finally answered. More importantly, we can see the evolution of all the characters featured in the Metal Gear Solid franchise, such as Snake's one time love interest Meryl, or the ever controversial Raiden who has finally come into his own as a warrior (although is still bit of a cry baby.) This evolution of character couldn't be more true than with Snake himself. Ever since his debut on the NES, we've seen the rookie Solid Snake become a legendary soldier. With his never say die attitude, the character is able to over come impossible odds. That same attitude remains in Metal Gear Solid 4, but we now get to see a different perspective. Not only are we playing as the legendary soldier, but an old man whose time is running out. This causing for a gripping, and emotional journey as the story progresses. Although some cut scenes are indeed a half hour long, they flow fluently and are highly entertaining as they tie in seamlessly back into the game play. Players won't mind sitting back, and watching each beautifully crafted cut scene. The cinematic quality of Metal Gear Solid 4 is unmatched by any video game released to date.

     With excellent graphics, story telling, and game play Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has reached the pinnacle of perfection. It is an epic conclusion to a franchise many of us have grown up playing. Not only does it continue the Metal Gear Solid legacy of quality gaming, it sets the bar of what a video game in general can achieve. I could think of no better send off for such an influential character in the video gaming community, so this one is for you Solid Snake. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is an instant classic, and will be played fondly for years to come.

Written by RB.

Over and Out

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