LogFAQs > #934122800

#58. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots


Its difficult to remember now, but the hype machine leading up to Metal Gear Solid 4 was unreal. Everyone was utterly confused by the reveal trailer that showed Solid Snake as an old man, but it still looked pretty cool. Then came E3 2006, which featured both the first full MGS4 trailer as well as the Snake reveal for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The board exploded that day in a way I dont think Ive ever seen for a non-contest related thing before or since. We just dont get hyped for stuff in that way anymore. Maybe its because were older, or maybe its because both MGS4 and Brawl are looked on as disappointments, so people dont get their hopes up to the same level. Either way, 2006-2008 was a magical time to be a Metal Gear and Smash Bros. fan. Since then? Smash Ultimate might be the zenith of the series, but Metal Gear is basically dead and buried. Its crazy to think about.

Now if you had asked me to make this list back in 2008 right after beating Metal Gear Solid 4 for the first time, it would have easily been in the top ten, maybe even top five. I immediately started a replay and beat it again. When youre in the middle of it, its easy to get sucked in by the glorious fanservice, the fun gameplay, the plot bombs, and the abundant cutscenes. Its when you step away from the game and take a more analytical approach that the flaws become more apparent. The cutscene-to-gameplay ratio is a bit imbalanced, especially the deeper into the game you go. The first couple of chapters had a good balance, but once Kojima starts hitting you with the big revelations in chapter 3, that goes out the window. While they make for good boss fights, the B&B Corps arent good villains. Ive still never been able to figure out if Kojima was just trolling the fanbase or he thought it was what we really wanted when Drebin calls and gives you a long story about each member after you beat them. Some of the answers to the big mysteries arent very satisfying, especially when nanomachines is the explanation over and over again. I dont think Kojima ever really planned to give clear answers to some of these things until the fanbase started clamoring for them.

But like I said, in the moment, Metal Gear Solid 4 is good. The gameplay is really fun when you actually have access to it. The Octocamo system is really clever and fun to mess around with. Its cool to see how many different ways Snake can hide in plain sight from enemies. The combat is much smoother than any of the previous MGS games, and there are a lot of fun boss fights as a result. The last boss might be my favorite fight in the entire series, and its a perfect tribute to the series as a whole. As an aside, I've got to say that Liquid Ocelot might be my favorite single game villain performance ever. Patric Zimmerman is masterful playing him here, and I didn't even miss Cam Clarke by the time I was done with the game.

Metal Gear Solid 4s fanservice is so good. I know people talk a lot about Chapter 4 in that regard, and for good reason, but as a Metal Gear Solid 3 fan (list spoilers), I loved Chapter 3 as well. The ending goes off the rails at times, but for the most part, I still thought it was cool. Even if youre not a fan of the ending, it could have been worse! If youve never looked up Kojimas original ending idea (that the development team had to force him not to go with), check it out and youll be fine with what we got instead! Also, I will say that while I do miss having Solid Snake around in the series, I do appreciate that Kojima kept his word that this would be his swan song. It would have undone some of the specialness of Metal Gear Solid 4 had he brought him back for a sequel. Plus, it meant we got more Big Boss, and Im cool with that, too!

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