The Final Chapter in Solid Snake's Saga

Firstly before I get into the juicy part of this review, I would like to apologize to people who have come into my blog and found not a single update for the past month. Partially it was due to the hype of Metal Gear Solid and also partially due to the mountains of stress to indulge in daily.

It has been over a year since I started blogging and this post marks the 100th post. For some it might not mean much, I know people who can right more post than me in a single day than I will in a week. At least for me, as much as I would like to share part of my life with people on the net, I do not want to spend another fraction on it, sitting on a chair typing my keyboard to write that much.

Also as this is the 100th post, I would like to make it special by writing a review on a game which has been on my waiting list since forever......*exaggerated*. So without further time wasted on unnecessary talk. By the way, the review is written to include as little spoiler as possible and for those ultra sensitive people who can't stand the sight of it, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS POST or prepare to suffer the consequences.

Metal Gear Solid 4 truly lives up to its predecessor as it brings along ever more improvement to all aspect of the game. Some of this changes lies in how the gameplay experience has changed throughout the game. One changes that veteran of the series will notice is the third person shooter of Metal Gear Solid 1 has slowly evolved to Metal Gear Solid 4's 1st and 3rd person angle battle system. By saying so, I am not implying that this game is in anyways a shooter game as its main objective still relies on being stealthy. For those who didn't know, Kojima has recently received a Guiness World Record for creating a first of its kind truly stealth base game.

In this installment, Metal Gear Solid 4 offers even more gadgets at ur disposal for playing the game the way it was meant to. Octocamo which improves on Metal Gear Solid 3's camo system, helps Snakes blend into the any environment much more effectively by quickly recreating the texture of the surface that Snake is lying/ pressing on. The drum can which is also a new item in your inventory, helps serve as both an offensive and defensive measure, as it can deflect bullets, serves as a hiding spot or even for Snake to roll in it. Of course these are only two of the numerous gadget that Snake has. Speaking of gadgets, this time around Snakes inventory of guns available for use has been increased up to a staggering 69 of them. Also about half of this weapon can be customized by placing scopes, laser sight, suppresors and so on which allows different player to use different weapon of their own choice. Of course some weapons are just plain useless other than seriving its purpose as a "joke" weapons. One of them being a gun that can absorb sunlight to be used as ammo, and another being an antique mathclock gun that can summon winds with a certain probability.

Now we know where the term "drum roll" came from...

Of course Metal Gear Solid's main element is not the stuff that you get to play with but more importantly the storyline which spans a duration of half a century. From 1964 (Metal Gear Solid 3) - > 1970 (MGS : Portable Ops) -> 1995 (Metal Gear 1) - 1999 (Metal Gear 2) -> 2005 (Metal Gear Solid 1) - > 2007,2009 (Metal Gear Solid 2) -> and finally 2014 (Metal Gear Solid 4). Previously in most, if not all, of the games, they will always be certain plot twist and unanswered question by the end of the game which will leave you craving for more. MGS4 instead serves to tie up all this loose end from the previous games and ensured that our years of wait has finally paid off. As complicated as the whole storyline may sound, veterans of the series will definitely come to appreciate Hideo Kojima's work over this past decade. Metal Gear Solid 4 is definitely for gamers who can appreciate a game for its storyline more than just for its gameplay values. It is NOT a game for people who skips each and every single cutscene and ends up asking "What's so great about the game?"

Who needs a weapon when God has blessed u with a pair of hands.

Metal Gear Solid 4 is a game that is unique for a handful of reasons but probably one of the part that stands out is their boss battle. Sometimes, you do not just go around pulling the trigger, hoping to kill the boss. In fact, in certain battles, guns and blades are of no use, and instead players are challenged to think critically about what are the most effective method of taking down an opponent.

Oh boy, this ain't gonna be pretty.

Fan service is abundant in MGS4, as some characters from previous genre makes a come back and in fact some of them look much better than they did in the previous games. By saying that, I do not mean that their faces are rendered more detailly. Just take a look at Naomi and Mei Ling, and you will notice a big change in their face from the previous game (they look much more attractive, if you know what I mean). Other that that, a personal favorite of mine, is the revisiting of a historical site which literally brings back a lot of old memory, as flashbacks are played back over and over again throughout the course of the game to refresh player's memory. [MAJOR SPOILER] in the next sentence, highlight to see. The fight between Metal Gear Rex and Ray on Shadow Moses Island is definitely another one of my favorite.The final battle is also a battle that has been long awaited by myself and the way the fight is done is definitely a great bonus for me. The battle quickly transitions between gameplay and cutscenes makes every second of it an unforgettable experience for years to come.

Needless to say, the graphics in Metal Gear Solid 4 are possibly some of the best in any games that I have seen up until now. It is truly not for me to say whether if it looks good or not, until you yourself experience what it has to offer. As for the audio, each musical piece is done to suit the every scenario that they put you into. From the heart accelerating song when a playing hide and seek with a Gekko, to the sad tune of a dying character (yes, somebody will die......duh). What Metal Gear Solid 4 presents is not just a game but an entire cinematic experience that will definitely get your jaws dropping as you awe at the masterpiece that is Metal Gear Solid.

Finally Metal Gear Online, the multiplayer counterpart of Metal Gear Solid 4 which comes with the blu ray disc. Personally I have yet to try this game out but from what I have heard from a lot of people, it is also a very enjoyable experience. Personally, I wouldn't mind having somebody who has played MGO to do this part of the review for me. Yes I am refering to certain friends who I know that also has a PS3 and defintiely plays MGO. What I know about the game is that, it plays the same as the singleplayer but of course without the octocamo and also without a grey moustache and hair and Big Boss's DNA etc etc. Although I have heard of a mode where players get to play as Old Snake and have to look for something, and in the meantime, the rest of them would go snake hunting. Konami is certainly generous enough to offer 4 maps for playing on, and in the near future, there would be further updates via Playstation Store which possibly need to be bought. Oh well, that's how things work when the company can milk the product for every cent it is worth.

Anyways, with that I would like to conclude the Metal Gear Solid 4 review by stating that this game is a fitting end to the Metal Gear Solid Saga. As some of you might have noticed by now, I did not include a scoring system this time around as being the fanboy that I am, you would expect no less than full marks for the review. It is also quite a subjective matter to whether a person would like it or not. There are people who don't give a damn about it and certainly this game is one which each and every person have to experience in order to understand the quality of it. Personal preference does play a heavy role in this matter, just as I do/will not play any sports game even if it features naked young ladies instead of sweaty fit man. =P Hope you guys like the review.