Metal Gear Solid 4 is out!
Friday, 13. June 2008, 18:10:29
That's right. As of yesterday, Metal Gear Solid 4 is out (and not surprisingly, also SOLD OUT in most American stores). This highly anticipated game for the PS3 has created so much anticipation, has been so highly praised, and has such a huge fan base that it was a sure hit from the moment it was announced. But will you join in the hype, or you just don't see what all the fuss is about?
Well, to be quite honest, I've NEVER played ANY version of Metal Gear, so I'm just going with the flow of what I've seen on the net, and what I've heard from friends (especially one who will not shut up about how awsome and superior and great and good and cool his PS3 is over all other consoles...we'll call him 'Mr. X'). Granted, the trailers look great. It is undeniable that graphics play a huge role in this kind of games, and MGS4 surely delivers. Reviews by tons of magazines and game gurus are also praising, with mostly perfect scores (but still I can't help feeling they're biased by all the game saga hype). But is it really great? Has any of you ACTUALLY played the game and has his/her own version of things? Personally, I'm not much into this kind of games (Basically the only ones I've played and liked were the Contra series for the NES and SNES..and yes, I didn't like Halo), but the game has given so much to talk about and is so expected by gamers worldwide that I can't help but to feel curious. Also, I find the fact that the main character IS depicted as an old, aged character intriguing... I guess it's also a trend these days, to 'revive' the heroes of old...with their own old versions (like Terminator 3 and the soon-to-be-released Terminator 4, Rambo, Rocky and Indiana Jones).
Now, I know I can't play it at home since I don't actually own a PS3 (I'm VERY happy with my Wii and I'm sure my friends have much more fun playing on my Wii than playing on Mr. X's PS3) and Konami has made it VERY clear that due to the tremendous amount of information on the game, it will NEVER release a Wii version (according to them, the game could only fit on a BluRay disc or an soon-to-be-extinct HD-DVD disc), but I have been tempted by all the media ads and now, the sales strategy launched by Sony to try and regain some terrain on the console war (Yes Mr. X, the Wii IS leading sales worldwide and can actually amount to BOTH sales of XBox360 and PS3 together...suck on that!) of offering a VERY tempting bundle: An 80GB PS3 with Metal Gear Solid 4 game and game guide included for only USD$499.
I must admit the price tag IS great... but since I don't acutually like most of the PS3 titles out there, I don't wanna buy a PS3 for just one game I don't even know if I'm going to enjoy...
But hey, maybe I'll get one...who knows?
So, has anyone here played the game? Is it REALLY all that perfect? Let us know!
UPDATE: It is confirmed; the game installs more than 4GB in your PS3 and takes about 18 minutes to do so; however, installation apparently happens in three separate blocks (one 10-minute long, two 4-minute long ones) and throughout the whole thing you're 'entertained' with cinematics...
(33%)
WIDGETIZE
aquaduct # 14. June 2008, 15:38
erosan # 15. June 2008, 21:44
I wanna say some things... you seem to think metal gear solid is a first person shooter, a halo copy of some sorts... but its pretty far from that. The metal gear franchise is all about stealth (although this upcoming title, will probably be a little different), in fact, in games like mgs2 and 3 you could in theory finish the game without killing anyone, using tranquilizer darts, or just sneaking past the guards...
This would be an incredible title even if it were not for ps3... except word on the street is Hideo Kojima (creator of the series and director/producer of the game) was disapointed because he had to cut features to make it fit into a Double layered bl)ue ray disc (which holds like 20 GB more than the already defunct HD DVD)... so there is no chance in hell this title will come for any other system. And im saying this like a MGS fanboy, not as a PS3 fanboy (which i guess i am, in a way or another xD)
Also, im not going to discuss the sales of PS3 against Wii... Its true that Wii is winning in sales, but ugghh... there is not even 1 game that i'd like to play on that system. Yeah, i even think mario kart is over rated. I guess sony and nintendo aim for different audiences.
PS3 will probably outlast the Wii, so sales will eventually pick up. I mean, look at PS2... its still selling pretty well. And total worldwide sales of PS2 are waaaaaaaay ahead of the Wii... so there. Wii is losing to a previous generation console xD.
Anyways, If you get the change to play any metal gear, you have to! its a pretty cool game.
Spook81 # 15. June 2008, 22:08
As for the FPS thing... come on! Stealth game or not, the point is your a soldier with lots of guns and tricks to choose from and your mission is to get past enemies... killing them or not, that's your choice... you still shoot! It's like saying Mario Kart is not a racing game just because you're playing with cute characters and throwing insane items at your opponents... IT IS a racing game! Same thing with Metal Gear... it's a shooter with the means to be an RPG...
And yeah, I know MGS4 has way too much info to be ported as-is to another console, but a reduced version would be nice, especially since the Metal Gear franchise was born on the NES...
erosan # 16. June 2008, 10:21
nah... Kojima is really serious about the quality of his games... so i dont think he'll agree to a reduced version.
But maybe you could expect a different metal gear game on a nintendo console. I mean, its not like Kojima hates nintendo or something. And they made a really great remake of the first metal gear solid for the cube (one of the 3 good games for that console xD)... even if they had to split the game in 2 or 3 discs... i cant remember...
Spook81 # 16. June 2008, 14:25
He claims the game is PERFECT. Graphics are great, the game is packed with cinemas and action and also an enthrilling plot that just leaves you wanting more (he even compared it to reading "The Da Vinci Code"). However, there is one 'minor' problem: installation. I had heard that Konami had FORBIDDEN the testers to discuss this particular point of the game (with, supposedly, a very HUGE penalty if they broke the agreement), and now I see why. The game installs the humongous amount of 4 GIGABYTES into your PS3... 4GBs!!! That's ONE DVD (almost)!! Needless to say, installing the game takes a few minutes before you can begin to enjoy it... Now I see why the MGS4 bundle comes with the 80GB hard drive...
Ero, would you give us your initial thoughts on the game once you get your copy?
erosan # 16. June 2008, 20:58
Damn! 4 Gb!? that's a lot. Not that i care... but that means i will have to wait before playing! oh the sweet agony of waiting...
*MoNsE* # 19. June 2008, 00:26
games??? xP its no mine...
have a nice day!!!
Anonymous # 22. June 2008, 07:49
hey nick espero alfin poderte encontrar para saludarte porque ya van como cuatro veces que te amndo mails y tu nada que respondes ahora si hace muucho que no hablamos por el amor de dios respondeme siii
Anonymous # 24. June 2008, 00:27
hola:D
Anonymous # 24. June 2008, 04:44
que onda espok, como te lo va, aqui nomas pasando por tu opera, dile a pedrin que ya no me este molestando y que mejor satisfaga mis requerimientos personales XD.
Saludos desde el Escritorio de enfrente.
P.D. Esto no lo escribio Vic jajajajaja.
Bueno quien sabe.
erosan # 26. June 2008, 00:35
I was kinda disapointed when i read that you had to wait to play... but now that i am installing, dude! its so awesome!!! You get to see a closeup of Snake lighting a cigarette and smoking it while you see the percentage bar filling up. My TV is only a 19" 720p, but its soooo cool. the 8 minutes are flying.
ok... im gonna go ahead and play. I'll write about how cool the game is later xD
Spook81 # 26. June 2008, 05:03
erosan # 26. June 2008, 15:06
Dude, this game's ESRB rating is M for Mature. That means no kids should be playing it. And if as an adult you dont have enough judgement to see a movie or videogame without thinking: "dude, i should totally do that! smoking and killing people is sooo cool!", then i guess you have bigger issues than videogames.
Solid Snake smokes. Thats what the character is like. That does not means Kojima Studios or Konami endorse smoking. They are not trying to make you smoke, like some movies show drug adicts, but that does not mean they want you to think doing drugs should be something you should try. Please, gimme a break. You dont like it? stick to Nintendo. Its so family friendly, shotguns only fire rainbows on their games...
And if an image is worth a thousand words, how about the next one: the cigarettes are an ingame item... they help you relax a bit, reducing the stress bar, but THEY DRAIN YOUR HEALTH BAR. And there are characters repeatedly reminding him that smoking is bad, taking away his cigarette, and at one point trowing it to the ground and stomping on it, before scolding snake for smoking... the message is clear to me.
Anyway, the point was not that its cool to see someone smoking, but rather that the graphics shown during that scene are incredible. The way the smoke looks and behaves, or the lighting changes when he is lighting the cigarette are so neat looking you dont get bored while waiting.
Anyway. The game's graphics are plain drop-dead gorgeous. The control is responsive and the story so far is great, although you really need to know what happened in the previous games to understand it well. I guess you could play it without having played the previous ones, but it would not be the same. My advise is that if you have not played the previous MGSs at least you should read the stroyline before playing it. (You can download the free "enciclopedia" thingie from the PSN)
The AI is way thougher than in previous games, and only in very specific scenarios you can really get away with shooting people. Stealh is your best choice this time (even if its even more difficult to stay hidden, because of the chaos that surrounds you, and the soilders response to almost every sound and movement)... Every time i shot someone so far, I ended up dead, so even if there IS a lot of shooting involved in the game, i stick by my opinion. This is not a FPS.
The scenarios are huge and really well constructed, the attention to details is amazing. The dust, the shrapnel, the tension. I cant get tired of praising this game. Its simply amazing. And the way camouflage works this time is pretty cool too.
And on a curious note, after i finished the first chapter (i guess its kinda like an introduction, since it was more or less short), there was a 2 minute break while the game installed a few more things, and among the other messages that were displayed during this little break, the game displayed one message that reminded me it was late and i should go to sleep (Something along the lines of: "Its past 1:00am... shouldn't you get some rest? playing too much can't be good for your health"). It made me laugh xD but it WAS past 1:00 am, and i was kinda tired, so I went to sleep.