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Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of The Patriots 2.0 |OT| Kept you waiting, huh?

I'm just throwing this out there. I bought my PS3 3 summers ago along with this game (MGS4).. never played it. I've never played MGS3 which kept me from playing MGS4. Now that trophies are out, I'm really anxious to finally open my copy and play for the first time. However, I'm playing through MSG HD (currently on MGS2) to pick up on the story. Does Peacewalker have any relavence to MGS4? Also, I've played MGS1 last summer, so my memory on the story is still pretty clear (enough to get the gist of it).
 

BadWolf

Member
I'm just throwing this out there. I bought my PS3 3 summers ago along with this game (MGS4).. never played it. I've never played MGS3 which kept me from playing MGS4. Now that trophies are out, I'm really anxious to finally open my copy and play for the first time. However, I'm playing through MSG HD (currently on MGS2) to pick up on the story. Does Peacewalker have any relavence to MGS4? Also, I've played MGS1 last summer, so my memory on the story is still pretty clear (enough to get the gist of it).

Peace Walker should be played last, its best to play this series in order of release.
 

Duffyside

Banned
So, beating these people by non-lethal means, what does that entail? I guess it means using the tranq gun? And I'm guessing you can't wear them down with a regular gun, and then get the final shot with the tranq?
 
I'm just throwing this out there. I bought my PS3 3 summers ago along with this game (MGS4).. never played it. I've never played MGS3 which kept me from playing MGS4. Now that trophies are out, I'm really anxious to finally open my copy and play for the first time. However, I'm playing through MSG HD (currently on MGS2) to pick up on the story. Does Peacewalker have any relavence to MGS4? Also, I've played MGS1 last summer, so my memory on the story is still pretty clear (enough to get the gist of it).

Just play them in order of release, there is no special thing like Haruhi Suzumiya.
 
Act 3, 4, and 5 are all awesome for what they are...

I think it's just when playing the game for the first time, after playing Act 1 and 2, you get hyped for 3 more acts being something similar but just in a different location. Then you realize that Act 1 and 2 were more than 50% of the game and the disappointment sets in...

But yeah, I love MGS4, and I love Act 3-5, too. Amazing game

First playthrough was a blast for me, but playing again, the lack of gameplay in Acts 3 and 5, and the shitty spiderbots in Act 4 become more glaring.
 

McNum

Member
So, beating these people by non-lethal means, what does that entail? I guess it means using the tranq gun? And I'm guessing you can't wear them down with a regular gun, and then get the final shot with the tranq?
Blue weapons. Tranquilizer gun, shotgun with air shots, stun grenades, Mosin Nagant.

Lethal damage and stun damage are separate, so you can't just shoot rockets at someone and then plink them with the tranq pistol. You have to go all the way with blue. Stun grenades can some times be surprisingly effective. Just look away when they blow.

By the way, how do you do the chase parts non-lethally? I just finished act 2, and I couldn't find a good way to do it, so I just killed the enemies. Do I get something awesome to do that with by unlocking stuff?
 
Yes, it was in Act 5 on my BBE file. For Bear, I just grabbed and released the enemy 100 times. For Gibbon, I counted a hold up as any time that Snake said "Freeze!". I was actually holding up two enemies at once, so I only did this 25 times. For Bee and Ant, I just did their respective actions 50 times in a row.

Very, very nice. That should be extremely helpful to many and, in addition to saving time, it removes a lot of the urgency of needing the get that out of the way. Thanks a lot for confirming this, I'll definitely add.

My problems with the game:

-ending was nice but way too long
-between act interludes on the winged Mystery Machine were horrible
-Otacon's crying

-cutscenes were way too long even by MGS standards
-Outer Haven was too small
-nanomachines explained too much, including what the island is
-final battle with Liquid Ocelot had a weird, unsatisfying setting... and seagulls
-Naomi having cancer sucked, and her death with Otacon crying on MkII's screen is the worst scene of all time
-install times between acts
-no trophies

Some of those are in nitpick territory, but still negatives to me. Game would have been ten-fold better without those things IMO.

While that's a decently hefty list, I consider them to be largely forgiveable in light of everything else the game does right.

I agree with the non-striked bits however I would also add the following:

Too much variety: This may sound odd but the first two acts, the third act, the fourth act, and the final act, all feature (note really a spoiler, describes the gameplay)
different styles of stealth. For example, the first two acts feature a "battlefield sneaking" type, the third features a stalker-like stealth system, the fourth features a stealth style similar to the first and second game as they feature visible cones of vision and the fifth features a solo-infiltration. The problem is that it changes so much that, to me, it feels like when I begin to enjoy something I get thrown into something else and I never get to return to it. At that train of thought, I don't particularly like the third and fourth acts' stealth system which means two thirds of the game are pretty much disliked by me.
It makes me feel like only a small percentage of the game is actually sneaking and thus is de-emphasised (and thus, at times it makes me feel like "Tactical Espionage Action" isn't fitting for the title).

You've already mentioned it, but (the answer to everything)
nanomachines

Enemies not having different animations after being injured in different areas. I know there is a story reason, but see above.

Over the should aiming: This is all down to personal preference I know but again, it made me feel like stealth was de-emphasised, that the previous three games' scenario that you should "infiltrate the area and fulfill your objective while avoiding the enemy at all costs and leave no trace of your presence" had been removed due to how easy it was to, literally "run and gun" through the game.

Not infiltrating a singular location: The fact that each act is in a different location, ironically, lowers the sense of scale for me and it makes each location seem absolutely tiny. Each area is pretty big, I must admit but there is so little areas in most acts (or at least that is how it feels to me) bolsters this feeling that the act is small. If some areas, where appropriate, had been broken up more it may have felt like the acts were bigger but then again, sometimes it feels like the areas are too small (The Red Zone, Crescent Meridian and Downtown have this effect on me) so that may not have helped anyway. This is further heightened by the amount of cutscenes and gameplay changes in each act that are in the game that it makes you feel like you've barely played an act and then it switches to a new location completely. To me, if the game had been Act 1 or Act 2 (with relevant story changes) made much bigger, and some of the gameplay changes made smaller (maybe a much shorter following section, and a much smaller robot-only area for example), with perhaps a tiny VR section of Act 4 (not all of what we got, as good as I thought that area was on my first playthrough) and then a huge Act 5 with a bigger emphasis on Stealth I'd have been much happier. I know some people may appreciate the change in style and art direction in each act (see Metal Gear Solid 2's criticism that everything is orange and the design is repetitive) but I definitely prefer a unified location.

I know Ryan Payton mentioned that he wished for the whole game to be like Act 1 and 2 previously in the thread but what was the main reason for choosing the 5 Act structure if you can say (and are reading of course) as opposed to just having the entire game set and structured like Act 1 and 2? I vaguely remember a reason that was something along the lines of not wanting to restrict the story to make it feel like one location, to make it seem like the story was affecting everywhere but I'm not sure if that is correct.

That's not to say that I can't find positives in the game, my first few playthroughs I really did enjoy it but as I played further and I started to think about what could have been different and thought further into the plot, my opinion of it lessened significantly. Although I am not particularly interested in trophies in general, my main reason for replaying the game and getting all emblems once again is to improve my opinion of the game and so far Act 1 and 2 have been as enjoyable as I remember the first time so I'm hoping that's a positive sign.

By the way, how do you do the chase parts non-lethally? I just finished act 2, and I couldn't find a good way to do it, so I just killed the enemies. Do I get something awesome to do that with by unlocking stuff?

There is no good, highly effective way to do it. For the first one with Drebin the best thing to do is to use the stun feature of the knife and CQC the enemies off the truck and then, very, very carefully destroy the Gekkos on the turret. You need to be really careful not to kill somebody. For Act 3, it's torturous. The tranquiliser pistol and stun grenades with a Shotgun and V-ring ammo (and the Solar Gun if you have it) are your only option and on a Big Boss Emblem run, this is a very difficult section to complete.
 
So, beating these people by non-lethal means, what does that entail? I guess it means using the tranq gun? And I'm guessing you can't wear them down with a regular gun, and then get the final shot with the tranq?

I don't think that really works that way. Stamina and "Health" are two different values in MGS 4. You can knock out guys (keep in mind they get up...) or put them to sleep. I usually hold up a person, take their gun (you get more points if you hold them up and take their stuff), and depending on how long I need them out, I shock them (knife, R2) or tranq them.
 
By the way, how do you do the chase parts non-lethally? I just finished act 2, and I couldn't find a good way to do it, so I just killed the enemies. Do I get something awesome to do that with by unlocking stuff?

You eventually unlock the Solar Gun which is the best non-lethal weapon in the game. Until then though, it's pretty tough to do non-lethal runs with the chase sequences.
 
You eventually unlock the Solar Gun which is the best non-lethal weapon in the game. Until then though, it's pretty tough to do non-lethal runs with the chase sequences.

Read my strategy guide and it says there's a shotgun that you can change the ammo to non-lethal rings that makes it easier.
 

McNum

Member
You eventually unlock the Solar Gun which is the best non-lethal weapon in the game. Until then though, it's pretty tough to do non-lethal runs with the chase sequences.
That's by getting all the dolls, right? I missed those on my first playthrough when I got the game, even though I did take down the Beasts non-lethally. I'll try to get them this time. Two down, three to go.
Read my strategy guide and it says there's a shotgun that you can change the ammo to non-lethal rings that makes it easier.
Ah, I have those in the Masterkey on the custom rifle, but I think I'll just buy a proper shotgun for when it doesn't matter that it's loud, but I don't want what I'm pointing at dead.
 

Duffyside

Banned
Blue weapons. Tranquilizer gun, shotgun with air shots, stun grenades, Mosin Nagant.

Lethal damage and stun damage are separate, so you can't just shoot rockets at someone and then plink them with the tranq pistol. You have to go all the way with blue. Stun grenades can some times be surprisingly effective. Just look away when they blow.

By the way, how do you do the chase parts non-lethally? I just finished act 2, and I couldn't find a good way to do it, so I just killed the enemies. Do I get something awesome to do that with by unlocking stuff?

I don't think that really works that way. Stamina and "Health" are two different values in MGS 4. You can knock out guys (keep in mind they get up...) or put them to sleep. I usually hold up a person, take their gun (you get more points if you hold them up and take their stuff), and depending on how long I need them out, I shock them (knife, R2) or tranq them.

Thanks for the answers. Blue items it is.

Man, this game is way harder than I remember it. In the first real "gameplay" section, and I want to cross over to the left side street to see if there are any items over there, and I can't do it without alerting people. Gonna keep trying until I get the hang of it.

For both good and bad, Metal Gear games play unlike anything else.
 

SpokkX

Member
Haven't played since release and man... The game is really boring compared to mgs3 :(

Controls are better, looks ok but it lacks immersion in some way. To little gameplay and too much movies I guess... Anyway will probably play it again but felt just tired playing it now, felt like stopping after just 1 hour

Replayed mgs3 about 6 times and it holds up really well compared to this....
 
After four years, one thing that still really impresses me in this game (compared to games released since) is the camera work during cutscenes. They really did a good job of emulating the way an actual film is shot... something most games don't accomplish during their cutscenes. The Uncharted games, as much as I love them, would do well to follow the example set in MGS4.
 

ScOULaris

Member
After four years, one thing that still really impresses me in this game (compared to games released since) is the camera work during cutscenes. They really did a good job of emulating the way an actual film is shot... something most games don't accomplish during their cutscenes. The Uncharted games, as much as I love them, would do well to follow the example set in MGS4.

Yup. MGS4's cinematography and virtual camera work (shot composition as well) are still the best in the industry, in my opinion.

I made a thread about that a while back, but everyone jumped up my ass and took it as another opportunity to bash the game.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=454426
 

Desmond

Member
Haven't played since release and man... The game is really boring compared to mgs3 :(

Controls are better, looks ok but it lacks immersion in some way. To little gameplay and too much movies I guess... Anyway will probably play it again but felt just tired playing it now, felt like stopping after just 1 hour

Replayed mgs3 about 6 times and it holds up really well compared to this....
I never favoured 3 and would rate it below 4 easily.
 
Yes, it was in Act 5 on my BBE file. For Bear, I just grabbed and released the enemy 100 times. For Gibbon, I counted a hold up as any time that Snake said "Freeze!". I was actually holding up two enemies at once, so I only did this 25 times. For Bee and Ant, I just did their respective actions 50 times in a row.

:O

ScOULaris said:
Yup. MGS4's cinematography and virtual camera work (shot composition as well) are still the best in the industry, in my opinion.

This has been true for every MGS. The problem is when it slips into virtuosity for its own sake. I mean, if the reason for the length of the cutscenes is so we can see more beautifully framed shots...
 

Duffyside

Banned
Man, it's really hard for me to see enemies, or know where they are when coming out of a doorway or around a corner. I actually find this game WAY harder with an over-the-shoulder cam than something like MGS2.
 

ezekial45

Banned
They give you sooooo many guns, yet they penalize you for entering alert mode and killing enemies.

Why oh why didn't they add a series VR missions so you can cut loose with all these wonderful toy?
 

Synless

Member
Is CQC hold/uses what count for BEAR emblem? Also, what's up with the sideways roll stat? I easily rolled from side to side 250 times just to be safe and it says I have 0 in that category.
 
Just finished my first full playthough of this game. Holy shit, it has some issues but I still had a great time. Got the flashback mania trophy too, luckily.
 
That's exactly the kind of rolling I was doing, it says I have 0 in the mission briefing stats.

Ok, two things then. Did you enter and exit the area before you saved and quit (if you saved and quit, if not ignore this)? Did you hold X and do one long roll as opposed to stopping after each one?
 

BadWolf

Member
This is the one, you can be way out of visual range, octo-camoed, and drop people every time with a tranq without fail.

Just using the tranq gun is easy mode.

Have you tried doing a ghost run? Its sneaking without interacting with the guards at all so no tranqs, items, cqc or distraction of any kind (no knocking on walls etc.). Basically full stealth and leaving no trace of you being there.

Made me see the game in a whole new light.
 

Synless

Member
Ok, two things then. Did you enter and exit the area before you saved and quit (if you saved and quit, if not ignore this)? Did you hold X and do one long roll as opposed to stopping after each one?
I did a combination of holding X and doing it individually. I then saved it afterwards (the same way I had been doing it anytime I completed a set requirement for an emblem) and just continuing on without quitting.
 

Duffyside

Banned
Was trying to defeat the Frogs by non-lethal means (even though I don't know if that's all I have to do for the trophy or not), had Ed die at the end of the fight, entire fight got restarted. Turned system off.
 
I did a combination of holding X and doing it individually. I then saved it afterwards (the same way I had been doing it anytime I completed a set requirement for an emblem) and just continuing on without quitting.

Very odd. I had suspected that you had fulfilled the requirement and quit to the menu after saving but without getting a checkpoint but that does not seem to be the case if you just continued in the act, Something should definitely be registering however. Which area of the game are you in?

I advise, if possible, you load the Act 2 Mission Briefing, skip the first two cutscenes and then take note of your forward and sideways rolls on the ticker. Then reload your save, do five sideways rolls. exit the area and re-enter it and save and recheck your stats. If nothing changes, something is definitely glitche or being done wrong. If Forward Rolls increases a dive must be done accidentally (by being in a standing or crouched position, holding L1 and pressing X sideways, this MAY count as a forward roll). If Sideway Rolls increases then I don't know what the problem was. Mine is recording fine as of Act 3 so I'm not sure how to troubleshoot it.

EDIT: Also, it's 4am where I am and I really have to sleep so just in case (although you said you're doing it the same as the video so I don't know if this is even relevant to you as you sound like you're doing it right): You need to go prone, press L1, tilt the analogue to one side, press X, leave it go, tilt to the side again and press X again. If you update this with further information or clarification after this just be aware that it'll be about 6 hours or more before I get back to you.
 
Peace Walker's story is throwaway. Good game, but you absolutely do not need to know anything about it for MGS4. It also came out after MGS4.

It's not a throwaway story, it just has little to no relevance to Solid Snake or MGS4 story. But is quite important for Big Boss
 
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