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

iLLmAtlc

Member
Well, I'm in the third act of my big boss run.
My time is 1h 9 minutes... but now begins the nightmare.

I've read that the metal camo reduces the damage inflicted, is it true??

One more thing, is it helpful to use auto aim in the bike chase section?

Thanks!

Auto-Aim is very helpful in several parts I can think of, but it's best to use a combination. First is during the slow motion jump on the 2nd part. Use Auto-Aim + Uncharged Solar Gun and you can take out all of the PMCs in the blockade except a couple. Just remember to flick the right stick to your next target.

Auto-Aim is also a must is when the jeep drives up behind you in the alley in 3rd part. Start charging before you even encounter him, and wait for the lock. As soon as you see it, fire the charged shot and he will go down immediately.

There's 1 more mounted jeep near the end and auto-aim like charged shot will be very helpful here.

Auto-aim can also help in the 3rd area to help you just pick off the FROGs (using uncharged shots, it's still one hit KO)
 

Maddocks

Member
jbbJ77egNI4e8u.jpg

I can see the end of the tunnel.
 

rataplein

Member
I can see the end of the tunnel.

i'm probably the only one that is leaving the big boss run as the last one...

i have 3 more to go, leopard, jaguar and spider and then i can start the big boss one. i don't know why i'm so lazy to start it... i beat modern warfare 1 and 2 in veteran, did the crushing runs in the three uncharted games... but still, fear for my sanity in the big boss run.
 

Maddocks

Member
Big Boss run tested me like no other. I had to stop playing for 2-3 days because of how frustrating it became during act 3.

the first time I tried it, I beat act 1 in 45 minutes, but it said I took a healing item so i had to scrap the whole thing. I was an idiot and didn't have multiple saves. after that I learned to have many multiple saves.
 

Steroyd

Member
i'm probably the only one that is leaving the big boss run as the last one...

i have 3 more to go, leopard, jaguar and spider and then i can start the big boss one. i don't know why i'm so lazy to start it... i beat modern warfare 1 and 2 in veteran, did the crushing runs in the three uncharted games... but still, fear for my sanity in the big boss run.

The Big Boss run isn't that bad, however there is the Bike Chase in act 3, that is the make or break point.
 

Maddocks

Member
The Big Boss run isn't that bad, however there is the Bike Chase in act 3, that is the make or break point.

I assumed the hype on act 3 bike chase was grossly Over-exaggerating, till i got to it. Man I shall not lie to my mgs4 brothers, but that part took me 2 days to beat because of how pissed off I became at it. Anyone who beats it in 2-3 tries is incredibly lucky lol

that part is a true test of endurance and patience.
 

rataplein

Member
well... i'll do it at the end. at least i know, after so many hours getting useless emblems, i have to finish this. one last mission.



today i realised that in one of the opening "tv shows" (the cooking one), they finish it cutting and killing some snake. and the cook says: "this is the last chapter, in this snake life!". i hope they are right =)
 

Skidd

Member
Surely, someone else already encountered this, but I'm in the final act...

Mantis
vibrates your controller, AND because it's a DS3, it does vibrate this time and Psycho Mantis goes "The vibration's back!" and goes nuts.

During this, you can press X for the flashbacks and
it shows a DS3 controller. However not only that, but also the color of the controller. I just recently bought a new white DS3, and this blew my mind when I saw a white controller on my screen.

This game just keeps on giving <3
 

rataplein

Member
Surely, someone else already encountered this, but I'm in the final act...

Mantis
vibrates your controller, AND because it's a DS3, it does vibrate this time and Psycho Mantis goes "The vibration's back!" and goes nuts.

During this, you can press X for the flashbacks and
it shows a DS3 controller. However not only that, but also the color of the controller. I just recently bought a new white DS3, and this blew my mind when I saw a white controller on my screen.

This game just keeps on giving <3

it shows a ps1 dual shock, that's why you see it in a flashback. and yes, it's awesome!
 

rataplein

Member
THE SYSTEM........IS MINE.


bravo



i started todahy the big boss run. i finished act 1 in 53 minutes... i hope it's good enough.


but i forgot that i had the solar gun... and i think i maybe oversued the anesthetic bullets. after a while i changed to the crying ones, but still... and i also used quite a few emotion smoke grenades in the frogs safehouse fight.

the guide that was posted here had some link to see the location of the anesthetic bullets. but the link is not working anymore. any advice?.
 

Maddocks

Member
act 2 has some in the villa, act 3 has plenty(follow the guy and just look around in hallways and door openings) and act 4 has some in otacons old office I believe and sniper anest. bullets before crying wolf battle.

act 5 just use the solar gun or emotion bullets on the frogs. from act start to boss fight there should only be 7-9 frogs. then in the fight, just use solar gun while hiding in the hallway because they will walk to you.
 
bravo



i started todahy the big boss run. i finished act 1 in 53 minutes... i hope it's good enough.


but i forgot that i had the solar gun... and i think i maybe oversued the anesthetic bullets. after a while i changed to the crying ones, but still... and i also used quite a few emotion smoke grenades in the frogs safehouse fight.

the guide that was posted here had some link to see the location of the anesthetic bullets. but the link is not working anymore. any advice?.

Still working for me here: http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/926596-metal-gear-solid-4-guns-of-the-patriots/44019748

Not sure why it isn't working for you.

I'll quote the locations at the end of this post just in case.

Also, congratulations Maddocks!

Act 2

Cove Valley Village

Stun Grenade
-The house in front of starting area has a stun grenade.

MK.2 ammo
-Inside the barn two doors down there is tranq ammo for the MK 2 in the stall behind the ladder.

Mosin Ammo
-On top of the shed, in the northern most part of the village (check your map while facing north), is tranq ammo for the Mosin. Use the demolished house to roll, hang, and climb up.

V.Ring ammo
-At the very beginning of Act 2 if you free and protect the Rebels at the start of the act then they will unlock the door to the building immediately right of the starting location. Inside you find V.Ring ammo, the Twin Barrel Shotgun, and the disguise for this act if you don't already have it. If you don't free and protect them you may still be able to get these items if you come back to the area after the Rebel have completely taken over.

Smoke Grenade
-Under the porch of the most northeastern building, also the only building with a porch, are smoke grenades.

Smoke Grenade
-As you leave the village and into the valley run straight until you see the remnants of what use to be a building. Behind the outer wall on the lowest plateau will have smoke grenades.

Stun Grenade
-As you make your way up the plateau look on the shady side of the hut near the top, next to the demolished tree trunk, to find stun grenades.

MK.2 ammo
-After climbing the plateau and talking to Campbell turn on your NV as run into the area. As you come up on a broken tree trunk and a stool look right for MK.2 ammo behind a patch of grass in a crawl space.

Note: If you help the Rebels take the Power Station then they take over both Cove Valley Village and the Power Station. The PMCs will still in control of the Confinement Facility and Vista Mansion. Once the Rebels assault Vista Mansion then the Rebels will take control of both the Confinement Facility and Vista Mansion outer area leaving you to roam free.

Power Station

Smoke Grenade
-If you up the hill where the snipers are located there are smoke grenades in the area just past the snipers themselves.

Sleep Gas Satchels
-In the power station building there are S.G. Satchels in a dark corner behind the generators. Use NV to see them.

Mosin Ammo
-On the catwalk on the lone power conduit is Mosin ammo. Use the ladder to reach the catwalk to the structure that is behind the power station building, go to edge of the structure facing the power conduit, hang over there edge, shimmy over to the conduit, drop down, and collect.

Sleep Gas Mines
-After you help claim the Power Station go down left path. In the beginning yoy will see three stacks of wood, two that are parallel to each other and one that is perpendicular to both. Behind the perpendicular stack are S.G. Mines. The perpendicular stack also has noodles in front of it.

V.Ring ammo
-After you help claim the Power Station go down left path. You will find V.Ring rounds nestled between the front and side two side by side, parallel, stacks of lumber.

MK.2 ammo
-In the same area just just a few feet down from the V.Ring ammo you will find tranq ammo for the MK.2 next to a barrel and work table.

Confinement Facility

Mosin Ammo
-In the village-esqe place in the most western part of the Confinement Facility there is tranq ammo for the Mosin against the northwest corners wall.

Smoke Grenade
-In the village-esqe place in the most western part of the Confinement Facility there are smoke grenades in the biggest building. There in the room with the giant hole in the floor next to the VSS Sniper Rifle.

Mosin Ammo
-In the village-esqe place in the most western part of the Confinement Facility there tranq ammo for the Mosin in the guard tower.

Chaff Grenades
-In eastern part of the confinement facility map, where the swamp and large building are located there are Chaff Grenades there in the storage room of huge building. The building itself due east of the village (check your map).

V.Ring ammo
-In eastern part of the confinement facility map, where the swamp and large building are located, there are V.Ring shells in a storage shed. When you arrive at the large building turn your camera north, look at your map, and go to the northwest shed.

Mosin Ammo
-In eastern part of the confinement facility map, where the swamp and large building are located, is Mosin ammo in a makeshift sniper tower directly south of the shed with V.Ring ammo. The ammo is next yo the ladder after climb up.

Vista Mansion

Smoke Grenade
-From the entrance gate of the Mansion property head towards the right wall and behind the tent. Make a left and go towards the second tent. While running past the back of the third tent look for smoke grenades on the wall between two boxes.

MK.2 ammo
-Facing north at the gate of the mansion property look at your map and go to the bottom left corner of the property. The ammo will next to an exploding drum near a small tree.

V.Ring ammo
-On the first floor in the eastern most room of the mansion there are V.Ring shells next to the fireplace.

Mosin Ammo
-On the rooftop of the mansion next to the wall is tranq ammo for the Mosin.

V.Ring ammo
-In the cellar of the mansion, the underground part, head into the square room, there is only one room, to find V.Ring shells in a corner.

Stun Grenade
-In the cellar of the mansion, the underground part, head into the square room, there is only one room, to find stun grenades in a corner.

MK.2 ammo
-In the underground part just prior to meeting Naomi there is some MK.2 ammo. quite hard to see but if you put your night vision on you wil see it, it' not with the other grenades, its in the walkway behind a crate. Note: It is opposite the doorway to the square room.
- credit to merkweasel

Research Lab

Note: You have to collect these items before beating Laughing Beauty.

V.Ring ammo
-In the upper left room there are V.Ring rounds under a table.

Stun Grenade
-There are stun grenades under the table in the bottom right room.

V.Ring ammo
-There is V.Ring ammo in the right locker in the top right room.

MK.2 ammo
-During the L. Octopus fight, there's some tranqs in the room with the boxes (the only room with only one exit/entrance). You have to climb up the boxes.
- credit to albino_penguin1

Mountain Trail

-Not really a "location" but in act 2, after defeating Laughing Octopus, hold up and frisk the guy taking a piss and he'll drop MK.2 ammo. This person is located on the path to the very right after reaching the first intersection.
- credit to ssjgokou

Stun Grenade
-After crossing the small white bridge take the middle path to find stun grenades.

MK.2 ammo
-When tracking Naomi and you come to a lone PMC crouching by a rock next to a river, take him out, and go down the right path. You will come to a little shack with a couple of PMCs. One is outside standing guard and the other is inside looking at a Playboy. Take them out and inside is ammo for the MK.2. You can also reach this location after you take out the sniper by going down the path with the bra.


Mountain Trail Riverside

Smoke Grenade
-After crossing the river you will find smoke grenades down the left path as well as a frog waiting to ambush you behind the log left of the smoke grenades. There is another frog just a few down the path.

Smoke Grenade
-In the ending area after the smoke grenades ambush take the left most path to end up at a shack with smoke grenades inside. Note: the is a frog on the cliff to the left overlooking the shack.

Sleep Gas Mines
-Outside the same shack there are S.G. Mines between the outside wall of the shack and the mountain wall.

Stun Grenade
-In a wide area with a giant boulder there are stun grenades guarded by a frog. Also watch out for claymores.

Market Place

Chaff Grenades
-In the very last marketstall that is immediately left of the opening in the exit barriers. Destroy the Gekko that stands in the exit and before going through the opening turn on you NV and turn left and look in the last marketstall, it should practically touching the barriers, and run into the space to collect them.
---

Act 3

Midtown S Sector

MK.2 ammo
-Follow the Resistance member until he reaches a flight of stairs. In the gap between the building and stairs is tranq ammo for the MK.2.

Note: While not having to do with nonlethal ammo I thought this might interest anyone going for the Big Boss Emblem. At the beginning of Act 3 when have to follow the resistance member just fooling around I went up the set of stairs you pass in Midtown S Sector, the very first area. I followed the path and jumped down where the ladder is and casually made my way back, coming from the direction the resistance should be going in, to the corner where the resistance member should be. To my surprise the resistance member had climbed the same set of stairs I took and proceded to go directly to exit of the area totally skipping the park and everything in the middle. You can try this to see if it works for you it might shave off a few minutes especially if you use a certain face camo. If it does you can still get the MK.2 ammo in the park since the resistance member will just wait at the exit for you.

MK.2 ammo
-There is 22 ammo in the park, where the guards enter from (and you leave from) there is a pack just to the right of the stairs against the back wall.
- credit to merkweasel

Midtown Central Sector

Chaff Grenades
-When you reach the canal area with the helicopter search light turn your camera north and look at your map. You will notice the entire canal area is slanted about 45 degrees to the right. The chaff grenades are in what would be the top left corner if the area was lying flat(the long way). The grenades are between the bench and planters.

Midtown NW Sector

Stun Grenade
-Inside the canal there are stun grenades next to an underground exit.

Midtown NE Sector

Smoke Grenade
-When you reach the square with a lot of guards and a helicopter search light turn your camera north and look at the map. The alley a little northeast has smoke grenades.

Echo's Beacon

Mosin Ammo
-On the second floor there is Mosin ammo in the bottom right corner of the balcony.

MK.2 ammo
-On the second there is MK.2 ammo in the top left corner of the inner room.

V.Ring ammo
-On the third floor there is V.Ring ammo in top left balcony crevice.

---

Act 4

Heliport

Chaff Grenades
-There are chaff grenades on the helipad as if I needed to tell you.

MK.2 ammo
-In the lowest storage room on the left of the Heliport there is MK.2 ammo in the back corner in front of a crawlspace.

Stun Grenade
-In the middle storage room on the left of the Heliport there are stun grenades. You have to go through the crawlspace in the top or lowest storage room to get in the middle room.

MK.2 ammo
-Go up the stairs left of the truck and hangar doors. Make a left and follow the path to the very end to find MK.2 ammo.

Tank Hangar

Stun Grenade
-The left room on the second floor, look at your map, has stun grenades. There on the floor.

Stun Grenade
-There are stun grenades at the end of the path on the right side of the second floor.

Snowfield & Communications Tower

Stun Grenade
-There are two Stun Grenades to the right of the ramp at the start of this area.

Mosin Ammo
There is Mosin ammo in the storage facility that is just before the Crying Wolf battle.

Mosin Ammo and MK.2 ammo
-To the left of the broken tree you start behind in the Crying Wolf battle is a pit. In the two crevices on the left side are ammo for both the MK.2 and Mosin.

Mosin Ammo
-While facing north look at the map. In the top left part of the map is circular area with two paths connecting it to rest of the area. There is Mosin ammo where the bottom path meets the rest of the map. It will be on the ground in front a fence blocking the path.

Stun Grenade
-While facing north look at the map. In the square shaped area at the top of the map there are stun grenades in the top right corner.

Blast Furnace

MK.2 ammo
-On the first floor the bottom right room has MK.2 ammo in the bottom right corner. Use the map.

Stun Grenade
-On the side of the elevator there are stun grenades in the bottom left corner. Use the map.

Casting Facility South

Stun Grenade
-In the bottom right corner of the three sided structure, on the lower middle part of your map, there are stun grenades.

MK.2 ammo
-There is ammo for the MK.2 next to the stairs closest to the door when heading for the left door.

MK.2 ammo
-There is ammo for the MK.2 by the dumpster when heading for the right door.

Stun Grenade
-After going up the first set of stairs on the right side look behind the first pillar for stun grenades.

---

Act 5

Ship Bow

MK.2 ammo
-After taking out the two frogs at the start, three if take out the one on the balcony, go down the path they were coming from until you reach a crate. Just before that crate is a crawl space with MK.2 ammo.

Command Center

MK.2 ammo
-There is ammo for the MK.2 on the left in the small room you start in before facing the frogs in the next room.

MK.2 ammo
-Turn your camera north and look at your map. Behind the highest row of computers in the south of the room (in front of the that leads to a long corridor). The ammo is behind the right set of computers.

Done and Done. You may post now
 

Hydrargyrus

Member
Yeeeeeeeeees!!!!





Btw, that's my first Big Boss emblem and I've beat the bike chase very quickly. The hardest part of the chase was the second. The third section, contrary to what I've read, seems easy once you know where the Hammers appear and I you have the solar gun. I did the third section at my second try.

Thank for your help gaffers!!
 

rataplein

Member
i'm pretty happy, i did the act 3 bike chase without any problems.


i did the first stage in the first try.

then the second one it took me 4 tries.


and stage 3, in 3 tries (i killed a frog in my 2nd try, trying to blow up some barrel, but in both opportunities i went through the 2 humvee blockade without losing health. i was reaaaally lucky).


solar gun helped me a lot in stage 3. (probably it's very useful in stage 2, but i didn't have any ammo for it).

maybe 1 week more and i will have the platinum trophy =D
 

Maddocks

Member
i'm pretty happy, i did the act 3 bike chase without any problems.


i did the first stage in the first try.

then the second one it took me 4 tries.


and stage 3, in 3 tries (i killed a frog in my 2nd try, trying to blow up some barrel, but in both opportunities i went through the 2 humvee blockade without losing health. i was reaaaally lucky).


solar gun helped me a lot in stage 3. (probably it's very useful in stage 2, but i didn't have any ammo for it).

maybe 1 week more and i will have the platinum trophy =D

fantastic news. it feels so good defeating act 3. the rest is a breeze.
 

rataplein

Member
i tried today again, i was having the same problem and decided tu put the ps3 standing.

it solved everything (probably just a coincidence) but i could finally get the platinum!.


thanks to everyone that helped in this thread, it wasw a fun ride!.
 

Maddocks

Member
i tried today again, i was having the same problem and decided tu put the ps3 standing.

it solved everything (probably just a coincidence) but i could finally get the platinum!.


thanks to everyone that helped in this thread, it wasw a fun ride!.

welcome to the club. feels good man.
 
i tried today again, i was having the same problem and decided tu put the ps3 standing.

it solved everything (probably just a coincidence) but i could finally get the platinum!.


thanks to everyone that helped in this thread, it wasw a fun ride!.

That is very fortunate. It would be torturous having to do it another eight times. Congratulations!
 

Audioboxer

Member
Fuuuuck. Forgot how crazy MGS4 sounds through a 5.1 setup in uncompressed PCM. Absolutely blows my ears off. Definitely one of the best sounding PS3 games.

Also, the cutscene to gameplay transitions are still delicious.
 

Carbonox

Member
dEUhm.jpg


ShopTo and Zavvi have this for preorder. It's 'Metal Gear Solid 4: 25th Anniversary Edition'.

wut

When was this announced and what does it include?
 

stn

Member
Got a question. So, I started playing MGS3 back in 2006 when it re-released on PS2. For whatever reason I took a break of about 4-5 years, lol. It literally just sat there. So...

At that time I was about to face The End. Years later I reloaded my save and realized I forgot to grab the thermal goggles, so now fighting him is a HUGE pain in the ass.

How long would it take to me get to the same spot if I started a new file? I want to rush through MGS3 so I can finally start 4. Its absolutely necessary I do 3 before 4, right? Thanks!
 

BadWolf

Member
Got a question. So, I started playing MGS3 back in 2006 when it re-released on PS2. For whatever reason I took a break of about 4-5 years, lol. It literally just sat there. So...

At that time I was about to face The End. Years later I reloaded my save and realized I forgot to grab the thermal goggles, so now fighting him is a HUGE pain in the ass.

How long would it take to me get to the same spot if I started a new file? I want to rush through MGS3 so I can finally start 4. Its absolutely necessary I do 3 before 4, right? Thanks!

Yeah 3 before 4 for sure. Don't rush it, enjoy it. 3 is awesome.

As for how long it will take you it depends on how much you remember. If its been 4-5 years its probably best to play it from beginning anyway to follow the story better.

If you really want to start from the same spot and don't want to deal with the End then there is a trick you can use to avoid the fight altogether
load up the fight, save the game, quit and set your console's date about 2 or 3 weeks forward and when you load up the game again the End will have died of old age
.
 

Tess3ract

Banned
I just finished watching the main games including this one.

The extra cutscene at the end was fucking stupid and completely unnecessary.

I loved the game though.
 

Ermac

Proudly debt free. If you need a couple bucks, just ask.
Can someone link me that comic where the guy says "Best .. game ever.." then gets angry after the post credits scene.?? I've been looking forever for it.
 

Endo Punk

Member
Yeah! Just plat the game and in time for the world to end, ha! I made sure to leave a few trophies behind for the 21st and the final trophy before the plat is 'just like old times' :D Seriously MGS4 is the best fan service I have ever seen. I wouldn't mind if Kojima ends the franchise but as it stands it's the only one I truly feel I can support forever. Love everything about it, now bring on Ground Zeroes/Phantom Pain.
 

rataplein

Member
Yeah! Just plat the game and in time for the world to end, ha! I made sure to leave a few trophies behind for the 21st and the final trophy before the plat is 'just like old times' :D Seriously MGS4 is the best fan service I have ever seen. I wouldn't mind if Kojima ends the franchise but as it stands it's the only one I truly feel I can support forever. Love everything about it, now bring on Ground Zeroes/Phantom Pain.

congrats!!
 

Catalix

And on the sixth day the LORD David Bowie created man and woman in His image. And he saw that it was good. On the seventh day the LORD created videogames so that He might take the bloody day off for once.
Can someone link me that comic where the guy says "Best .. game ever.." then gets angry after the post credits scene.?? I've been looking forever for it.
This one?

Yeah! Just plat the game and in time for the world to end, ha! I made sure to leave a few trophies behind for the 21st and the final trophy before the plat is 'just like old times' :D Seriously MGS4 is the best fan service I have ever seen. I wouldn't mind if Kojima ends the franchise but as it stands it's the only one I truly feel I can support forever. Love everything about it, now bring on Ground Zeroes/Phantom Pain.
Congrats, dude. Way to end things on a high note.
 

Arkain

Member
So I finally started playing this game after loving the first 3, and I'm kinda confused right now after finishing act 2 (act 2 spoilers obviously):

What is going on with those syringes Naomi gave Snake? To quote Naomi "It contains the same substance the soldier's nanomachines secrete inside their bodies. It's a drug that inhibits the nanomachines' ability to regulate the senses" That doesn't make much sense at all.
First, she explains that the SOP nanomachines regulate emotions. Shutting down the nanomachines by severing the connection with SOP caused all PMC soldiers to break down, due to their memories and emotions returning. So now, apparently, the nanomachines also inhibit their own ability to regulate senses and emotions (errr...), since they secrete the same substance that's in the syringe.
Secondly, I don't really see the difference between using the syringe and shutting down SOP as they both inhibit the nanomachines. What confuses me the most, is that both seem to have completely opposite effects.
Could someone shed some light on this?
 

SJRB

Gold Member
So I finally started playing this game after loving the first 3, and I'm kinda confused right now after finishing act 2 (act 2 spoilers obviously):

What is going on with those syringes Naomi gave Snake? To quote Naomi "It contains the same substance the soldier's nanomachines secrete inside their bodies. It's a drug that inhibits the nanomachines' ability to regulate the senses" That doesn't make much sense at all.
First, she explains that the SOP nanomachines regulate emotions. Shutting down the nanomachines by severing the connection with SOP caused all PMC soldiers to break down, due to their memories and emotions returning. So now, apparently, the nanomachines also inhibit their own ability to regulate senses and emotions (errr...), since they secrete the same substance that's in the syringe.
Secondly, I don't really see the difference between using the syringe and shutting down SOP as they both inhibit the nanomachines. What confuses me the most, is that both seem to have completely opposite effects.
Could someone shed some light on this?

I'd love to answer you, but I highly recommend you finish the game first.

Your questions will be adressed at some point.
 
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.



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.



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.

I've finally gotten around to replaying (I know, i'm super fucking late) this and holy shit does this excellent post perfectly sum up how I feel today

There's just NOT ENOUGH ACTUAL GAME HERE. It's over designed with nothing to do.
Seriously, playing MGS4 actually feels pointless a lot of the time.


Also, goddamn is the writing worse then I remember. Whether it's the over-exposition diarrhea that Drebin's spews out or say, Noemi's bizarre writing/performance.
Listening to the Jeremy Blaustein interview from '08 really puts things into perspective.

&#8230;oh and I think the trophies are Dogshit and the complete opposite of fun.

At this point i'm wondering if I even finishing replaying this before Ground Zeros.
 
Came back to MGS4 today after starting my Trophy run back in 2012 (meaning I last played it in 2012 and only finished Act 1). I'd like to try and Platinum it (I already got the Big Boss Emblem before Trophies). Good memories replaying it again.
 

VulcanRaven

Member
I finished the game for the first time yesterday and it was awesome. This post contains spoilers. I liked the gameplay and the first two Acts were the best ones. It really felt like you were sneaking on war zone and it was fun to help the rebels. I really wish MGSV would have had that too. Act 4 Shadown Moses was great but it should have had human enemies. I heard many complain about long cutscenes when the game was released but they didn't feel that long in my opinion. I cared about the characters. One thing that I didn't like were the bosses. The boss battles themselves were fun but the characters were forgettable. PS4 remaster would be awesome because this game has framerate problems during the gameplay and cutscenes.
 
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maxwell247

Member
After Guns of Patriots Phantom Pain's storyline feels too shallow, bland and dumb, so I couldn't even believe it was also Kojima's creation. It just feels off.
 
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