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[NotTheGuyYouKill]

After some internal debate with myself, I've decided to replay Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. I wanted to see if it held up, since the last time I played it was basically when it came out. I'm currently going through Act 1, and some thoughts:

1) Holy fucking Christ, the cutscenes. In a total of 45 minutes of sitting, I think I might have played less than 15! Or, at least it feels like that.

2) Game still looks absolutely beautiful and plays well when you do get to play.

3) Hayter's actually great as Solid Snake, and the supporting cast so far are great as well. I really do have huge waves of nostalgia as I play through this.\

4) Why the hell can't Snake just use fucking nanomachines? They fucking do everything in this game. He's old? He's degrading? USE FUCKING NANOMACHINES OR CYBERNETIC IMPLANTS. I must have missed the in-story reason for this.

My thought at the moment is that the game's narrative excels when it's about the characters and their emotional journeys but the constant exposition and focus on nanomachines and plot and shit just drags all the good stuff into the muck.

 

[bigboss370]

Best Game Ever

 

[Savantcore]

MGS4EVA

 

[OgaKratos]

Beautiful game.

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

4) Why the hell can't Snake just use fucking nanomachines? They fucking do everything in this game. He's old? He's degrading? USE FUCKING NANOMACHINES OR CYBERNETIC IMPLANTS. I must have missed the in-story reason for this.

The whole SOP system is run through nanomachines?

 

[robotrock]

I love this game

 

[Ratrat]

NEOGAF'S 2008 GAME OF THE YEAR 2x over!

I think I'm gonna replay this after I finish 2 & 3.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

The whole SOP system is run through nanomachines?

Well, I'm referring to even after the events of the game. Or why can't Otacon whip up some nanomachines with Naomi that'll get Snake's body working? Or why can't they contact Raiden's people and get Snake some cybernetic enhancements? Fuck, Big Boss was rocking a red hand in fucking 1984:

I understand his body degrading cause he's a clone. But he has ways to fix it. Maybe he can't utilize nanomachines while the Patriots are in charge, but once they're dealt with, who gives a shit? He can use them. Someone can make and program them or he can get some Raiden-esque upgrades to strengthen his body.

 

[Kings fan]

Speaking of cutscenes, I remember "finishing" the game only to sit throught a marathon of scenes adding up to a small independent film. O_O

Looking back now, it's hilarious how long I sat there thinking "this will surely be the last one" only to discover I had been saying that to myself for 30 minutes already.

Will definitely go back and play the game one of these days, this time better equipped for that ending sequence.

 

[Warablo]

I bought the Legacy collection and the only one I can get through is Metal Gear Solid 1. The rest are awful, at least Ground Zero is playable.

 

[MiamiWesker]

Absolute masterpiece. If you have played it before just skip the cutscenes, lets you just play.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Absolute masterpiece. If you have played it before just skip the cutscenes, lets you just play.

No, I must go through everything.

 

[Zeyphersan]

Best Game Ever

Worst Game Ever

(It's actually neither of these, though I do think it does suck pretty bad)

 

[SolVanderlyn]

I thought this game was "ok" when it came out. I was turned off a bit by how different it was from the previous three games, and the chapter sections (and especially the plane briefings) seemed out of place in a Metal Gear game. I still enjoyed it, but I was left with a weird taste in my mouth.

I replayed it last year, and it aged like a fine wine. I'm not sure why, but I appreciated everything more the second time. The story is convoluted and nanomachines are omnipresent to the point of being meme-worthy, but considering that Kojima was basically forced to make this game and channeled all of his apathy into the story, he still did a fantastic job and made it a crazy and enjoyable ride from beginning to end. It still has its issues, and the first two acts are still much stronger than the final three, but I feel like this is a really fun game once you get into it. I feel like I should elaborate on why, but I can't really put my finger on it. Normal mode is too easy to Rambo your way through, though - playing on Hard or above is where the real experience is at.

 

[Romars202129]

Hayter's best performance, out of a stellar career.
God I hope Sutherland doesn't screw it up. Some of his line reading is really hit and miss in the trailers... but I guess at least theres some 'hit'... so it can't be complete trash...
Hey, did the old voice cast get gutted in it's entirety? I heard Ocelot's voice got changed too...

 

[Terbinator]

NEOGAF'S 2008 GAME OF THE YEAR 2x over!

I think I'm gonna replay this after I finish 2 & 3.

This just highlights how poor 2008 was for console gaming.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Hayter's best performance, out of a stellar career.
God I hope Sutherland doesn't screw it up. Some of his line reading is really hit and miss in the trailers... but I guess at least theres some 'hit'... so it can't be complete trash...
Hey, did the old voice cast get gutted in it's entirety? I heard Ocelot's voice got changed too...

Hayter is rocking it here.

But I think Sutherland will do a splendid job with Big Boss. And asides from Ocelot and Big Boss, I don't think there are that many returning characters and the ones that are have the same actors?

I'm actually unsure.

 

[liquidtmd]

Be too much work but Id love a rerelease on PS4 that restores the fidelity before it got that pre-release downgrade as observed by those infamous trailers

 

[RickyRozay]

if it comes to PS Now I'll probably give it a try since I never got a chance to play it.

 

[Slowdive]

I love it.

 

[DieH@rd]

MGS4 is awesome.

 

[M.W.]

Didn't like it.

 

[drproton]

A lot of people remember the cutscenes, but when I think of this game, I just marvel at how complex and finely tuned the controls were. It had perhaps the most elaborate character controls of any game ever, but didn't feel unnatural while using a controller.

Also the amount of fanservice for someone who had been following the series since MGS1 or before was incredible.

 

[BaraSailey]

Such a great game! I personally think it had the best gameplay of the series, even though those 45 minute cutscenes between segments made it feel like it was the MGS with the least gameplay out of them all. The story had its issues, but overall I had a blast with it. I definitely need to replay it sometime soon.

 

[matrix-cat]

IIRC, Snake is using his MGS1-era, pre-SOP nanomachines in MGS4 for the Codec and stuff. Apparently all more modern nanos are linked to SOP in some way, though. The MGS4 sneaking suit helps him out, too (I think I remember him saying something like, "This getup doubles as a muscle suit").

I mostly love this game, but it's either the Best Worst Game Ever Made, or the Worst Best Game Ever Made. There's no way a person could love it unconditionally, there's just too much stuff in there that's so brain-flayingly abysmal it makes me want to die every time I replay it. The cutscenes are all far too long and drawn out, using seven pages of script, four flowcharts and innumerable voiced ellipses to communicate even the simplest ideas. Snake spends the whole game being monologued at, never asserting his own feelings and just kind of soldiering on for no reason (it goes way past 'weary old soldier' and into 'this guy might be a robot' territory). Meryl forcing Johnny to marry her is still the worst moment in the entire Metal Gear saga; ain't nothing ever going to eclipse that.

At the same time, the game's positively dripping with glorious fanservice. Occasionally it's to its detriment, but my heart isn't yet so stony that I could begrudge Kojima letting me pilot Metal Gear Rex against Liquid's Ray (even if that fight is total bullshit on Extreme). The story is fucking nuts and half-irredeemably-stupid, but I love the overall revelation that the entirety of the Metal Gear story was just another one of Ocelot's crazy schemes (my favourite character). When Big Fucking Boss shows up at the end to CQC hug a gobsmacked Snake, smoke a cigar, choke the shit out of a 105 year old man and aim one last salute at The Boss' grave before succumbing once and for all, I was pretty much smitten. MGS4 is the clearest window we'll ever have into the insanity that is Hideo Kojima's mind.

 

[JoJoSono]

Really bad game that takes a crap on characters I use to like. Snake being a sad sad sad old man is not the direction I was interested in seeing after MGS1 and 2. Raiden's overly emo self is not cool just because he's a break dancing ninja. Easily the worst MGS game.

Terrible gameplay as well. It's hardly a stealth game and hardly does anything with it's "no place to hide on the Battlefield" mechanic. Which it decides to drop anyway for some of the most boring levels ever. Sure the game controls well, but it hardly does anything great with unique gameplay siutations . The boss battles are some of the most unimaginative in the series as well.

 

[Zeyphersan]

This game is literally a punishment.

 

[Banzai]

Half a movie or not, I love it. There's only one problem I have with this game. I didn't mind the nanomachines, marriage proposals or burping monkey, but Snake should have died.
When you heard the gunshot at the end, I was legitimately sad. Had a freaking tear in my eye. And then...

+ had to edit this in: piloting REX and fighting RAY? motherfucking nerdgasm.

 

[DustyVonEric]

My favorite MGS, and it's not even the best in the series. For me, that honor might go to MGS3.

MGS4's gameplay is more streamlined; you can play it as a shooter or stealth, and it controls well for both. The game makes no compromises when it comes to quirkiness and it's crazy anime-type story. It's like a big FU to non-fans ("We ain't making sense for you! Catch up!"), which I adore it for and wish more games would do.

Cutscenes?? MGS4 just doesn't give a care. It does things its way, haters be damned -- much like a Souls game. You can come for the ride, or stay crying on the sidelines; you're choice.

It has my total love and ultimate respect, so much so that I'm not even looking forward to MGS5. I thought MGS4 wrapped up the story beautifully. And though I know I'll eventually play 5, I'm in no rush, because I'm still basking in the warm glow of MGS4.

One of the greatest games ever made. The feels are real :')

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Half a movie or not, I love it. There's only one problem I have with this game. I didn't mind the nanomachines, marriage proposals or burping monkey, but Snake should have died.
When you heard the gunshot at the end, I was legitimately sad. Had a freaking tear in my eye. And then...

I now have an excuse to post this.

 

[Radec]

one of the best game last gen.

#gafgoty2x

 

[MormaPope]

Hayter's best performance, out of a stellar career.
God I hope Sutherland doesn't screw it up. Some of his line reading is really hit and miss in the trailers... but I guess at least theres some 'hit'... so it can't be complete trash...
Hey, did the old voice cast get gutted in it's entirety? I heard Ocelot's voice got changed too...

Naw man. MGS1 has the best voice acting and writing in the series. Hayter plays a cold hearted smartass perfectly in MGS1. Seriously, go replay MGS1. MGS4 made me apathetic towards the MGS series for a long time. The MGS HD collection rekindled my love for the series, Metal Gear Rising made me love the Metal Gear franchise again, and Ground Zeroes/MGS V has made me forget MGS4 is part of the franchise.

I've wanted to make a poll for polling who hated and loved MGS4, since some people continue to claim that the people hating on it are in some crazy and small minority that makes silly assertions. Yeah, right.

 

[Tekku]

The horrible story choices aside, I really loved this game. The gameplay is the best in the series and I loved the nostalgic

Spoiler

Shadow Moses

part.

 

[Marvel]

Will never understand the hate it gets, MGS4 was and still is the tits.

 

[Tookay]

Naw man. MGS1 has the best voice acting and writing in the series. Hayter plays a cold hearted smartass perfectly in MGS1. Seriously, go replay MGS1. MGS4 made me apathetic towards the MGS series for a long time. The MGS HD collection rekindled my love for the series, Metal Gear Rising made me love the Metal Gear franchise again, and Ground Zeroes/MGS V has made me forget MGS4 is part of the franchise.

I've wanted to make a poll for polling who hated and loved MGS4, since some people continue to claim that the people hating on it are in some crazy and small minority that makes silly assertions. Yeah, right.

It won GAF's GOTY 2008.

And the (shitty attempt to revoke that title) "2008 re-vote" several years later.

It is a very vocal minority.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

It won GAF's GOTY 2008.

And the (shitty attempt to revoke that title) "2008 re-vote" several years later.

It is a very vocal minority.

I don't know, I feel like if you were to put all of the people who hate MGS4 on one side of the room, and all of the people who love it on the other, and then ask them to fight, it would be an evenly matched battle. For every person I see say the game is amazing, someone seems to come along and say that it was the worst possible thing to happen to the series.

 

[Radec]

I've wanted to make a poll for polling who hated and loved MGS4, since some people continue to claim that the people hating on it are in some crazy and small minority that makes silly assertions. Yeah, right.

No need to give the vocal minority haters attention.

 

[Jack cw]

Back in 2008 it was an incredible game. The first 2 chapters were great in design and gameplay and the Drebin system worked incredibly well. But after a while and several playthroughs, the things that bothered me from the begining stood out pretty heavy. The AI is straight from PSone, the animations are utter crap, because Uncharted showed half a year ago how it's done. Gunplay was were stiff and recoil felt wrong. The bossfights were pretty mediocre, only two or three stood out. Graphics were mostly hit or miss and the nrrative was unbearable and the story and its conclusion with all this convoluted bullshit started in MGS2 storyline disappointed me. The game had its moments though with the bridge scene in Prague, return to Shadow Moses and the fight with Rex and Ray and Snake vs. Ocelot in the end.

It's still the best in the series gameplaywise after Ground Zeroes but for me the MGS game that felt the less MGS.

 

[Nibel]

Probably the most criticized MGS out there - and yet I loved every second of it; played through it several times because there was so much to do and experiment with.

I wished there was another stealth game with octo-camo bodysuit.

 

[Raonak]

My game of the forever.

Sure, it's really flawed, but the highs are so fucking high. Awesome gameplay (not enough of it tho), mostly great cutscenes and sound design,
and holy fuck kojima pulled the nostalgic strings so masterfully. Act4, Rex v Ray, Microwave, Snake v Liquid final battle. And BB coming back at the end was fucking awesome.
the amount of feels I had playing it for the first time... damn son, I doubt any game will ever recreate than feeling.

I really enjoyed the old snake motif, but in retrospect, they should've atleast done another Solid Snake games when he's in his prime, since MGS1 is pretty much the only MGS game you play as him properly.

2xGOTY!

 

[Two Words]

There is something great about Kojima making all of his fans ponder how all of the fantastical science fiction stuff has been happening in the first 3 MGS games, and then just go "Nah it was all nanomachines" in the final chapter.

 

[dc89]

Naw man. MGS1 has the best voice acting and writing in the series.

I agree. These lines are some of the best in the series:

"And then... he appeared... my hero... Saladin. He took me away from all that."

"Saladin? You mean Big Boss?"

The feels. The feels.

 

[MormaPope]

- Worst boss fights in the series (by a large margin)
- Least interesting bosses
- Worst pacing when it comes to gameplay and cutscenes
- Solid Snake is a depressing aged piece of jerky instead of a wisecracking and angry aged piece of jerky
- Naomi's character arc is fucking lame and dumb to the tenth degree
- Humor is lacking and is a lot more forced
- Overly depressing and drab characterization
- No mystery or intrigue when it comes to technology or what seems to be the supernatural
- Raiden's character development was a lame gray fox attempt
- Vamp's arc is just as lame as Naomi's
- The writing overall feels flat and drawn out to the point of not caring about the mythos
- Drebin and his diaper monkey, I mean its a monkey with a diaper
- Mount Snakemore, jesus christ
- Raiden's breakdancing and mouth combat
- No clear or recognizable themes in the story

Off the top of my head.

 

[Rickenslacker]

This game is literally a punishment.

Going for the platinum definitely feels like this, like an earnest effort to torture the player. Normal play it isn't so bad, even if the design of the game completely falls apart starting act 3.

 

[Reknoc]

2/5 best game
2/5 pretty good game
1/5 shit game

 

[mgs2master2]

I get the whole nanomachines hate, but the game itself was incredible. One of my favorite Ps3 games.

I guess I am part of the minority when it comes to the love for the game.

 

[JoJoSono]

- Worst boss fights in the series (by a large margin)
- Least interesting bosses
- Worst pacing when it comes to gameplay and cutscenes
- Solid Snake is a depressing aged piece of jerky instead of a wisecracking and angry aged piece of jerky
- Naomi's character arc is fucking lame and dumb to the tenth degree
- Humor is lacking and is a lot more forced
- Overly depressing and drab characterization
- No mystery or intrigue when it comes to technology or what seems to be the supernatural
- Raiden's character development was a lame gray fox attempt
- Vamp's arc is just as lame as Naomi's
- The writing overall feels flat and drawn out to the point of not caring about the mythos
- Drebin and his diaper monkey, I mean its a monkey with a diaper
- Mount Snakemore, jesus christ
- Raiden's breakdancing and mouth combat
- No clear or recognizable themes in the story

Off the top of my head.

And yet you hit everything wrong with the game. Bravo!

Well I would add how stupid and lame the Ocelot and Patriots reveal was.

Octocamo is great and really needs to be used in another MGS game somehow. It was the best thing about MGS. Hell, just make it an unlockable super suit in MGS5.

It really is amazing. There's so much more that could be done with it as well and it's a shame MGS5 is'nt bringing it back.

 

[Two Words]

Octocamo is great and really needs to be used in another MGS game somehow. It was the best thing about MGS. Hell, just make it an unlockable super suit in MGS5.

 

[fedexpeon]

I was about to stand the 45mins cutscenes because I played Xenosaga.
But wow, you can't play this game with your roommate/friend/mgs fan.
Both of us love MGS, but I fell asleep sometime when he was playing, and vice versa.
After that, we both decided to just play it by ourselves because the game can't be experience with another person.

 

[MormaPope]

It won GAF's GOTY 2008.

And the (shitty attempt to revoke that title) "2008 re-vote" several years later.

It is a very vocal minority.

Little Big Planet was 2nd place in 2008's GOTY thread, with MGS4 being first.

That made me reconsider my original interpretation that Gaf represents the core group for "hardcore" games. LBP being number 2 in 2008 just doesn't make sense to me.