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[Magician]

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 am not sure if this can be confirmed but my guess is

Spoiler

that red hand belonged to Zadornov, and makes it plausible as it was developed by a nation's military R&D

Edit:

Spoiler

Never mind, Zadornov's left hand was prosthetic

 

[MormaPope]

Act 5 should've been cut out completely.

MGS4 should've ended on Act 4. Take the Liquid Ocelot hand to hand fight and have it take place at Shadow Moses. Would've made more sense for it to happen there anyways.

 

[Banzai]

Act 5 should've been cut out completely.

MGS4 should've ended on Act 4. Take the Liquid Ocelot hand to hand fight and have it take place at Shadow Moses. Would've made more sense for it to happen there anyways.

wouldnt want to miss the microwave scene though. plus there's little gameplay as it is. not that act5 was particularly long...

 

[Musolf815]

I gotta play it again to see if I still like it, but right now I'm super nostalgic for it.

 

[kyser73]

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.

.

 

[Hirmetrium]

I was replaying it recently and it has those dizzying highs as people say.

If everyone in this thread is being 100% honest, can you not say you didn't freak out just a bit when they suggested you go back to Shadow Moses? Then you fight Wolf? Then you revisit all the places and find the goddamn SOCOM??!!

Game was INSANE. Act 4 literally blew my mind, and I didn't stop playing or watching to the early hours of the morning.

Few games have achieved that level of "one more act/stage/turn/level..." and MGS4 was one of them.

It's not as good as MGS3 (which stands out for me as I really enjoyed the story/parody of spy movies, and is actually a better James Bond game than most James Bond games) but I don't think many games are...

To critisize Old Snake as a main character I think is shortsighted. It's quite progressive and gives clear motivation - "one last job". It gives the story a sense of urgency that few others would.

 

[SDJGreen]

I really liked MGS4, I think it gets way too much shit, I've actually been replaying it at the moment as well. Sure there are a tonne of cutscenes, but this is the one that's really meant to tie up everything in Solid Snake's storyline. After all the shit they've accumulated over the years, It pretty much had to happen.

The actual gameplay is smooth as butter, it's got the most expansive CQC in the franchise and there's so many little details just with how you play that make it feel like a game that was really built with care.

Yes there are a lot of issues - Nanomachines end up being the solution to too many problems, Drebin and his monkey are ridiculous and the last chapter consists of one sneaking section, 2 boss fights, a corridor and more than an hour of cutscenes. But I still think it's a great game.

The first 2 chapters give you different options with how to tackle the stages, with branching paths and the option to fight alongside the rebels. Chapter 4 is a great bit of fan service and actually a really fun chapter of the game. How could any MGS fan not be excited to revisit

Spoiler

Shadow Moses

on that Chapter. It was all really thoughtfully done.

Chapter 3 is probably the biggest shit-stain on the game as far as I'm concerned. I understand that was designed by someone different (The director of NeverDead if I'm not mistaken). Just a really terrible, slow chapter that is absolutely zero fun to replay.

People bash it because it's got more cutscenes than gameplay, but as I was saying this was meant to tie up just about everything and it's just a clean cut way of doing it. Sure they could maybe have edited it down a bit but I don't think with MGS you should separate the cutscenes and the gameplay too much - they're all part of one package that makes up MGS. It's a part of what MGS is.

Basically - great game, some problems but mostly just given too much stick.

MGS3 is (in my opinion) the best MGS all round, but 4 had the best gameplay of the series... until it was dethroned by MGS V.

 

[Raonak]

Also, another reason my MGS4 is awesome:
Metal Gear Online!

<3 TSNE

- 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.

Agree with the bolded as negatives. The rest is a matter of preference, I thought the whole depressing atmosphere of the game was VERY powerful, because it further emphasised it was snake's final mission/ the last MGS game (though not so much now...)

Not enough codec is one of the bigger negatives about the game imo.

 

[Rickenslacker]

Thankfully they patched it eventually. Reinstalling each act every time you played was some dumb crap. Yes Otacon, thanks to the power of the Blu-Ray I don't have to swap discs to cross that connector in Shadow Moses, I just have to wait several minutes between every act instead. Otacon, why are you even marveling at Blu-Ray technology anyway, it's 2014 during that game for starters and you make robots that go invisible, a disc with more capacity than DVDs isn't something that should impress you.

Also, another reason my MGS4 is awesome:
Metal Gear Online!

MGO was great when I could play it, but a combination of Konami's ridiculous online system combined with the DRM in MGO eventually locked me out of it entirely. lol, gg Konami.

 

[Catalix]

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.

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.

- 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.

I love everything posted here. The bolded part is especially true for me. Word for word.

 

[Red UFO]

The part at the end where they stab each other with the syringes and the MGS1 life bars show up mah fuckin gawd.

The part where snake falls out of REX and screams "OTACONNNNNNNN" mah fuckin gawd.

 

[SDJGreen]

Thankfully they patched it eventually. Reinstalling each act every time you played was some dumb crap. Yes Otacon, thanks to the power of the Blu-Ray I don't have to swap discs to cross that connector in Shadow Moses, I just have to wait several minutes between every act instead. Otacon, why are you even marveling at Blu-Ray technology anyway, it's 2014 during that game for starters and you make robots that go invisible, a disc with more capacity than DVDs isn't something that should impress you.

Haha he also had an outdated Mac by 2014 standards, a fat PS3 in the Nomad and Sunny had a PSP. Meanwhile in 1974 Big Boss has a hologram iDroid.

They shot themselves in the foot by having technology advance faster earlier in history, makes some of the product placement look out of place after a few years haha.

 

[alienator]

seriously i love this game, i love the series. every single game. i have been playing them since the msx/snes times. People hating on 4 either dont get it or dont like games. i dont know. The amount of stuff thats in the game that has like, nothing to do with it, photoshoots with the bosses if u dont kill them, etc, just so much fun.

 

[Zeyphersan]

- 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.

All this + the marriage proposal scene being the dumbest thing ever put into a game, AND ruining the impact of the microwave segment

 

[SDJGreen]

The part at the end where they stab each other with the syringes and the MGS1 life bars show up mah fuckin gawd.

The part where snake falls out of REX and screams "OTACONNNNNNNN" mah fuckin gawd.

It's basically Fan Service: The Game for a lot of it - and that's not a bad thing at all.

While it gets bashed a lot these days, there are undoubtedly a load of great moments like those two.

 

[Ushojax]

It's a terrible movie with some very good gameplay segments in the first half of the game. I honestly believe Kojima was trolling with MGS4.

 

[AbandonedTrolley]

I played and loved the first game when it came out on PS1, I've got 2/3 remake on my Vita and bought 4 on the PS3, but haven't completed any of them! I just feel that I don't have the time to dedicate to them Maybe I should commit to them!

 

[lazorexplosion]

44% cutscenes. Bad cutscenes.

Not even kidding, 8.5 hrs of cutscenes.

Think about how many TV episodes that is and weep at how little it did with that amount of time.

 

[MormaPope]

All this + the marriage proposal scene being the dumbest thing ever put into a game, AND ruining the impact of the microwave segment

Snake almost getting killed by the small arm on ball robots ruined that segment immediately for me. The Meryl/Johnny relationship was probably the best character assassination I've seen.

 

[WITHE1982]

OK confession time: I've never actually played past the first 2 hours of MGS4. The exposition and cutscenes just bored the hell out of me.

Don't worry though I am putting that right at the minute and playing through the games in release order. I've completed Metal Gear 1 & 2, MGS, MGS2: SOS and I'm just starting Snake Eater (for the first time) before I try 4 once more.

Just a quick one. I'm not planning on getting Portable Ops or Peacewalker. Would I miss a great deal story wise by not playing them?

Oh and after replaying the first few games I've come to the conclusion that the writing is just plain awful. It's a mix of Escape From NY mixed with the worst daytime soap opera ever created. Damn fun to play though.

 

[theSlacker]

If everyone in this thread is being 100% honest, can you not say you didn't freak out just a bit when they suggested you go back to Shadow Moses? Then you fight Wolf? Then you revisit all the places and find the goddamn SOCOM??!!]

Taking us back to Shadow Moses is actually what made me realize how bad the game was. It reminded me of when the bosses felt like real people that had actual story and personality to them, not just a boss fight with a phone call of exposition after it. Of Snakes old personality. Of a gameworld that felt connected and linked together with the story. Of when a guy who shits himself was used as comic relief and that's it, not used to hamfist in a romance with Meryl.

 

[Zeyphersan]

Snake almost getting killed by the small arm on ball robots ruined that segment immediately for me. The Meryl/Johnny relationship was probably the best character assassination I've seen.

It's masterfully done, if you think about it. It's not like a quick and graceful assassination, it's long and drawn out, so you feel the maximum amount of embarrassment and pain.

 

[zerokoolpsx]

I heard its a good game if you don't mind hearing about nano machines.
It held up surprising well the last time I played it 2 years ago.
Its definitely the most criticized game in the franchise.

 

[Banzai]

Just a quick one. I'm not planning on getting Portable Ops or Peacewalker. Would I miss a great deal story wise by not playing them?

I'd say you can forget about Portable Ops. Peace Walker is partly rehashing BB coming to terms with what happened in MGS3 and partly him starting to build his private army and is definitely the setup for MGS5/GZ.

Play Peace Walker if you can (HD collection?). Maybe read up on some plot points if you can't.

 

[WITHE1982]

I'd say you can forget about Portable Ops. Peace Walker is partly rehashing BB coming to terms with what happened in MGS3 and partly him starting to build his private army and is definitely the setup for MGS5/GZ.

Play Peace Walker if you can (HD collection?). Maybe read up on some plot points if you can't.

Thanks. Think it's a bit much to play through them all so I think I'll just watch a brief Let's Play of Peace Walker just so I don't miss any plot points.

Really looking forward to Ground Zeros but don't want to touch it before playing the rest. It's just sitting here in cellophane, mocking me.

 

[kinoki]

I finished MGS4 for the first time a month ago and looking back I really see no point in going back. MGS3 is still one of my favorite games and brings back fond memories. MGS2 helped bring me back to console gaming. MGS4 is really weak when compared to those two. The exposition is so horrible that I had to reconsider my stance on the series as a whole. I came to terms with that this is not to be taken serious but rather a cheesy anime set inside a weird understanding of how the American military-industrial complex works.

 

[Screaming Meat]

It's basically Fan Service: The Game for a lot of it - and that's not a bad thing at all.

Personally, I find Kojima does his best work when he doesn't do fan service and just does what he wants.

 

[uomoartificiale]

The gameplay part, when you're finally allowed to play the damn game, is totaly ok. It is basically mgs3 character control, with a nice focus on camo and cqc. The story is dreadful. It killed all the modern mgs characters and mythos for me. MGS for me features only big boss, huey, young middle-age ocelot. That other thing never happened or it is not important for me.

 

[JimmyRustler]

All this + the marriage proposal scene being the dumbest thing ever put into a game, AND ruining the impact of the microwave segment

Oh lawd, I remember.... God, that was so embarrassing.

I'm really baffled at the fact that Kojima is still working on MGS when 4 was a clear attempt to kill the series once and for all. There is just no way Kojima could have put the shit in he did thinking that it won't kill the image the series had up to that point.

 

[LeBart]

It's a terrible movie with some very good gameplay segments in the first half of the game. I honestly believe Kojima was trolling with MGS4.

I don't know if he was "trolling", but what's clear is that he didn't give a fuck. A sequel to MGS2 kinda destroys that game retroactively. Its ending depends on it being the actual end and it completely falls apart as soon as you follow it with a sequel. That's why 3 is set in the past, and barely ever mentions the events of 2. I am convinced that MGS4 is a game Kojima really didn't want to make, and I think it shows.
As if he was like "fine, I'll give you your bloody sequel! Here, Snake is old, he's got a ridiculous mustache and he fights super models. Also Ocelot now fights helicopters with his mind, and everything is nanomachines. Fuck you."

 

[DieH@rd]

I don't know if he was "trolling", but what's clear is that he didn't give a fuck. A sequel to MGS2 kinda destroys that game retroactively. Its ending depends on it being the actual end and it completely falls apart as soon as you follow it with a sequel. That's why 3 is set in the past, and barely ever mentions the events of 2. I am convinced that MGS4 is a game Kojima really didn't want to make, and I think it shows.
As if he was like "fine, I'll give you your bloody sequel! Here, Snake is old, he's got a ridiculous mustache and he fights super models. Also Ocelot now fights helicopters with his mind, and everything is nanomachines. Fuck you."

But... in the end he either chickened out, or Konami foced him to leave Snake alive.

I'm glad that that was not his final MGS. Peace Walker was awesome and GZ+TPP look to be pinace of everything that old MGS fans want gameplay wize. He has streamlined the game so much more than ever before.

 

[Ragav]

+ Best soundtracks (Father and son is an underrated classic).
+ Otacon and Snake relationship in MGS4 is the strongest in the series.
+ Best Solid Snake, There i said it.
+ Act1, Act 2, Act 4
+ Best Hayter performance, PW is his worst.
+ MGS4 bosses >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> MGS 2 bosses( 2nd worst in the series).
+ Some of the best moments in the series.
+ Ocelot taking over SOP (Ridiculous but awesome).
- - MGS2 Retcon (Nano machines, Son).
- Johnny and muryl proposal scene.
- Briefing session, just skip them.
- Liquid ocelot (I don't get it, was he really ocelot all along then why did he try to squish snake under a submarine)
-

Spoiler

BIG BOSS

My personally likes and dislikes.

 

[Zakalwe]

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.

For me, LBP was a breath of fresh air. Charming, original, bags of character, it reminded me of childhood TV shows and that sense of wonder you had as a kid. It's rare something can tap into that.

-

I love MG4, from what I remember. I need to play it again though, hell I need to play through the entire collection again.

I've also never played 3, which is something that I need to fix.

 

[Jimnymebob]

Really enjoyed MGS4. MGS2 is my favourite, but 4 come really close. Only thing I wasn't keen on was the fact they drop the whole sneaking around war zones thing after Act 2. MGO was my favourite part of the package though.

 

[SgtCobra]

Haters be damned, one of the best games from last gen.

 

[TheMaidenInBlack]

One of the worst games I've ever played and basically killed my interest in the entire franchise.

I still love the first three thankfully.

 

[Broken Joystick]

Fuck the horrible filter.

Other than that, GOAT. I hope Solid's arc isn't done, would love to see a game where him and Otacon go round taking down Gears like they ain't nothing.

 

[Screaming Meat]

- Liquid ocelot (I don't get it, was he really ocelot all along then why did he try to squish snake under a submarine)

He had to make it look convincing or the Patriot AI would know what's up.

Also, I really liked Old Snake too. He looked like a Don and his crotchety, bitter attitude towards everything was highly amusing.

 

[Reknoc]

the nomad is the perfect setting for a terrible sitcom:

two dads; ones an anime otaku (also his sister died) and ones a grizzled old man watch as they try to look after their socially awkward daughter to predictably hilarious results. adapted by Chuck Lorre

 

[Gator86]

MGS4 destroyed my enjoyment of the franchise. The cutscenes went from slightly too frequent to holy shit, is this even a video game. The story is barely coherent for the most part. It's basically just Kojima furiously masturbating to himself while chanting nanomachines over and over. Ground zeroes is on its way from GameFly but thinking about this game murders any excitement from the thought of playing it.

 

[Screaming Meat]

the nomad is the perfect setting for a terrible sitcom:

two dads; ones an anime otaku (also his sister died) and ones a grizzled old man watch as they try to look after their socially awkward daughter to predictably hilarious results. adapted by Chuck Lorre

You had me right up until Chuck Lorre. Fuck that guy.

 

[Reknoc]

You had me right up until Chuck Lorre. Fuck that guy.

only chuck lorre could do justice to sunny's social problems and Otakons otaku-ness

"Dragonball Z" *5mins of forced laughter*

 

[Screaming Meat]

only chuck lorre could do justice to sunny's social problems and Otakons otaku-ness

"Dragonball Z" *5mins of forced laughter*

I'm reserving last place in my Human Centipede for him and I'm gonna make sure that first place eats ground up glass.

 

[Squire]

MGS4 is legit as hell. First played it a year after launch while recovering from a stomach flew. Love it.

I just found out this weekend the dude that plays Johnny is Beng Spies - Gene from God Hsnd.

 

[NateDog]

The game has quality in parts but is an awful, awful MGS game for many of the reasons already listed. At least the first Act was decent in terms of stealth, that was kind of it though. Since MGS4 everything has gone to shit, apart from maybe gameplay although I haven't played Ground Zeroes yet. At least TPP looks like it'll be fun, but I couldn't care less about the story and the inevitable plotholes.

 

[sono]

Played this when it first came out, overall I didnt like it (like I dont enjoy MGS games the story is ridiculous and unfathomable) although found it technically very impressive.

I keep telling myself to replay it for the trophies, but didnt get around to it yet.

 

[DevilFox]

MGS4 is overrated just because it's MGS and I'm saying this as a huge fan of the saga.
It's a good game, 8/10 for me, but easily the worst chapter. Snake's arc is amazing, especially for those who know him since the very beginning, nothing to say about that, but when it comes to everything else.. brr.
The pace of gameplay/cutscene is horrible and it's not like there's a great writing so it's horrible twice. Many explanations are ridiculous, many scenes are embarrassing (Meryl and Akiba in chapter 5, every Raiden clip..), the level design is very poor in 3 of the 5 chapters, IA is dumb, Raiden's arc is nonsense and almost offensive, boss fights are good in terms of gameplay but in terms of characterization they're very far from Wolf, Raven or any MGS3 boss.
MGO was good but it went to shit pretty quickly.
I could say more but I think it's enough. Most important I remember Kojima's promises. Since the release my trust in him has really gone down and Peace Walker and GZ so far didn't help me to think better about him. TPP is the last chance I'll give him.

 

[y2dvd]

Maybe I wouldn't have mind if the cutscenes were good but they were pretty bad. Gameplay was good though. MGS1 did both the best!

 

[Dizzy]

Best Game Ever

First post nails it again.

 

[Gurish]

Horrible game, I try to ignore it as a MGS game, otherwise i won't be able to enjoy MGSV, for me it's not part of the series, fuck this game